As you can probably tell from the title of this blog, I am a proud member of the Hong Kong Populous. Today, given that I’ll have school of tomorrow, I decided to walk through all the areas that the protests have afflicted. I must say, the experience was not only ineffably heartening, but I was also reminded of what it means to be a proud citizen of this little island.

The first thing that struck me was the solidarity amongst all the protestors. There was a certain tacit trust, a bond forged by unified aims, that underscored everything that was occurring. As I approached an impromptu staircase constructed of plastic barriers, two of the participants sitting there warmly proffered their hands – both as support for ascending the rickety staircase, as well as a welcome into the throng of unified brothers and sisters.

On the television, one can easily hear the ruckus of the crowd, the chants of the masses, and the bold proclamations yelled by their signs. It is easy to paint with broad strokes and denote the protests as “violent” and “uncivil”. But only by being within the heart of the crowd, and seeing the grim yet determined visages of all those involved, can one empathise with the crowd.

But it gets even better.

Protests tend to entail a certain degree of entropy and chaos. We associate riots, violence, protests and looting into one inseparable amalgamation. But in Hong Kong, quite the contrary is true. In fact, never have I seen so much order and efficiency than amongst those sweaty and battered civilians. Food was carried systematically up and down the street being distributed to all those in need. Despite their numbers being in the 10s of thousands, it was still easy to walk through the entire throng due to walkways carved through the mass of people. I was mildly bemused when a man wielding a water spraying canister jogged by, squirting droplets of water into the air. Then I realised his intent was to keep everyone cool and relaxed in the sweltering September heat (made no more tolerable by the black-shirted dress code). This was genuinely the most poignant act I had ever witnessed.

Something that has been made a salient point by the media is the distinct lack of violence. There have been no instances of looting, not a single car burned, no shop windows destroyed. There were initially minor skirmishes between protestors and police, but both parties understood the position of the other. Everyone understood that the police were under orders, and thus deserved none of the blame. Apologies were written on signs, expressing sincere regret regarding the quagmire everyone has been sunk in. These acts are truly so magnanimous that they just evade my comprehension.

As I made my way further down the thoroughfare, I noticed another thing. The youth of those present. Hardly a person was over the drinking age, yet they were on the streets, taking control of a future that they know will be theirs. This speaks of boundless initiative, of promise, and of a generation that I am no doubt honoured to be associated with.

Generally, what I was expecting to be a tentative observation from afar led to my own assimilation with the demonstrators. Brief instances of interaction were enough to incite a burning feeling of fraternity. I was moved to the point of having to write a blog post about it, to share the word with everyone who wishes to listen. Though the future is murky and the outcome uncertain, I am afforded solace by my Hong Kong brothers and sisters. Even as the city takes an unprecedented turn, I will be content knowing this caring, empathetic and impassioned group will be right beside me.