On the cover of the WSJ Asia this morning: 1) Leak of radioactive water in Fukushima; 2) Seoul braces for missile launch by North Korea; 3) More cases of bird flu in China.
If I didn't already live in Asia, I would think that Asia is no place to live. Instead, I happen to be in Seoul currently and while all the media outlets are warning of a potential missile launch, people here seem to be totally unfazed. I live in HK where there is basically zero customs/border control and mainland Chinese come in and out as they please and where germs run rampant everywhere. And I just recently traveled to Japan a few times, most recently to Hokkaido which is only a few hundred miles away from Fukushima. And strangely enough, I don't feel that I am in any more danger living here than I was when I lived in the US.
Living in SF, I always had a heightened sense of the dangers of being mugged/robbed/assaulted. Fears which are not unfounded, since I was held up at gunpoint when I was in college. In Asia - and especially in the places I live/travel most: Hong Kong, Korea, Japan - I am never afraid of being a victim of violent crime. It's just not very common for violent crime to be inflicted here, unless someone actually has a vendetta against you. So living in Asia, I feel safe from guns and knives and other violent crime, but exposed to potential radiation, epidemics and very very remotely, nuclear war. And while I think to people who don't live in Asia, the risks/threats of Asia sound far worse, I'm actually inclined to disagree. Huh, that surprised me just as much as anyone.
If I didn't already live in Asia, I would think that Asia is no place to live. Instead, I happen to be in Seoul currently and while all the media outlets are warning of a potential missile launch, people here seem to be totally unfazed. I live in HK where there is basically zero customs/border control and mainland Chinese come in and out as they please and where germs run rampant everywhere. And I just recently traveled to Japan a few times, most recently to Hokkaido which is only a few hundred miles away from Fukushima. And strangely enough, I don't feel that I am in any more danger living here than I was when I lived in the US.
Living in SF, I always had a heightened sense of the dangers of being mugged/robbed/assaulted. Fears which are not unfounded, since I was held up at gunpoint when I was in college. In Asia - and especially in the places I live/travel most: Hong Kong, Korea, Japan - I am never afraid of being a victim of violent crime. It's just not very common for violent crime to be inflicted here, unless someone actually has a vendetta against you. So living in Asia, I feel safe from guns and knives and other violent crime, but exposed to potential radiation, epidemics and very very remotely, nuclear war. And while I think to people who don't live in Asia, the risks/threats of Asia sound far worse, I'm actually inclined to disagree. Huh, that surprised me just as much as anyone.
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