Aug 23 2018

As The World Turns

China’s military might, America’s judicial integrity

I’ve witnessed China’s economic rise. Most of it has unfolded in my lifetime, and many Asian countries both benefit from and are wary of it. A lot of China’s recent power comes from its “One Belt, One Road” initiative, which funds infrastructure development in the region and as far away as Africa. But this funding comes with the expectation that China gets to wield political, military, and especially, economic influence on those nations.

According to a new report from the US Department of Defense, China is putting economic pressure on countries like South Korea, continuing to stake its claim on disputed territory in the South China Sea, and investing billions in new military capabilities. All of this adds up to a more vocal China on the world stage, and America/the West having to stay cordial while remaining vigilant.

Meanwhile, on the US home front…

It was a good week for the American justice system. The rule of law seems to have done its job with a Paul Manafort conviction and a Michael Cohen guilty plea. Even a pro-Trump juror couldn’t (and didn’t) refute the evidence brought against Paul Manafort, and we were one juror shy of a guilty verdict on all 18 counts.

I’m not rooting for either side, and I don’t want an innocent person to be incarcerated. But I do worry when democratic institutions and norms erode, or look like they’re going to. And there’s been ample evidence, for decades really, that corruption or hyper-partisanship are grinding the American wheels of governance and jurisprudence to a halt. So, in this climate of echo chambers and blind loyalties, this was a good week.

Om Is Where The Heart Is

Crazy Riches

I haven’t read the books, and I haven’t watched the movie. Yet.

But last weekend’s #1 Hollywood box office smash hit Crazy Rich Asians is already giving me lots of food for thought. In telling its Trans-Pacific love story, by setting it in Singapore and America, and in breaking new diversity/representation ground with its all-Asian cast…I’m a natural fan, and I’m happy for its writers and producers.

It also stirred something deep inside me, to step up and tell more stories from my world and life experience. Critics of the movie are asking bigger questions – in all fairness, questions that a single escapist romantic comedy shouldn’t have to bear on its own – about the one-dimensional portrayal of Singapore and its people. The critics make a good point. Crazy Rich Asians’ creators themselves admit that they didn’t set out to represent every nuanced facet of Asia. But they are intent on making this a movement, a door opener for other Asians and their stories to shine under the Hollywood sun. To that, I say hell yeah.

News and Views

My next book

I’m finally taking the plunge again, to write a book about the last decade of my life. (Yes, learning about Crazy Rich Asians has been a huge motivation, the final push if you will, to JUST DO IT.)

I feel like I’ve lived 5 lifetimes in the last decade. Love, loss, identity, family, geopolitics, patriotism, spirituality…these themes and more rushed in, battling for my attention. Right now, I don’t know what these most recent drawers of my memory chest actually hold. It all went by so quickly and chaotically. Inside these drawers, the socks are mismatched, jeans slide against tank tops, and dresses are all scrunched up.

But I’ve got some hangers. An ironing board. A heart intent on understanding what it all means.

And an invitation to you, my dear newsletter reader, to stay with me on this writing adventure. (Want to cheer me on and wish me well? Send me a note of encouragement – I love reading and receiving your positive energy.)

In the next issue:

I want to have watched Crazy Rich Asians. Watch this space for my take on how Singapore was portrayed vs what I know it to be. Fun times!

Live well and lead large – Maya

(featured image by Army Sgt. Amber I. Smith from dod.defense.gov)