Final Written Report for The Theme of My Blog

My reflections on Cosmopolitanism & Peaceful-Coexistence:

Last time I have used the Western example of Toronto as a cosmopolitan place, which is a large multi-cultural place that has made Canada famous for its art & culture. But this time, I haved used Hong Kong the Asian example, as a cosmopolitan place as well. According to Immanuel Kant’s Cosmopolitanism, (from my interpretations) he considers that in a society, individuals have the right and freedom for the affiliation that they find suitable for them. Inspired by his thinking, I think in a society, there are million types of people and that each individuals have their own thinking and pursuit of own style of life. Some may find commerce and grand architectures as the type of life they find beautiful; while some others find preserving traditional values and cultures is more essential. Due to the influence of democracy today, sometimes it is difficult to determine which interest and ideal is more influential than the other, since everyone has the right to pursue their own interests, as long as they don’t hurt other’s rights and interests. So under the cosmopolitan world, all interests have their meaning and function that all will contribute to the well-being of this world. With commercial and trade interests, societies then can become prosperous and more open up to the outside world. With preserving the traditional values, societies can also benefit from the fume of its cultural influence in order to create their own uniqueness. This uniqueness also represents the personality and characteristics of their society. And that is why, there are many styles created under different cultures. Both the West and Oriental have their individual styles and perceptions; though they are quite different (due to geographic reason). But if both sides open up themselves and try to understand each other’s background and history, they will discover many surprises and then reduce the distance (gap) between them.

One important thing I’ve realized is that both Aristotle (Greek & West) and Confucius (The East) were born during the same era (very close); and that both of them had the famous philosophy discourse on “Doctrine of the Mean”. I thought to myself, does that indicate God had created them the same time and sent one to the West and the other to the East? And their mission was to promote and advocate the meaning and lesson of “Temperance”? So, in a globalized world and being influenced by the universe and cosmopolitan, if all sides remain respectful and open up to each other’s uniqueness and perspective, peaceful co-existence should not be too far to reach.
God Bless & World Peace!

http://www.youtube.com/user/MLLD2009?feature=mhw5#p/u/0/-1iC0nHHVOE

Please Click on the Link for the New Film

This New Film is Called:

The Art of Cosmopolitan: Under the Influence of West & Oriental is the Shape of the Modern & Tradition Flavour.

Hong Kong is a very contemporary and modern place. It’s prosperity mainly due to its convenient spot for exports and imports. Its geographic spot has grant it the position as one of the international commercial centers; that its culture and atmosphere is so full of different elements. Hong Kong not only has preserved its own traditional culture, but simultaneously is instilled with many international influences. That is why many travellers and foreigners have named HK as the “cosmopolitan center”. In this short film I have, I will focus on HK’s variety elements, such as famous travel spots, architecture, and artistic exhibition. Without them, HK would not have its one of a kind art & culture. And I have also incorporated Macao into this film due its unique backdrops of its own tradition and also the Portuguese aroma. Please pay attention to the flow of this video. I put the scenes in the contrast type order: west & oriental, modern & traditional. So this film is called The Art of Cosmopolitan: Under the Influence of West & Oriental is the Shape of the Modern & Tradition Flavour.

video clip project (windows movie maker)

I've made the video during the fall term as a school-related work. Many thanks to Mr.Derek for his kindess for the interview as part of contribution to this video. As a respect to his privacy, I didnt shoot his face but only voice. I have also received permission from him to use the interview and incorporate it with my video clip made with Windows  Movie Maker.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2YVpfh0KcY

Mr. Derek's speech is full of wisdom and contains meaningful message. Please pay attention to the flow of the video. Each scene matches the speed of his speech and words.

This video contains scenes and concepts regarding to different areas and corners of downtown Toronto. Not only that, but also there are many implicit important messages for you to realize: a corner, a district, a state, a province, a nation, and a region; all that and their relations to phenomena of the world. The concept of this video "cosmopolis" is inspired by Immanuel Kant's theory of cosmopolitanism. (from my POLS 3040 Political Theory course-kit)

Artist's Statement

The cosmopolitan blog:

i would like to share some pictures and links or videos with you. i do not have a particular or professional artist approach. mine is very general but perhaps contains some information, stories, or reflections on some interesting topics. although i am not a professonal photographer, i enjoy taking pictures of something that appeals to me. for those Sounds, songs, poems, or other statements that provide a special feeling, i guess i would consider them to be in the 'artistic' category...

this cosmopolitan blog will contain mostly the miscellaneous that specifically interests me (universal culture, social, Nature, and their background stories if to be found).