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This is the time of the year when most people return to visit parents and relatives back at hometown. After working far from home for a long time, we all naturally miss home where we belong and grew up in. We miss our parents, relatives and friends and they are excited to see us.
Working far from home is actually a sacrifice. Just for a better living, we sacrifice our youthful years to work in a far and unfamiliar place. We leave behind our childhood friends and everything we treasure.
People have high expectations of working in the big cities and feel there is no future in the small townships of home. The reality is that the expectations and dreams get watered down soon on arrival at the the big cities. Yes, there are more opportunities in the big cities, but only very few achieve significant success. Most just have a regular salary job and share a room with others, passing the days, nights, summers and winters. Some are fortunate to get married and set up a family. Others are still chasing their dreams and hoping for a better life. Time runs out and anxiety grows as time pass by. It is actually quite cruel but there is nothing much we can do about it. The queries from relatives about our status and financial condition are mostly for comparison with their own situation and some of them have bad intentions of demeaning us, so the best way to deal with this is to give some clever vague answers to silence or pacify them.
Every generation has to make some sacrifice. Our parents sacrificed their years in political turmoil, poverty instability and suppression. Our present generation suffer from senseless competition, exhaustive upgrading of knowledge and the unforgiving task of climbing the ladder of success. Nevertheless, most of us can be considered as successful because we have done the needful by working and trying hard to make achievements. Some achieved a bit more, some a bit less. No matter how much we have achieved, we are mostly successful because we are not born rich under the golden spoon and have done our best according the the chances and resources available to us. Just be happy that you have hopped on the train of opportunities and did what your best.
By the way, the Chinese government reported that income from industrial manufacturing and foreign investments are dwindling, income from manufacturing would fall and they are shifting their focus to upgrade the income of rural people by modernizing farming. There would be a new generation of ''modern farmers''. i wonder how many people would want to become a modern farmer. All these changes to society is tearing us into pieces and make us lose focus. Just hope we can overcome all the challenges and live a contented and happy life.