The other morning the air was crisp and clear, windy and chilly but not bone-chilling. I sat in my 26th story office looking out on the park below where people stand around the lake and shout or sing. It's some kind of exercise and there is an outdoor gym down there too. I cracked the window because the government sponsored heat is too hot up in my office, and I could hear the shouters and also some music playing somewhere that sounded like it belonged on a boardwalk. The sun was direct in my window. It was beautiful.
I asked the Chinese IT young man in the office what the shouting was about. I thought it might be something like a yoga lung exercise. He got very intense and said, "There are many people in China. It is very crowded. There are many people on the street. Many tall buildings. In cars in the street there is no place to park. No space. There are many buildings. Look out there. Look at all those buildings. There are no trees. No space. Nothing green. People feel nervous. It is crowded. People feel like there is something very heavy on their backs. They feel depressed. So, when they stand by a lake, with nothing in front of them but water, they feel so full of joy they shout. It's a release. They shout because they feel so light and happy to be standing there."
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