Hong Kong people are not brought up to identify with politics. Under colonial rule, the teaching of politics was actively discouraged. There were no direct election to the legislature until 1991, before which time we could not identify with anyone who represented us in the public sphere. Things have begun to change. Elections are now a part of our culture.
Public protests are also common, providing a safety valve for people to vent their concerns.
Civil society is growing. Memory reminds us why Hong Kong is where it is and why we are doing what we are doing. Memory is what helps us to want to do better. The pains of the past do not have to incapacitate us, preventing the fashioning of a better future. This vision will require Hong Kong to be open, free, democratic and multicultural.