I became curious about why so many very young people (most in their 20's to 30's) could comfortably call themselves ex anything, since they were, it seemed to me, too young to be EX-ITING out of ANY EX-PERIENCE! Then I suspected it might have a lot to do with the "otherness" STIGMA of being called and/or calling themselves "foreigners." To stave off the foreigner "otherness" from seeping though thier expat identity, expats spread their arrogant colonialization almost virally. For instance their franchized "homes away from home" are reproduce, as if "on demand".

Regardless of the expat presence, I want to remain in China! As a matter of fact I wish I had returned to China earlier, much earlier than March of this year! My first visit to China was in 1985, when I was a member of a criminal justice delegation to the People's Republic of China.

What mostly, though, makes me want to remain in China, is that I am so tired of being sick and tired of western competition performances that masquerade as "living". IMHO, almost everyone in the west, from about age 2 years and up, is "INFECTED" with the ego and drama "DISEASE" of pettiness, at best, and at worst, most westerners are "infected" with symbolic, to actual violence. and what may be even worse, is that the western "brand" of symbolic to actual violence may be competitive symbolic to actual violence PERFORMANCES.

The Chinese, on the other hand, and on the other side of the earth from westerners, are mostly cooperative, with themselves and with others. Though the chinese do have their share of symbolic to actual violence, perhaps it is due to due to expat, pre expat, etc., influences.

What I mean is that most westerners seem to have competitive life PERFORMANCES, instead of life EXPERIENCES, and even westerners' life PERFORMANCES have THEM, because instead of CONSUMING money, fame, and power, money fame and power CONSUMES them!

The Chinese are so HELPFUL and cooperative, that it is like being in a kind of utopia here (in China) for me, whereas my previous existence in the US was almost pure stress due to the competitive, provocative habits that most westerners call "it has to be this way", or what many weaterners say: "It's my way, or the highway!"

I hope I am wrong, and I will soon find out, because I will be temporarily returning to the US in a few weeks. I would be so happy to find out that I am mistaken. If, for instance, I get some help from so-called friends, I may alter my plans to cut almost all ties with the west and try to live the rest of my life in China, where people are, or seem to be, their cooperation experience.

Of course there will be the EX-PATS and western tourists that may mar my cooperative existence experience here in China, but I will deal with them by avoidance, lol. I have tried long and hard enough to force myself to keep making excuses for arrogant, egotistical, weatern drama kings and queens. From now on, I choose the cooperative east for my (closer to eternal)perspective.

Of course, if someone, anyone, can offer me any COOPERATIVE hope for westerners being able to transcend, or even risk any conduct CLOSE to cooperation, I might reconsider and occasionally vist the USA and/or other western venues, but I anticipate only defensive resentment resulting from this article, and defensiveness from my so called family, friends,etc., when I return temporarily (?)to the "west".