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After reading articles written by a few Hong Kong students advocating an independent Hong Kong, I feel sorry for today's young generation. Hong Kong youth: I weep for you.

I am saddened not so much because what they wrote is wrong politically but because their proposals, if dismissed by everybody, will be a waste of valuable time and resources. But if they are taken seriously, even by a few people, they will hurt Hong Kong and the nation.

The kind of ideas advocated, including discussions about armed revolution among other things, would not be tolerated in many democratic countries, including the United States. The US did not even tolerate Natalie Maines, a singer with the Dixie Chicks saying she was ashamed of being a Texan because George W. Bush had launched the invasion of Iraq. As late as 2013 there was a report of a student being threatened with expulsion for writing a poem suggesting poor government had contributed to a school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, in 2012. This incident led to 27 deaths at the school and a death at another location. In contrast, rather than demanding any disciplinary action for the students who advocated Hong Kong's independence, the Chief Executive only reminded people to be wary of separatist ideas.

Hong Kong youth: I weep for you, but not for the boldness of your ideas. Being ready to come up with new ideas is a virtue. But what you are advocating is actually very dangerous. It is dangerous not because the separatist threat is real, but because it threatens the welfare of Hong Kong people. I weep for you because you have blindly adopted dangerous ideas.

The overwhelming majority of Hong Kong people want to live in peace. People with separatist tendencies are certainly a very small group. But such a small group can still cause a lot of trouble. The Irish Republican Army consisted of only several hundred members, but it had caused decades of bloodshed. Similarly, the separatist movement in Chechnya caused much human suffering and the loss of many lives. It continues today to inflict more pain and deaths. Separatist ideas have even less justification in Hong Kong because Hong Kong people are not a separate ethnic group. I cannot see why any responsible person, concerned about society, could support ideas which will only do harm.

I have written at least two articles in this column about critical thinking, which is supposed to be a key aspect of our education system. But critical thinking so far appears sadly lacking among leaders of today's student movement. Critical thinking requires that we must not advocate any actions in an impulsive manner. It requires people to think carefully before acting. Do our young people realize that in any society there are diverse interest groups? Do they not realize that there are conflicts that need to be resolved even in independent nations? Do they appreciate that clashes between different interest groups can go on indefinitely, bringing suffering more horrific than when the countries were not independent - as is the case in Africa?

It is nice to know students are concerned about justice and democracy. But they also need to study how democracy works in reality. Has democracy really brought about the benefits people thought it might? The fall of Hosni Mubarak helped Egypt achieve democracy, but is life in Egypt better now? Nepal became a democracy in 2006, but a 2014 report reads: "Nepal is a political and economic mess. A 10-year Maoist insurgency ended in 2006, but political leaders have since been unable to agree on a constitution. Despite vast hydropower potential, electricity is in such short supply that lights are extinguished for up to 14 hours each day. Manufacturing has declined for years; it now represents only 6 percent of the country's economic output. Poverty is endemic, air pollution is every bad, and the health statistics are terrible."

If students are concerned about justice and freedom, they have to study hard, think carefully, and look for workable solutions to problems. China for the first time in 1,000 years, has achieved freedom from hunger for everyone, the right to education for every child, and rising life expectancies. Under the "One Country, Two Systems" framework Hong Kong's rule of law and freedom of speech remains intact. Direct elections have been implemented for all seats in district councils and for half the seats in the Legislative Council. If our young people work hard with the rest of us, tomorrow will be better for everyone. But first they need to do their homework.

(HK Edition 01/20/2015 page10)