Updates (January 23, 2025)
The Western culture for a coloured person:
Canada is similar to USA. Everyone born in Canada understand how things go.
But when you get older like middle-age, you feel different doing the same routine???
Well for me, I was taught by other Vietnamese to go with the flow. But they were from overseas …
Now that I am older and socialized with Vietnamese born in Canada, I feel I grown more and have a place. It is no longer just general negative stereotypes people place and use all day. It is OK but …
I was labelled so much that I learned from my experiences and grew, grew at old age. Now I grow from it with my Vietnamese born people in Canada. It is a nice addition. People respect that you are offering a positive better mindset really.
Now that I got over the negative labelling at this level, I can continue and grow my place.
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When you finally get old and see old people in their 60+, and you can socialize with them and get their respect then you have made good strides.
It took 40 years of this and that.
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What I learned from being coloured in Canada:
- You have to find people that are like you and better than you as they will offer you things to do. This will enable you to grow. Growing is needed. If you are comfortable and growing in a good environment then you are happy and fed. Your mind is out of the gutter. Finding people that will enable you and make you feel comfortable is something you have to find in the West. It takes time to find these people but it is in your frequency and people above your frequency. Also you have to keep growing and find more people to grow. That is something I have learned. You have to find more people to grow with. There should be plenty of people online if you post.
- I have met a lot of naysayers in my life undermining my goals. That is a given. People will hurt you. I learned just to find people on my frequency really and try to do more and be alone on my computer doing things that are fun and enjoyable.
- I learned about other cultures and yes they do clash at times. It is odd. Canada is a multicultural place and because of that sometimes there are clashes of ideas and even clashes of universal ideals. You have to go to the most forward one though to have any healthy life here in Canada … The older ‘Canadians’ expect something of value and originality.
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Doing the 2nd attempt at web development looks like a lot of effort.
I realize how hard it is now. And I am on stair ledge now. I have some grip.
The step from before to now is huge. Now I respect hard workers in web development.
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That is the thing of the West I did not realize … Life is hard at the beginning with bullying and teasing if you are born here as a coloured person. But once you rise and learn from the teasing and repeat that process many times over, you grow levels and beyond the stereotypes eventually getting to high level of work and nothing phases you. The work you do takes over and it is the life activity that cements you. The “thing you do” (work creating high level quality of web sites) becomes more important than the teasers. The teasers are teasing you because you lack the skills and accomplishments??? … So at the end of the day you accomplish what you do (work, solve and then create).
At the end of the people do respect one another. That is what people are seeking after all the teasing. People just want respect here in Canada as Canada is a OK place to live. They just want respect.
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After working developing products with Canadians, I realize the Western mentality of work, work: Lots of working, some chaos, most things work, continuing until you lose interest or burn out.
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How I avoided burn out is to have that slice of personal development in creating products unique to me.
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The cool thing about what I did so far mostly in my life was to do things that got respect.
Also web site design is also about gaining respect.
I guess you can have a life of respect without doing troubling work that messes with your ethics and morals.
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The more I socialize with Vietnamese in general and mostly Vietnamese born in the West, I grow.
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I don’t realize this with my siblings and parents but when you lose your “youth look”, people expect you 100-10,000% to be wise and smart and accomplished and respectful. When you look old you must act smart and proper 100%.
I spent the last 40 years studying and finally got to old looking age and lost my youth look. Now people don’t bother me LOL!. That is a funny quirk of life. Youths bully each other until they finally get old LOL!
I go out in public now and I am pretty much invisible. But I kind of stick out because I kind of look intelligent and did not waste a lot time doing too much wonky stuff. I have stuff going on and have some accomplishments that I don’t want to go to waste. That is the trick of life as a colored person. You study and study in the background of your mind and then you get what you want at the end (respect, job, skills, drive, accomplishments, merit, things to do that rise above anything else, rise above the naysayers or anyone). No one can bug you really here in the West because everyone knows this really … People bully and undermine each other. So don’t get flustered when you are here in the West and people undermine you. When you are in public and race plays a role, just mind your business and walk away and continue to mind your business. Eventually, you have something of great unique respectable value that makes the other people respect you at the end. Initially it is about the clash of Western culture but if you really produce something of unique value than that is worth it.
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I am learning that what you do and what you like will still be what you do. I learned a lot and tried to fit in and get along but at the end of the day, some groups try to influence you but in a controlling demeaning way. But if you have the understanding and experience that should make you stronger and better to continue to do good things your way and better.