During the course of few days the most commonly used adjectives for Lu Guang in social media caught my eyes and irritated me to my core. The adjectives are- "selfish", "hypocrite" and "unhealthy" (in the way lu Guang loves Cheng xiaoshi *many are in denial about that too and I don't have the excruciating energy to argue with them*).
Now, let me shed light upon the text book definition of selfish - "one who is chiefly concerned with one's own personal profit or pleasure." (Wikipedia). Okay, so Lu Guang trying to save Cheng Xiaoshi is an act of selfishness? Isn't it basic instinct to protect our beloved? When our house is on fire isn't it human behaviour to look out for our people and trying to save them from the massacre or do we look out for our neighbours and try to look out for them when our own house is burning? When I have 2 dollars in my bank account and the ransom for saving an unknown person is exact 2 dollars, for the humanity and compassion and love for others I will spend that two dollars on that person but I will not take a loan for that right? But for my beloved, for my friends, for those who matter in my life the most I will not think even for a bit to go that extra mile and take loan from the bank and pay the hefty interest for the rest of my life. That's how struggle for existence, struggle to stay relevant is. Darwin's survival of the fittest isn't a very new concept right? It's our basic human instict to look out for our community people, seek out for them. In Hindu mythology, there's a saying - friends and beloveds should be like Krishna and Karna- those who stay by your side in dire need, even when on some level you are wrong, even when the world is against you. And why people are considering that saving people's life , changing timeline and messing up the fundamentals of time theory is just like a kid's play for Lu Guang and he don't have to pay any price for that . A price that can even make and remove his existence from everywhere? Where is Lu Guang's fault that he dared to dream to be with his beloved, the only person he has? In this context I will like to give reference to a line of vortex - "knowing it all am I destined to fall?, Knowing it all, Like once you did for me . " This this the Biblical reference to the story of Adam and Eve. Lu Guang is only able to know, he is not able to change everything. He can only try to change , keeping everything he has on sake, even his life. One thing - if Lu Guang sacrifices himself for everyone, how will he exist - Lu Guang's spirit animal is a cat, he doesn't have nine lives literally.
Next comes the very common trope of blaming Lu Guang as a hypocrite. For the reference I am attaching the definition of hypocrite from Cambridge Dictionary ( I don't think there can be a more authentic source for the definition) - Someone who says they have particular moral beliefs but behaves in way that shows these are not sincere. Okay so are we mixing up the very basic concept of moral beliefs and human instict to love, to care, to save and in general the basic human instict to "struggle for existence" . Even a suicidal person struggles on the threshold point of of their urge to live and their wish to end this life. Has Lu Guang ever claimed that he is that resurrected Chirst figure. In this late capitalist state he is here to save the mankind and punish the sinner. No, right ? So why are we making him a God like figure? And Lu Guang is hypocrite about what? For not letting Cheng Xiaoshi know that he will be going through workplace sexual assault when transmigrated to Emma's body? According to my understanding when someone is transmigrating to another person's body one is subscribing to experience one's lived experience, then with the vengeance for the horrible act they suffered, acting accordingly. When one is transmigrating don't you think letting one know about the experience one will be going through we are nullifying the other person's lived experience? When a person residing in center experiences a marginalized person's life ( in this case her marginalization happens because of her gender and class - both economic and social) it's difficult for the person living in the center fathom the intensity of a incident, everything isn't about textbook definitions. Moreover, did Lu Guang had the chance? Don't we think Lu Guang was helpless in that situation or is being dehumazined to a level that we are hesitant of thinking Lu Guang can have basic emotions? Or are we blaming Lu Guang for not letting Cheng Xiaoshi know about Emma's death? We all know in what condition (both mental and physical) Cheng Xiaoshi was after coming back from transmigrating into Emma's body.
Now, comes the adjective used for Lu Guang - " unhealthy" and we can also consider this as being non-concensual, abusive, obsessive kind of lover or "mate" as people like to call .. or should I say comrade? Anyway, one thing I learnt from this is that when a person is going to meet with an accident - I will first stop the speeding car going to hit the person and then let them sign the contract that will have made beforehand stating that I am allowed to save that person:-).! So that, the person whom I am saving don't get a guilt trip that they are being saved . As in that process I might have hurt myself and that person don't have to live through a life long guilt of being saved. Are we literally so much into the kind of media where we worship the Petrarchan trope of love that taking active action for one's love is being criminalized.
And people are so intrigued about passing value judgement about Lu Guang that he is judged merely being judged into the New Critic's way "good" or "bad"- "Is Lu Guang adding any value to our life?" "Is Lu Guang making you a good human being suitable to serve the big bens of the capitalist society?" - if not, then just tag Lu Guang as a horrible person. In the constant urge of villainizing Lu Guang, we have dehumazined Lu Guang so much that we have forgotten to see him as an individual and visualing him from a human parameter. The only request is to stop demonising him for loving, for dreaming to be with his love, for having a "queer" dream of a happy life...(◍•ᴗ•◍)(◔‿◔)(. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)(◍•ᴗ•◍)❤