Although the expressions are different, the worship of the Supreme Creator in the East and the West is consistent. Humanity has struggled to incorporate natural law principles into government to create a just structure for civil society. Natural law, which is the foundation of a just social order, emphasizes the natural rights.
This human quest for a better society has lasted for thousands of years; it happened not only in the West but also in the East. Modern Western society has developed relatively quicker, with a successful experiment completed in the United States 244 years ago. Eastern societies, especially China and Japan, deeply admire and study the success of the West. But a few elitists in the West have long regarded the success of society as their own, and despised Eastern societies. A few key figures believe China is an ignorant nation with no philosophy or even no history. This blind hubris, coupled with the appeasement policy of the past 70 years to curry favor with the CCP and marginalize the ROC, has led to long-term mistakes in China policy of Western countries. This has also led to a lack of understanding of the real traditional Chinese culture in Western society.
It is beyond the scope of this book to study seriously Western society’s understanding of China over the past 300 years. However, along the theme of this chapter, it is necessary to sketch briefly the efforts made by some Chinese thinkers who have tried to incorporate the principles of natural law to create a just society. Some of these ideas may have practical implications for saving America today.
Most of the brilliant thinkers in China seemingly did not need a complete philosophical system. Yet their aphorisms, epigrams, and short essays, like unadorned diamonds, need no polishing and can shine brightly on their own. From the Spring and Autumn Period until the Tang and Song dynasties, ancient China produced many outstanding thinkers. Their extraordinary holiness and profound wisdom gave me a feeling of looking up at the mountains.
Such people have no illusions, so there is no such thing as awakening. They never had extravagant expectations, so they will never be disappointed. Their spirit has been so liberated. These are special philosophers who clearly understand life. They have a generous embrace and can live their life with a gentle self-irony mentality. They have no interest in position and fortune and enjoy their life happily. These philosophical people also have a bohemian sense of freedom, have a natural arrogance, but can treat life with a nonchalance attitude. With this free consciousness and nonchalant attitude, they can enjoy their happy life deeply and enthusiastically.
The philosophical temperament of such people is so light, buried deep in their wise and happy lives. They deeply understand that all freedom requires restraint; the greater the freedom, the greater the restraint and the greater the accountability to themselves. They expect freedom to flourish and endure in society, so they consciously place the ‘moral chain’ within themselves. Their way of life will only bring stability and security to the free world. These area group of people who were born to share American values.
Most of the ideas that shaped early America came from Christians and Jews. But this relationship is creative and does not exclude nourishment from other cultures. In fact, the traditional culture of the Chinese nation has great potential to accept and even consolidate American values, but it has been neglected for a long time. It is time to get reacquainted with these values when the decisive battle between Good and Evil has now entered a critical stage.
Sun Tzu once wrote in “Art of War”: “The supreme art of war is to conquer the enemy without conducting a war.” While this book repeatedly explores the huge potential of the deep integration of the two great cultures, it also implies that mastering this supreme art of war is not impossible.
Through the deep integration of Christian culture and traditional Chinese culture, more revelations will inevitably emerge. We must travel through time and space to accomplish this mission.
(05/19/2022)