What are the resources and dangers for peace in the world

"China: What are the resources and dangers for peace in the world"

Prof. Louis Aldrich – Taipei

I. Introduction

My topic is, "China: What are the resources and dangers for peace in the world." If I were a Chinese, with my present academic background, asked to make a presentation on this topic, I would immediately insist that I am unqualified to discuss this topic, that I am unworthy of a such a task and that I apologize for wasting the time of such esteemed scholars as yourselves. Of course, having said this I would still attempt to answer the question posed. But even this formalized humility points to something deeper in Chinese culture that I hope to show later in this presentation is a resource for peace. Basically, there are many resources in traditional Chinese culture that can lead China to make a positive contribution to world peace. On the other hand, China, like every militarily powerful nation, presents dangers to peace: the class warfare ideology of communism, competition for resources and markets since the recent success of its opening to free-market capitalism and a growing "European" sense of nationalism. To attack this question, for which as a moral theologian I really am not competent I will take the following tack: first, try to show the resources in traditional culture; second, show the source of dangers in the present situation; third, conclude by pointing out some hopeful signs in the current situation.

II. Resources for Peace in Traditional Chinese Culture

One of the most famous Chinese paintings depicts a meeting at a three ways crossroads between Lao Tzu, Confucius and Buddha: the painting shows these three meeting in great joy and mutual acceptance. This painting reveals the genius of Chinese culture, an ability to accept and integrate the best elements of Taoism, Confucianism and Buddhism. In fact each of these traditions speaks profoundly about the importance of peace and outlines the attitudes and practices needed to bring it about. Let us begin with the Taoism of Lao Tzu.

Chinese culture has survived for 5,000 years: certainly one of the most important reasons is the profound appreciation Taoism has for the virtue of humility. About peace, Lao Tzu says: "Be utterly humble and you shall hold to the foundations of peace."[1] To achieve humility it is necessary to follow the Way, or the Tao. From the perspective of Thomistic philosophy, the Tao is the Eternal Law: the source and pattern of all that exists, including man. Insofar as men live in harmony with the Tao, they are good for themselves and for others. Humility and lowliness are virtues intrinsic to being in harmony with the Tao: "He who is great must make humility his base. He who is high must make lowliness his foundation . . . Thus it is that 'some things are increased by being diminished, others are diminished by being increased' . . . "What others have taught, I also teach; the violent come to untimely ends. I will make this the root of my teaching."[2]

Lao Tzu's Taoism has such a trust in the inevitable rightness of the Tao and its intrinsic relationship to humility that he says: "Therefore if a great nation humbles itself before a small kingdom, it shall make the small kingdom its prize. And if a small kingdom humbles itself before a great kingdom, it shall win over that great kingdom."[3] Humility allows the sage to cease striving and acting from one's egoistic desires and instead to become attuned the Tao and let the Tao act through him. The non-(self)action of Taoism is for the sake of letting the Tao manifest itself in human life. A sage will always warn a leader against wars of conquest and if a leader must fight: "He will never press his triumph beyond need. What he must do he does but not for glory, What he must do he does not for show, What he must do he does not for self; He has done it because it had to be done."[4] Finally, even victory in war, for those attuned to the Tao is not a cause for triumph: "Triumph is not beautiful. He who thinks triumph beautiful is one with a will to kill, and one with a will to kill shall never prevail upon the world . . . the death of a multitude is cause for mourning: conduct your triumph as a funeral."[5]

Confucius was born about 50 years after Lao Tzu, and the way of warfare had continued to degenerate. During the Warring States Period, "the horror reached its height . . . Instead of nobly holding their prisoners for ransom, conquerors put them to death in mass executions. Soldiers were paid upon presenting the severed heads of their enemies. Whole populations unlucky enough to be captured were beheaded, including women, children, and the aged. We read of mass slaughters of 60,000, 80,000, 82,000, and even 400,000.[6] Despite this horror and the corruption of many government officials, Confucius believed in the basic goodness of human nature and the real possibility of forming good persons, good families and good nations through proper education. "Confucius believed that the human order in some way reflected the divine order, or the patterns of heaven. More than anything, according to Confucius, the ancients understood the order and hierarchy of heaven and earth; as a result, Confucius established the Chinese past as an infallible model for the present."[7] But whereas Lao Tzu emphasized naturalness and simplicity for attaining attunement to the Tao, for Confucius the patterns of heaven are "most explicitly inscribed on the various rituals, li, prescribed for the conduct of every life" and are also inscribed in the "patterns of music and dance, yueh" such that by practicing and understanding "the traditional and solemn music and dance" the proper order of life could be attained.[8] For an individual who follows the divine patterns, peace and harmony result because he can "see the oneness of humanity, hear the oneness of humanity" and "treats others as he would like to be treated"; finally, the person "who flows in peace and harmony neither worries nor is afraid."[9] Confucius is quite clear that peace must begin with the individual, then extend to the family, then to the State. [about relations between states]

Both Lao Tzu and Confucius ground their understanding of peace in the Tao, or what Thomist philosophy would call the Eternal Law and natural moral law. Buddhism is grounded in religious experience; in some ways, achieving peace is the primary end of Buddhist practice. One Buddhist Master, Buddhadasa-bhikkhu (1906-93), has outlined nine points that should characterize peacemakers; here we offer one of the points: "peace-makers should come from righteous and peaceful families. Righteous and peaceful families know their duties and obligations to others. They act according to the Buddhist doctrine. Those who come from righteous and peaceful families are responsible social members. For example, if they are the superiors, they will treat inferiors with compassion; if they are children, they will respect and care for their parents. They can always secure peace in their society."[10]

III. Challenges to Peace

Above we have discussed the resources in China's traditional culture that act as a positive leaven upon whatever political policies are made by China's present political leaders: that is, there are very deep and powerful cultural forces support making peace a positive goal for China's internal and external relations. Although I admit I have no qualifications to offer opinions on such matters, contemporary China does present some areas which could be called dangers to world peace. These are the policy of non-interference in state sovereignty, the policy of complete one party control within China, the policy of colonialization of Tibet and the policies around the unification with Taiwan.

While in some ways non-interference in the sovereignty of States may be helpful for peace, in some areas of Africa, such as the Sudan, China's reluctance to agree to sending United Nations peace keeping troops, or of using its economic influence to demand changes toward peace from such governments, allows brutal civil wars or wars of State suppression to continue unnecessarily. This policy is not a reflection of Chinese tradition, but of the 18th century European understanding of the sovereign State. This understanding also allows Chinese leaders to reject outside criticism of its own human rights practices. This form of nationalism is dangerous in that it is easily manipulated to distract the population's attention from domestic problems. For example, if serious riots and discontent were to spread within China, stepping up the rhetoric against Taiwan, or even attacking Taiwan, could be a way, through a nationalist fervor, of re-stabilizing the Communist party's power. Further, the current aggressive colonization of Tibet through overwhelming the local population with migrants from China, always has the potential of eliciting a violent reaction from the Tibetans. Finally, concerning Taiwan, China has hundreds of missiles pointed at Taiwan and a strong public rhetoric that asserts absolutely that Taiwan is part of China's national territory. At the same time, though the majority of Taiwanese people do not want a formal declaration of independence, there is a sizable minority pushing the government to move in that direction. Any misstep in this tense situation by the leaders of Taiwan or China could lead to a war between the China and the United States.

IV. Conclusion

I will repeat for the third, in discussing this topic I am really beyond my field of academic competence. In summing up we can say that because traditional Chinese culture has strong elements directed toward peace, China could become a positive force for world peace in the future. In fact China's policy toward Taiwan has been much more peaceable in practice than its rhetoric: there seems to be a general acceptance of the position promoted by the United States: that is, as long Taiwan does not officially declare independence, unification can gradually and peacefully be achieved. Further, China's official government strategy for the next twenty years is "peaceful development." In a speech last year, the Chinese ambassador to the United States, Zhou Wenzhong, after outlining the unique challenges China faces in continuing its economic and social development, laid out three strategic directions for the future, the second of which is: "China must transcend the traditional development approaches of big powers in modern history and the cold-war mentality marked by ideology, and strive for peace, development and cooperation together with the rest of the world. . . . In short, we have embarked on a road to peaceful development ever since the beginning of reform and opening-up. The series of domestic and foreign policies we have therefore adopted sum up to the strategy of peaceful development. The centerpiece of this strategy is 'maintaining external peace and internal harmony'."[11] Though expressed in English and in the context of modern economic development, the strategy expressed is consistent with the best in the Chinese culture's traditional understanding of the importance of peace. Because of this we have reason to hope that China will be more a contributor to world peace than a danger to it.

[1] http://terebess.hu/english/tao/bynner.html, section 16.

[2]The Saying of Lao Tzu, translator Lionel Giles, Butler and Tanner Ltd. (London), 1959, pp. 36-37.

[4] http://terebess.hu/english/tao/bynner.html, section 30.

[6] Huston Smith, The Religions of Man, New York: Harper and Row, 1965, p. 166.

[7] http://www.greatcom.org/resources/handbook_of_todays_religions/03chap04/default.htm

[8]http://www.wsu.edu:8001/~dee/CHPHIL/CONF.HTM

[9] http://www.johnworldpeace.com/confucius2.html

[10] Translated by Pataraporn Sirikanchana in Donald K.Swearer,

ed., Me and Mine, New York: State University of New York, 1989. http://ignca.nic.in/cd_09015.htm

[11] Zhou Wenzhong, Georgetown University Washington, D.C., "China's Strategy of Peaceful Development and the Future of China-U.S. Relations", October 5, 2005.