Table of Content: HOW TO RAISE A RESILIENT KID: I AM NOT RIGHT BUT THAT’S OK
People all over the world accept Abrahamic religions not because these come from a Middle East country; they accept Buddhism not because it comes from India. People do not think about where the religions originated from, although they know; racism has no place in religions. They accept them because the religions benefit them in many ways of their lives. Indians are not easily instigated by nationalists to reject Christianity, for example, and accept Hinduism simply because Hinduism is a national product while Christianity is a foreign religion. All religions, Abrahamic or otherwise, belong to all the people of the world or global citizens. Similarly, Chinese philosophies belong to global citizens. If the word “Chinese” is highlighted, some people will tend to reject and attack the philosophies. People also criticize unfamiliar philosophies because of different cultural backgrounds, and different distinctions of right and wrong. For example, Collectivists dislike the ideas of Individualism; similarly, Individualists despise the ideas of Collectivism. What is right and what is wrong? It is a matter of opinion, although sometime the different camps concur with each other. Right is wrong if it causes chaos; wrong is right if it creates harmony. Not every element of a particular philosophy is beneficial to a society in different time and space. Some are beneficial in the past but not today; some are beneficial in China but not in America. According to Daoism or Dao De Jing of Lao Zi, everything depends on Dao (道), Time (天), Space (地), and People (人). According to Sun Zi Art of War, the keys to win a war (not just a hundred battles) are Dao (道), Time (天), Space (地), Leader (将), and Method (法). Methods come from Leaders, and Leaders come from People. In this respect, Sun Zi and Lao Zi are similar. By the way, although Sun Zi wrote about Art of War, it was really about love for the people. He emphasized Dao, which he meant the people agreed with the government on the decision to fight a war; it meant the war was for Collective interest of the people and the government, such as self-defense, offense as the best self-defense, and fight for justice (义战). Sun Zi said: “For to win one hundred victories in one hundred battles is not the acme of skill. To subdue the enemy without fighting is the acme of skill.” He didn’t like killing. He wrote that the essential qualities of a leader are: intelligent (智), trustworthiness (信), compassion (仁), courage (勇), and strict enforcement of laws (严).
What I am saying is Chinese philosophies are not the cure-all solutions for all problems. However, there are surely many elements which can be learnt to benefit any society. Earlier, I wrote an answer which mentioned the core of Confucianism and Daoism. Boon Kuan Chung’s answer to According to the Taoism and Confucianism, what is the unforgivable sin? Essentially, the most prominent Chinese philosophies are related to Collectivism. Legalism (法家) disagree with Moism (墨家). Legalism is essentially Fascism, and Moism is essentially Communism. Nevertheless, they all have one common objective: Collective good. The ruler is secure, everybody has food and shelter, and the society is peaceful. Individual freedom takes a back seat. Collective interest trumps individual interest. However, that doesn’t mean no freedom. There is no such thing as unlimited individual freedom, and there is no perfect justice. Freedom and justice are like negative and positive charges; both must exist in a balancing act. More social justice will lead to more freedom. Too little social justice will lead to too little freedom, and vice versa.
Socialism works in China for a reason which is related to Chinese philosophies. Chinese people are mostly brainwashed or mentally conditioned to accept Collectivism and reject Individualism. Capitalism works in America because Americans are mostly brainwashed to accept Individualism and reject Collectivism. It doesn’t mean Individualists don’t care about Collective good; Individualists think that Individualism is the only way to ensure Collective good. Is Collectivism more superior than Individualism? Right is wrong if it causes chaos; wrong is right if it creates harmony. Pure Socialism will not work in America; similarly, pure Capitalism will not work in China.
Brainwash is not always bad. It is good if it clean up the brain; it is bad if it make the brain more dirty (like washing the clothes with dirty water). Collectivism and Individualism are like two different cleaning chemicals, but there are numerous brands in the market; some are better than the others in a certain way. For any philosophy to benefit the society, the People is an important factor. And to prepare the People for a particular ideology, education or brainwashing is a precondition. We are all brainwashed, and yet we think we have freedom of thought. You are truly mentally free when you stop distinguishing between right and wrong.
RESILIENT KID 