I am happy to be Chinese because I feel so fortunate and blessed to be born into such a wonderful culture. Chinese culture makes me happy, and I am so grateful to the ancestors, especially Confucius, Lao Zi and Zhuang Zi. Since I was a little boy, I have always felt happy to be Chinese and have no doubt about it even though my father passed away when I was only 4 years old. My family was poor and my mother had to work a few different jobs to provide for the family with 5 children. The country was poor. Yet, I was happy, because I was loved not only by my family and relatives but also the community. Chinese love money; who doesn’t? However, Chinese love their culture even more, and they will do everything to preserve the culture. Chinese culture is loved because it is so lovely and loveable; because it emphasizes love and compassion between people like one big family, and maintains harmony of the society.
I am a Malaysian Chinese, a minority race in Malaysia. There are national schools for all Malaysian children but the medium of instruction is the national language. There were also English language schools when I was a child. Chinese schools were all privately built from donations by Chinese community, especially from the rich businessmen (instead of the Malaysian government). The job prospect was naturally better for students of English and national schools because multinational corporations had the controlling stake of the world economy. Except Chinese people themselves, nobody in the world had a favorable opinion about Chinese language and culture. In 1960, Lee Kuan Yew made English the official language in national schools of Singapore and tried to “kill” Chinese language. Despite the advantages of English, my mother insisted on sending her children to a Chinese language school, and I am forever so thankful for her bold decision.
I was lazy and not a good student. I couldn’t even spell the word “Kuala Lumpur” when I was 13 years old in secondary school; I wasn’t good at Chinese language either. I felt so embarrassed when my classmate laughed at me. However, I always felt a lot of love and encouragement from the Chinese teachers. I am forever so thankful to them. They inspired me to always want to become a teacher like them.
What made Chinese culture so strong? At a time when Chinese were called “Sick Men of East Asia”, why so many Chinese still hold very strong faith in the superiority of Chinese culture? Dr. Sun Yat Sen said that the only thing Chinese lag behind the West was Science and Technology. To him, Chinese culture is still the best. Its emphasis on family values, mutual love and compassion ensure strong social cohesion. The emphasis on contentment brings true happiness to oneself in the form of inner peace.
Lao Zi said: “The sea (the king of all valleys) can become so big because it stays low to receive the water from hundreds of rivers, regardless of the water quality.” (江海所以能为百谷王, 以其善下之, 故能为百谷王) We can learn from the sea: to be humble, receive knowledge from various sources, apply the useful ideas from all schools of thoughts, keep an open mind and listen to different opinions regardless of whether we agree or disagree with the ideas. This philosophy enables me to become a person who can absorb and learn various life philosophies, doctrines, views and religions. It also made Chinese culture a melting pot which can absorb different cultures from around the world. Chinese foods, musical instruments, dance styles and many other things “Chinese” were not originally Chinese. In other words, the so-called “Chinese culture” today is just a name; in actuality, it is a collection of many different cultures into one big family with unity-in-diversity. Chinese culture belongs to all people and not just Chinese people. No Chinese has pure Chinese blood; Chinese people today are mixed bloods from various ancient races; and we are so proud of it. The founders of the Zhou Dynasty around 3000 years ago were considered a barbarian race during the former Shang Dynasty. They made the most profound contributions in founding the original form of Chinese culture, which Confucius tried to preserve during the Warring States period around 500 BC. Chinese culture has gone through significant changes in the last 3000 years, with ever increasing absorption and integration of other cultures. Buddhism, for example, has become an important part of Chinese culture. Most of us applied some Buddhism wisdom unknowingly because these have been “dissolved” into our language which we use in our day-to-day conversations. “Change” is probably the most important feature of Chinese culture since it basically started from the “Book of Change” or Yi Jing. If a Chinese person tries to prevent changes to Chinese culture, in the name of preserving Chinese culture, he is just a foolish man who doesn’t understand Chinese culture.
There is one thing which glues the different cultures together, and that thing is mutual love (仁); sometimes translated as compassion. One day, Confucius told his disciple, Zeng Shen: “Shen, my philosophies can all be related by one fundamental principle.” Zeng Shen replied: “Understood.” After Confucius left, the other disciples asked Zeng Shen: “What is the meaning?” Zeng Shen said: “The philosophies of our teacher can all be related to Honesty and Forgiveness.” (子曰： “参乎，吾道一以贯之。” 曾子曰： “唯。” 子出，门人问曰： “何谓也？” 曾子曰： “夫子之道，忠恕而已矣。”) Honesty (忠) means truly coming from the heart (忠于事，忠于言，忠于人，忠于己). Loyalty is an act of dishonesty if it doesn’t come from the heart; although some people like it that way regardless. When you are honest, to yourself and to others, everything you said comes from your heart. Nothing is artificial or pretentious, although you may not be right all the time. You will be honest to the king as much as being honest to the people. You will be honest in doing your job, and never make any promise that you don’t intend to keep. You will be honest to yourself, be who you are and not pretend to be someone you are not. If your heart is full of the capacity to forgive, you will be able to tolerate differences and not insist on conformance, although you like people to show good manners. Confucius said: “A true gentleman would seek harmony and not insist on unity; despicable person would seek unity and not satisfied with harmony (君子和而不同，小人同而不和).”
Another day, Confucius told another disciple, Zi Gong: “Ci, do you think I am someone who learns a lot and becomes knowledgeable by memorizing everything that I’ve learnt?” Zi Gong replied: “I think so. Isn’t it true?” Confucius said: “Not really. I have one fundamental principle to relate and bind together all my knowledge.” (子曰： “赐也，女以予为多学而识之者与？” 对曰： “然，非与？” 曰： “非也！予一以贯之。”) Anything that has nothing to do with Honesty and Forgiveness isn’t Confucianism even if Neo-Confucians say it is. You don’t have to become knowledgeable by memorizing a lot of things that you’ve learnt. You just need to let Honesty and Forgiveness guide you in your words and actions, and in making decisions to move or to stop (言行举止). Confucius said: “Compassion includes being respectful, forgiving, truthful, hardworking, and benevolent. Being respectful to everybody will avoid being humiliated. Being forgiving will be loved by everybody. Being truthful will be trusted by everybody. Being hardworking will bring success. Being benevolent (i.e. showing the people how they can benefit themselves by following certain techniques or methods) will be able to influence others to work for common good.” (恭、宽、信、敏、惠。恭则不侮，宽则得众，信则人任焉，敏则有功，惠则足以使人。)
Capitalism gives rise to the need to out-compete competitors and the search for abstract wealth dominates. Concrete consequences, such as planetary destruction, do not register. Social wealth is appropriated by private individuals, capitalists, who have totalitarian control over workers and their products. The result of Capitalism is massive inequality, mental disorders, unhappiness, higher rates of homicides, and many other socio-pathological behaviors, including the widespread approval of the most grotesque killing machine – the US military – in modern history.
Confucius correctly diagnosed the illness of the society that the root of the problem was people have become crazy; i.e. no inner peace and not thinking about attaining inner peace. People chase money to the negation of their health and happiness. They are so poor that the only thing they have is money. Boon Kuan Chung’s answer to How is inner peace attained according to Confucius?
Lao Zi said: “When the world is peaceful, horses are used in farming operations. When the world is in chaos, horses give birth in the remote war zones. The greatest sin is no greater than greedy for benefits. The greatest crisis is no greater than not being content with life. The greatest trouble is no worse than desire to obtain ambitious success, wealth and fame. Therefore, the satisfaction of contentment is the real satisfaction.” (天下有道，却走马以粪；天下无道，戎马生于郊。罪莫大于可欲，祸莫大于不知足，咎莫大于欲得。故知足之足，恒足矣。) The greedy desires of the leader and followers can cause chaos. Everybody including animals will suffer. If the people see that health is the greatest gift, they will not want too much development which will be detrimental to their health, physically and mentally. If the people see that contentment is the greatest wealth, they will not want anything to be promised by the leader. If the people see that faithfulness is the best relationship, they will greatly value their family time.
The common goal of Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism is for the individual practitioner to become “true man” (真人君子). Boon Kuan Chung’s answer to What are common goals for Confucianism Taoism and Buddhism In Buddhism, it’s called Arahant; a “true man” without greed, hatred and delusion because he has attained perfection of virtue, equanimity and wisdom; also known as the state of Nirvana, a cool state where there’s no more fire (in the body) AND no possibility for fire to be reignited because there’s no fuels.
Is Chinese culture more superior than other cultures? Chinese culture is neither superior nor inferior to other cultures. Boon Kuan Chung’s answer to What makes the Buddha superior to all other religious leaders?
Today, I think the best skill which I have acquired is the ability to feel happy under any circumstances. Confucius said: “A fine gentleman has three qualities, but I am yet to attain any of those. True compassion makes one has no worry, grief, hatred, or any unwholesome feelings; true intelligence makes one has no delusion and doubt; true courage makes one has no fear.” (子曰：君子道者三，我无能焉：仁者不忧，知者不惑，勇者不惧。) Confucius said: “Don’t worry about being misunderstood by other people; instead, worry about misunderstanding other people.” (不患人之不己知，患不知人也。) A great leader has no fear for his safety, because he has no self and therefore is not afraid to die. He lives as he should, releases pleasant “smell” as he is (like a flower), and not worry about what will happen to him tomorrow. He may be thinking every day about creating a better future for the people he loves, but he never feels worried about what will really happen. (《孟子·离娄下》: 君子有终生之忧，无一朝之患也。)
https://helpchildren.family.blog/2019/05/13/everybody-can-become-a-chinese/ Everybody can become a Chinese. 夷狄而华夏者,则华夏之;华夏而夷狄者,则夷狄之。If an individual from a barbaric country has manners like a civilized Chinese, we must recognize him as a civilized Chinese. If an individual from a civilized Chinese country has bad manners like a person from a barbaric country, we must consider him as a barbarian. Chinese is defined by Chinese culture; not by national border, skin color or bloodline.
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Are Chinese not allowed and not supposed to love their own culture? Are Chinese supposed to forget their roots and pretend to be English men? Someone is so foolish to feel so agitated like he has just eaten sour grapes whenever he hears of good comments about Chinese culture. It only shows the inferiority complex in himself and the inferiority of his culture.
As I wrote above, Chinese culture doesn’t belong to just Chinese alone but belongs to all people. The so-called “Chinese culture” is just a name; it is actually a collection of many different cultures.
What do I like about Chinese culture? The same way I like Daoism. Boon Kuan Chung’s answer to What do you like about Taoism?
How could Chinese culture absorb various life philosophies, doctrines, views and religions? We can learn from the sea: to be humble, receive knowledge from various sources, apply the useful ideas from all schools of thoughts, keep an open mind and listen to different opinions regardless of whether we agree or disagree with the ideas (江海所以能为百谷王, 以其善下之, 故能为百谷王). Boon Kuan Chung’s answer to How do I traverse through this jungle of various life philosophies, doctrines, religions, and of course God, successfully, to remain satisfied with peace of mind?
RESILIENT KID 