Freedom and Independence

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2010-01-24

Freedom and Independence 

By Gu Zhenqing

 

Freedom tends to be understood as refusal and noncooperation in the current global context of inequality; sometimes it even means rebellion, fight or subversion. No matter how hard China is trying to catch up with Europe and America in front of its central position of speech power formulated in hundreds of years, it always fails to be at least like it. Standards, rules and values of modernity are all created and controlled by them and countries as China or India are just followers. China is passive; it is being formulated, positioned, standardized, priced, and even forced to say “no”. The China-Can-Say-No angle and attitude is also production of modernity. Saying “no” after nationwide experience-learning and borrowing from the West for more than a hundred years, more or less, is mixed with a kind of Oedipus complex.    

 

To whom and to what shall China say “no”?

 

To European continent? Then how on earth solid are they today?

 

To US? Qualified as your “mentor” or “big brother”? But who released the smoke of G2? Obama surely is good at weighing the situation by always emphasizing on conversations, negotiations and reconciliations. Cold war is over for many years and it is the world trend now for each country to develop its own prosperity while respecting differences. Obama’s master card today is soft strength or smart strength. The tool to play with is culture and the product to export is value.

 

Or should we say “no” to the universal value of human being?

 

Modern society with globalization is the common context of all countries, nations and individuals, allowing no one to avoid or be aloof from the world.

 

It is the only solid principle for China to go with a different way to develop. There’s no need to seek for freedom, rebellion or breakthrough in western speech and value system, or to be too serious and earnest on its progress or regress. In the latest 30 years of market economy, China has already accomplished some achievements based on its own situation. As a matter of fact, the real significance of China’s differentiated development is to avoid the structural and content repetition of social culture and to construct, enrich and refresh human’s universal values.

 

China’s abundant cultural tradition had guaranteed in history its graceful role of a sample of civilization. It has been tolerant enough to absorb alien culture and to self-upgrade. Compared to Western countries, the core competitiveness lies in the difference of China. The universal values as freedom, equality, democracy and justice mostly originated from the West are a historical outcome of development of modernity, not the only result of that of human being. Globalization in surface is a process of integration of human civilization. In actual it’s not at all the only-one-party-is-willing kind of American melting pot. In multi-polar matrix of international society, with the emergence of developing countries’ after-advantage, globalization will be more and more open to be able to carry multi-cultural co-existence and development, which is not only the global reality, but also a direction and future for sustainable development of the whole human family.

 

Only to give up the spiritual tanglement on epistemology and ontology to freedom and go directly to the importance of independent development and innovation, can China hold its own core competitiveness. To be independent means to order and buy the bill itself without caring the others. We should realize that today’s rapid progress is not only standing-up of a great nation, but the restoration of civilization. China does not need to talk about challenge all the time and face some imaginary enemies saying “no”. China has its back and foundation when confronted with today’s conflicts and game playing between civilizations and nations. Independent and peaceful development will give China a boulevard of differentiated progress. Free from fighting philosophy and competition mindset, China should be able to find another modernity and social wealth to satisfy people’s material need. China can talk and act on its own.

 

International political and cultural struggles for right have never ceased. From Kyoto Protocol to Copenhagen Climate Summit, European and American countries have been asserting by focusing on the ultimate destiny of human being and the globe. Environmental deterioration, greenhouse effect and resource extinction all became there green revolutionary flagships to prove the consistent correctness of their value insistence and strengthen the central position of their speech power. Hundreds of years ago, they took all the advantage of modernity and hard force of ships and guns to fire and rob productivity-lagged countries without discussion. China has been of so much tradition and philosophy of “harmony between man and nature”, which carries the most advanced ladder of 21st century’s culture. However, no matter how coincident its values are to today’s green assertions as environmental protection and low-carbon, they have been all regarded as garbage heritage by the-weak-falling-victim-to-the-strong logic of the imperialist powers. Hundreds of years later, little brothers of developing countries came all the way to G8 summit. Before they took a breath to calm down from the trip exhaustion and be ready for the coming equal dialogue and real exchange with their rich big brothers and elite counterparts, their G8 brothers had already stepped on the “low-carbon” flaming chariot and flied onto clouds of master’s pulpit to start educate. They played the leading card of carbon tax, easily dressed the borrowed “harmony between man and nature” value with a science-highest religious suit to erect it as the standard, flag and tiger skin for leading the world. They coronate themselves Goddess of Justice, and rule the world claiming the mistakes of developing countries. Positioning and being positioned, formulating and being formulated, and limiting and being limited, actually, are the key to the disagreement of developed and developing countries on low-carbon economic growth. In all the climate problems produced by western countries, the universal values of carbon emission reduction and energy consumption reduction have all been utilized as tools for right. European and American countries unlimitedly lift the advance of green culture backed up by its soft cultural strength, attempting to transfer and impose the original sin of environmental destruction to the developing countries. They call the world flat, distribute all the responsibilities to the still poor people, and then contain and exploit them. The concept that the world is ruled by the antagonistic forces is outdated. It is a time of global cooperation. The mainstream Chinese values actually are mostly overlapped with that asserted by Europe and America. However, we all know that there still exists difference between long-term and short-term value systems. In the currant development stage of China, which meets modern and contemporary cultures and issues at the same time, it is natural that problems and conflicts call for action frequently. Sometimes short-term values cure instant problems. And this should not be too surprising to Western media. 2008 financial crisis has found China keep calm in front of the emergency, and 10 years of China-will-collapse theory has not influenced China at all. Why not? Being independent now, China is already more than confident to do so.

 

Harmony and opposition exist among independent people and countries. Confucius says “A gentleman gets along with others, but does not necessarily agree with them”. Chinese contemporary culture has huge potential for differentiated development. “Harmony between man and nature” concept is the living philosophy and world value for Chinese people, and the essence of Chinese cultural tradition. Not difficult to see that concepts as green, environmental protection, low-carbon, emery consumption reduction are one category of spiritual contributions that Chinese cultural certification system has dedicated to the world. China is deeply founded and more than qualified to have the right of speaking for and explain green culture. The key is whether Chinese contemporary culture can explore constructively and recreate its cultural essence innovatively to the universal values. 

 

China must learn to strengthen the knowledge and of its own culture and the re-creation of it. Parallel to the respectful Western tradition of self-examination and self-criticism, Chinese contemporary culture also has the ability of self-innovation. “Chinese vision” always breaks the window curtain of the present reality and shoot to the future tense.

 

It can be China’s call in many fields. Independence means enhancing inner drive and reducing its dependence on external power. It’s the beginning of self-support and carefree living. Leaning to the structure of globalization and modernity, China can also export culture and value to obtain speech power in many places. China can also show its international influence, and has to be used to hear others saying “no”.

 

China can “Not say no”, because the context of ‘say no” has gone. From freedom to independence, China has gone over all the stages of learning on the modernity of Europe and America. At the stand of contemporary culture, China has huge value advantage and creativity. Next thing for China is to work out new criteria and game rules and promote them. It can bill others now. 30 years in China has produced a most local-adaptable contemporary culture and made China be able to self-approve.

 

However, China should be reminded to often say “yes” to itself. To say “no” cannot turn out to be not any kind of cultural confidence; and to say “yes” is an easier status and makes more sense.