My aunt in Pune commented on a past article about the Chinese saying that she could not agree and there is much that she does not like about the Chinese nation. So, I am now pinpointing those aspects of the Chinese that fascinate me.
The first aspect is that the Chinese accept that the average person is concerned purely by his or her self-interest. I learned this not from any scholarly article but from James Clavell’s bestseller about Hong Kong, Noble House. It may not be a completely reliable source but it was corroborated by another fact which came to my attention. In China, in the years gone by (I am not sure what is the position now), in courts of law, it was accepted that a person testifying may be lying to safeguard his self-interest. The judge was expected to see through the lies and come to a fair verdict. This is completely different from the judicial system we have inherited from the British, here in India.
A second aspect is that the Chinese have no conception of a sense of sin. To quote from Bertrand Russell’s book, Sceptical Essays–
The traditional doctrine of orthodox Christianity … is that we are all born wicked, so wicked as to deserve eternal punishment.
This statement above may not be completely applicable to India but we have inherited some part of our ethics from the Colonial British so it may apply to a large number of people here. Humility and not hurting people’s feelings is stressed in India perhaps for political reasons (so as to avoid riots and disturbances). But at times, in order to develop these virtues, the upbringing we receive by well meaning parents inculcates in us a sense of guilt and sin that is deplorable.
The third aspect is that here in India it is assumed that the goal of life is to attain Moksha and salvation. Spirituality and a very high moral standard is inculcated. But almost no one really takes these standards and prohibitions seriously. According to Sceptical Essays–
Among ourselves, the people who are regarded as moral luminaries are those who forgo ordinary pleasures themselves and find compensation in interfering with the pleasures of others … This attitude comes from our notion of Sin … in China this is not the case. Moral precepts are positive rather than negative. A man is expected to be respectful to his parents, kind to his children, generous to his poor relations and courteous to all. These are not very difficult duties but most men actually fulfil them, and the result is perhaps better than that of our higher standard, from which most people fall short.
Again, Russell was comparing China with the West but the above point is – I think – applicable here.
The fourth point which grabbed my attention lies in the introduction to the all-time classic on military strategy, The Art of War by Sun Tzu. I would request you to read the James Clavell edition of the translation. In the introduction to the book, James Clavell describes how the art of war can be applied to women and the battle of sexes. For copyright reasons and because I do not want to write a overlong article I am not reproducing the text of the introduction. But I think it is possible that the Chinese have – over the centuries – adopted the teachings of this classic and made it part of their tradition. This teaching of Sun Tzu (described in the introduction) combined with the other aspects of what is unique about the Chinese will I am sure go a long way to improve mental health issues in India.
I’ll end here. Hope this helps someone. Please explore this blog for more articles on Politics, Spirituality and Self Help. If you liked this article then please share it on Facebook and Twitter and feel free to post your comments or contact me. Link to contact is below.
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