Americans in my generation grew up consumed by trepidation over the possibility that the vast and enigmatic communist culture would eventually come to dominate the world. I still recall a full page ad in Saturday Review magazine back in 1965 that simply said: LEARN CHINESE NOW!

The idea being of course, that China was coming and Americans had best get ready.
However, the more I learn about China and the Chinese people, the less concern I have. Economically and scientifically, China will of course remain a major force to deal with in decades to come, but the cold war mentality seems to be fading into history as China recognizes and embraces the power of capitalism. Despite their communist government, China wants the same thing for their citizens that America wants for their citizens; financial success, peace and security.

America is unique because it is a melting pot of people from all other cultures. For this reason, most Americans love and value diverse cultures and believe they make the world a much more interesting place to live. Chinese people are respected for their long and colorful culture, and because history has established that Chinese people are extremely capable and creative when it comes to adapting to challenge and surviving. These gifts are likely to come in handy for China in years to come. For despite the great internal economic progress China has made recently, they continue to face enormous challenges. It is estimated that nearly 45% of the billion-plus people in China still live in poverty and even the quickly emerging middle class still lags far behind the west in terms of annual income. Chinese economy is growing so fast that serious damage is being inflicted on their country's ecology.

These will be difficult and expensive issues to correct in years to come. If they are smart, and I believe they are, they will think carefully and learn from the mistakes other nations (including the United States of America) have made before pursuing any course of action that will impact their ecology.

Americans care about China and they are watching. China has been a part of American culture since Chinese immigrants first came to America to help build our railroads and develop their own communities. Today, Chinese Americans make up more than 10 percent of the population in many American communities and that number is growing fast. In years to come, Chinese culture will become so significant that it is likely that China and America will become veritable extensions of each other.

Our perspective determines our reality. The future is always uncertain but every day is another opportunity to resolve issues and advance toward a goal of mutual cooperation. Such goals can remain dreams or they can become realities. The choice is up to us. China has already proved it can make a long march. It is simply a matter of learning from the past and applying that same kind of commitment, discipline and desire to a clearly defined set of goals that will become the new reality for China and America. The tools for this are economic partnerships, diplomatic discussions and individual friendships that reach across the Pacific to demonstrate kindness and compassion.

Cooperation, compassion and communication are the three C's of survival and growth. Domination is dangerous and destructive but the temptation to use domination as a shortcut to establish and enforce the will of the minority on the majority has always been with us. At some point we need to learn from the mistakes of our past and move forward with a degree of humility and wisdom. With few exceptions, all humans innately desire to live together in mutual respect and peace. Our new reality must therefore incorporate those fundamental human desires if we expect it to endure.

The Africans say; "When elephants fight, the grass is crushed." Today the civilized world is involved in confrontations with cultures seeking to draw us back into the darkness of domination. Islamic fundamentalists are committed to using terror to convert or kill every other person in the world who refuses to bow to their views. Others are focused on merely dominating the powerless masses that reside within the borders of their own countries. We know who they are and we watch with horror as victims suffer and die. Two of these countries border China: Burma and North Korea. Both of these countries present serious challenges that we must work with China on to overcome. The question is though, what do we have to offer in exchange? When we win this battle, do we have a plan to motivate the survivors to leave their anger behind and move forward with us in dignity and peace? In order to accomplish that, we must commit ourselves to understanding one another through cooperation, compassion and communication.

H. G Wells, the renowned futurist and science fiction writer said, "History is a race between education and catastrophe." If those of us who embrace human goodness identify those who do not and commit ourselves to educating them, we may be able to avoid the kind of human catastrophe that will destroy our species.

Both the choice and the journey are ours to make.


These are my opinions. Do you agree, or disagree? Reply to Mike and indicate if you would like your comments posted in a follow-up posting.

READER COMMENTS:

01/20/06 Don Svedberg wrote:

Mike,
You think that Chinese leaders are intent in following Capitalism to the nth degree? Your article leaves me with the impression that you think China is nothing to fear...but only economic competitors...like Walmart and K-Mart. They are still Communists and still deprive their citizens of basic human rights. Capitalism involves private ownership and communism gives ownership and wealth to the state. How can there be any middle ground? Asia holds the last bastions of communism. Do they ultimately seek for world domination militarily or economically or both?
As communists how can they stave off the Islam fetish for world domination. Will Allah and Buddha be bedfellows?

Mike...you wake up people's thought processes....at least mine. There is no one in this country (Philippines) to discuss such things. The people here have little knowledge or interest in what is happening in the world. It is a corrupt country (#2 in the world) and the corruption is not only within the governments...it is a way of life.
Thanks...Don


Mike's Reply:

You raise some very good points, Don. Of course I agree with you that Communist China is not perfect. There are indeed human rights violations taking place all the time and that is why I mentioned how crucial it is that governments treat people with compassion, respect and dignity. It remains the hope of everyone in the world that China will eventually go democratic and there are signs that this may be happening slowly. But one thing I have learned in my travels about the globe is that democracy is not the only way to govern and that in fact there are other forms of government that work better for some cultures. Sub-Saharan African countries and Iraq are examples. Those people have grown accustomed to being ruled by a "strong man" and they don't appreciate or understand what to do with democracy when it is handed to them on a silver platter. Morocco is an example of a well-oiled and benevolent king that is loved by the people and respected by the world. It takes a certain minimal degree of intellectual sophistication and education in order for a participatory government to work. China is vast and the bulk of the population still lives in isolated poverty and has no education opportunities. Their main concern is finding enough food to make it through the day. Things are changing though, and they are changing quickly. I believe that eventually, China will be ready to take the next step if the world continues to educate them about the benefits of human rights and democracy.

The price people pay for not having a representative form of government is that they run the risk of having leaders who will abuse their power and the people. This is not an easy problem to solve though. The USA is finding it is not as easy to step in and alter things as we thought it might be. The point of my article was that we can avoid as many confrontations if we move forward together, accepting differences but keeping options open by communicating. This is not always the best solution of course, but I believe it is in the best interest of America to take this approach with China because China and America have the capacity to do enormous damage to the human race if we enter a confrontational mode. We must move carefully though. Despite appearances, we do remain engaged in a cold war with China to some extent. Maintaining a balance of power through negotiation and economic cooperation will keep the door open to future positive change.

-Mike