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Moral vacuum is filled by acquiring material things
By Fernando Bensuaski |
June 28, 2011, Tuesday
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DEAR editor,
1. The "cultural revolution" (1966-76) destroyed that character [referring to the character of a Confucian scholar], which is being further lost in a nationwide, or indeed worldwide, race to the bottom for materialistic pleasures.
- Wang Yong in a column on June 23.
2. But local governments would not stand idle and allow that to happen. They would do anything to ensure that real estate will go up, forever. That's bad news, for the people.
- Wan Lixin in a column on June 24.
These columns are linked by an interesting concept: what fills a vacuum.
Confucianism and most other philosophies and religions of broad appeal are based on clear concepts of irrefutable moral values: for example, "Honor thy mother and thy father" quoted in Exodus 20:12 appears over and over elsewhere in various forms.
And I truly doubt that one philosopher copied from the other. It is one of the irrefutable values that make us human.
Confucianism, or any other philosophy or religion, may not give to the masses the character of a bamboo that does not bend against the wind, as Mr Wang implies. It does so to a few, whether a Confucian scholar (as quoted) or a strict follower of Moses.
But the masses (and I am not using the term in a derogatory manner) have other things to worry about besides the nuances of the Analects or the Talmud. What the average man and woman gain from a system of moral dictates - however weakly passed down - is a strong sense of good and evil, of right and wrong: a moral compass.
What the "cultural revolution" did went beyond the destruction of a Confucian character (which I contend was enjoyed by very few); it destroyed the moral compass that guided the average man.
It left the land full of empty vessels that are now being filled by the only thing available: the acquisition of goods not due to need but simply for the pleasure of acquiring them.
As implied in Mr Wang's column, the phenomenon is worldwide.
However, my anecdotal experience tells me that such erosion of values - the weakening of the moral compass - is less severe in Europe (no, I am not European), more pronounced in the US (my adopted land), and reached a summit in China.
Whether it is a young lady who saves beyond what is reasonable to buy a high-end Italian bag, or a dishonest official who seeks to get his slice of the pie, or even the honest official who spends a fortune to build an office building that has no rational reason to exist, the disease is all the same: the vacuum left by the destruction of the moral compass is being filled by the pleasure derived from the acquisition of goods.
One quote for you: "For what is a man profited, if he gain the whole world, and lose or forfeit his own self" (Luke 9:25).
1. The "cultural revolution" (1966-76) destroyed that character [referring to the character of a Confucian scholar], which is being further lost in a nationwide, or indeed worldwide, race to the bottom for materialistic pleasures.
- Wang Yong in a column on June 23.
2. But local governments would not stand idle and allow that to happen. They would do anything to ensure that real estate will go up, forever. That's bad news, for the people.
- Wan Lixin in a column on June 24.
These columns are linked by an interesting concept: what fills a vacuum.
Confucianism and most other philosophies and religions of broad appeal are based on clear concepts of irrefutable moral values: for example, "Honor thy mother and thy father" quoted in Exodus 20:12 appears over and over elsewhere in various forms.
And I truly doubt that one philosopher copied from the other. It is one of the irrefutable values that make us human.
Confucianism, or any other philosophy or religion, may not give to the masses the character of a bamboo that does not bend against the wind, as Mr Wang implies. It does so to a few, whether a Confucian scholar (as quoted) or a strict follower of Moses.
But the masses (and I am not using the term in a derogatory manner) have other things to worry about besides the nuances of the Analects or the Talmud. What the average man and woman gain from a system of moral dictates - however weakly passed down - is a strong sense of good and evil, of right and wrong: a moral compass.
What the "cultural revolution" did went beyond the destruction of a Confucian character (which I contend was enjoyed by very few); it destroyed the moral compass that guided the average man.
It left the land full of empty vessels that are now being filled by the only thing available: the acquisition of goods not due to need but simply for the pleasure of acquiring them.
As implied in Mr Wang's column, the phenomenon is worldwide.
However, my anecdotal experience tells me that such erosion of values - the weakening of the moral compass - is less severe in Europe (no, I am not European), more pronounced in the US (my adopted land), and reached a summit in China.
Whether it is a young lady who saves beyond what is reasonable to buy a high-end Italian bag, or a dishonest official who seeks to get his slice of the pie, or even the honest official who spends a fortune to build an office building that has no rational reason to exist, the disease is all the same: the vacuum left by the destruction of the moral compass is being filled by the pleasure derived from the acquisition of goods.
One quote for you: "For what is a man profited, if he gain the whole world, and lose or forfeit his own self" (Luke 9:25).
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