Where Yuan Jiang is dark and in a cloud, Mo Jiang is warm and bathed in light. One place is foolish and full of despair; the other wise and full of hope. Where one is incredulous, the other believes.So what accounts for the obvious disparities between the two villages? Again, causes of observed effects can be difficult things to pinpoint, and impossible to say with certainty. But we can hypothesize!
It is not distance – the places are not far from one another. It is not living conditions – they are equally poor and lacking in education. In fact Yuan Jiang has it better, with a paved road and a couple latrines. Is it the contrasting climates? Could it be the leaders’ differing personalities? I think these are factors, but they do not make up for the differences found throughout the two populations. Not by a long shot.
My team and I suspect it is mostly attributed to her people being Christian. They believe in the goodwill of other people and in God to provide what is needed.
These differences between the villages got me thinking about the vast differences between China and America. We don’t think about it often, but many of the core values we call American are based on our founding fathers' Christian ones. Sometimes we forget that the Truths that we hold self evident are not evident to everybody in the world. In China, a lack of respect between people is omnipresent. It can be seen in the way people drive and the way managers treat their employees. All men created equal is something I've tried explaining many times here when asked why relationships with us westerners at the organization feel so different. Before spending a good amount of time outside the US, I never realized the impact our constitution's opening line has on our people. It sets the tone for freedom of speech, no taxation without representation, the right to a fair trial, and other ideas that we know to be fair simply because they are right.
In America more than in China, we hear stories of everyday heroes who help or save complete strangers, oftentimes at a great risk to themselves. When asked the reasons for their actions, usually it’s something to the effect of: “It was the right thing to do.” But where does this sense sacrificing for the benefit of others come from? How do we know what is right or wrong, and why does it seem that most people in China don’t know it inherently? Right vs. Wrong may just be arbitrary and interchangeable, dependent upon the situation; unless there exists an objective standard to measure against.
If “God” is the name of that higher standard, then you could say America is still a God-fearing nation. Certain truths are considered higher than any man or government entity, and these truths are generally held deep within each American; Christian or otherwise. In China on the other hand, these ideas we know to be fair don’t even exist, because it is a people-fearing nation, where rules are handed down by governments and employers only. People follow those rules and laws when they are watched, but find ways around them when heads are turned. Either they are ruled by force, or they take shortcuts (like driving down the highway in the wrong direction, or using cheap but dangerous materials in children's toys). In China, there is a fine line between absolute control and anarchy. The government is simply not free to just trust its own peoples' sense of morality. This is not to say people here do not do good. Prevailing Confucian thought teaches people to respect the elderly and take care of their families. Buddhism teaches people to live self-sufficiently, break away from society if possible, and help others for the sake of receiving good karma.
I didn't consider my mission at all “Christian” when I began, but I have found that my values really are – I am working for people because they are people, who never had the opportunities I was blessed with. Having fun and gaining experience along the way were once big reasons for starting this adventure, but I see they are actually happy byproducts that keep me going.
Back to the two villages: In Mo Jiang, they believe us when we say we are there to help them improve their village and their lives. No further explanation is necessary. To them, God provided us to help them, and they are happy and willing to accept this and to work for it. In Yuan Jiang, they see us as salesmen or scam artists. To them, an angle or explanation for our helping them must exist; it just hasn't been discovered yet.
Of the eight or nine villages I visited and worked in, Mo Jiang truly stands apart. And I imagine it stands apart from the vast majority of villages in China. Besides some discrepancies I've observed and shared with you, the economic situations and day to day lives in the two villages of Yuan Jiang and Mo Jiang are actually very similar. We brought the same people, identical goals, and similar approaches. Maybe their responses to us and the project outcomes would have been similar too, if not for that one fundamental difference…
THE END
Please share what you think! (anonymously if need be)
I think Confucianism and Buddhism are the prevailing philosophic and religious belief in the Chinese culture. However, culture revolution destroyed that. Many of the people of my generation we met in China told us they did not have the Confucian education when they grew up. The society lately started paying more attention to the traditional value, but it takes time. I believe you see the society in Taiwan is different From mainland China. The traditional Chinese values have passed on without the interruption in Taiwan.
ReplyDeleteDespite the religious reason, Chinese society is still different from American society fundamentally. Chinese had suffered long years of poverty throughout history due to wars, floods, too many people, too few resources and many bad emperors and governments. American has abundant land. lots of resources, democratic political system from the beginning of the establishment of this country. It is not on the level playing field if you compare people's attitude or behavior from these two countries.
Maybe Christianity is a major reason when you compare the two villages, but it is a much complicated issue when you try to inference this hypothesis to the level of the two countries.