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| Andrew Stewart |
Today was our day to go to the university here in Xi’an and listen to a couple of lectures, one being given by Dr. Hua. The first lecture we listened to was given by a professor here at the university. He spoke on the different festivals in China. China has many different festivals for different parts of the season. They all have strong significance, unlike some American holidays that may not have much significance in our culture. Chinese festivals are usually coupled by some ancient story about how it came about, or some historical significance. Each festival also displays its own different activities and food preparations. Chinese New Year, as expected, is the largest festival and it is almost China’s equivalent to Christmas. At the end of the lecture, the professor gave us a gift of calligraphy, in which he gave us the symbol for the dragon, which is the Chinese animal for the year 2014.
Later in the day, Dr. Hua gave his lecture to a large class in one of the bigger auditoriums. We felt honored when we walked into the room because we already had ten seats dedicated to us with waters placed on each desk. Dr. Hua gave a speech on Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America and compared it to Japanese-American Fukayama and his book The End of History. Dr. Hua basically highlighted a few points from Tocqueville's observations of American culture in the 19th century, and explained why he felt that these were the most important and accurate observations that Tocqueville made during his time in America. Dr. Hua found it important to use these two authors’ observations of America because they are both foreigners who are making observations from an outside perspective. Dr. Hua is also an immigrant to America and is making observations based on someone coming in from another country. Dr. Hua thought it would be legitimate if he critiqued America in the same way as Tocqueville and Fukayama.
Dr. Hua first highlights Tocqueville’s point on why America is better than Europe. He explained that Tocqueville believed this way because enlightenment thinkers’ ideals in America were better implemented than in Europe. This is because America, unlike nations in Europe, doesn’t have an established church, like the Catholic Church or State church in England. Enlightenment ideals are able to hold ground in America without a moral code or value system skewing their ideals like established churches in Europe.
Dr. Hua continued his lecture discussing Tocqueville’s observations of human relations in America. Tocqueville describes Americans as being less polite, but less quarrelsome. He continues to say that democracies don’t create strong attachment between men, but it does make their normal relations easier. Tocqueville also discusses that democracies loosen social ties, but tightens natural ones; this draws families closer together. He also states that morals in the US are much stricter than everywhere else. But people are more willingly, in the US, to veer away from the ideal in order to pursue some choices and available goals.
Dr. Hua couples these observations with Fukayama’s overarching view that liberal democracies realize spiritual equality over material equality. Liberal democracies would rather have equal rights of religion, or deeper intrinsic values than necessarily finding equality through material possession. Fukayama says that liberal democracies are the best place, but not a perfect place.
Dr. Hua ended the lecture discussing the four human pursuits that make democracies stable. First, human pursuit is the pursuit of power, in which democracies allow people the ability to pursue political power, but there is also a separation of power that prevents one person from controlling all the power. Second, human pursuit is the pursuit of fame. Dr. Hua explains how the freedom of the press in democracies allows people to become famous, but also allows famous people to become infamous. This concept is not the same in other nations, such as North Korea, which skews its media to make famous people look famous and never infamous. The third is the pursuit of the opposite sex. Dr. Hua believes that there is no obstacle to love in the West, and therefore there is no love. The fourth pursuit is the pursuit of money. Christianity is big in America, and therefore most people believe that this world is only temporary. Therefore, one must accumulate as much wealth as they can while they are here on earth.
There were some mixed feelings on Dr. Hua’s lecture from some of the Chinese students. Dr. Hua explained that in America, people don’t work as hard and put some emphasis in leisure, while in China people work very hard to make sure that they keep themselves from poverty. One Chinese student disagreed with Dr. Hua and believed that Americans are very hard working. Dr. Hua had to explain that Americans do work hard, but find time to relax. He compared it to people in China who are constantly working, and don’t find time to really relax. I think that this is what makes America great. Americans, from my perspective, know when to work and when to play. Working too much makes people stressed and some people go insane. One misses out on what life is really about, which is family, friends and for me, a personal life with Christ. I would never neglect these things in order to work more. In America we have a comfort with most jobs that working 40 hours a week, or a little more, are usually more than enough work to have a comfortable lifestyle, and still make time for other things outside of work. There is a healthy balance needed in everyone’s life in order to have a happy life. If one finds fulfillment in only work and nothing else, I feel that they will miss what makes most people happy, and that is interactions with other people.
I also believe that relaxing helps Americans get ready for the next work week. If someone is able to relax and reenergize before the next work week then they will be able to work hard without feeling burnt out. This is why I believe that Americans can work so hard for so long, because we are able to manage our time between relaxation and work. I understand that making money is important to sustain a living, but Americans rather do what they love to do, not work many hours in a job that they dread in order to make a lot of money and sacrifice the people they love. Sometimes we need to get away in order to perform at a high level. Working too hard can cause one to over think and over exert themselves which could lead people from thinking clearly and effectively, because naturally people need rest.
Our freshman year Dr. Gregg emphasized alone time. This was time to go off and think and reflect on just the areas of our lives. This was not a time to read, write or do busy work, but time to be alone in thought. I believe that our mind does need that kind of mental rest. Reading and writing can be relaxing and fulfilling as a hobby or past time, but sometimes we need to get away from those things as well and just enjoy the peace of relaxation, of just being still and silent. Sometimes being lost in thought isn’t a bad thing. For me personally I use this time to silently pray and thank God for all that He has done in my life. I reflect on all the good things that God has allowed me to have in my life, and I thank Him for His grace and mercy. Psalms 46:10 says, “Be still and know I am God.” Sometimes the best way to experience God is in the quietness of our alone time with Him. Every once in a while I sit outside on a nice day, observing nature and my surroundings astounded that God created all that I see, and I experience His presence from just being still in His creation. This type of relaxation allows Americans not only to appreciate their lives, but is also needed to work effectively, knowing that their lives are worth more than a job or career.
Another Chinese student asked Dr. Hua if he preferred the United States to China. She was accusing Dr. Hua of liking America more than China. She was basically asking him to choose between the two nations. Dr. Hua gave a very diplomatic answer, first saying that the points he laid out had nothing to do with his personal bias, but he was simply quoting from Tocqueville and Fukayama. Dr. Hua then proceeded to say that there are some things that China can learn from America, and there are some things that America can learn from China.
I very much enjoyed Dr. Hua’s lecture. One thing I disagreed on was his analysis that there is no obstacle to love in America, and therefore there is no love. I understand slightly what he means. In America, unlike other nations, one is able to love whomever they want. There is no obstacle of the father or mother choosing the right person, or other obstacles that lay in the way. But in America there are still some barriers that are in the way of loving the person one wants to be with. There are obstacles such as distance, race and religion. My mother faced a lot of backlash for marrying a black man as a white woman. Granted, she didn’t face the obstacle from my grandmother that prevented my mom and dad from being together, but it did have many secondary consequences. But there are many cases in the US in which two people can’t love one another like they want because their families don’t approve of interracial marriage. I don’t think the state of Alabama legalized interracial marriage until 2000.
One of our scholars has to deal with the obstacle of distance in his relationship. His girlfriend lived about an hour away from his hometown and they make plans to see each other every weekend when they aren’t at school. She attends WKU and he goes to UofL, so they can’t see each other during the week. But they love each other and make their relationship work because of that love. I am glad to say that they will be getting married, so the obstacle of distance didn’t break them apart. But sometimes it does break couples apart. Many people in the US can’t continue to love one another because of the obstacle of distance. Sometimes people say that if they truly love someone they must let them go. Sometimes the distance is too great to keep a healthy relationship alive. They say they will always love one another, but that just means they know they must move on.
Religion is another obstacle in the US. Many religions insist that a person marries someone of the same religion. If a person loves someone of a different religion, then that almost automatically becomes an obstacle. As a Christian I believe, and I am taught, that I should marry another Christian. It just makes sense in order to keep the relationship healthy since religion is a large part of my life. But if I was to love a Muslim girl I would have an obstacle because I don’t believe in her religion and vice versa. Religion can become an obstacle, and sometimes families might disown other family members because they have married someone of a different religion. When loving someone else there are some obstacles that can render love from taking its proper place in two peoples’ lives. It is not as bad as other nations, and there are many cases in the US in which love doesn’t have obstacles, but I don’t think it’s fair to make that into a generalization.
Also, just because there aren’t obstacles to love doesn’t mean there isn’t love. Since in the US we have the freedom to choose who we love, a lot of people do make sure that they choose wisely, that the person they love is someone they genuinely love. However, there are many cases in which people choose to love someone but in actuality they choose that relationship for means to other ends, such as political power or appearance. But just because a person doesn’t have obstacles to love doesn’t mean they love a person less. It reminds me of my Christian faith. I have the freedom to choose to love Jesus Christ. When I made that decision I chose to love Jesus with all of my heart. There was no obstacle to love Jesus, and with that I was free to love Him with all that I am.
Andrew Stewart, of Radcliff, Ky., is a junior McConnell Scholar at the University of Louisville. He is studying political science.