IN RECENT YEARS, the US has been governed in ways that come across as difficult to understand, even bizarre.
Now billionaire Elon Musk has exposed much corruption in government—and people feel even more deeply that the United States is not governed in a way that is orderly and follows the natural paths in which human civilization develops. How does this fit into the turning wheel of history?
FUNDAMENTALS OF ORDERLY SOCIETY
Human social order depends on certain requirements of behaviour. These set us apart from the wild ways of the animal kingdom. We once were primitive but have evolved into a way of life which we see as civilized, self-restrained.
There are, I suggest, three different degrees of human social order. Of course, humanity exists across many civilizations which have varied social elements, levels of economic development, types of cultural education, and so on. But three factors remain constant, across multiple aspects.
FIRST, REGULATIONS
The first we can think of as the need for regulation, in the sense of the laws which govern society.
Nature:
The laws are the natural fundamental bottom line for maintaining the normal operation of society.
Formulation:
Laws are formed in each society by the people at the highest level of government. They have the responsibility to ensure good governance at national and international levels. They must have authority and adherence, to the law must be mandatory.
Principles:
The law defines the need for adherence to the principle of equality for all citizens, for example. “If the Emperor breaks the law, he will receive the same punishment as a commoner.”
Punishment:
These are meted out by the courts, with the death penalty being reserved for the most serious crimes.
Mitigation:
To prevent the law being too rigid, a level of arbitration is introduced, and some countries also allow the use of amnesties to provide flexibility to the law.
SECOND, RULES OF BEHAVIOR
This refers to rules in the sense of codes of behaviour that a professional body may maintain for its membership.
Nature:
Members of any group require certain codes that maintain suitable behaviour among the members.
Formulation:
These codes are formulated by various specialized committees, such as those responsible for a religion, or a political party, or an industrial sector. They must be professionally drawn up and tightly focused.
Principles:
Members have different rights, responsibilities and special disciplines. This regulates behavior to achieve professionalism among the members.
Punishments:
These are decided by the committee or the highest person in charge. The most serious punishment will include expulsion from the organization or cancellation of professional qualifications.
Mitigation:
If there’s a dispute, negotiated arbitration is often used to try to resolve issues and maintain flexibility.
THIRD, ETIQUETTE.
This refers to etiquette in the sense of choices made in behaviour.
Nature:
Acts of etiquette are voluntary expressions of refined behaviour which can be made at the individual level or at an international level.
Formulation:
Most of these ways of behaving are inherited from custom, and vary between different nationalities, or countries, and their development is affected by economic, cultural and other factors.
Principles:
Behaving with etiquette is a noble pursuit based on self-discipline and respect for others, and is a conscious and voluntary noble behavior. I will say more about this below.
Punishment:
Threats of punishment are not the system used to deter people from acting without etiquette. If you behave badly, criticism or loss of public standing is the punishment.
Mitigation:
If the individual affected by a lack of etiquette does not mind, or is unwilling to respond, the matter may attract no attention and there will be no need for response or enforcement of rules.
PLACE OF CONFUCIANISM
Regarding moral behaviors such as self-discipline and respect for others, Confucianism expounds on five aspects: Benevolence, Righteousness, Propriety, Wisdom, and Sincerity, which are roughly described as follows:
Benevolence:
The core of this can be seen in attitudes such as caring, respecting, and forgiving, and in behaviors such as sympathizing with the weak and actively helping others. It is also expressed in axioms such as “Do not do to others what you would not want others to do to you”, “If you want to succeed, help others succeed; if you want to achieve something, help others achieve something” (or, “One who wishes to establish himself should help others to establish themselves; one who wishes to accomplish himself should also help others to do so”).
Righteousness:
This refers to the need for adherence to the principle of justice, manifested in fair, reasonable, and appropriate behavior. When faced with the choice between “righteousness and profit”, one must adhere to the moral bottom line, and not resort to an “any means necessary” attitude to gain benefit.
Propriety:
This refers to the need to regulate interpersonal communication and behavior based on customary etiquette, as defined by consensus. Society pursues the state of “harmony in diversity” and promotes social harmony.
Wisdom:
With rich knowledge and insight, one can practice the self-cultivation behaviors of “examining oneself several times a day” and “strictly disciplining oneself” to improve oneself to enhance and optimize human civilization.
Sincerity:
A relationship based on mutual trust, requiring a “be honest in speech” attitude. “Honor one’s word and be resolute in action.” Hypocrisy and fraud will inevitably lead to trouble. “Nothing can be established without trust among people”.
Governance based on courtliness: China’s proposal of the “Global Human Civilization Initiative”
Alternatively, there is a higher level of behavior called “courtliness”. To a certain extent, this is related to etiquette in nature. But it is more than that. It is usually a unilateral sacrifice or contribution made spontaneously by those with higher status, which goes beyond the general standards of reciprocal order.
In the new era, China, which is enterprising, open and courageous in exploration, is a model of “ritual as a country”. China has proposed the “Global Civilization Initiative” (see this link ) to promote cultural exchanges, cultural integration and people-to-people exchanges among countries in the international community, and to strive to make the world’s garden of civilizations more colorful and vibrant.
NEED FOR INTERNATIONAL ETIQUETTE
To sum up, with the continuous development of the global economy and the deepening of social integration, mankind urgently needs a higher level of etiquette order to really demonstrate the progress of civilization to this point.
Chinese culture has a long history and has accumulated thousands of years of wisdom and civilization.
It is sincerely hoped that Chinese culture can play a positive role in this process. It can contribute unique Chinese strengths to the development of world civilization, promote common prosperity among countries through exchanges and mutual learning among civilizations, and work together to create a better future.
Illustration at the top by fridayeveryday.