The Impudence of the Westerners &

the Reserve of the Easterners

This essay is dedicated to Professor Martin Jacques, author of When China Rules the World,
who has been an unfailing infuence in the creation of it...

The aim of this essay is to gingerly distinguish the psychological

characteristics of the Westerners (Europeans and the North Americans of
the DisUnited States and Canada) and the Easterners (the Asians and in
particular the Chinese people).

Many decades ago, the British philosopher, Bertrand Russell (1872-1970),

suggested that mass psychology be given more intensive attention; and, he
even advised that “pure philosophy” should be studied less, and mass
psychology analyzed more assiduously. In fact, the co-author of the
Principia Mathematica abandoned his quest to fnd the ultimate logic, started
writing histories, essays, political tracts, and social criticism, and was
awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature (1950) for his efforts. Another
eminent 20th century philosopher, Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980), also turned
away from writing “pure philosophy”—Being and Nothingness (1943) being
his principal philosophical opus—to become a playwright, novelist, and
literary critic. He, too, was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature (1964), but
refused to accept it asserting that “a writer should not allow himself or
herself to be turned into an institution.” Both men wanted to communicate
their beliefs and persuasions to an audience more mundane and receptive,
realizing such readers hoped not to hear what mathematics and being and
nothingness might offer them. Many of us beneftted enormously from
Bertrand Russell and Jean-Paul Sartre's career path shifts.

It should be, by now, a threadbare phrase that Western Civilization

(Western Civilization I [Europe] and Western Civilization II [the DisUnited
States]) are logotypes for insolence—but that is not so. Their fakery at being
inconsiderate of us has no bounds. Their full court presses, since 1601,
have left the world in the grips of fear, have massacred millions and
millions in the name of Judaic-Christian “democratic” capitalism, and now,
as they decline, they are being called upon to stand trial—especially by
those who have had to suffer their centuries of intimidation—and these
miscreants are aghast that they are no longer near to our hearts and now
are the stooges. Even the Times Literary Supplement has debated about
talking about, owning up to, the DisUnited Kingdom's centuries of
bloodbaths perpetrated all over the world. As if to say the pages and pages
of histories (A People's History of the United States authored by Howard Zinn
[1922-2010]) sketching out their atrocities were not meant to be even read,
would not be read, that they have been of no consequence, and that
GUCCI bags, FERRAGAMA shoes, sleek German automobiles, French
fries, smartphones, trinkets of vulgarity, video games, and the NBA should
be the new warbles that haunt us with the yearnings to have us struggle on
along with these brainwashers so that the “show” might locomote. How
goofy of them! Yet, they must be given credit for the cleverly calculated
gargantuan efforts they have invented to sweep under the rug their past
barbarities camoufaging them with false information, media adeptness, and
the worst censor of all: Silence. “Silence is golden. Yet it might serve as the
refuge of censors, bureaucrats, and twerps.” (“That of which we cannot
speak, we must consign to silence.” [ ! ] Ludwig Wittgenstein [1889-1951].)

Psychologically speaking, and massively, let us go right now to heaven and

get it over with! There are two religions whose adherents believe in an
afterlife: the Islamic religion (1.8 billion followers [2012]) and the Christian
religion (2.4 billion followers [2012]). Both of them promise that those who
massacre others for them will fnd a life, in heaven, with all the virgins,
French fries, and milkshakes they can consume—eternally. So be it...
Amen.

The Chinese notion of “heaven” is quite different. It does not deny or slight
others' opinions of a Supreme Power, but it professes the unity of man and
woman and “heaven.” Heaven is not so much a reality as it is some feeting
notion. The clear distinction—even if a Chinese idea of a “heaven,” as
Islams and Christians know it, is not possible—is humanism with its
emphasis on the ancestors of the Chinese people who colloid together after
death to form a mystique of an afterlife. That is what characterizes Chinese
philosophy. Not an afterlife. No Supreme Being. (“Prayers for rain were
gradually replaced by irrigation.” [A Source Book in Chinese Philosophy,
Translated and Compiled by Wing-Tsit Chan; Princeton University Press,
1969].) The Chinese do not knuckle under a Supreme Being. They
recognize no God the Fathers. No God the Sons. No God the Holy Ghosts.
For them, there is no Heaven or Hell. No afterlife. No ten commandments.
No confessions. No wailing walls. No guardian angels. No devils. No Roman
Catholic Serpent Festivals (Abruzzo, Italy). Life is here and now, and it
depends on us to make the best of it as best we can. Chinese philosophers,
through the centuries, have offered us ways to reach inner peace and
satisfaction with ourselves and other human beings with whom we are
associated.

If Western Civilization is a burnt-out proposition, those of us who are still

part and parcel of it, should not crumble into pangs of remorse, and get
down on our knees and beg for help. Even if Western Civilization is
reciting its fnal act, we still can look forward to, with hope and tranquility,
the advent of a new world order under the aegis of sixty percent of the
world's population (Asian people) led by the super dynamic and forbearing
Chinese people. We should thank the “heavens” above us that the Chinese
are an undemonstrative people. Let us take a closer look at some of the
variances of these Westerners and Easterners.

The Westerners, whether they like it or not, are being pulled by their noses
by the DisUnited States (DUS)—be it by soft power, hard power, bribery,
being beaten up. (“Might is Right,” “The Americans are a wonderful people
—if they aren't bombing you!,” “Once you've got them by the b***s, their
hearts and minds will follow!” [United States Army training materials].) Yet
there is another aspect of American leadership that befuddles the mind,
makes one wonder how the Americans ever became the leaders of the
Western world in the frst place: their fagrant imprudence. How could
have the Western world stood for the obtuseness of the Pentagon and
White House for so long? They, too, must lack a suffcient amount of brain
matter to have permitted this baby nation, the DUS, to lead them around
the big top circus the Americans have concocted for so many of these naive
dupes, for so many decades. Whether it be their soft power or hard power,
most of the world is disgusted with Western Civilization—its economic
tomfoolery, its brass, and its hauntingly loathsome Past. There is a restless
longing in the air for something novel, inspiring, a spirit that offers us a
world of possibilities and the economic, social and political design to
achieve a world at peace with itself and others. Western Civilization must
be stopped from sinking further into its black hole of Greed, Corruption,
Hedonism, Incompetence, and Ignorance. It needs to be rescued by a force
superior to its political and economic clout—a causal agent that is primed
“to ethically clean house” and restore stability and hope in this topsy-turvy
world ridden with ennui and despondency. There exists a superior
intelligence to guide this world with righteousness, propriety, and wisdom.
The individual and society are desperately screaming for it to balance us—
to make us lucid with ourselves and others.
One of the most fascinating wonderments of this world surely is the
evolution of the Chinese civilization-state and the consequences it has
come to have for us. Throughout its long History, China has distinguished
itself admirably. Its development was not always velvet-textured, yet the
Chinese people, famous for their centuries of estrangement, tried not to be
antagonistic towards others and, unfortunately, were themselves the victims
of invasions bent on exploiting them and domineering them using the most
sordid tactics. Chinese modernity is the upshot of a centuries-long process
that has taken the planet's most populated civilization to the heights of
fame and powerfulness after elongated periods of an unspeakable distress
and even horrible woe inficted upon them by themselves and then
barbarians and modern savages dressed in suits and ties.

The Chinese people now are an integrated society as they never have been
before. They are used to being together having often saved themselves from
starvation, drought, and incursion. They know how to survive. They wish to
help each other and always seek harmonious resolutions to their
diffculties. Their unity is perhaps the most striking characteristic that
distinguishes them from others. Because there are hundreds of millions of
Chinese people in China and displaced throughout the world, they cannot
be taken tenuously. Their economic prowess has become a fact of life, and
their expertise is persistently gaining fame throughout the world.

Confucius (551 BC-479 BC), to this day, plays an important role in gluing
together the Chinese anima and has done so for centuries. Confucianism is
an ethical philosophy emphasizing the relations between people, society,
and politics and what is the best way to behave when dealing with them.
Humanism, knowledge, and action are the key words that best describe
Confucianism.

TEN CONFUCIAN TENETS

(Taken, at random, from the Analects)

If the superior man is not grave,

he will not inspire awe.

II
 The superior man does not seek fulfllment
of his appetite nor comfort in his lodging.

III

A ruler must govern his state by virtue.

IV

Flexibility in application,
but rigidity in standard.

Confucius taught four things:

culture, loyalty, conduct, and faithfulness.

VI

If we do not yet know about life,

how can we know about death?

VII

When one has avoided aggressiveness, pride, resentment, and greed,

he may be called a man or woman of humanity.

VIII

The superior man seeks room for improvement

or occasion to blame himself;
the inferior man seeks it in others.

IX

Is there one word which can serve as the

guiding principle for conduct throughout life?
Confucius said:
It is the word altruism.
 Do not do to others what you do not want them to do to you.
X

In education there should be no class distinction.

* * *

The epilogue to Professor Peter Singer's book, Ethics (Oxford University

Press; 1994), considered by many to be the best anthology on fundamental
moral ideas, is written by the moral philosopher Derek Parft (1942-2017).
Professor Parft claims that there can be progress made on behalf of a Non-
Religious Ethics, and believes that “...Belief in God, or in many gods,
prevented the free development of moral reasoning. Disbelief in God,
openly admitted by a majority, is a very recent event, not yet completed.”

Until his death, he fought to instill hope in all of us so that a Non-Religious

Ethics might be realized and put into practice. He thought that David
Hume (1711-1776) and Henry Sidgwick (1838-1900) were good examples of
Non-Religious Ethicists because they, both moral philosophers, both
atheists, believed that humankind was capable of reaching beyond itself to
create a more realistic, humanistic moral philosophy. Professor Parft
observed that in our own time, a Non-Religious Ethics only began to be
thought of seriously in the 1960s. It is, according to him, a new “science.”

In his conclusion, Professor Parft does mention Confucius considering

him to be an atheist who made his life's work the study of Ethics.
Nevertheless, Professor Parft does not mention the fact that Confucianism
has been with us longer than Christianity, and that for more than two
millennia it has had a most formidable infuence on Chinese political and
ethical practices unifying the Chinese people into a civilization-state that in
modern times has bowled over Judaic-Christian “Democratic” Capitalism.
In substance, a Non-Religious Ethics has already existed for centuries and
centuries and is only now being discovered—at least by a greater number of
Western moral philosophers.

There are two of the essence distinctions distinguishing the Westerners

from the Easterners. The Westerners have a History of being aggressive—
sometimes brutally so; and; the Easterners are very much more restrained
in expressing their enmities. Sun Tsu (545 BC-496 BC), in his The Art of
War, urged that going to war should be avoided at all costs. Yet, if it is
necessary to go to war, it should be actuated with speed, determination,
and that the attacking forces should return home as soon as possible, when
possible, so as not to cost fortunes in protracted military campaigns far
away from home. Confucius himself advised: “To allow people to go to war
without frst instructing them is to betray them.” The Chinese are not
programmed—their DeoxyriboNucleic Acid is not set for them to shoot
from their hips—to jump at any opportunity to go to war. (From 2001 to
2017, the DisUnited States has spent $1,070,000,000,000 on the Afghan
“War!”) Whereas, the Westerners are fabulously known for being slam-
bang provocateurs.

It would take pages and pages to itemize the atrocities committed by

Westerners throughout the History of Western Civilization. The twentieth
century, alone, was when, in two world wars, an estimated 200,000,000
combatants and non-combatants were annihilated. (A German sociologist
has found that a million European women were raped by Soviet, German,
American, and English soldiers during, and particularly at the end of, the
Second World War.)

There have been so many wars throughout History, that it is almost

conceivable to think that they enjoy some “irreversible truth, grim reality”
status—that there is nothing that can be done to avoid such
“unpleasantries.” Not so. There has actually been a reduction in world wars
and other conficts in part because military intelligence has become so
sophisticated, it can nip in the bud many impending hostile military
actions. Also, many of the “bad guys” must resort to terrorist tactics
because they do not have access to sophisticated war materiel. (A French
general once asked an Algerian terrorist why he put bombs in baby
carriages. He responded: “If you give us helicopters, we will give you baby
carriages.”) In addition, as the Vietnam “War” demonstrated, drugged and
drunk soldiers have had to be replaced by volunteer troops who, eventually,
will be superseded by robot soldiers and other electronic devices
serviceable to the whims and desires of commanding generals and their
political bedfellows. (Generals are talking like politicians; and, CEOs are
talking like generals!) It might appear that war will then be a win-win affair,
but there is no proof now that it will be. If it is a perennial gold star
winning event, it will then be all the more senseless to pursue it.
In the meantime, it might be suggested that studies be initiated to
determine why, in fact, there are wars, and what might be the causes of
them. Wars, often, are attributed to political (Carl von Clausewitz [1780-
1831]) and fnancial gain. Might we call “war” a strictly capitalistic
phenomena? If so, where did capitalism have its origins? If we knew that,
perhaps we could “backtrack,” psychoanalytically, and cure ourselves of
this penchant for violence. Is it possible that the Greek and Aristotle's (384
BC-322 BC) division of humanity into a superior class and a slave
aggregation helped to solidify the concept of the employer being master of
his employees? How many times have we heard “I work like a slave,” and “I
am paid slave wages.” Look at Greece today! It is an economic, social, and
political catastrophe. Corrupt to its core yet so proud of their Greek
heritage, Greeks are now swimming in the muck of greed, corruption,
ignorance, and incompetence that being slaves to their masters has “gifted”
them for centuries. The Greek Past set the stage for the master-slave
benchmark that is still in vigor today. The Stagirite formed a school,
Lyceum (Peripatetic School), where he organized a collection of students
and teachers who helped him do his research and study all of which he
personally took credit for. (Another great master of slaves, Thomas Alva
Edison (1847-1931), who is attributable with holding 1,093 patents, also
formed a “stable” of assistants and scientists who helped him do the ground
work for the inventions he was beholden to them for.) All in that tradition
which lays claim to the fact that some, who are considered inferior to
others, must serve their masters' needs and setups—or else! Militaries are
based on superiors who rule over their lower—inferior—ranks.

And what about St Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274)? He synthesized

Christianity with Aristotelianism. Astonishingly so, he composed three
justifcations for war—not peace. And for his efforts he was awarded
sainthood! How many Jesuit-educated American military personnel in the
Pentagon have opted to go to war bent on subscribing to the almighty
dictates of Aquinas and his henchmen in the Roman Catholic church—this
criminally organized occult inner circle moderated by fanatically
authoritarian, masterfully mealy-mouthed, septuagenarian and
octogenarian, ofttimes overweight, often senile, unmated men and women
—freaks of perhaps some strange species belonging to a third sex—who
mesmerize and indoctrinate their fellow travelers with ancient folkloric
fantasies promising these pathetically naive proteges compensation, for
their wretched lives, in some nonexistent future time and state?
Has not the time come, when individuals with a sense of justice, good will,
and altruism, tear down the Stagirite from his “philosophical,” Wall
Streetish pedestal, and free, at frst, the economically destitute Greeks, and
then the rest of the world stepped upon by the master-slave pecking order,
thus permitting the reappraisal of the relationships we share with our own
people and those peoples whom we are unaware—that we quest to be in
harmony with all the human beings amongst ourselves?

Workers of the world unite?

No! Workers of the world make
Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Larry Ellison,
and Mark Zuckerberg
richer than they already are!
Just stuff Capitalism down their throats!

Authored by Anthony St. John

Calenzano, Italy
10 May MMXIX
anthony.st.john1944@gmail.com
www.scribd.com/thewordwarrior

* * *