Sharing the Chinese Dream
By Richard Trappl
Abstract:
Having been born in post-world war Vienna, the city of Sigmund Freud (whose former working room is just one court yard away from my institute), having studied Zhuangzi’s famous “Butterfly Dream” as a sinologist, and having witnessed China´s breath-taking development from the final phase of the Cultural Revolution, when I had studied in Beijing in 1974/75 and worked in a People´s Commune and in a steel factory, and now being the Austrian Director of the Confucius Institute at the University of Vienna and regular official participant of the European (EUNIC) - China Cultural Dialogue, I would like to share with the Conference “World Dialogue on the Chinese Dream” some personal reflections, visions, and concerns without attempting to give definite answers.
In our globalizing world with its rapidly growing interdependencies, pure intercultural communication alone is not enough. Based on understanding one´ s own culture, it is increasingly necessary to learn to understand other cultures. Facing one´s own history and the present state of society, the establishment of a world community that is ethically entitled to live on this tiny, vulnerable planet in the never ending universe, should be the “Shared Dream of Humankind”, in which all the dreams of individuals, of nations, of philosophers and of “ordinary people” find space and respect. The global communication structures provide the technical equipment. It is with the nations and the political elites in all parts of the world to optimize the networks for the benefit of the whole in accordance with the necessities and benefits of its particular entities, or to formulate it the other way round: to bring forth the development of a nation by creating a win-win situation for global development. The question is: how to share resources today and how to save resources for future generations. Win-win situations can only be achieved in a peaceful environment. The traditional Chinese concept of a holistic view of things and an approach that considers the body as more than the sum of its parts may be a methodological perspective to face the numerous contradictions humankind is confronted with today.
China´s role in our era, after its power and glory in past millennia, after its humiliation in the 19th century, after its painful experiences in the 20th century with its fundamental self-reflections on its own culture - from negation to affirmation - is still going to find its positioning in the global arena, causing admiration and uneasiness, both in China itself as well as in the outside world. If it is the common aim of humankind to establish an international environment based on rationality and mutual respect - facing the past, managing the present, and safeguarding the living conditions for the future - the contribution of China might be a great one indeed. Not only due to its vast population, but due to its heritage in wisdom and cultural achievements. The legacy of a nation is not only written in books, or stored in digital archives. The common knowledge and cultural memory shared by a community includes the lofty achievements as well as the memory of catastrophes and errors. An international community that aims at win-win situations must join in international and intercultural education schemes that go far beyond present dimensions, must inspire the youngest to realize what it means to exist on this earth - be it in China, in Europe or elsewhere -, must bring enthusiasm to the population to appreciate the material and immaterial world, must enable individuals to have visions and imaginations, must lead people to find the right balance between idealism and realism. Then, dreams - Chinese, American, local and global ones - will not just be Freudian dreams or even nightmares but creative contributions towards a World Dialogue, a dialogue between nations, cultures and individuals.
Sigmund Freud holds that dreams are “manifestations of our deepest desires and anxieties”. Interpretations of dreams go back more than 5000 years. However, besides the psychological analyses of the phenomenon of dream, besides its literary and philosophical usage, there is the political metaphor: “dream” as a vision for an ideal development of a country or society. In this sense the “American Dream” has become an ideal for generations, and Martin Luther King´s dictum “I have a dream” on August 28, 1963 has finally come to fulfillment. Whatever State President Xi Jinping intended to cover by the concept of the “Chinese Dream”, it definitely is to express the aspiration to lead China further on its way of development within its long history and within the family of nations. Many challenges, problems, dangers pave this way, and hence the metaphor of a “dream” indicates that the tasks to be carried out necessitate more than just routine. There is neither space for simple pride, nor for uneasiness, but hard endeavors are needed in a spirit of solidarity between the people and its representatives, among individuals in an increasingly competitive society, and within the concert of nations to share responsibility and dignity.
Such a concept of “dream”, of a pledge for rejuvenating the nation, fostering social coherence and creating transparency on the basis of law, will have to be seen as a pro-active program rather than a psychological interpretation, a commitment rather than a literary narrative, a national and transnational contribution towards a peaceful development in a context of win-win cooperation, rather than an isolationistic self-affirmation.
Constructive dreams and visions may and should inspire individuals and communities. To realize them, education, perseverance and ethics are needed. All these virtues are to be found in China´s cultural heritage. Making use of it provides the chance that China´s dreams, aspirations, and visions for a bright future may come closer to their realization and that the global community will profit from them.
Let China nourish its dream!
Let China nourish its dreams!
Let us all share a common dream of a better world to be inherited to future generations!
