The Golden Goose and Golden Eggs

K.S. Chow

Introduction

The World Bank President Robert Zoellick revealed that some third world countries are plaqued, assailed and imperilled with the crisis of food shortages and the surging food prices. Some of these poor third countries were so severely struck by the soaring food prices that these escalating food prices have annihilated their relatively low purchasing powers. If additional humanitarian aids in cash in hand are not received by the United Nations Organization ‘s World Food Program (WFP) to help the victims of hunger, it is also beyond the capacity of the WFP to furnish the required urgent food aids to the needy of the 37 poor third world countries in the year of 2008. The food prices have surged so high that the promised grants by donor countries are not sufficient to feed the poor countries waiting to be fed. What have been pledged have not all arrived.

Food Crisis

Owing to the serious plead by the World Bank President for immediate humanitarian food aids, the United states immediately responded and released USD200 million in emergency aid to help those countries where the soaring prices of essential foods, such as wheat,rice, corn and oils have sparked off political unrests and riots in many parts of the world currently. I am touched by the President Bush’s generosity despite the bitter fact the United States is currently dealing with economic recessions and multitudes of unemployed Americans are deficient of cash to pay their utility bills.

Food crisis protests, unrests and riots have politically destabilized some countries causing unrest and protests in affected countries, such as Haiti, Bangladesh, Egypt, Mozambique, Cameroon, Coted’lvoire, Burkina Faso, Madagascar and elsewhere. The affected countries reacted violently because they were feeling the pinch of the soaring food prices. The food prices have surped as much as 74 % in 2007/2008 in many countries. They could not afford to purchase their basic needs of food for daily consumption of their family members. In some affected countries, the victims suffer from widespread hunger, and malnutrition. Consequently, they poured out their frustrations, distress and anger upon their governments causing social unrests, political unstabilities and violent reactions towards their governments. Even a leading government leader was kicked out of office by the rioters in Haiti where the eruptions of riots had injured many victims. One of the conditioning factors, which caused the political tsunami in Malaysia recently, was related to soaring food prices of some essential food items. In Egypt, the rioters burned motor vehicles and damaged commercial buildings.  

With the incessant escalating price of oil and gas, the food prices of rice and wheat and other cereals have surged beyond the purchasing powers of the poverty striken consumers in economically deficient countries especially in the African continent in particular. On April 29, the United Nations’ secretary general, Ban Ki-moon announced the setting up of a task force to ensure an internationally collaborated response to the food crisis. I have always conceived the post of the U.N secretary General as the chief ‘bodhisattva’ not only of the United Nations but also of all the developing and undeveloped countries in the world. It is heartening to note that former secretary general, Kofi Annan, is still altruistically and compassionately active and plays the role of a humanitarian ‘bodhisattva’ in Africa.

Economic Bodhisattvas

Besides United Nations Organization, United States, and Japan which offer foreign aids to poor third countries, the People’s Republic of China has been quietly offering generous loans to the third world countries to help construct their infrastructure to improve their economy and standards of living of their people. The huge Chinese loans are generously offered with much less stringent conditions imposed by other lending finiancial institutions, such as World bank, Asian Development Bank, Unites States and Japan. If the conditions are too stringent, many underdeveloped countries are not qualified for the loans. In this sense, China has emerged as a quiet backyard ‘bodhisattva’ to assist impoverished third world countries to construct their basic ions of civilizations, such as basic infrastructure.  In this sense, China has been quietly supplementing the humanitarian efforts of western and Japanese economic backyard ‘bodhisattvas’ to help reshape the icons of civilizations of the third world countries. It is unjust to perceive only the fallibilities of China without recognizing her humanitarian aids furnished to the impoverished third world countries hitherto. The recent excessive, unprecedented reactions of global demonstrations and protests against the Chinese human right records mirror a perverse picture of what China can constructively and wholesomely offer the world. Which country in the world is free from human right problems in her own country? The pasture may not be greener on the other side of the fence. In fact, it may be more severe! China is a large tree which invites a huge wind.

 When I visited Colombo, the Sri Lankans were pleased to inform me that the only imposing Bandarananaika memorial international Conference Hall in the city of Colombo was an outright gift to Sri Lanka by China. Like United States, China sent large foreign aids to Sri Lanka, Indonesia and Thailand during the tsunami which struck Asian countries on an unprecedented scale on December 26, 2008. The altruistic compassion of a philanthropist ought out to be returned with continuous excessive salts when the benevolently generous philanthropist has unheedfully fallen on a road.

In actual fact, all these great finiancial aids donors are great economic or food aids backyard ‘bodhisattvas’. The aids are akin to the light at the end of the dark tunnel for those economically deficient countries. The humantarain or food aids have saved millions of lives, have kept children in schools and have supplemented the diets of expectant mothers. These backyard ‘bodhisattvas’ are conscientious and motivated by moral imperative to help people who are unable to feed themselves.

In any civil human society, it is a norm to respect and esteem the philanthropists who are finiancial ‘bodhisattvas’ for what they have contributed generously. Bill gates is more venerated as a philanthropist rather than as a business man. The veneration or esteem should be directly proportionate to one’s generosity or the spirit of charity. They deserve the veneration as they send coals to the needy during the cold freezing winter. This is beautiful side of human behaviour encouraged by religious education and awareness.

The recipient countries, which enjoyed such generous loans from mainland China, are Nigeria, Sudan, Angola in Africa, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar,Sri Lanka, Philippines in Asia and many other deserving third world countries. It is not difficult to imagine the dark scenario of catastrophes in which the economic superpowers are incapable of rendering aids to the have-nots because of the serious economic recessions in their countries. The world must never be lack of caring super-economic ‘bodhisattvas’who are ready to help in times of catastrophes created by unexpected natural disasters. Any emerging economic power can function as a finiancial or food aids ‘bodhisattva’ to the needy countries. Therefore, we cannot afford to weaken any caring super-economic ‘bodhisattva’, such as the United States, Japan and mainland China. In fact, to be on the safe side, more caring super-economic ‘bodhisattvas’ should emerge to help and prosper the world.

It is encouraging to have more millionaires who are philanthropists for aiding the poor finiancially. The stark reality of the world is that not all the rich nations are helping the poor countries sufficiently. It is a logical paradox that the most helpful are condemned and demonized by the world at large. Hence, I assert that modern religious education is problematic. The increasing clashes of civilizations support my assertion. In truth, religion unites and it does not disunite. But in our modern world, it functions perversely!

Destroy not the Gooses

The point, which I am eager to drive home, is that economic ‘bodhisattvas’ such as United States, Japan and China and other economic ‘bodhisattvas’ are golden gooses which lay the golden eggs. Parts of their eggs are strategically utilized to render humanitarian aids or generous loans to those poverty striken third world countries. We cannot afford to fight or obliterate the golden gooses.The recent food crisis awakens us to the stark reality that the poor need the finiancial or food aids from the affluent nations. The affluent nations are also contigent upon the large populations of the third countries to demand for their goods and services in international trades. It is a mutually dependent world of globalized village in which all earth’s inhabitants irrespective of colours and creeds are intimately related and interdependent. No one can alienate from the truth of unity or non-duality. The truth of unity or non-duality is universally applicable at the mundane as well as at the supramundane level.

Demonizing Big Brothers

As a Buddhist Theosophist who also cherishes the common message of Truth expounded by other esoteric religions, I am increasingly displeased to perceive the increasing clashes of civilizations in our currently imperiled world. In general, we are disheartened to perceive that the critics are excessively demonizing the United States due to her war policies in Iraq, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Middle East. When the recent violent demonstrations or protests against China in their organized international legs of the Olimpic torch relay, the economically emergent China was also excessively demonized by the Tibetans and human right activists  supporters because of  her human rights records and the crackdown on her own citizens. Peaceful demonstrations and protests are acceptable. Any violent or uncivil demonstrations and protests are not acceptable. Human rights issues should be resolved in United Nations not by individual street demonstrators.

The international terrorists seem to work strategically to destroy the modern icons of western civilization and American interests, inside and outside the United States. The Chinese authorities also reported similar threats in the western part of their country. The constant excessive outcries of pro-human rights protesters seems to have been executed strategically to halt China’s economic progress and tarnish her reputation. The Chinese Ancient says “A Big tree invites more wind.” because of jealousy. Gotama Buddha prescribes appreciative joy to combat jealousy.

Fallibilities Everywhere

In actuality, no secular country in the world, including United States and China, can be free from fallible foreign policies and the transgressions of the U.N’s charters of fundamental human rights provisions. Even these so designated religious countries are not free from such transgressions. Human rights are violated by the power of the state when their powers are challenged by their citizens. The states, which do not implement genuine democracy and freedom of speech are usually impatiently and cruelly intolerant with the challenges of their citizens who have been slighted or abused by the autocratic authorities.  

Pope’s Sermons

 In the recent April, 2008 visit to United States, Pope Benedict XVI suggested that if government cannot protect the human rights of her citizens, the U.N should play that role to protect the victims of human right violations in any member country. Pope benedict XVI revealed that the immigrants and minorities are usually not well or humanely treated by the authorities. He admonished that even terrorism must be confronted with appropriate means that respect the humanism and human rights. He asserted that immigrants should be welcome and helped prosper in their new homes in foreign lands. This concurs with the second commandment of Christianity that we ought to love our neighbours like loving ourselves. With neighbourly love, one can fulfill the first Christian commandment to live in the knowledge of Truth of God. Discrimination in any form opposes the Truth of God. Discrimination is the worship of idolatry. Buddhistically put, the worship of idolatry is attachment to illusive signs or inherent existence. This is illusive. The transgression of human rights is usually parallel to the breach of religious precept or commandment. Politics is correlated with religion. They are not separate.

In terms of food aids or loan aids, the United States and China are the golden gooses which lay the golden eggs. Buddhistcally put, the United States and China are both humanistic and economic backyard ‘bodhisattvas’ for the impoverished countries of the third world. Brushing aside political and economic agendas which are personal, we cannot afford in any way destroy the economic interests of United States, China or any other economic superpowe by demonizing themr. It is sheer folly to destroy the great philanthropists. The impoverished third world countries nations need them in regular economic or food aids to survive.

Even the Buddhist precepts and divine commandments of other monotheistic religions prohibit the destruction of the interests of others who are not the golden gooses. Why should we be so foolish to kill the golden gooses which are altruistically and compassionately serviceable to the needy and the unfortunate in the third world countries? When the impoverished countries are assailed or victimized by unforeseen natural disasters, such as great floods, tsunami, cyclones, food or energy crisis and other aftermaths of global warming and climate change, parts of the golden eggs from the economic ‘bodhisattvas’ can be distributed as emergency aids. The poor cannot help the poor in finiance or in material. Only the haves can assist the have-nots.

Conclusion

The modern world apprehends that the earth is a borderless global village in which its inhabitants are intimately interconnected and interwoven. We are the many; we are also the One. The divine message is crystal clear that no one can live solitarily in an isolated island nor can any phenomenon exist without the harmony of contigent conditions. We are the world; the world is One. This is the common message of all the religious sages or saints since time immemorial.It is pantheistic in all dimensions of human living and working.

 Discrimination in any form is an illusion as it opposes the intrinsic pantheism in all beings. The sages or saints are seers of Truth expounded by the religious messengers, prophets or apostles. These messengers, prophets, apostles or Tathāgatas are the perfect images of God or Buddha. The perfect image of God or Buddha reflects the eternal truth of God or Buddha. Defined in terms of eternal Truth of dependently co-arisen Unity or Non-duality, God and Buddha are synonymous. The Buddhist doctrine of ‘The True Self of Dependently co-arisen unity’ (Dharmadhātu-pratītyasamutpāda) is synonymous with the Islamic concept of ‘Unity of Being’ (Waḥdat al-wūjud). The many is the One; the One is the many. This is the eternal Truth lived by all.