The Alliance of Civilizations: The Perfect Match between the West and East (Part I)

K.S.Chow

Introduction

As a result of the continuous transfer of science and technology and the transmission of knowledge economy from the west, the developing countries in the middle east and Asia have developed their current landmarks of industrializations and icons of modern economies. They are images of the western models or modes of national development integrated with eastern wisdom. The most obvious landmarks will be the modern icons of urbanization efforts of many cities in the mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai and many other Asian cities. When Dubai’s modern icons of civilization are completed, the magnificence and modernity of Dubai’s city development would be unmatched, unequalled and unsurpassed in terms of sophistications and awesome beauty in urbanized structure plans by any country in the world for many more years to come. It is obvious that Dubai has been importing western elites to innovate the new constructions of its fanciful cluster of cities in the city through land superb reclamations in the sea nearby. Extensive land reclamations are motivated by the continuous huge demand for space by direct foreign investments (DFIs) of major world Information Computer Technology companies, such as Microsoft, Cisco Systems, IBM, Hp, Dell, Siemems and so forth and other global corporate giants, such as G.E, Intel, Samsung and Huawei. The Dubai Internet City (DIC) was launched in the year 2000. DIC is indeed a very very smart Islamic and highly modernized country in the Middle East. Its rapid development of foreign IT entrepreneurship in Dubai helps expand the mould unity of God.

The mould unity of God is defined by Ibn ‘Arabī as a necessary existent dependently co-arisen from the Unity of contigent existents. Correspondingly, it is parallel to the Mahāyāna Buddhist concept of Emptiness(Śūnyatā) and Dependent Co-arising (Pratītyasamutpāda). Dubai Internet City (DIC) has been attracting a continuous inflow of direct foreign investment by offering the most attractive investment incentives to the direct foreign investors. DIC offers both 100 percent tax exemption and 100 % business ownership. It is the most successful cyber city in the world. This is not surprising because it is adept at discerning the power of the unity mound of God. God is the unity of existence. Buddhistly viewed, Emptiness is God. In the presence of God which is Tao, prosperity goes to the genuine participants of unity. Virtue, especially harmony in team work, is the cornerstone of any form of unity. God and virtue are inseparable.

 DIC grows by expanding its contigent conditions which are the world renowned direct foreign investors originating from the advanced nations. The contigent conditions are mainly information computer technology based companies from all over the world. When the mould of God is expanded, human wealth is also directly expanded. It is working on the divine principle of ‘Together we prosper’.

Like any advanced modern city development, western foreign expertise is required to work together with local planners and labour force. It is a symbiotically interdependent world of organism. What I know, you may not know; what you know, I may not know. Hence, interdependent collaborations are necessitated. Collaborative unity is the mould of God or Tao. With God, the harvest is abundant. Dubai Internet City is a supermodel of development to be emulated by all. Religion reminds us that we are all interconnected and interrelated like brothers and sisters. We are supporting and are being supported. We are conditioning and are being conditioned. The ultimate Reality is the One in the many and the many in the One. Economic growth is a conditioned phenomenon dependently co-arisen from the unity of contigent resources, such as land, capital, labor and enterprise.

 Even the western countries depend on the east to transact international trades to preserve their economic affluence or survival. The soaring prices of oil and food swamp the consumers globally. All are affected severely! In times of major catastrophes, the victims of massive natural disasters in the east require massive humanitarian aids from the western donors to resurrect their normal lives. The east can not afford to quarrel with the west and neither can the west quarrel with the east.

Even mainland China learns from a tiny city state like Singapore. Singapore is physically small but is a highly productive, competitive economic power house. What the Chinese leaders and bureaucrats have learnt from Singapore are the finest contigent conditions of highly prudent systems of politics, economics and management in which the Singaporeans excel or are adept at. Besides western influence and Chinese cultural influence, the current China’s economic rise is the necessary existent or conditioned phenomena dependently co-arisen from many external influences especially Singapore’s economic prudence. The past and current mainland Chinese political readers and bureaucrats visit Singapore frequently to obtain Singapore’s political and economic development sutras. Some of the finest contigent conditions leading to China’s modern icons of urban and economic constructions are emulated from the political, economic and corporate ‘sutras’ of Singapore. The consummating unity of the national development principles derived from Singapore’s development ‘sutras’ have helped China crystallize her Singapore’s dream. Singapore’s influence is one of the contigent conditions which has helped construct modern mainland China’s cities.

Of course, western influence is also a crucial part of the contigent conditions since China opened up herself to he world 30 years ago. Most importantly, China has a long history of 5000 years of continuous imperial and modern civilization. This legacy is a very rich heritage. Western, scholar such as John King Fairbank and Merle Goldman in their history text ‘China: A New History’ recognize that Chinese city during the Song Dynasty was the most affluent city in the world at that time. John King Fairbank and Merle Goldman wrote,” Song dynasty was a great creative age that put China ahead of the rest of the world in technological invention, material production, political philosophy, government, and elite culture (especially of Neo-confucianism).”

 Of course, modern Chinese leaders and bureaucrats have also benefited from their large scale of liberalization or open policy towards the western world and other parts of the world. Of course, mainland China has certainly absorbed the development wisdom of Hong Kong, her own territory moulded by the British governance. Like Singapore, the mainland Chinese economic emergence is the dependently co-arisen from the unity of the finest contigent conditions conglomerated from the legacies of eastern and western civilizations.

Theosophically put, success or accomplishment in any field is conditioned from the harmony of contigent conditions. Success is not created by itself or arises by itself. Everything is a dependently co-arisen unity. It is theosophically created from the unity of both internal and external contigent conditions. It is the unity of multiplicity that conditions the mould of result or harvest. The Unity of diversity is Tao ( Brahman, Buddha or God).

 In Mahāyāna Buddhism, when it asserted that every phenomenon is empty, it connotes that every phenomenon is conditioned from the unity of contigent conditions. Any fruit or harvest does not arise by itself. A multiple of internal and external dependently co-arisen contigent conditions are conglomerated to produce a resultant fruit or harvest. Such paradigm or vision of ontology is actually a common sense. But this common sense applied wisely is profoundly religious. It is, in truth, religious or divine. Many ordinary worldlings are not aware that applied common sense embraces profound religious wisdom. Religion deals with the problem of ego – the propensity to protect one’s self-interest and to create problem. It is ego that that makes life problematic and impedes unity and harmony. Egoism is the central issue in all esoteric religions. Religion functions to obliterate self-centric ego to protect public or group’s interest. Therefore, it is evident that religion is not separate from one’s life. The point, which I desire to drive home, is that a person aspiring for achievement ought to be humble enough to learn the additional successful contigent conditions from the experiences of those who are successful or have excelled. Education and training are expedient devices by which we acquire contigent conditions from the experiences of others who have arrived.

Singapore’s story is also a concrete case of someone who has arrived. It is story of unity of the finest contigent conditions implemented prudently by Singapore’s very pragmatic liberalization or open policy of attracting foreign scholars, savants, intelligentsia, rich businessmen from neighbouring south-east Asian countries to migrate and reside permanently in Singapore. As far as natural resources are concerned, Singapore is sadly impoverished. In fact, Lee Kuan Yew cried when he was advised by Tunku Abdul Rahman to separate Singapore from Malaya. Singapore was then an impoverished island. It is practically void of natural resources for national development. Singapore has been revitalized and is fully developed currently with a global competitive economy because of the mind of Tao a great Singaporean stateman named Lee Kuan Yew. His political self-awakening has unveiled the Tao and prospered Singapore hitherto since independence. Today, she can even become political, economic and administrative guru to many other countries in Asia including China. Her current economic miracle is derived from the fusion of the contigent conditions consisting of foreign knowledge economy transmitted by the immigrants through a large influx of brain-gains from her neighbouring countries. To be more specific, Singapore is astute and adept enough to attract brain-drains from other developing and undeveloped countries in south–east Asia to work and develop Singapore. Singapore, in turn, rewards the immigrant workers or elites with permanent residencies and lucrative remunerations.

 Western educated Mr. Lee Kuan Yew, the first Premier of Singapore obtained the western economic sutras especially from western science and technology, management system and knowledge economy without losing the wisdom of Chinese culture to transmute Singapore from rags to riches. Being a predominantly a Chinese populated state, Singapore’s national development strategy has also been knowingly or unknowingly been influenced by Chinese culture transmitted from the old generations of Chinese who migrated to Singapore from China and Malaya. Even ordinary Chinese immigrants are fundamentally Neo-confucianists as imperial Chinese philosophical influences had sowed the karmic seeds in the minds of the old generations of Chinese before migration to south-east Asia. The Chinese system of meritocracy and legalism of the imperial Chinese Confucian bureaucracy and governance have certainly exerted influence on Singapore’s political governance too. Singapore’s economic emergence is due mainly to its fervently attached policy of meritocracy – throwing the net around to catch the good fish.

 That modern Singapore’s political leaders emphasize the training of Chinese scholars or elites through her current Chinese education curriculum mirrors that their leaders appreciate the pragmatic value of Chinese philosophy of Taoism, Confucianism, Neo-confucianism and Chinese Buddhism incorporated in classical Chinese language. The elements or flavours of Chinese philosophy are imparted through Classical Chinese language in their school educational curriculum. Singapore’s Ministry of Education emphasizes both the teaching of English and Chinese languages. English education aids in generating modern technocrats and knowledge economists; Chinese education helps churn out a pool of Chinese elites or intelligentsia who could diffuse Chinese philosophy to develop the wisdom minds of the local technocrats, knowledge economists and businessmen and entreprenuers to further invigorate Singapore’s economic power house. There is no whatsoever doubt that Singapore’s current economic affluence and global competitiveness are dependently co-arisen from the synthesis of dual influences of western and eastern cultures. The eastern culture is principally Chinese cultural legacy.

Singapore’ s economic miracle has even captivated and mesmerized the People Republic of China’s political leaders and city majors, bureaucrats and universities’ scholars since the era of premier Deng Xiaoping in the early 1980s. They are magnetized by Singapore’s clean political governance, prudent economic management, strict legalism, sound social security system, magnificent city reconstructions and urbanization, urban greening and beautification, global corporate know-hows, new housing policy and so forth. In actual fact, Singapore’s development model is esteemed by south-east Asians and awes the world in general. The mainland Chinese political leaders and administers has been adopting the ‘Look Singapore Policy’ designated by the Chinese leaders as the ‘China’s Singapore dream’. The Chinese political leaders, city majors or bureaucrats have vowed to emulate Singapore’s national development strategic wisdom and prudence in management science. They do not mind to commence as a copy cat but eventually she aspires to emerge as a supercat. The current modern icons of Chinese civilization and the awesome lavish 2008 Beijing Olympics Open Ceremony vindicate their fulfillment of their vow and the crystallization of China’s Singapore’s dream - a modern China is already born. Most importantly, China conveyed through the extravagant Olympics Opening ceremony that Chinese economic resurgence since the era of the efflorescence of Song Dynasty is a peaceful rise.

 Succinctly put, the materialistic icons of eastern civilization have been moulded and fueled by the influences of western civilization hitherto. Transfer of science and technology and knowledge economy has been occurring since time immemorial hitherto. This is the wholesome, constructive side of alliances of civilizations between the west and east. Without disparaging the Chinese efforts, I posit that the 2008 Beijing Olympic organizational prudence is the synthesis of long accumulating experiences of the International Olympic Council’s members, the transfer of abundant experiences from the previous Olympics organizers and most importantly, the large number of ordinary Chinese and non-Chinese volunteers. The Chinese Olympic Council admits this stark reality and importance of interdependence and collaborations. It is the Unity of all these visible as well as invisible contigent conditions that the unity of Tao or the mould of God is manifested in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. That a Chinese male singer and a western female singer standing and singing together on top of the globe conveyed the fact of necessitation of the harmonious alliance of civilizations between the west and east. This will fulfill the sacred and dear aspiration of one world and one dream. One world connotes the intrinsic oneness of the world – the Unity of Tao or the mould of God. One dream connotes lasting happiness, peace and prosperity for the entire world. Such theme concurs with the theosophically divine message for all – the universal brotherhood of humanity. The Chinese philosophy contained in the Tao Te Ching and I-Ching recommend the harmonious unity between Heaven, Earth and Man- the correlation between cosmology and Man. Every divine message of Taoism or Monotheism recommends that there should be no dichotomy or discrimination between the westerners and the easterners. The path of self-redemption or salvation of all religions converge at an identical soteriological destination – be selfless and work as the One for all. Diversity for diverse interests will rock the boat.

Likewise, the transmissions of religious wisdom or knowledge of Brahman, Tao, Buddha, God and Allah from the east to the west have also spiritualized the materialistic, secular western civilization. The cultural melting pot or match between the west and east has given rise to multiculturalism which constitutes the cosmopolitan civilization of the modern global village in our modern civilization. Liberalization and globalization process has accelerated the process of multiculturalism in many developed western countries and also in the rapidly growing economies of developing countries in Asia. In close examination, history reveals that the large migration of Chinese and Indians from mainland China and India to south-east Asia have benefited the local economies. There are more hands that have arrived to help the local economies. Why not ? They are playing useful roles together with the natives to strengthen their economic engines and productivities.

 Frankly put, there are more alliances of civilizations rather than collisions of civilizations between the west and the east and between the north and south today. Unfortunately, lately the clashes of civilizations have risen continually. Theosophy reveals that unity in diversity or the One in the many is part and parcel of life in which Tao ( Brahman, Buddha or God) dwells. Any attempt to oppose diversity in unity opposes the unity of Tao or the mould of God. Discrimination destroys divinity. Non-discrimination and equality preserve the mould of Tao (Brahman, Buddha or God). Chaos, crisis, havos or catastrophe implies the collapse of the mould of Tao (Brahman, Buddha or God).

 But unfortunately, lately the world witnesses that there are increasing trends of clashes of civilizations motivated by political, economic differences, terrorism, soaring prices of oil, gas and food and the shortage of food and others. Fortunately again, we are united again universally by the power of loving-kindness and compassion to combat massive natural or man-made catastrophes swamping the countries of victims, such as the Asian tsunami, cyclone in Myanmar, Floods in Bangladesh and earthquake in China, famine and diseases in south Africa and so on.

Multiculturalism

Multiculturalism is another fine example of unity in diversity. When diversity becomes a strength or asset, it is Godly or Taoist. When it becomes a weakness or liability, it is a devil and sin. When it is a strength of unity, Tao or God rewards. When it is weakness of disunity, Tao or God punishes. Tao or God does not differ from Buddha, Brahman nor Allah when it is perceived as a process philosophy of ontological becoming. Some prominent Christian and Sufi philosophers,such as Whitehead and Ibn ‘Arabī, conceive God in terms of process philosophy of the ontology of dynamic becoming. This process philosophy is compatible with Buddhist philosophy of Impermanence and Insubstantiality or Emptiness or Dependent Co-arising. This is actually the only ultimate Reality of all religious teaching of Theosophy and Pantheism.

 Multiculturalism has proved to be a cosmopolitan power which has accelerated the national developments of the currently leading as well as developing modern economies. Leading economies fueled by multiculturalism are United States of America, Japan, Russia, Canada, Britain, Germany, France, Italy, Australia, and others. The developing countries, whose development have been energized by multiculturalism, are too many to be mentioned. Currently, the most superb developing economies are China, India, United Arab Emirates, Brazil, Vietnam, and others. Singapore leading political leaders describe the multicultural flavours or elements as multi-colourful mosaics which beautify the national corridor. In other words, they are perceived as assets rather than liabilities. Malaysian Tourism Development Board capitalizes on multiculturalism to promote her lucrative tourism industry with the slogan which reads ‘ Malaysia is truly Asia’. Multiculturalism and multilingualism are assets and not liabilities.

 A garden of multi-coloured flowerng plants is certainly more attractive and pleasant than a garden of mono-coloured flowering plants. A human society in which its members put on a single fashion of attire in all seasons is not only very dull but also is not very practical.

To be continued