Hi Mia,
I was glad to read your post, and to hear from you again. Just come here as you can, but don't stop coming! :-) I noticed the emotional, poetic and abstract thought content from Chinese who write here. It is one of the things I enjoy most about this forum.
I don't know that the difference in your thought and language from the English language is the reason that China has been slower in technological development in more recent times. After all, in the distant past China was extremely technologically innovative. Above all in the world. And they didn't have a different language then. It was almost the same as now. Right? Last year I went to a large, excellent Chinese exhibit about China's great technological developments of the past. They were so far out in front of the rest of the world then that they left most of the countries of the world behind in their dust.
I remember some words written on the wall at the White Lake Observatory here; about Chinese understanding of Venus and unseeable details about it, three thousand years ago. There was no way those Chinese thinkers could have seen Venus and its surroundings, yet their information about it was accurate, as we now know today. If I go to White Lake again soon I will copy it and send it here to the forum. I think those Chinese thinkers had a different, and perhaps meditative way of reaching the knowledge of astronomy that they had. Tim will relate to that. ;-)
At some point, quite a while back, China may have begun turning inward. The wonderful Confucian thought became hardened by its interpreters, and some of it probably didn't fit the times any more. China was sought by the west for its riches and exoticism, then plundered, and treated very badly. I'm thinking of the Opium Wars.
All this kind of thing, including the greed of the Chinese rich who forgot their great inherited guidance from their wise men must have been part of the reason that China became desperate, and also lost its ancient abilities. It seems that only people who could memorize all the thousands of picture words in the language were allowed to learn and grow and have power. The rest stayed ignorant and illiterate and their capacities were lost to the country. Maybe as the population exploded, more and more people were deprived of education. Maybe the educational structures were too hard to access, and focussed on rigid things, and lost what must have been their flexibility in the past. Maybe it screened out those it most needed.
In most countries, except in this century of light, most people have been deprived of higher education, so that isn't anything new. Probably those wonderful Chinese discoveries and innovations of the past were restricted to the few who had time to think, just as it was elsewhere. There are probably many more reasons that I don't know, but somehow I don't think it really had mostly to do with the Chinese language.
That abstract, feeling difference you have shown, seems to have allowed some to know about space and another planet in another way when they didn't have instruments yet to see. Tim has talked about how valuable that kind of meditative,insightful knowledge has been to him. So why didn't Chinese continue to understand science and technological things through this alternative path? Tim is living proof that a westerner can access it, and the knowledge of Venus is ancient proof that Chinese could access it. So there are two paths to knowledge, and you had the head-start on the one the USA uses much less. Probably what is needed today is a wedding of both paths.
I may go to White Lake Observatory again soon. It's one of my favourite places. Today on the news, I learned that it is becoming the second biggest, or was it the biggest? observatory in the world, and that our federal government is funding the great project. The development there will be as significant to science as was the "Canadarm", which is used to repair space vehicles, and which is completely invaluable, and still at the top of the technology ladder today. You can see that I am indicating that Canada is no slouch when it comes to technology, either. ;->
When you talk with Tim, you talk with a citizen of the United States of America. When you talk with me, you talk with a citizen of Canada. Both Tim and I are minorities in our ways of thought in our respective countries. By the way, there are three countries in America. Mexico is the third and the USA and Canada are both here, too. This is why I never call U.S. citizens, "Americans", or their country "America". I know, I know, I'm the minority in this, too, as it is generally done almost everywhere, somewhat to the dismay of a fair number of Canadians and Mexicans.
Having gotten that out of my craw: what I began to say is that Canadians tend also to think in greys. Perhaps not as much as your people do, but we do so. That is proven by the degree of socialism in our way of running our country, yet we consistently refuse to vote in a socialist government. Our non-socialist governments pick up good socialist ideas just when the people are ready for them, and implement them. This, of course, draws the strength of the socialist party away from them, yet they have made great contributions to the country. Right now most of Canadians, (who haven't ever voted for the socialist party,) are doing their best to see that these wonderful things aren't dismantled by more right leaning governments that are presently in power, both nationally and provincially.
I'm afraid the USA doesn't always agree about us. Some in high places are even concerned about the "socialistic" country on their borders, even though it has never elected a socialist government. Tim admires these thing about Canada, though, as he has said; but then he is a very enlightened citizen of his country.
Mr. Bush Jr. is not necessarily a representative of his whole country in that statement you quoted. Maybe it came from his Texan background. I don't think Vermonters would necessarily all think that same way. Maybe Californians would be divided. It was probably the Texas cowboy who made that statement. It wasn't very well received by most other countries, to his surprise. Canada was one of the countries that didn't accept it. Nor did our country take part in the Iraq business, for which we still haven't been forgiven by that gigantic and powerful nation to the south, and to the north-west. This is causing us considerable trouble right now. Maybe we'll finally redeem ourselves in their eyes if a peace corps is put into place in Iraq, as that is the kind of military work Canadians prefer. Anyway, please don't lump all western countries into one, because it isn't true. In fact Germany and the Netherlands are western countries. So is Italy. They are also very different from the USA and so are lots of the others.
Canadians are diverging more and more from the ways of citizens of the United States, as polls of the last few years have proved. That doesn't mean to say that we are better, just that we are becoming ever more different. The continental United States has a very moderate climate, compared to Canada, for instance. Climate has a lot to do with ways of being. For instance, we have a lot more patience in many cases, probably because we have to manage to live through our winters.
The United States has a very large population compared with us. We have many fine minds, world class inventers, and even great sports figures who have been lured away to the advantages offered in the U.S.A. Nevertheless, Canadians carry on well, continue to innovate and to be pragmatic.
I thought your black and white cats had a lot to do with pragmatism. Am I right or wrong? I thought your black and white cats had a lot to do with borrowing from anywhere and anybody, if there was something valuable to be learned and adapted or adopted.
A few days ago I watched two of my grandchildren ford a creek that had a sharp, stony bottom, in their bare feet. They couldn't see the bottom through the rushing water, so they gingerly felt for footing before taking a step. Slowly they crossed the little river safely. That image came to mind when you quoted Mr. Deng. Doesn't he mean that you should all feel your way carefully to whatever it is that you want to attempt? It is really quite brave to set out to cross, not knowing what you might step on or into, or where you might slip. The grandchildren had to be so careful, but they made it to the other side in safety without a slip. I hope the same for your country.
We're lucky to have a fellow like Tim come to our forum. He is a really good kind of American, and there are also lots like him, even if he is in the minority, it isn't a tiny minority.
Maybe Tim was discussing China and Russia with somebody. I don't recall taking part in that discussion. I am always impressed with China, as contrasted with India.
Warm and friendly greetings to you, dear Mia. I hope I have understood you, and replied to what you wrote. As you can see, my interests, style and approach are sometimes quite different from Tim's, sometimes the same, but neither of us believes in black and white and forgets the grey, I assure you of that.
Mary
