I was initially scared to bear witness to a comparative evaluation of the dreams of the two most powerful nations in the world. One is naturally inclined to presume that the Chinese dream is no less than the American dream. If so, what is the implication for the world, over and above these two countries? The consequence has been well studied and a Chinese scientist has made an enlightened observation that if the Chinese live by the current American standards, we will need four earths to meet the resources.[break]
AP
From where shall we conjure up three more earths to supply natural resources to upgrade the Chinese standard of living to the American level? The logical corollary is that the Chinese would not, should not and cannot attain the American living standard.
It is quite consoling to hear that a common Chinese is not as ambitious as a common American who, going by their avowed American dream, set sky as the limit for their personal and national development. Americans believe they can achieve anything given talent, hard work and perseverance. No doubt there are instances of the paupers turning into billionaires and penniless rising to huge wealth.
President Barak Obama himself set a sterling example of attaining the presidency, the highest office of the country, coming from the underdog immigrant community of slaves. The young and bright from all over the world are still drawn to the United States to test their guts and fortune. The US policymakers too are reorienting their immigration regulation to attract men and women of talent from different parts of the world instead of opening the doors for ordinary folks under what is known as Diversity Visa.
By hook or by crook, the Americans want to stay at the top of the world: power-wise, money-wise and talent-wise. A sense of superiority has permeated deep into the American psyche when it comes to pursuing the American dream, which Sarah Palin, an aggressive ex-Governor and Vice-Presidential candidate, so often gives vent to in the strongest possible terms.
A Chinese fortunately does not aspire for the American dream of ever bigger living space and larger cars and is said to limit himself or herself to a secured job, fair income, independent apartment and good life. The cheap labor that China was once famous for is no longer available. The wage level is going up and, with that, the lifestyle is also changing for the better. The middle class comprising only 7 percent of the Chinese society, is anticipated to rise to 20 percent in next 5 to 10 years, and it will hold the key to raising the standard of living.
By establishing a firm political grip and ushering in younger leadership, the Chinese have fulfilled the promises of becoming the greatest exporter in the world leaving behind Germany and emerging as the second biggest economy in the world pushing Japan out of that slot. As a country, China succeeded in gaining a foothold within 30 years of communist takeover in 1949. The next 30 or 35 years was the story of a new direction that Deng Xiaoping set the country and enabled it to achieve the power and pelf that it demonstrates today.
It is during this period that China increased its GDP from US $2 trillion to US $10 trillion, with still a fair distance from the US GDP of $14 trillion dollars. It is relieving to hear that the national wealth of China has not encouraged the Chinese to be equally spectacular.
All said and done, there are doubts and dangers in the pursuit of the Chinese dream. By far the biggest threat to stability and peace in China is emulation of monetized mindset, overshadowing its traditional values of balanced lifestyle. It is natural for what is known as a sleeping giant to wake up and reoccupy its legitimate place in the world. But greatness is prone to breed arrogance and China is fraught with the same danger as the United States faces today.
Unlike the US, China has the advantage of inheriting rich human values from no less than Confucius and Lao-Tse who emphasize the importance of staying humble despite power and wealth. Buddhism has infused a sense of moderation not only in Chinese thought process but also in their diurnal life over many centuries, which need not or should not be wiped out by what may be described as a new materialistic tempest.
Americans have started learning from Buddhism and other Eastern thoughts to temper the heat of their ambitions so that they need not face the economic crisis in the midst of plenty again, as they have done in the preceding few years. If the Chinese can follow the Americans in cherishing a dream, they can also adopt, like the Americans, temperance, a quality bequeathed by their long past.
adityaman@hotmail.com
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