It has been my consistent belief that the reason why our nation has succeeded in holding together 600 million people and has continuously maintained a glorious history for more than 5,000 years is because our ancestors discovered the principle governing the common existence of mankind and taught their descendants to abide by it. This principle is none other than the time-honored "Way". For oneself it is called "sincerity", for one's fellowmen, "benevolence", for things in general, the "Golden Mean", and so far as its comprehensive application is concerned, "morality". Succeeding to the great tradition of our ancestors, Confucius made certain adjustments, therein and developed it into a systematic body of academic thinking, whose principles are presented in the classic Golden Mean and whose application is outlined in the Great Learning, with all the details clarified in the Analects. In addition, the Book of Songs gives vent to the human will, the Book of History records events, the Book of Rites regulates conduct, the Book of Music expresses harmony, the Book of Changes devotes itself to yin and yang (the negative and positive sides of things), the Spring and Autumn Annals distinguishes between right and wrong, and the Book of Filial Piety, which embodies Confucius' theory of the heavenly heart, lays the foundation for the continuation of the human species. All these have contributed to the broadening of the Way and the illumination of morality.
To provide its succeeding generations of readers with the profound understanding that morality is the first prerequisite for human existence, the very first chapter of the Great Learning stresses the importance of "illuminating luminous morality" and goes on to say, "If he (the superior man) has morality, he has the people with him; if he has the people with him, he has authority over land; if he has authority over land, he has wealth; and having wealth, he can have utility. Thus morality is the foundation and wealth the result. If the foundation is cast aside and the result overstressed, there will be conflict with the people for the seizure of profit and they will thus be taught to practice depredation."
This means that the spiritual condition for human existence (morality) should precede the material condition therefore (wealth), that the positions of the foundation and the result should not be altered, and especially that there should be no confusion in their sequence. This is because human conflict and slaughter are mainly attributable to the stress of wealth and belittlement of morality. So he who governs a country and seeks to protect his territory and make good use of his wealth must first cultivate men by means of the principles of morality. This is what is called the cultivation of the person and devotion to the fundamental, since "with the establishment of the foundation the Way is opened up". Before morality all human beings are equal, hence the truism, "From the Son of Heaven down to the common men, all must regard the cultivation of the person as the foundation. When the foundation is disorderly, the results (including the regulation of the family up to the preservation of world peace) can never be set in order. There can never be an instance where the more highly valued (the former) being belittled, the less highly valued (the latter) is emphasized."
Morality Essential
With great wealth and high morality, a country is always rich and strong. With declining wealth but high morality, it can still hope to survive. With great wealth but decadent morality, it is on the downward trend. But with both declining wealth and decadent morality, it is doomed to extinction. History abounds in instances of every description, which cannot be lost sight of. A country being a conglomeration of people, Confucius, like all other religious leaders, has taught the cultivation of morality as the foundation of man's education. As the will of mankind to existence is immutable, so is the standard of human conduct. For this reason the Way of Confucius is perpetual, and, canonized as the Greatest Sage Teacher of his country, he has been reverenced and believed by all his countrymen, whose national culture has derived immense benefit from his example for more than 2,000 years. What a glorious record!
Unfortunately, however, succeeding generation have paid little heed to his theory of "timeliness", overlooked his teachings regarding the investigation of things and acquisition of knowledge, laid stress on the spiritual and belittled the material side. Some have even forgotten the spirit and caused its decadence. As a result, the country has been bogged down in poverty and weakness, from which it has been almost impossible to extricate ourselves.
China Awakens
Nevertheless, in the development of a country's culture, as in the life of an individual, there are (according to Spencer) alternating intervals of awakening and sleep. When our national culture was fast asleep, Western culture was wide awake. For more than a century natural science and material reconstruction made rapid progress in the West, while our country, having been subjected to the joint aggression of all the imperialists in the world, became their sub colony. Profiting from the existence of this phenomenon, they declared, "Let this ferocious lion sleep fast and never awaken it." This erroneous fear of an awakening China was quite natural on the part of those who did not fully understand the force of Chinese culture. But the sleeper could not remain dormant permanently, since permanent sleep is no different from death. When the long history of mankind is remembered, a century of sleep is in fact none too much, especially when one man, out of a whole nation that was fast asleep, suddenly woke up. Who was this man? He was Dr. Sun Yat-sen.
Thanks to the grace of God, Dr. Sun was born one hundred years ago. At a time of national crisis, he made a clarion call for national salvation, which awakened the whole country. He preached his "Three Principles of the People" and referred to this set of principles as his "Doctrine of National Salvation". He defined the word "doctrine" as "a kind of thinking, a kind of faith, a kind of strength". Believing that his philosophy could not only save his country, but "promote the equality of China's international, political and economic status, to make her perpetually fit to survive in the world", the Chinese people readily developed a faith in him, and this produced tremendous strength.
Guided by his thinking, Dr. Sun's followers wiped out all the forces of evil which were detrimental to China's existence and progress. This was exemplified by the overthrow of the Manchu despotic rule, the elimination of the forces of landlordism and feudalism, the defeat of a strong neighbor in her aggressive war, the abrogation of the unequal treaties, the adoption of the five-power constitution, and the implementation of the program of equalization of land ownership. All these were the result of the application of Dr. Sun's philosophy.
The Way is a high road. So is justice. So also is a doctrine. Confucius said, "One can die in the evening after hearing about the Way in the morning." Numberless people magnanimously sacrificed their lives for the "Three Principles of the People", just to set themselves and others on the Way.
Defeat of Imperialism
The foregoing is all plain truth and can be easily recognized as such. As a matter of fact, however, the great philosophy of Dr. Sun has gradually been spread to the whole world and conferred a blessing on the oppressed everywhere in their worthy task of liberation. This is because the ultimate objective of the "Principle of Nationalism" is to seek the equality of all existing and the revival of all extinct nationalities and to promote international amity and the attainment of the "Great Commonwealth". This is the essence of the Kingly Way or the Way of Right and the principle of achieving world peace, preached by Confucius and further developed by Dr. Sun Yat-sen.
It was due to the Chinese Revolution that China regained her freedom and equality. It was due to the restoration of China's freedom and equality that the colonies in Asia regained their independence and equality. Finally, it was due to the recovery of independence and equality by Asian countries that the colonies in Africa regained their independence and equality. The causal relationship between these events is so evident that it cannot be disputed. It is also undeniable that the defeat of imperialism was the result, not of Communist propaganda and infiltration, but of the realization of the "Three Principles of the People".
Under the pretext of public service the Communists have sought their private ·ends and replaced tyranny with tyranny. They have concealed their mistakes, although it is crystal clear that they have never fought for the common existence of mankind in their so-called revolution.
On the other hand, in occupying the territory of other countries and enslaving their peoples and in expropriating the property of these peoples instead of seeking their happiness, the imperialists have proceeded against the great Way of human existence. The welcome extended to our agricultural workers everywhere in Africa attests to the failure of the imperialists to meet the minimum food requirements of the Africans. No wonder they harbor the bitterest hatred against the imperialists. The latter should indeed wake up as soon as possible, since it will not be too late for them to cultivate morality and practice benevolence from now on.
How have the "Three Principles of the People" acquired such immense influence? The answer is that this set of principles, carrying on the traditional culture of China, embodying the truth governing the common existence of mankind, and pointing the Heavenly Way destined to promote the peace of the world and the well-being of mankind, is bound to be ultimately espoused and upheld by the peoples of the whole world.
Confucius' Teachings
To learn about the traditional culture of China, we must start with the teachings of Confucius. These teachings provide the answers to all questions involved in our daily life and give guidance to our conduct toward one another. Not to do that which we would not have others do unto us is referred to as loyalty and forgiveness. The essence lies in the attempt to be rooted in altruism, proceed from the utmost sincerity, end up with the quest for benevolence and the ultimate achievement of vigorous effort, with the objectives of following and fulfilling nature, so as to attain the common existence and progress of mankind. The procedure is rational and by no means extraordinary (compatible with the Golden Mean), easily learned and easily practiced. In a word, it is "in accordance with divine justice and human nature". When applied to oneself, this Way leads to the cultivation of the person. When applied to the family, it regulates it. When applied to the country, it sets it in order. When applied to the world, it preserves its peace. This is because whatever the size of the family, the country, or the world, each of them is composed of men. If we busied ourselves with everything except the cultivation of men, would we not be setting aside the foundation and pursuing the results? 'Confucius said, "All things have their foundation and results, and all events have their beginning and end. To know their sequence is an approximation to the Way." Therefore we must deduce the definitive conclusion that luminous morality is the foundation of human existence and that the cultivation of the person precedes everything else in life.
This great discovery truly concerns the existence of mankind, and its importance is many times greater than that of the principles and laws of natural science. It involves the question of the protection of human life, while the principles and laws of natural science concern the enrichment of human life. The former is the essence and the latter the utility. It is abundantly clear that without the essence there can be no utility.
With this premise clarified, Confucius went on to teach that the cultivation of the person depends on the rectification of the heart and the sincerity of the will and that the heart is rectified through being placed in the position of the mean and the will made sincere through illumination. Without understanding the two extremities it is impossible to obtain the mean, and without acquiring knowledge it is impossible to speak of illumination. For this reason, the source of the rectified heart and sincere will resides in the acquisition of knowledge, which in turn depends on the investigation of things. By investigating the things of the universe we acquire wisdom, and by securing the order of the country and the peace of the world we attain morality. Taking from the universe, we apply what we take to the world. This is what is meant by the statement, "Though we dislike effort not originating from ourselves, we do not necessarily pursue our own ends." We seek to serve others, work for their well-being, practice altruism, forego the ego, join with others in doing good deeds, carry out successfully our quest for benevolence and make ourselves worthy of our ancestors.
Wisdom and Service
Morality and wisdom should be mutually complementary, and they should have directly proportionate utility. This is another discovery made by Confucius. This discovery has determined the responsibility involved in human existence, which is the responsibility of those who acquire their consciousness and knowledge first for offering their guidance to those to whom such consciousness and knowledge come more slowly. This presupposes that wisdom is not private property. On this score, Dr. Sun Yat-sen regarded the degree of wisdom as the determinant of the ratio of service to be rendered for the promotion of public welfare, with a view to the realization of genuine equality. (See the "Principle of Democracy".) Therefore the attainment of morality calls first for the achievement of wisdom. The sincerity of the will and the rectification of the heart arise from the investigation of things and the acquisition of knowledge. To carry out the investigation of things, it is necessary to obtain wide and extensive knowledge, critically to inquire into it, carefully to ponder over it, clearly to sift it and earnestly to implement it. From the fulfillment of our own nature we proceed to that of the nature of others. Then we can help heaven and earth in growing and sustaining life, where-upon we can achieve wisdom. The fulfillment of the nature of things is the work of the natural sciences, that of the nature of other people the work of the humanistic sciences, and finally, that of the nature of our own is within the confines of theology anti philosophy. The backwardness of our scientific knowledge today is due to our failure to understand the teachings of Confucius thoroughly. It is our grave responsibility to realize and correct our mistake and try to catch up rapidly.
Being a studious man, Dr. Sun Yat-sen was widely read. From his exhaustive study of both Chinese and Western books he learned the merits and shortcomings of the two cultures, and he found the reasons for our poverty and weakness to lie in the loss of our national self-confidence and the backwardness of our material science. The former had to be dealt with from the root up, and the latter required us to catch up rapidly. Both were urgent matters in our national salvation. Let me quote from Dr. Sun:
"Europe has surpassed China, not became of its political philosophy, but because of its material civilization... If we wish to learn from Europe, we should take what China lacks, which consists of science, and not political philosophy. In fact, for the true essence of the latter Europe should look to China...
Political Philosophy
"China has a most systematic body of political philosophy. What has never even been seen by great foreign political thinkers and what has never been so clearly stated before is the passage of the Great Learning on the investigation of things, the acquisition of knowledge, the sincerity of the will, the rectification of the heart, the cultivation of the person, the regulation of the family, the set ting of the country in order and the preservation of world peace. This passage describes a man's development from the inside to the outside, from his internal cultivation to the preservation of world peace. Refined and expansive thinking like this has never been envisaged or stated by any political philosopher abroad. This is indeed a treasure monopolized by our culture in the wisdom of political philosophy...
"It was not due to any single reason that China was formerly a strong and prosperous country. In general a country attains a strong and prosperous status through military prowess at the beginning and through all kinds of cultural development later. But for the maintenance of the enduring position of a nation or country there is also the need for morality. It is only with a very high level of morality that a country can have enduring peace and tranquillity. Therefore, in the last analysis, if we wish to restore our nation's position ... we should revive the old morality we had originally ... "
These three passages are taken from the "Principle of Nationalism". At the time the United States had not yet attained her present position of wealth and power, hence the reference to Europe only.
The loss and restoration of national self-confidence mentioned above are important, because self-confidence is neither self-conceit nor self-abandonment. The self-conceited overestimate themselves, while the self-abandoning underestimate themselves. Neither know themselves clearly. Only when there is clear self-knowledge can one man, on the one hand, take merits of another to remedy his own shortcomings and, on the other, contribute to the other his own merits. So far as China is concerned, her merits lie in the above-mentioned morality and wisdom, and her shortcomings lie in the organization and application of science, industry and the democratic political system—viz., what constitutes material civilization today.
Militarism Rejected
Deeply cognizant of this situation, Dr. Sun, in his lectures on "Nationalism", fully elaborated the importance of morality and the undependability of military strength in the long run. He proved with historical facts why the Yuan and Ch'ing dynasties failed and why China has its great power of assimilation. He cited the virtues of "loyalty, filial piety, benevolence, love, sincerity, justice, harmony, and moderation" as qualities which have been consistently upheld by the Chinese people and which can well be emulated by mankind as a whole. This is fully consistent with the law set by Confucius: "What wisdom can attain and benevolence cannot keep will be lost even after it is obtained." It is also fully compatible with the essence of the classics.
Bronze plaque by Landowsky depicts Dr. Sun's extensive travels abroad to spread his cause. (File photo)
In his Program for National Reconstruction, Dr. Sun has set down material reconstruction (the Industrial Plan) and social reconstruction (First Steps in Democracy) as things to be learned from others and taken as psychological reconstruction the theory that knowledge is difficult and practice easy, to be implemented in our endeavor to catch up.
In his Outline of National Reconstruction, Dr, Sun has incorporated the Western political system of division of powers and in-grafted on it the Examination and Control Powers which our country has traditionally possessed, thus creating a perfect five-power system of government for the world. In political affairs there should be equal emphasis on men and laws, neither of which should be overstressed. As the legislative and judicial powers involve laws, the examination and control powers have to do with men, while the executive power concerns the administration of laws by men as well as the government of men under laws. These are the administrative powers appertaining to the government. As to the powers of election and recall, they have to do with men, while the powers of initiative and referendum have to do with laws. These are the political powers appertaining to the people. In addition, a balanced system is adopted for the relations between the central and local governments and their powers, with neither complete centralization nor complete decentralization. All this has been the result of synthesizing the merits of other countries with the teachings of Confucius on the Golden Mean, which has contributed to the independent creation of our democratic political system.
Land and Capital
Now let us turn to Dr. Sun's "Principle of the People's Livelihood". As an eminent student of medicine, he has observed that the sickness of a society is like that of a man. The principal reasons for sickness are the imbalance of the various parts of the body and the loss of regulative control over the use of energy. In society, land is comparable to the human body and capital to energy. So the solution of the problem of the national economy should start with the equalization of land ownership and the control of capital, so that prevention takes the place of cure. That is why Dr. Sun called Marx a pathologist and himself a physiologist. In mainland China today the trouble is that because there is no prevention, disease is caused, while once disease comes, there is hardly a normal remedy.
Mencius said that the prerequisite economic measures under the Kingly Way or Way of Right were the control of production, delimitation of boundaries, and the increase of wealth. According to Dr. Sun, to the tiller should belong the land, there should be equalization of land ownership and emphasis should be laid on the people's livelihood. The wording may have been different, but the meaning is the same. What the Industrial Plan has indicated with regard to the people's clothes, food, lodging, and transportation coincides exactly with what the American government is practicing today. 'Such was Dr. Sun's farsightedness and such is the universal application of truth—irrespective of time and space. Thus we see in Dr. Sun's philosophy the embodiment of this statement of Confucius: "It is only he in this world who has realized his absolute self that can order and adjust the great relations of human society, fix the fundamental principles of morality, and understand the laws of growth and reproduction of the universe ... "
Dr. Sun has advanced an enduring plan not only for China, but for the whole of mankind. He has divided the evolution of mankind into three stages: (1) the stage of men's fight with animals, (2) the stage of men's fight with other men, and (3) the stage of men's fight with the natural world for the welfare of mankind. In other words, mankind has progressed from barbarity to civilization, from reliance on strength to the cultivation of morality and from mutual conflict to mutual aid. Dr. Sun has also rectified Darwin's point of view by showing that the latter's theory of the survival of the fittest is applicable only to the evolution of animals and not to that of mankind. This is consistent with the belief of Confucius that a man who is "not benevolent" loses his qualification as a man, and with that of Mencius that "to know what is justice" marks the distinction between man and animal. But strangely enough, as late as today, there is the man who believes in the burial of the people of another country as a historical process in the evolution of mankind, and there is the man who is willing to accept the destruction of one-half of his own country's population as the price of his victory. Are these not the extremes of fanatic and backward thinking? This thinking is the common enemy of all mankind and is indubitably doomed to destruction.
Sino-American Goals
The wisdom of mankind is increasing day by day. Owing to the advancement of natural science, means of communication are multiplied and human contacts rendered easier and faster. Logically the friendly feelings between man and man should grow with the frequency of their contacts. But this is not corroborated by the facts. Because man seeks to employ the fruits of science for the fulfillment of his private ends, individualism has arisen and has been widely advocated by materialist thinking. At the same time, it is erroneously believed that "omnipotent science" has replaced "Almighty God". As a result, the moral conception has been gradually losing its grip, and religious faith has followed suit by becoming weaker and weaker. While material life has been increasingly enriched, spiritual life has lagged far behind. Superficially, the civilization of mankind has made rapid progress, but in fact mankind is approaching the end of its days. All the world is showing grave concern, but no one seems to be able to do anything about it. This is the condition that prevails everywhere, especially in the richer and more powerful countries.
Appeal to Mankind
I believe that if Dr. Sun were still alive today, he would, in line with his concern for the salvation of his own country, make a loud appeal to the whole of mankind for the acquisition of the moral wisdom of our country. He once made the observation that China had been an imperialist power before, but that after a complete awakening, she had ceased to rely on military strength and adopted a high regard for morality. Thenceforth the condemnation of the Way of Might and the uplifting of the Way of Right became an article of faith for the whole country. From now on we should continue to have this faith and take it as the basis of an immutable policy we should adopt vis a vis the entire world. This has been discussed in detail by Dr. Sun in his "Principle of Nationalism". On this basis he has advised Japan to serve as the rampart for the Way of Right instead of the hunting dog for the Way of Might. It is regrettable that lacking farsighted statesmen, she did not heed the advice and ultimately launched her war of aggression against China, which proved to be a tremendous loss to the victor and vanquished alike and which plunged the peoples of Asia into their tragic plight of today. It was indeed a situation highly to be deplored. The whole of mankind should now wake up and realize that what is urgently needed today is morality, and not power or wealth, for neither can provide a fundamental solution for the conflicts of the world nor bring peace to it.
The last two world wars were brought to an end by the sheer strength of the United States. After these wars, thanks to the progressive thinking of Presidents Wilson and Roosevelt, the machinery for world peace was successfully set up. But with their past acts of selfishness still fresh in their memories, some states that are members of the world organization have failed to rectify their mistaken thinking and have taken advantage of the international machinery to fulfill their private ends. Though the League of Nations failed disastrously, the lesson it taught has not been driven home. Today power and wealth, not morality, are still the controlling factors. It is feared that the United Nations cannot escape the fate of its predecessor.
The only hope for the world today lies in the sincere cooperation of China and the United States. Our two countries share in common the same respect for morality and liking for justice, the same absence of territorial ambition, the same lofty ideal concerning the future of the world, and the same intense love for peace. If we can fertilize the budding concept of the Great Society in the United States with the magnificent traditional philosophy of China and make it mature, and if we can hope that the already established scientific and industrial power of the United States will help burgeoning Chinese science and industry, which are exerting an effort to catch up, and accelerate their progress, it is absolutely possible for the two countries to toil hand in hand for the well-being of mankind and for the maintenance of world peace. It is with this wish that I commemorate the centenary of Dr. Sun's birthday. May his philosophy, which not only has carried on the past tradition of his country, but opens up a promising future, be handed down to unending generations!