Harmony has become a very hot word in present China. Why does this word become so popular? It has its own worldwide background and domestic aspects, and has its traditional and modern reasons.
We can see, harmony is not a new word. As one of our human being’s ideals, it has been pursued for thousands of years. In Spring and Autum dynasty, about 23 centuries ago, Confucious had emphasized “harmonious but different”. He accentuated his theory mostly in human society field. Today, when we say “harmony”, besides the level our ancestors refered to, we also mean the harmony between human and nature.
Look around the world we live in and our country we grow up in. The phenomenon may not seem very harmonious.
In order to spread his so-called freedom and democracy, using his hegemonic power, America started the war in Iraq. And still we can see the conflicts between Palestine and Israel, the nuclear crisis in Korea peninsula, the gap between developed and developing countries. In our motherland China, it still has many discords. Like the wide gap between urban and rural areas, the unequal opportunities in the enjoyment of education, the conflicts among population, resources and environment.
So these are the reasons why we emphasize “harmony”, and call to construct a harmonious society. Here comes the question. What is harmony and how to get that stage? Actually, it has no exact answers now. We are talking and researching this problem. In my viewpoint, in a harmonious word, every country should has its place and role, and its culture should be respected; in a harmonious community, there should be freedom and democracy, and every person has the equal chance to be successful, to live a better life. But it’s still a long way off. It needs us to work together and to do our best!
So let’s pray for our society, pray for our world. Hope harmony comes early!
