By Matthew Clark
China is one of the oldest, if not the oldest, of earth's civilizations. It has had many periods of empire, Yuan, Han, Manchu, to name a few. For most of the nations existence it has lead the globe in population. A testament to China's impressive history is that sometimes there is reference to Chinese civilization. In other words it has a civilization unshared with other people beyond it's borders
Chinese inventors have made substantial contributions to human progress. The four great inventions, papermaking, printing, compass, gunpowder, were all introduced to the world by Chinese individuals. In agriculture we have the heavy moldboard iron plow courtesy of the Chinese, with the same being said in the field of medicine due to the practice of acupuncture. Bankers look fondly on the banknote which was introduced to the world during the Yuan dynasty. Rocket bombs were one of many military appliances given to us from the Middle Kingdom.
Civil Service examinations, a common procedure among contemporary governments, were first implemented by the Chinese. This drive toward professionalism was evident in Sun Tzu "Art of War," a military book as famous as Carl Von Clausewitz "On War." Any gathering of international philosophers will undoubtedly have experts who studied Taoism, or Confucianism. Two recent inventions out of China are Synthetic Bovine Insulin (1965) in the field of agriculture, and the first aerial passenger drone carrying human cargo (2016).
There are also plenty of tales of adventure from the ancient civilizations' past. Perhaps the most famous is that of Admiral Zheng He, who lived from 1371 to 1435. From approximately 1404 to 1433 Zheng He commanded a series of Sea Voyages (7 in all), covering the areas of Southeast Asia, South Asia, West Asia, and East Africa. These journeys' were called 'Treasure Voyages, travels resulting in Zheng He being the greatest seagoing commander of his time.
Despite the significant achievements so far listed, ad many others unmentioned, there is one area where the Chinese have been seriously lacking! That is in the area of individual liberty, or individual rights if that term is preferred. England has John Locke, Scotland Adam Smith, America Thomas Jefferson, France Voltaire, but no figure stands out in the oriental country concerned with the individual overcoming collective oligarchy. It boggles the mind, and even disappoints, that such an intelligent, adventurous, entrepreneurial people have been lacking in the issue so important to the general happiness of our species. Only the worship of our Creator supersedes it. True the concept of individual freedom originates among the classical Greeks, but that does not make it a concern exclusive to Western Civilization. Indeed, when other civilizations recognize the importance of personnel liberty, such as the Moslem empires in the 8th century, they enjoy great achievements, which can help all human beings for centuries. Thanks to the Muslim Empire(s) we still enjoy the benefits of Algebra in modernity.
Nevertheless in the present age political world lawmakers are turning their back on the morality, and prosperity, which derives from liberty. This is particularly true in the Western World, ironically that part of the earth which has prospered most from the 'ideal condition.' North American nations such as Canada, and the United States, have so many rules and regulations that, when printed in book form, take up tens of thousands of pages. Freedom of expression is threatened, to give one example, by the heavy censure of social media.
So how can China change this global situation of despair?
Chinese citizens are presently under the political yoke of the Communist Party of China. After a period where the Communist hierarchy temporarily relaxed some of their authoritarian rule over the people, particularly in the economic sphere, the party is once again clamping down on the inhabitants limited individual freedom. During the episode of relaxation the people of China made tremendous accomplishments. Within a generation China went from being a have not nation to the Globes number one trading country.
If the Chinese people defy the Communist tyrannical dictators, and then manage to overthrow them, they will become a beacon for freedom. Galvanized by liberty they will progress much farther, and quicker, than they did under the captivity of the Communist masters. As the ancient people surpass every other nation internationally, the political leaders of those jurisdictions, including Western lawmakers who turned their back on their own history, will have to free up their citizenry. To not do so will result in being swamped by China's tide. Thus the overthrow of the Communist Party of China will not only illuminate the light of liberty in that country, but all over the world as well.
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