致言奧巴馬：以公正仁愛彌合人的斷裂

    ——致奧巴馬總統(tǒng)的一封信

          (英文版見中文版后   翻譯  陳曉晨  馮迪凡）

張庭賓

尊敬的奧巴馬總統(tǒng)：

    你好!我是一位中國公民，也是一位地球村的村民，值此你就任美國總統(tǒng)的時候，請允許我向你表達衷心的祝賀。

    在你獲得美國總統(tǒng)最后選舉權(quán)后，我就一直認為你會當選，并在2008年7月份出版的書中明確表達了這個判斷。這不僅是因為你個人的魅力；還因為美國民眾想“改變”的強烈愿望；也因為在于一個假設——這是一種東方的邏輯——假如天無絕美國之路，天無絕人類之路，你應該當選美國總統(tǒng)。

    在美國234年的歷史上，可能沒有總統(tǒng)比你面臨的挑戰(zhàn)更艱巨復雜的了。林肯總統(tǒng)曾經(jīng)面對美國南北分裂的挑戰(zhàn)；羅斯?？偨y(tǒng)曾經(jīng)面對1929年金融大危機和經(jīng)濟衰退的挑戰(zhàn)。然隨后的世界戰(zhàn)爭不能算是他的挑戰(zhàn)，而是他的機遇，也是美國的機遇。

    現(xiàn)在的你必須面對兩個戰(zhàn)線的挑戰(zhàn)：國內(nèi)的金融大危機和經(jīng)濟衰退，如果經(jīng)濟進一步惡化，隨之而來的還將有國內(nèi)的貧富和種族沖突，這即是國內(nèi)的分裂；與此同時，國際上的國家、種族、文明也將為有限的資源爭奪的更加尖銳，甚至爆發(fā)世界戰(zhàn)爭，這是人類的分裂。

    面對如此困局，作為過去70多年世界上最強大的國家，作為過去18年唯一的超級大國，美國難辭其咎。誠然，這不是你個人的責任，但今天，當你宣誓成為美國總統(tǒng)，它就成了你的責任。因為多大的權(quán)力意味著多大的責任。假如說美國總統(tǒng)是這個地球上仍然最強大國家的最有權(quán)力的人，你肩上的責任是最重大的。

    沒有人比你更適合擔任未來艱難歲月的美國總統(tǒng)了。你是一位非洲肯尼亞裔的美國黑白混血兒；在人生觀初步形成時，你在亞洲與印尼黃皮膚的孩子玩耍在一起，有一位信仰伊斯蘭教的繼父；你接受的是美國精英的教育，從哈佛法學院畢業(yè)的你放棄了令人羨慕的高薪工作，回到了芝加哥的貧窮社區(qū)繼續(xù)幫助弱勢人群。

    這個非同尋常的經(jīng)歷只屬于你——奧巴馬先生。這是你的最寶貴的財富——你是美國白人和黑人的紐帶；你是美國窮人和精英的紐帶；你是美國、非洲和亞洲的天然紐帶；甚至你可能成為基督教和伊斯蘭教的紐帶。你可以成為人類的紐帶。

    是紐帶就會有兩個結(jié)果：一是把兩端的人、階層、種族和國家連接為一體；另一個結(jié)果是被兩端巨大的力量撕裂。如果結(jié)果是前者，那將不僅是你個人的幸運，也是美國的幸運，是全人類的幸運。反之，那將是我們共同的悲劇。

    繩子是否會被拔斷將取決于二種因素。第一是繩子本身是否足夠粗大結(jié)實，關(guān)鍵在于你和團隊的包容卻統(tǒng)一，公正而強大的價值觀；第二是，如何讓拔河者的憤怒力量松懈下來，使他們平靜下來，甚至坐下來談判，讓繩子變成他們相互間的安全帶。

    應該相信，是人都有生的渴望，都有追求幸福的美好初衷。世界上沒有人一生下來就想作為“人肉炸彈”去犧牲的；就像沒有人一出生就愿意像最近的一些曾經(jīng)的歐美億萬富豪那樣自殺。但是這個不健康的世界讓他們變成那樣。如果我們不去根除病因，這個世界會涌現(xiàn)越來越多的“人肉炸彈”和越來越多絕望的曾經(jīng)富豪。

    病因何在呢？是人的短視貪婪！由于人性越來越貪婪投機，不勞而獲風氣彌漫，世界越來越匱乏真正創(chuàng)造物質(zhì)財富的人，渴望掠奪占有他人財富者越來越多，越來越大的紙上財富的泡沫被制造出來，而它與創(chuàng)造出的真實財富的背離越來越大。在此過程中，越來越多的金錢被實際重洗到越來越少的人手中，貧富分化日見加劇。文明與文明、國與國，階層與階層，人與人之間爭斗的排斥力越來越大，而其凝聚力和向心力越來越小，如任由這一趨勢發(fā)展，越來越多的人將失去財富、尊嚴和生存的最后希望，絕望會將生的渴望轉(zhuǎn)化死的憤怒，那么，再結(jié)實的繩子也會被拔斷的。

    而那些越來越少的金錢贏家們真的贏得了幸福嗎？沒有！隨著肉體的衰老，他們即使成功地將美色商品化并方便地購買，他們的內(nèi)心越是充滿悲涼，即使是偉哥也無法改變；隨著死亡的臨近，再多的金錢也不能給他們鋪一條通往天堂的路，往往反會被更沉重地被拖入地獄，他們的內(nèi)心越是充滿恐懼。這樣的世界沒有贏家。

    其實，要增加這個地球村的幸福指數(shù)很簡單的——讓那些擁有并不需要的金錢者給嚴重饑餓者送去面包和教育，從而贏得貧窮少知者尊敬的目光。要知道，世人尊敬的目光遠比金錢把一個人送進天堂的概率要大得多。

    為什么精英們沒有這么做呢？因為這些最聰明的人早已絕望了。當現(xiàn)代人自我意識覺醒后，上帝作為“他”的存在而難以被“我”證明——人虔誠地信奉上帝，只有死后才能被接入天堂，而死后的人是無法向自己活著時證明天堂存在的。它很容易推導的結(jié)論是：既然“上帝死了”，天堂無望了，為什么我們不在征服享樂中體驗當下的快感，滿足此刻的欲望呢？精英們從此毫無顧忌地掠奪大眾的財富。

    換一種說法，精英的絕望正如德國歷史哲學家斯賓格勒所言：人是一個小宇宙，人的悲劇在于，它與大宇宙是隔絕的，它使得個人意志無法與宇宙精神合二為一，長久存在。

    東方的智者早在2000多年前就解決了這個問題。打個比方，人的靈魂與肉體，就像鳥與籠子的關(guān)系，現(xiàn)代人的精神之鳥無法飛離肉體牢籠，無法自由翱翔在大宇宙的自由天地中，乃至因肉欲貪婪而肉體牢籠越來越堅固，精神自由之鳥反而日益委頓，甚至奄奄一息。東方智慧的關(guān)鍵是化貪婪為智慧——轉(zhuǎn)變“牢籠柱子”的能量為“籠中之鳥”的成長力量，當籠子柵欄越來越細弱，而籠中之鳥越來越強大，終有一天，精神的大鵬會破籠而出，其極致就是個人精神的小宇宙與大宇宙精神合二為一。由此，他們自覺走向了一條自度度人、自覺覺他的利人利己、人我雙贏的道路。

    這個道路在東方不只是一種理論設計，而是一種不斷被精英驗證的結(jié)果。所以在過去2000多年的中華文明中，最有智慧的人往往會選擇這條道路，在他們智慧的引導下，中國人雖然發(fā)明了火藥，卻沒有制造侵略世界的火炮，而是創(chuàng)造了歡迎“有朋自遠方來”的禮花；鄭和船隊遠渡重洋，卻沒有任何掠奪它國的行為。

    遺憾的是，這些禮花到了某些外賓的手中，日后變成了對中華摧城掠地的火炮。這些火炮在摧殘了東方文明這株根深葉茂卻有些衰老的大樹后，也使它得以嫁接西方獨立、自強、自我的新枝，它在百多年來飽受折磨極為痛苦的東西方文明基因的交戰(zhàn)和交融后，現(xiàn)在它的枝頭已經(jīng)掛起了累累的碩果，隨仍有青澀，但假以時日，必非常甘美，會成為全人類的美妙成果。我們現(xiàn)在要做的是，盡最大努力阻止那些試圖把它打下來，不讓它最終成熟的行為。

    東方這種自覺自愿、自利利他、內(nèi)圣外王的價值觀將可以極大地增強你和你團隊價值觀的凝聚力；也將可極大地消解人、種族、國家和文明間的分裂力量，將非常有助于你破解面對的巨大挑戰(zhàn)。相反，如果你迫于壓力，試圖以鄰為壑，向中國轉(zhuǎn)嫁危機，不僅會遭到我們的堅決反對，也會使你和那些真誠希望美國改善的人們失去最重要的和解工具——美國不能達成文明間的和解，就很難達成國內(nèi)種族的和解。

    從這個角度而言，幫助中國讓那些枝頭尚有青澀的果實熟透，不僅會讓中國人品嘗到文明精華嫁接的幸福，而當那些果實真正成熟的時候，當美國人、西方人也品嘗到其甘美時，在美國，在西方，西東方文明精華的真正嫁接也將開始。

    簡言之，人類的唯一出路是——東方智慧精華的人與人和諧、人與自然的和諧、人的肉體與靈魂的和諧與西方的自由、平等、人權(quán)和法治的結(jié)合，這是封閉的地球村倒逼使然。而兩者唯一的銜接點是對人對己，對不同種族，對不同國家一樣公正。

    轉(zhuǎn)變只能從心開始，從價值觀開始，在當今損他人利己，損它族利己，損它階層利己，損它國利己的巧取豪奪氛圍中，改變只能從真正的精英舍己為人開始，從舍小我求大我開始，從舍一國的眼前利益而求人類長遠共同利益開始。這將是一個長期痛苦的轉(zhuǎn)變，也是一個需要勇于承受的過程。美國人、中國人等都需要為此做好充分的心理準備，不勞而獲者遲早會付出對等的代價。但是，如果我們真的以生命高貴和靈魂自由為追求，這又將是難得磨練的機遇；如果這是一場人類文明新主流的嫁接升級，那么我們也將責無旁貸。

    最后，請保護好你的健康和安全。祝你好運，祝美國人民好運，也祝人類好運。

                                   張庭賓

                                  2009年1月20日

 

An Open Letter to President Obama

Distinguished President Obama,

This is a Chinese citizen, a villager living in the Global Village. I am writing this letter to deliver my devout congratulations when you assume the office of US president.

I have long believed that you will be elected since you became the presidential candidate; I expressed the estimate in my book published in July, 2008. The estimate did not only come from your personal charm, but also the strong will that Americans want a “change”, and also an assumption in eastern logic: you will be elected, if Heaven never seals off all exits to America and human beings.

During the 234 years in US history, there is probably no other president than you who faces so arduous and complicated challenge. President Lincoln once faced the Civil War; President Roosevelt once faced the 1929 financial crisis and the Great Depression. However, the coming Second World War was his and America’s opportunity, rather than challenge.

Now you have to be confronted with difficulties from two sides: financial tsunami and economic downturn, and subsequently rich-poor and racial conflict domestically—that is domestic abruption; meanwhile, the contention of different states, races and civilizations over limited resource will be more sharp—even there will be a world war—that is human abruption.

Facing so many difficulties, the US, as the most powerful country of the world in more than 70 years and the sole superpower in the last 18 years, can not be out of guilty. Of course, it was not your fault; however, today, when you swear to be US president, it has been your responsibility, because the more power, the more responsibility. If US president is the most powerful man in the most powerful country, then you will take the most responsible on your shoulder.

No one other than you is suitable for US president in hard times in future. You are a black-white mix-blood Kenyan African American; you played with Indonesian children with yellow-skin in Asia, your father-in-law believed Islam; you took the best elite education, but gave up enviable jobs with high salaries, went back to poor community of Chicago to continue to help vulnerable groups.

This unusual experience only belongs to you—Mr. Obama. This is your most valuable fortune—you are ties between American Black and White, between the poor and the elite, between US and Africa and Asia, even between Christianism and Islam. You can be ties of human beings.

However, to be ties probably leads to two results: one is to connect different people, classes, races and countries into one; the other is to be split by the power of differences. It will be luck of yourself, America and human if it comes to be the former. Else, it will be our common tragedy.

Whether the ties can be split depends on two elements: one is if the ties is strong enough, depending on whether you and your team have comprehensive, unite, just and strong value; the other is how to loosen the ties by decreasing the steam of “splitters”, making them calm down, even turning to negotiation, which will change the ties into their safety net.

We should believe that all human beings have aspiration to be alive, and wishes to pursue happiness. No one in the world is born to sacrifice his life as “Body Bomb”, as no one is born to make a suicide like western ex-billionaires; but the unhealthy world makes them do so. If we do not remove the root, there will be more and more body bombs and more and more ex-billionaires.

Where is the root? It is short-sight and greed! As human nature turns more and more greedy and speculative, the atmosphere of gaining without working spreads. The world is increasingly lack of people who create real material, plunders that want to reap others’ fortune increase. More and more bubbles of paper money are created, while the gap from real material widens. In that process, more money is gathered in fewer people, polarization will be aggravated. The tension among different civilizations, countries, classes and people will be more serious. If that trend lose control, more people will lose property, dignity and the last hope of survival, and desperate will turn aspiration for survival into anger to death. Then, the ties will be split no matter how strong it is.

Moreover, will the less and less “winners” gain happiness? No! As their bodies get older, even they successfully commercialize the beauties, their soul will be of more sorrow—even Viagra cannot change it. As death approaches them, their souls will be filled with fears: money cannot pave their way to heaven, but to the hell. That world has no real winner.

Actually ,it is fairly simply to escalate the happiness index of this global village---let the one who has extra fortune disperse it to the severe hunger for food and education in order to win the respect for the less privileged ,for the chance one can be sent to heaven by the respect of others is much bigger than by money.

Unfortunately, why haven’t the elite done so? As they, the smartest one has already been desperate. After the self-conscious was awake in the modern world, the existence of god as “he” can’t be proved by “I”—human devoutly believes in god, however, one can only be accepted into heaven after his death, but the dead can’t prove the existence of heaven when they are alive.

The easy deduction is since god is dead and heaven is somehow hopeless, why can’t we experience the pleasure of conquering, satisfying our desire? The elite began to rob the world’s fortune ever since then.

In other words, German historical philosopher Oswald Spengler has described the desperate of elite as :human are small universes, however, the tragedy of human is it has been isolated for the giant universe, through which it obstructs the self-willingness from becoming together with the universal spirit. 

The orient Wiseman solved the problem 2000 years ago. As making a metaphor, the relationship between spirit and body of human is like bird with birdcage: neither the spirit bird of modern world can escape the birdcage nor it can fly in the giant universe. Nevertheless，as the greedy of lust accumulates ,the cage of body becomes firmer and the spiritual bird becomes dying .The key of orient wisdom is turning greedy into wisdom—turning the energy of “cage barriers” into the growing force of the “cage bird”. When the barriers are becoming thinner, the birds get stronger. When the day comes, the spirit bird will get rid of the cage, as the individual universe and the giant universe becomes one. By doing so, they find a way of saving –yourself—is—saving –others and altruistic.

This road is not just a theoretical design in the orient, but a result which has been constantly proved by the elite. Therefore, in the past 2000 years of Chinese civilization, the wisest one chose this way. Led by their wisdom, Chinese invented the powder and the firework to welcome the friend for far beyond but didn’t invent the artillery which was used invading the world later on. The Zheng He’s fleet he sailed the world but didn’t rob other countries.

It is pity that when the fireworks were in the hands of some foreigners, it become artilleries destroying China. By destroying the oriental civilization ,the leafy but aging tree, can it be grafted on the new branches if independence，strongness and individuality of the western world.   After hundred years of suffering the war and integration of genes between the east and west, now the tree has become fruitful. Although it is still at its earlier stage, but it must be sweet overtime, and becoming the wonderful harvest of all human. Now what we have to do is to prevent those who are trying to stop it from maturing.

The view of value in terms of consciousness, altruism, Internal Holy and External King of the orient can be used to enhance the morale of your team, and also can be used to clear up the division force between people, race, countries and culture, helping you facing the enormous challenges you will have to face. On the contrary , if the pressure makes you try to seek benefits for itself at the expense of other countries ,diverting the crisis to china ,you will not only get our firmly opposing ,and also will lost the most important tool for a peaceful solution from the one who wish sincerely that America can improve. As if America can’t reach the compromise between cultures, it can’t reach the peace domestically.

From this point of view, helping china to let the premature fruits getting mature ,not only will benefit the Chinese from tasting the happiness of cultural integration ,but also when the fruits are really mature ,the Americans and westerners can taste them ,and the real engraft between the west and east culture can really begin.

In short words, the only way-out of human is the combination of the harmony between people, nature, between the body and soul from the east with the freedom, equality, human rights and law from the west. This is required by the enclosed global village. And the only joint of this two is the justice beyond people, races and countries.

Change only can be from the heart, the view of value, and it only can begin from the sacrifice of the real elite, giving up the self for the big picture and giving up the one country’s interest for the mutual interest of human for a longer term, as we are in a world of benefiting ourselves in way of harming the others. This is going to be a very excruciating change and also a progress of stepping up and taking the hits. American and Chinese need to prepare them fully for this: the one who is gaining without effort will pay equally. But if we pursue the royalty of life and the freedom of spirituality, it would be a great opportunity of growing up. If this time will be an engraft upgrade of the new mainstream of human civilization, then we are duty--bound.

Finally, please take care and make sure your security and your health.

Good luck to you, good luck to American and good luck to human.

                                                        Zhang Tingbin

                                                        Jan 20th ,2009