Ideas change the world

I have long ago arrived at the conclusion that if a person wants to know what is happening, the best place to find out are on the headlines of newspaper or on broadcast media. But if one want to know the reasons or causes behind the news, the only source is still by reading books or the thoughts written by wise minds.

Bloggers and radio commentators may have millions of followers but their influences are fleeting and they will not even be footnotes when history is written. So the biggest question is: “how does history happen?” The simple answer is that history has been and is driven by ideas. Ideas have been the source of change all throughout the history of human kind.

The idea of symbolic representation gave birth to the written language which distinguishes man from animals. The idea of a spirit world in contrast to a purely material world is as ancient as the first man who believed that the spirits were everywhere – in the forests, the sea, the mountains, the world around us. It is as modern as the Star Wars, a science fiction movie that has popularized the term “May the Force be With You.” 

Nationalists may not agree, but even nationhood was born out of the ideas of colonial expansion and imperialism. The Philippines, Malaysia and Indonesia are three countries that logically should have become a single nation. Its people belong to the same Malay race and its languages have similar Austronesian roots. It became three nations because of different colonial experiences. The Philippines became a Spanish colony, Malaysia a British colony and Indonesia a Dutch colony. Now the three have become separate countries divided along religious and linguistic lines. If the Philippines had been conquered by the British, as they tried to do, then today the Philippines and Malaysia would be a single nation. 

Xi Jinping’s idea that China is the center of the world is as old as imperial China. The name of the “Middle Kingdom” or “Central Country” is a name the Chinese have used for their country for centuries. Orthodox Confucianism stated that barbarians – those who lived outside the Middle Kingdom”– would be attracted to Chinese rule by example. Awareness of China’s manifest destiny would induce them to submit without use of force. In the 19th century, China was unprepared for European superiority. However, China is now re-emerging and reasserting itself as the “ Middle Kingdom” once again.

Manifest Destiny or the idea of a nation’s superiority and right to rule the world has been seen throughout history – from ancient Rome to the Ottoman Empire to the Spanish Empire to the British Empire to imperial Japan and to the United States which annexed the present states of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Mexico by defeating Mexico in a war. 

The rise of populist leaders throughout the world has been much written about. The underlying reasons have been attributed to the tremendous and rising income inequality in all the countries and the unrest of the majorities everywhere who have not benefited from globalization and rapid technological change. 

There are now those who claim that a nation’s best route to development is through authoritarian rule. Firstly, any generalization is obviously subject to criticism. Take infrastructure development. Some of the countries with the best infrastructure in the world are those with vibrant democracies – Japan, Switzerland, Germany. Some countries have become economic basket cases under a dictatorship – Myanmar, Cambodia, Zimbabwe, Argentina (under Peron) and the Philippines (under Marcos).

There is this allegation that a people, of any nation, would be happy to exchange democracy and human rights for material prosperity. China is always pointed out as a prime example. If people would voluntarily exchange liberty for material prosperity, I have always wondered why dictatorships need to suppress freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Surely if dictators were so popular, then they would not need to hide behind suppression of religious freedom and freedom of public dissent. 

If the Xi Jinping formula is so attractive, then I often wonder why the Yellow Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong and the Sunflower Movement in Taiwan continue to remain strong. Deng instituted collective leadership and a mandatory retirement after ten years. Xi Jinping has decided to perpetuate himself in power by  removing the mandatory retirement period. 

The idea that democracy and human rights are only for the rich, the powerful and the educated is not new. The concept of an aristocracy is as old as civilization. The idea that wealth is the measure of a man’s success is not new but is even older than the idea of money. But even older is the idea of  a powerful deity; and religion gave birth to the idea of universal love. As Christians we believe that God is the Father of all humankind; and, therefore all men and women are created equal. Even in the 5th century BC, Mo Tzu, a Chinese philosopher, was already preaching a doctrine of social equality. It has been said that almost everybody believes in this idea but very few practice it. But this should not stop us from making this idea as part of our human aspirations.

The most enlightening books about the history of the world were those written about the history of ideas and civilizations and not those whose pages are littered with names and events and dates. It is ideas that change the world – not any man or woman. 

Creative writing classes for kids/teens 

Young Writers’ Hangout for Kids & Teens on November 18, December 2 and December 9 (1:30-3pm/independent sessions). All sessions are at Fully Booked Bonifacio High Street.  For registration and fee details text 0917-6240196 or email [email protected].

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