Tao of Heaven Liberalism Discussion Series
Heaven Tea Talk Sixty-One: The Tao of a Great Nation. Why is Maintaining Low and Keeping Still the Greatest Way to Arm Oneself?
Liu Jun Ning
Translated By: Selene Cong
Confucius: I don’t have any systematic teachings about the relationships between nations or international politics. But if any of my work may be credited with such ideas, it would be the teaching of “smoothening the world,” found in the third chapter subsection three of the Great Learning. But I have a feeling that you won’t like my idea of “smoothening the world.”
Lao Tzu: Like or dislike are states of emotion. However, the logic of “smoothening the world” disguises the logic of force believing the king must be supreme and that opposing forces must be destroyed; this is definitely the opposite of what I stand for. Your teaching of “self-cultivation” is only a starting point. The ultimate goal is to “smoothen the world.” Confucian students claim that it is to progress from the “inner sage” to the “outer king,” and ultimately to “be king” or to assist kings. Everyone from the Confucian school supports the idea for the unification of the world, with the great nations swallowing the little ones, and that the king must eliminate all opposing forces. This is the belief of the king being the strongest. I am against violence and I prefer the philosophy of “maintaining low and keeping still” to not (using violence to) compete (for spheres of power). From the perspective of the Tao of Heaven, nations are nothing but human beings of a greater scale acting on the stage of international politics. Like human beings, each nation has its interests and the right to pursue these interests. Because of these interests, great nations not only are able to influence small nations but also have a duty to influence the small nations. However, unless the principles of justice are violated greatly, great nations should not act like tyrants, conquering small nations through force or subjecting them to violence. I know that you are a pacifist through your beliefs. However, your idea of “smoothening the world” contains the seeds of violence. What’s more terrible is that the ideas of “smoothening the world” and “being teachers to kings” have become the ultimate pursuit for generations of Chinese scholars. This troubles me.
Confucius: You know that Confucianism separates kingly governance from tyrannical governance. Based on what you have said, there are elements of force in kingly governance as well. It is perhaps correct. I have never considered this seriously. Of course, I am firmly against the tyrannical policies of forcing others to submit. However, shouldn’t great nations carry an air of nobility and greatness? Otherwise, the petty nations would not respect them.
Lao Tzu: Here is where we disagree. Between the philosophies of action and stillness, hardness and softness, above, and below, and dull and sharp, you believe in the former, while I prefer the latter and that believe that the latter are better.
Confucius: There are truths in saying so. Some people even use the example of the tongue being less susceptible to breaking while the teeth are, to prove the soft is better than the hard. Nevertheless, is it necessary or appropriate to ask the great nations to bow down to the little ones?
Lao Tzu: The tongue lives longer than the tooth is an example of the soft overcoming the hard. Your response is reasonable as well. I admit having been too sparing with words. Of course I was not supporting the idea of great nations bowing down before the small ones. Doesn’t Confucianism also support the idea of treating the lower class according to li? The reason for both teachings is the same. My idea of the Tao of the great nations has two key points: one is low and the other is still. Low is like when adults bend down to speak with children so that the children feel a sense of equality. “Low” is not asking the adults to kneel down to speak to children. It is targeting the attitude of arrogance; do not agitate the small nations. You may recall how arrogant the perpetrators of the World War Two (Germany and Japan) were, invading wherever they wished, seemingly invincible; they were quickly defeated. Later the Soviet Union would behave in the same manner; although it was militarily superior to the United States, its burden of “smoothening the world” quickly crushed itself. We have to admit that when great nations have power, it is quite difficult for them to remain low and keep still. It would take overcoming great psychological barriers to ask the strong not to abuse its strength.
Confucius: How do great countries remain low and keep still?
Lao Tzu: I believe whether a great country may succeed in remaining low and keeping still, depends on the nature of its political system. Only in a political system where the governors achieve remaining low and keeping still toward the citizens, can it succeed in doing so in international politics. To be humble and remain low outward is achieved through doing so inward. Remain low is not to prostrate before everyone, but to be open before other countries of the world, promoting free enterprise and exchange, and maintaining a tolerant attitude toward many cultures. The most liberal and freest countries are like the deltas, attracting the greatest amount of wisdom, capital, and technology. The most liberal and freest nation must also be the most powerful nations.
Those countries that are tyrannical at home will have the tendency toward violence and absolutism abroad. The only thing preventing such a country is its own ability. Once it is able, it will wish to spread “liberation.” In this sense, diplomacy is just an extension of internal politics. Even those countries that remain low and keep still at home may occasionally use force in international politics.
Confucius: Remaining low and keeping still are indeed important for great nations but why are they important for small nations?
Lao Tzu: There are two standards to measure the greatness of a country: one is by its territory and population and the second is by its power. Only when a nation satisfies both criteria, can it truly be a great nation. If it only meets the former, even if it’s big, it’s still a weak nation, and this is what makes it a small country in another sense. Remaining low and keeping still is very important for small nations as well: when great nations remain low and keep still, they will not invade small countries. Not only will they abstain from invasion, they will also provide a certain level of security. The destiny of a small nation can determined by whether it allies itself with a peaceful great nation or an aggressive one. Look at these little nations that allied themselves with Hitler’s Third Reich, or those that allied themselves with the Soviet Empire. The common saying goes, “women fear marrying the wrong husbands.” It is quite apropos when applied to the small and weak nations. Had China not been leaning toward one side, it would definitely be different.
Confucius: I know all your beliefs are based on the Tao of Heaven. So, what is the relationship between the Tao of Heaven and remaining low and keeping still?
Lao Tzu: Based on my observation of the natural world and human society, “remaining low and keeping still” is a part of the Tao of Heaven. In nature, water always flows from higher places to lower ones. The order of the world is similar to piling on objects. The heavy ones must remain at the bottom while the light ones should be on top. When the order is reversed, it will be unstable. Remaining low and keeping still will prevent one from acting arbitrarily and thereby reducing the chances of opposing the Tao of Heaven. Ruling by wu-wei is the guide of both internal political governance and diplomatic relations.
Confucius: What you are saying reminds me of another troubling issue. A great nation must protect justice, e.g., to fight against the German-Japan axis power requires the use of force; if force is used, the nation cannot remain low or keep still. The argument over the U.S. invasion of Iraq seems to stem from this dilemma, too.
Lao Tzu: Yes, in international politics peace and justice are two eternal paradoxes: peace without justice is despicable, but justice without peace is only feral justice. No country has the ability to bring justice to the entire world. When a great nation is faced with injustice, it must choose between action and no action. Either of the two has truths to it, but both suffer criticism as well. They each carry a price. Because it is extremely difficult to balance between the two, arguments will never end. If justice is chosen, force will be used, and peace will be interrupted; furthermore, peace is frequently achieved through war, or it would be an empty dream. Chamberlain, the British Prime Minister before WWII was subjected to such criticisms. However, I believe that the Tao of Heaven Liberalism is peaceful, and not “smoothening the world,” or peace through pacifism. Whether human beings may live peacefully does not depend on force, but the political system and the leaders of the great nations. It depends on whether the political systems of the great nations carry the Tao of Heaven, and whether the actions of their leaders follow the Tao of Heaven. In conclusion, great nations should be the fortresses of the Tao of Heaven, and the support for freedom.
Tao of Heaven Chapter Sixty-One:
What makes a great state is its being (like) a low-lying, down-
flowing (stream);--it becomes the centre to which tend (all the small
states) under heaven.
(To illustrate from) the case of all females:--the female always
overcomes the male by her stillness. Stillness may be considered (a
sort of) abasement.
Thus it is that a great state, by condescending to small states,
gains them for itself; and that small states, by abasing themselves to
a great state, win it over to them. In the one case the abasement
leads to gaining adherents, in the other case to procuring favour.
The great state only wishes to unite men together and nourish them;
a small state only wishes to be received by, and to serve, the other.
Each gets what it desires, but the great state must learn to abase
itself. (J. Legge Translation)
In international politics, a great nation is like the Lower Yangtze Delta, attracting all people and all regions. Among animals, the females often overcome the harsh and restless males through remaining low and keeping still. When great nations treat the small ones through the attitude of remaining low and keeping still, sincerity, faithfulness, and respect, they will win the support of the small nations. If the small nations could treat the great nations with humility and respect, sincerity and faithfulness, they will receive the trust and support of the great nations. The diplomacy of a great nation is to unite more small nations and the diplomacy of a small nation is to seek a strong strategic friend. Regardless of the size of a nation, it should remain low and keep still; when they treat each other as their equals and are faithful to each other, they will receive what they need. This is very simple but difficult to achieve. The key is that the great nations must first become low and still instead of arrogant and aggressive. Regardless of the size of a country, the goal of politics is to provide all citizens to have a peaceful existence. If both the great and small nations could remain low and keep still, there will naturally be peace in the world.
Published in “Balance” Magazine, 2006 Vol. 12
