Greed, Cowardice, and Indifference Revisited: Comparing Chinese Culture with Modern Islamic Cultures in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Muslim Communities in Europe and the UK

 

Greed, Cowardice, and Indifference Revisited: Comparing Chinese Culture with Modern Islamic Cultures in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Muslim Communities in Europe and the UK

Bertrand Russell’s critique of Chinese national character—greed, cowardice, and indifference—can be usefully compared with modern Islamic cultures in Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Muslim communities in Europe and the UK. While the specific historical and religious contexts differ, there are striking parallels and contrasts in how these societies handle issues of trust, courage, and compassion.

Chinese Culture: Symptoms of Structural Insecurity

Russell observed that Chinese “greed” was not just a love of money, but a survival-driven anxiety that eroded trust and contract-like behavior. He noted that people would break promises, cheat, or exploit others for small gains, especially in dealings with outsiders or the state.

This behavior, he argued, was rooted in chronic insecurity and scarcity, weak rule of law, and a family-centric moral universe. Under long-standing autocratic rule, formal rules were often arbitrary, and real power lay in personal connections and bribes. The saying “有錢能使鬼推磨” (“money can make even devils push the millstone”) reflects a belief that money and connections, not law, determine outcomes.

Russell also noted that even educated elites often prioritized family or clan interests over public good, turning “greed” into a form of defensive solidarity—protecting one’s own circle at the expense of strangers.

Modern Islamic Cultures: Pakistan and Afghanistan

In Pakistan and Afghanistan, Islam is the state religion, and over 95% of the population is Muslim. The culture is deeply influenced by Islamic values, but also by tribal and regional traditions.

• Trust and Greed
  In both countries, trust is often built within family and tribal networks, similar to the Chinese “circle culture.” However, Islamic teachings emphasize honesty, fairness, and the prohibition of riba (usury), which can counteract greed.

• Courage and Cowardice
  In the face of oppression or injustice, many Muslims in these regions have shown remarkable courage, from the Afghan resistance against the Soviet Union to the Pakistani protests against military rule. However, fear of collective punishment and the risk of speaking out can also lead to silence, similar to the “cowardice” Russell observed in China.

• Indifference and Compassion
  Islamic teachings emphasize compassion, charity (zakat), and the importance of community (ummah). Yet, in practice, compassion is often limited to family and in-group, while strangers may be treated with suspicion. This mirrors the Chinese “inner-circle” ethics, but with a religious framework that encourages broader social responsibility.

Muslim Communities in Europe and the UK

Muslim communities in Europe and the UK face unique challenges, including integration, discrimination, and the tension between traditional values and modern secular norms.

• Trust and Greed
  In these communities, trust is often built within mosques and religious networks. Islamic teachings on honesty and fairness can help counteract greed, but the pressure to succeed in a competitive society can also lead to opportunistic behavior.

• Courage and Cowardice
  Many Muslims in Europe and the UK have shown courage in standing up against discrimination and promoting social justice. However, fear of backlash and the risk of being labeled as “extremist” can also lead to silence.

• Indifference and Compassion
  Islamic teachings on compassion and charity are strong, but the challenge is to extend this compassion beyond the Muslim community to the broader society. This is a key area where Muslim communities in Europe and the UK are working to build bridges with non-Muslims.

Expert Islamic Viewpoints

Islamic scholars emphasize that the root causes of greed, cowardice, and indifference are not inherent to human nature but are the result of social and economic conditions. They argue that by strengthening institutions, promoting education, and fostering a sense of community, these symptoms can be addressed.

In conclusion, while the specific manifestations of greed, cowardice, and indifference differ between Chinese and Islamic cultures, the underlying structural causes are similar. Addressing these issues requires a combination of institutional reform, education, and a renewed commitment to ethical and religious values.

Balancing with Nature: Understanding Traditional Chinese Medicine

 

Balancing with Nature: Understanding Traditional Chinese Medicine

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is more than a medical system — it is a way of seeing life. It begins with a simple observation: humans are part of nature. Just as trees need sunlight, water, and rich earth to thrive, people need balance in their daily rhythm, emotions, and surroundings.

In TCM, health is not only the absence of disease but the presence of harmony. When someone feels tired all the time or becomes easily upset, it isn’t just a question of one organ or one symptom; it is a sign that life’s natural flow has been disrupted — like a stream blocked by fallen leaves. The goal of TCM is to help that stream flow smoothly again, restoring the body’s rhythm and ease.

Where Western medicine often focuses on the part that hurts — fixing a joint, lowering blood pressure, or destroying bacteria — TCM tends to look at the whole garden instead of the single plant. Western science is excellent at measuring, identifying, and analyzing the physical causes of illness. TCM, however, focuses more on relationships: how sleep affects mood, how emotions affect digestion, and how every part of life responds to the weather, food, and time of day.

TCM believes our bodies change with the seasons. In spring, we should move and stretch; in summer, enjoy lightness and openness; in autumn, slow down and reflect; in winter, keep warm and conserve energy. This living rhythm aligns us with the larger world — it teaches that healing isn’t only found in medicine but also in the way we live each day.

The roots of this way of thinking may sound poetic, yet they point toward a practical truth: balance creates strength. To live in tune with nature and with ourselves is to nurture quiet resilience — the kind that doesn’t only repair illness but builds vitality long before sickness appears.

From “盡忠報國” to “精忠報國”: How a Historical Phrase Was Rewritten

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From “盡忠報國” to “精忠報國”: How a Historical Phrase Was Rewritten

The story of the famous general Yue Fei (岳飛, 1103–1142) and the four characters on his back is one of the most enduring symbols of loyalty in Chinese tradition. However, the widely known phrase “精忠報國” (jingzhong baoguo, “serve the country with utmost purity of loyalty”) is actually a later, popular distortion of the original historical record, which gave instead the words “盡忠報國” (jinzhong baoguo, “serve the country with one’s utmost devotion”).

In the official Song dynasty history, the Song Shi (《宋史》), Yue Fei’s biography clearly states that his back was inscribed with “盡忠報國” (jinzhong baoguo), deeply carved into the skin by his mother, as a lifelong injunction to serve the nation to the utmost. This phrase means “to exhaust one’s loyalty and effort for the country” — it emphasizes total dedication, effort until the end, and moral responsibility, framed in a Confucian sense of duty to the ruler and state.

The form “精忠報國,” however, does not appear in the original Song records as the words on Yue Fei’s back. Instead, it originated from the imperial banner given to Yue Fei by Emperor Gaozong of Song, who wrote “精忠岳飛” (Jingzhong Yue Fei — “Yue Fei, with pure and perfect loyalty”) on a banner to reward his general’s military service. “精忠” (jingzhong) means “pure, refined loyalty” — a more idealized, almost spiritual form of loyalty, closer to an imperial label of virtue than a personal vow.

Over later centuries, especially in Ming and Qing dynasty novels, operas, and folk traditions, the two concepts blurred. People began to conflate the banner’s “精忠岳飛” with the tattoo on his back, and the phrase was transformed into “精忠報國” as the popular version of Yue Fei’s motto. This version entered modern textbooks, school plays, and propaganda images in the 20th century, especially in mainland China and Taiwan, where the state used Yue Fei as a model of loyalty and patriotism.

The significance of this change is profound:

• Historical → Symbolic: Yue Fei’s personal vow of “盡忠報國” (doing one’s utmost for the country) was replaced by “精忠報國” (loyalty of perfect purity), turning a historical figure into a state-sanctioned icon.

• Effort vs. Purity: “盡忠” emphasizes action, perseverance, and moral effort, while “精忠” shifts focus to moral purity and unquestioning obedience, making it more useful for state propaganda.

• State appropriation: The change allowed authorities to redirect loyalty from the people’s duty to the state toward an ideal of loyalty to the state itself, often regardless of the ruler’s virtue or justice.

In modern usage, “精忠報國” has become a standard patriotic slogan, especially in military and school education, but it obscures the original Confucian spirit of “盡忠報國” — a call to serve the nation fully, even when the state is flawed, not simply to obey it.