According to US statistics, as of Feb 18, the US had a total of 79,812,357 COVID-19 cases, with the death toll reaching 953,313. Compared to the day before, new cases numbered 184,753, and deaths for the day stood at 2,023.
Living with the virus sacrifices the interests of the vulnerable
There might have been a slight drop in cases from the global peak, but “living with the virus” has yet to bring the victims of the virus any relief. This has put the West’s post-modernist value at odds with itself. According to the French thinker Emmanuel Levinas, the West is dominated by an egocentric mindset. For this post-modern mentality, science is just one of the many cultural narratives. The individual is sovereign, and individualism takes precedence over all other moral values. Dialogue is difficult and so is compromise. General mobilization that uses science to meet the common challenge of the coronavirus comes into a clash with the supremacy of individualism.
Science can coexist with humanist values
The unchallengeable value of individualism makes it virtually impossible for the government to rally the general population to fight the pandemic together. Instead, it demands total surrender to the idea of living with the virus.
China may modify her “dynamic zero infection” approach after learning from others and absorbing more experience in her anti-COVID fight, as she has done on the road to economic development. No matter which nomenclature you want to use to describe the Chinese anti-pandemic model, the low death rate in the “dynamic zero infection” approach has proven to be much closer to the universal value of humanism
Age dictates the priority for the treatment of sufferers. The pandemic has been raging for more than two years, and Western governments have fallen short in maximizing the treatment of the diseased.
Instead, many in the West are advocating the concept of coexisting with the virus. Others suggest giving up vaccinations altogether, and for those with only mild symptoms, no effort need be made to offer them hospitalization or medical treatment. What this means is the complete abandonment of social quarantine, adopting a “do-nothing” attitude to let the patients sink or swim by themselves.
Living with the virus is based on certain assumptions. Even if these assumptions prove to be correct, it still means that large numbers of the vulnerable, i.e., the elderly or young children, will die from the virus, with many others struggling to live with the painful symptoms on a chronic basis, with no relief in sight.
In 2020, without a prepared wall of immunity, this Western concept of living with the virus was tantamount to giving up on the vulnerable, with a callous disregard for their lives and living with dignity reflected by the high death rate of the elderly overall in the West. No doubt why people mourning in the pandemic criticise the fact that the only ones profiting from this situation are vaccine producers.
Chinese culture is based on the humanistic love for medical patients
For the fight against the virus to succeed, everyone must abandon some self interest, with a willingness to benefit the community at large by sacrificing one’s own interests on a necessity basis for common good. When the virus broke out in Wuhan, China imposed a general lockdown, followed by the mobilization of military and medical personnel to establish the Fangcang Hospital within 10 days. All across the country, emergency teams sprang into service, to minimize the loss of life, as lives are far more precious than economic interests or benefits.
“Paying high respect to the elderly” is the paramount principle of Chinese culture.
The idea of “dynamic zero infection” has its roots in the moral teachings of Mencius, with compassion at its core, with the value of life as a guiding principle. From this comes the idea of valuing all forms of life itself. Under this philosophy, there is harmony among people, between humans and nature, integrated into the idea of “humanity being at one with nature and earth”. This is the essence of the moral philosophy of Zhuang Zi.
So, one can see that the idea of “dynamic zero infection” is derived from a love of nature and living creatures. It is the soul of the nation and the civilization.
Establishing new Asian values, with harmony between people and nature
Since its economic opening-up, the country has humbly absorbed the finest values from the West, and in so doing, has helped to engineer the transformation of the culture and society. This includes embracing the scientific rationality of the Greek civilization, the universal love and sense of gratitude of Christianity, Buddhism and the spirit of protection of private property, democracy and human rights. These are integrated into China’s traditional Confucian spirit as well as the sense of justice and common prosperity promoted by socialism.
We note that there is a decline in the finest features of Western civilization which includes the Christian value of personal sacrifice, universal and selfless love. They have degenerated into the values of extreme egocentrism, and the pursuit of personal interests, without any regard for the public good or public interest.
By contrast, after 40 years of reform and opening-up, China has absorbed the fine values in the Western culture and incorporated them into the traditional Chinese spirit. The result is the birth of a new China with its own positive values and culture. That journey has by no means been a walk in the park. It involved toil and tears. China’s 1.4 billion people and their society have returned to the roots of humanistic philosophies. Chinese society has returned to Confucian values after integrating the Western business ethics while protecting traditional family and social values, with love for the old and young and love for all. Confucian and Taoist teachings carry heavy weight in forming China’s mainstream culture today, together with Marxism and socialism.
In modern China, under President Xi Jinping’s leadership, China emphasizes humanity’s common destiny, international harmony and peaceful cooperation. China upholds traditional family and social values and the rationality and universal love of Western culture to produce a hybrid society that is supported by Confucian values and an evolving concept of law.
After 100 years, China celebrates the rule of the Communist Party vis-a-vis the co-existence of science and humanism, with a new chapter in the history of the nation where Confucian universal aspirations for the benefit of various tribes, ethnic groups and humanity at large.
This universal spirit finds expression in the implementation of “dynamic zero infection” that successfully controls the spread of the virus, through the indomitable will of the Chinese people to fight for the collective good of the people and to treasure lives of the people. As of Monday, the Chinese mainland recorded only a total of 116,902 COVID-19 cases and 4,636 deaths. The country sacrifices the pace of development and economic growth in order to save as many lives as possible. Whether to live with the virus or strive for “dynamic zero infection” rate is a matter of choice. But it is the low death rate that defines the success of the fight against the coronavirus. Whether people’s lives rank higher than a rush of opening-up before good preparation requires wisdom, experience, care and love of one’s own people in order to make the right decision. The right to life is definitely an absolute human right in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. China may modify her “dynamic zero infection” approach after learning from others and absorbing more experience in her anti-COVID fight, as she has done on the road to economic development. No matter which nomenclature you want to use to describe the Chinese anti-pandemic model, the low death rate in the “dynamic zero infection” approach has proven to be much closer to the universal value of humanism.
The author is a legislator of the Hong Kong special administrative region, barrister-at-law.
The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.