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| My yard is bigger than some of these islets |
Recent news events between Japan and China fighting over a
few islets respectfully called Senkaku and Diaoyu that are barely above the
ocean water surface has brought to my attention the continuing story that has
been repeating itself over the course of human history. But it is curable.
With the islets in question that is causing the conflict
between Japan and China is simply over the untapped oil reserves and fishing
rights. The Smallest islet area mass is .037 miles. The largest islet has an area mass of 2.6 miles. Many others are barely
above the water. The only life found there are Albatross birds and some goats
left behind in 1978. All this hatred has over 5 small islets where an oil
reserve was discovered in the late 1960’s.
But listening to the Chinese side is like listening to a call
for war. People drag from their Japanese cars and beaten. Japanese factories as
well as a Korean factory heavily damaged as Japanese people living in China
fearing for their lives.
Chinese protest rallies throughout the world condemning
Japanese people and government of stealing lands. Chinese entertainers like
Jackie Chan supporting their native countries policies. Many of these Chinese
entertainers are at risk of losing their entire fan base and jobs outside of
China, if not already, by the comments they have made.
Being a sales vendor I get to meet other vendors and
different companies who have really taken an interest in how the Chinese
conduct their protest rallies. A few companies
have expressed interest in moving out of China if the Chinese organized protest
“riots” continue to get out of hand. Just like when the United States
Ambassador to China was in his car when Chinese protestors attacked him while
chanting "down with the U.S. imperialists".
All this is due to not letting go of hate that has been
passed down for years. Wars have been fought that continues the cycle of hate.
In the case of Asia, many countries still look to Japan as the enemy nation
that concurred their homeland, killed many people, raped their women and stolen
everything of value. That was in the early 20th century.
In the 19th century, it was China that was doing
all of these things as well. Forcing the Korean people to use their own resources
to build an armada of ships to attack Japan. The Korean people were worked to
death of starvation and harsh conditions under Chinese rule. Only to be
conquered later by the Japanese people until the end of World War 2 and then face
a Korean civil war afterwards that furthered the plight of the Korean people.
But there has been a change in the wind so to speak.
With the elder generations still chanting the same tune,
many of the younger generations have been listening to a different one. Many
musicians and actors have been surprised by the large fan base they have in
other countries. One Korean actor, Bae Yong Joon was very surprised that many
Japanese women loved him in the Korean drama “Winter Sonata”. Japanese singer
Namie Amuro was and still is a huge hit with Koreans as well.
As many inroads are being made to reconnect these countries
as allies has motivated others who want to rekindle past hatreds. With the
situation now between Japan and China, many Chinese entertainers are risking
their entire fan base not only in Japan but other countries as well by showing their
support for China. Actress Li Bingbing “requested” that none of her images
appear in connection with the movie Resident Evil: Retribution while it is
shown in Japan.
The right to protest is a right of all people. The right to
express their free will on issue’s that affects them the most. But with China’s
history of human rights issues, are Li Bingbing and other Chinese entertainers’
comments that are being reported of their own free will or are they being
forced to by government officials?
China is still a communist country that is operating a very
successful commercial trade with many countries around the world. But
never-the-less a country that still controls the military, media, banking
system and one’s right to work and have a life in that country.
Speaking out against or failing to support one’s own country
can and has been hazardous to Chinese citizens. Just ask 2010 Nobel Peace prize
winner Liu Xiaobo who spent three years in a labor camp followed by an eleven
year prison sentence for “spreading messages to subvert the country and
authority”.
In time all of this will pass. In time all these countries
will be one big happy family. I say this not out of wishful hope but from many
examples of human history where enemies have forged bond of friendship after
years of war. England and France, Germany and Europe, England and Scotland, Tom
and Jerry, American Southerners and American Northerners are few examples of
different people and countries have overcome their differences and hatred of
one another.
The most famous and tragic story of overcoming hatred is the
biblical story of Moses and the Israelites spending 40 years in the desert
before entering their promised land. The Israelites wanted so badly to go back to
their old lives as slaves to the Egyptians. Their resentment and hatred for
Moses kept them in the desert for 40 years. Everyone who left Egypt, including
Moses, never entered “the promised land”.
All that hatred died out in the desert. Those who were born
in the desert had no connection to that hatred. The only connection they had
was to their faith, religion and the promise of a better life ahead. In time,
as other countries have shown; Japan, China and Korea will be as a family much
like the countries in Europe or U.S.A and Canada. In time the generation of hate
will die out as new generations discover a better life instead.
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