Don’t Forget ... We Are All Part of the Human Race! By Julie Taeko

Prelude

In a world full of chaos, uncertainty, and high anxiety, it’s important to remind ourselves that we are all human — we are all exactly the same, and we will all get through this. This year and I’m future years, we will be faced with seemingly insurmountable obstacles, but it’s critical to remember that we are all in this together as part of the human race.

The Japanese Folks

Recently, I was reminded that there are cultural differences between the Chinese and Japanese with a hint of superiority and an emphasis on differentiation. And yes, historically that is true.

After isolation, the Japanese decided that they would not succumb to western forces, and demonstrated by brute force and ingenuity that they could both modernize and westernize the society in no time during the Meiji Restoration. It was the quickest transformation in all of human history. And for that they were greatly rewarded. They became the economic powerhouse of Asia. Unfortunately due to the education and training leading up to World War II, they also fundamentally believed that they were better than all of the other Asian races. After they lost the war, however, the Japanese became less militaristic and more focused on building educational and technological resources, among many other things. This led to them becoming an economic powerhouse again in the 1970s and 1980s. Japan was once again, on top of the world, and as such, they thought they were better than any other Asian race.

The Japanese conveniently forgot that they had taken almost everything that they had from the Chinese. And adapted it.

My Buddhist mentor, President Daisaku Ikeda, has worked extremely hard to build bridges between China and Japan to establish peace and create a more harmonious environment for all. Even so, it’s an uphill battle, if people don’t fundamentally recognize that we are all inherently the same.

The Chinese Folks

I have read a few books about the history, economics, and legal structure of China, and have always found it incredibly fascinating. Due to unscrupulous western forces, the Chinese succumbed to the powers at bay and became addicted to heroin. This allowed the western forces to control both China and Hong Kong, and force the Chinese into unfavorable treaties.

In more recent history after Chairman Mao, China has become a socialist country with a capitalistic flare, and by doing so, has secured its power in the world as a global economic and political powerhouse. China has now risen to the top with the most number of millionaires in an extremely amount of time.

As a bystander, it has been truly amazing to watch this rapid growth in the past few decades. Due to this exponential growth in economic and political power, China believes that it is better than all the other Asian races and the world.

Due to the lack of political freedom, the belief that Chinese are superior is widespread. To not think that, is dangerous. Even Chinese students in Japan, we’re told to be really careful about what they said, and never to criticize the government publicly. Eventually these Chinese students became a little bit more comfortable and were able to slightly criticize the government, but could speak more freely in person without any other Chinese students present. The stifling of public opinion, has also led to massive “support” for the Chinese government.

And finally, on a more positive note, the Chinese government has been able to lift up and empower its people through education, rapid economic growth, and political prowess. As a result, the middle class in china is the majority and thus, the average Chinese person now has a wonderful quality of life. never before in human history, has a country been able to lift up and empower so many people so rapidly through exponential economic growth.

The Hong Kong Folks

Due to the British influence in Hong Kong, the citizens of Hong Kong were able to flourish in a world of capitalism and democracy. They were also protected by the UK, so they had more freedom and flexibility to generate more wealth and become an economic powerhouse as well. This and other factors also led them to believe that they were better than any other Asian race. Even though they were physically right next-door to China, they have historically believed that they are better than the Chinese because they are more refined, sophisticated, well-mannered, etc. Again, all of these are just stereotypes, and in general, this “us” versus “them” dialogues, is what makes certain people feel better than others.

Hong Kong, China, and Japan all used to believe that they were better than any other asian ethnicity! Some still do hold onto this erroneous belief.

While I don’t profess to know everything about the history of China, Hong Kong, or Japan, what I do know is that stereotypically, Hong Kong people think that they are the top Asian ethnicity, as do the Chinese, and the Japanese. In essence, all 3 Asian groups believe they are the best! How can that possibly be?

The Human Race

The truth of the matter is, we are all 100% human. And we are all part of the human race. Genetically, we are 99.97% exactly the same. Look it up if you don’t believe me.

Unfortunately, the media continually portrays society as an “us” versus “them” dichotomy, thereby making us feel like we are different. It’s not just the media as well. It’s how we talk; it’s how we express ourselves; it’s how we communicate. We always believe that we are somehow different than the person standing in front of us. So we analyze how and try to understand why. When in fact, we are all exactly the same.

Just because you are Chinese or any other nationality, it doesn’t make you better than another human being.

• Just because you are rich or poor, it doesn’t make you better than anyone else.

• Just because you have a tattoo or not, it doesn’t mean you’re better than anyone else.

• Just because you are a Buddhist or Muslim, it doesn’t make you better than anyone else.

• Just because you are LGBTQIA, straight, or questioning, it doesn’t make you better than anyone else.

• Just because you are ethnically Korean or Caucasian, it doesn’t make you better than anyone else.

• Just because you were born in America or any other nation, it doesn’t make you better than anyone else.

• Just because you are a male or female or somewhere in-between, it doesn’t make you better than anyone else.

• And the list goes on and on.

The Buddhist Perspective

We all go through the same exact sufferings of birth, aging, sickness, and death. No one escapes those main sufferings.

Also, Buddhism emphasizes the fact that we are all part of the human race. We are all exactly the same. We all have the potential to bring out our Buddhahood or the best possible state of life, where we recognize and respect others as fellow Boddhisatvas.

We are all part of the human race. Don’t ever forget that!

Thank you very much for reading this article!