Banned In China

A few months ago I was speaking with an acquaintance from China, and she could not see this particular blog. From my reading about China's rather thorough attempts at blocking certain types of internet sites (mainly those that are deemed politically threatening), I saw with amusement that my own blog had fallen afoul of the Chinese censors, which means I must be saying something right, even though China has never been a particular blogworthy subject to me (with the exception of this anecdone, of course). Apparently some poor civil servant (hopefully proficient in English) read the subject matter of my blogs and assumed (correctly) that I am not a particular fan of China's government and that those reading my blog might be exposed to a bit too much free and loose discussion about government and tyranny than is politically expedient. The refusal to deal with dissent is a hallmark of authoritarian and insecure people and governments and organizations. This amusing incident, though, deals with another subject of great interest to me, and that is knowledge. In particular, I have a saying (in snappy Geneva Bible English, no less) that would apply to this situation, and probably many others:

Know thyself.
Know thy friends.
Know thine enemies.
Know the difference.

"Know Thyself."

As Sun-Tzu wisely said many years ago, someone who knows neither themselves nor others will lose every battle, someone who knows themselves and others will win every battle, and those who know either but not the other will win some and lose some. The Bible says, even more authoritatively, "Know the truth, and the truth will set you free." While the extent our knowledge is not something to boast about (but rather an opportunity to help teach others), knowledge is a matter of supreme spiritual importance. Knowledge is the foundation of conduct and attitude. Our experiences and knowledge greatly influence us, and if that knowledge is incorrect, our lives will be built on faulty premises and our behavior will not be pleasing to God, or beneficial to ourselve sand others. We must know ourselves before we can begin to change our ways. All human beings in their natural state belong to the "vicious" state or morality. Before we can move from that we must be aware of what is often called our human depravity (a rather unpleasant term), or the mix of good and evil in our "human nature." A true and accurate knowledge of ourselves will demonstrate that we have gifts and abilities as well as struggles and problems. Such a balanced and accurate self-knowledge (admittedly difficult to obtain) will show that we have worth in the eyes of God (and, hopefully, ourselves and others) but that we are not perfect, and because we all struggle we can sympathize with others who struggle without falling into self-righteousness and hypocrisy. Likewise, if we do not know ourselves well, we may behave in ways that are mysterious to us (and others) and may behave in ways that are at cross purposes with what we really want (but may be unaware of or too afraid to admit) and what is best for us. The price of ignorance can be very steep, even if knowing the truth is not always pleasant.

"Know Thy Friends"

It is a difficult thing for anyone to know who is truly on their side. Some people are prone to falsely believing that everyone is their friend, simply because they are nice and most people are nice to them. While we all have many acquaintances, most of these people we enjoy chatting with on occasion and spending occasional time with share with us rather superficial relationships. We may enjoy the same kind of movies, games, books, music, we may go to church together, or be members of the same family, but not share any particular deep personal bond, even if we have no particular problems with each other. Such a wide circle of acquaintances may help us find people to talk to, but do not really help with the need we have for emotional intimacy (even on a platonic level). A friend is someone who knows us inside and out, good and bad, and loves us anyway. Some people never (or with extreme difficulty) let people get that close to them, and so they therefore have few friends. If we are a friend to others, the people we know have to open themselves up to us as well, and we need to be worthy of that trust if we do not wish to inflict great pain and suffering on them (and there is enough pain and suffering in this world already without us adding to it). The sort of intimacy that comes from knowing friends and being so close with friends can be dangerous, though, if we choose our friends unwisely. Our loyalty to friends can put us in difficult dilemmas if our friends are invovled in matters they should not be. Proverbs, for example, and other places, are particularly prescient on the need to be careful how we choose our friends. Our friends say a lot about who we are.

"Know Thine Enemies"

We all have enemies. Some enemies are those who disagree with us without being disagreeable. These disagreements, as they are not the cause of personal disrespect, can lead to a sharpening of ideas, and an understanding that different background and experience (as well as a different situation in life) can lead to very different positions that need not be defended with hostility. What is best for us may not be good for others, and vice versa, and knowing this does not need to be entirely unpleasant. It is possible to be the best of enemies with someone, respecting even with strenuous disagreement. Most of the time, though, what is meant by enemies are those who not only disagree with us, but actively oppose us to such an extent that even harmonious opposition is impossible. With such enemies, respect may be impossible, and the need to defend from enemies and attack them may feel overwelming. In such occasions it is difficult to admit when someone who is our enemy may be right (just as it would be difficult for those who are your enemies to admit that you are right). However, being able to recognize what is correct about enemies not only helps us to avoid a Pogo situation ("We have met the enemy, and the enemy is us") but also may give us an advantage if we retain some semblance of rationality while our enemies do not.

"Know The Difference"

We must, at all times, know the difference between ourselves and our friends and our enemies. We may not share the same motives as anyone else, and even when we agree with our friends we may do so for different reasons. Likewise, the reasons we may be enemies with someone may be a matter of mutual disrespect (rather than any fundamental difference of opinion) or may be a matter of difference of opinion without any personal dislike. Or, worst of all, it may be both. Knowing how we are different from our friends would mean we have to know them and be able to explain ourselves (at least somewhat) in their language, if that is possible. The same is true with our enemies. In a best case scenario, we would have a baseline respect for everyone, simply because we are all human beings created in the image of God, but in practical terms not respecting someone as much as they think they ought to be respected is considered disrespect.

Knowledge is not the be-all and end all of our lives, but it is the essential beginning to living a worthwhile life. We cannot hope to live a worthwhile life until and unless our life reflects an accurate knowledge of ourselves and others. As someone once wisely said, if our lives are not in accordance with reality, reality will work against us. If that means your posts get banned in China, that is a small price to pay.