Ah Q's Suffering Can Never Be Solved Through Ah Q's Methods

2006/8/9 19:25:47

The world has never been theoretical, and using theory to cover up erroneous actions not only makes the theory laughable but also gives the cover-up an undeniable purpose. A mistake is a mistake — no amount of the most exquisite theory can conceal even the most minute error. A theory, even if it could perfectly explain objects on Earth spontaneously rising upward, would still be a worthless theory. The logic by which the leftists use their understanding of so-called "practice theory" to explain the Great Leap Forward could equally explain the atrocities of the Nazis — does that then make the Nazis heroes of the Left?

A true hero is one who dares to admit mistakes, and the same goes for a nation. Otherwise, we would have no way to confront the ravings of Japan's right-wing today — don't they have their theories too? The key is not theory; the key is results. A bad result, even if backed by a theory proclaimed by God himself, is useless. If such a theory is merely Ah Q's fantasy of self-gratification, it becomes even more pathetic.

A nation overloaded with theories is pitiable; a theory overloaded with laws can only be a joke. The world is the world, and the laws of the world can only be the world's laws — not the other way around. When theory becomes a shield, a fig leaf, it is often a manifestation of an ugly universal pattern — and such a pattern is better off discarded.

China's great civilization needs no shields. We need not cover up anything. Ah Q's suffering can never be solved through Ah Q's methods — this is the one rule all Chinese must remember.