Chapter 6 6. Critical moments

History is a game of chess that is difficult to guess, and people are often frightened when watching it, and do not understand how the mysterious chess player is tapping the keyboard.For example, why are Egypt and Mesopotamia, the oldest civilizations, and Harappa, Crete, and Olmec, which are close in age, all annihilated, and we are the only ones left?As a world civilization, why did Rome perish, but the Han and Tang Dynasties continued to develop?Why should the mystery of the three elements of civilization be revealed by China, Islam, and Western modernity?Why would another civilization take over after the former secret was revealed to the world?Why is the order of unlocking the code exactly the method, spirit, and value?Why is the order of history just opposite to the order of logic?

These are the "Da Vinci Codes" that need to be deciphered. But one thing is clear.That is: only China, Islam, and Western modernity represent three generations of civilization, three types, three eras, and three elements of civilization, and are the most cosmopolitan at the same time.Therefore, these three major civilizations may be the concentrated expression of the will of civilization, and they can become the "first world" well-deservedly.Therefore, our nation will be given a new mission to make outstanding contributions to mankind again.It doesn't matter who the giver is.Call it "History" if you like.

This is not taken for granted. As I said before, civilization is liquid.For liquid civilizations, Judaism is like oil, the West is like wine, Islam is like milk, and China is like water.Water is open, compatible and peaceful, originally pure and simple.Pure, so the world can be in harmony with it; simple, so the world cannot compete with it for beauty. Indeed, goodness is like water.There are no beliefs, but it is possible to accommodate all religions and all beliefs.Do you want to believe in God?Can.Do you want to believe in Allah?Can.Do you want to believe in Buddha?Can.Do you want me to follow you to believe this or that?also can.Anyway, when offering sacrifices to the gods, we are only entitled to regard him as existing (sacrificing as if there is, offering to the gods as if there is a god).It doesn't matter what the god's name is or who teaches it.

So before there was the confluence of three religions (Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism), and later there was the republic of five ethnic groups (Han, Manchu, Mongolian, Hui, and Tibetan).The great development of Chinese civilization and the great reunion of the Chinese nation have been realized in this way. During the five or six hundred years from the Southern Song Dynasty to the early Ming Dynasty, Quanzhou, Fujian, China, even created an environment for peaceful coexistence and a platform for mutual exchange for religions of all ethnic groups in the world.At that time, within a radius of three miles in Quanzhou, there were Buddhist temples (Buddhism), Taoist temples (Taoism), temples (Hinduism), churches (Christianity), mosques (Islam), mosques (Judaism), and Confucian temples dedicated to Confucius and Guan Yu. The Guandi Temple, the Tianhou Palace where Mazu is worshiped, and the nine temples of the six major religions stand side by side, almost rubbing against each other.Although the Manichean hermitage is not within these three miles, it is on the same mountain as Huayan Temple, but "you are here and I am over there".

◎Quanzhou is located in Fujian Province on the southeast coast of China. Due to its special geographical location, maritime traffic has been very developed since ancient times. It is the starting point of the ancient Maritime Silk Road and has trade with more than 100 countries and regions.At the same time, the world's major religions have also been introduced into Quanzhou along with economic and cultural exchanges, making it a city with worldwide religious and cultural characteristics. Mountains can be shared, and so can temples.For example, Kaiyuan Temple is Buddhist, but there are statues of Taoism and Hinduism inside, and there are black people standing on both sides of the Buddha.Zhenwu Temple is a Taoist temple, but at the same time it enshrines Buddha statues, and it also sets aside a place for Muslims to worship.Believers of different religions can even hold their own ceremonies in the same place, you worship yours, I worship mine, there is no conflict, only peace.

What a spectacle of civilization! Doesn't the place that can create such a spectacle have inner magical power?Should a nation with such miraculous power build an open platform for dialogue among all civilizations?Although this platform is only a transition and a springboard for the establishment of a common civilization for all mankind in the future. That is really called "responsible for the rise and fall of the world". In fact, what the world needs today is exactly such an open platform.This platform can only be built by civilizations without religion and belief.Yes, faith is a good thing.If a person really has faith, he will not only have a bottom line, but also a realm.If a nation really has faith, it will not only have cohesion, but also continuity.This can be proved by history.In history, some civilizations have no religion, such as Greece; some are polytheistic, such as India; some are monotheistic, such as Islam.What was the outcome?No religion is short-lived, polytheism is in a corner, and monotheism is going to the world.

Obviously, only monotheistic beliefs are true beliefs; monotheistic civilizations are universal.Because polycentricity means no center, and polyfaith means no faith.There is only one truth, and so is faith. Therefore, monotheistic and faith-based ethnic groups tend to have more "cultural awareness" and "sense of civilized mission".Westerners even believe that creating civilization is a duty that humans must perform for their fellow humans.This is of course also a good thing.The problem is that there is not only one monotheistic religion in the world, and there is not only one God.This is troublesome.You also have a mission, I also have a mission, you also have a belief, and I also have a belief, but your mission and my belief are incompatible, so what should I do?Give in?Then mine is neither mission nor belief.Not to let?Don't fight.The so-called "clash of civilizations" was born from this, although there are interests behind the conflict.

At this time, Chinese civilization should make a difference. The position of China in human civilization does not come from belief, but from history.Yes, other first-generation civilizations born directly from primitive societies were annihilated.Among the existing civilizations, the worldwide West and Islam, and the regional and national Slavs, Africa, Latin America, India, and Japan all have religious and belief backgrounds.Born directly from prehistoric times, there is no religion and belief, but it is universal and can last for a long time, only the Chinese civilization.This is the only one in the whole world.

It is so unique that one cannot help but suspect that it is the foreshadowing laid down by history out of the will of civilization, and it cannot but make people rethink what civilization is, and what is the meaning of religion and belief.Yes, why do human beings have religion?It is because of faith.Why should we have faith?It is because there must be core values.Only with value and values ​​can there be spirit and methods.The civilization created by this can only be sustainable.It can be seen that faith is only a means and carrier, and core values ​​are the key.It is so vital and indispensable that it must be spoken oracularly in the name of God or Allah.

This is the secret of faith. Now things are very clear.Whether our nation can achieve great rejuvenation, and then take on the rise and fall of the world, the key lies in the core values.If there is no core value, or the value is not constant, no matter how developed the economy is, it can only be "strong and strong, looking around; with a big wallet, and no master". Yet therein lies the trouble. The trouble is not surprising.Because it is indeed difficult for a nation without religious beliefs to ensure the stability of values.Looking back at history, we know that we have previously had a national consensus on this issue, such as the "three cardinal guides and five constant principles" and "class struggle."The former is suitable for the small peasant economy, and the latter is suitable for the planned economy.Therefore, after the Revolution of 1911, Confucian ethics could serve as the "maintenance meeting"; before the reform and opening up, the philosophy of struggle could serve as the "picket team".It's a pity that today, they all have to be laid off.This is not only because we have encountered "great changes unseen in three thousand years", but also because the three cardinal principles and five constant principles and class struggle are not the common values ​​of all mankind.

Obviously, there is no way out, the only way out is to rebuild, rebuild the spiritual core of Chinese civilization. The Chinese nation has reached the most critical moment. At this critical moment, it is necessary for us to rediscover ourselves.To forge iron, you have to be hard on yourself. Only when you can see yourself clearly can you see the world clearly.Yes, why in prehistoric times, we followed the same path as other nations in the world, but we parted ways in the age of civilization?Why did China, which has embarked on a unique path, reach its peak after or when other ancient and classical civilizations fell, and then flourish and decline but decline inexhaustibly?What is guiding our steps, and what is tenaciously supporting and maintaining this ancient civilization?If our road is destined to be like the Yellow River with nine bends and eighteen bends, then where is the sea and what is it like? All of this can be summed up in one sentence - For 3,700 years, our fate and choices. Yes, fate and choice.Before the Opium War, it was mostly fate; after the Opium War, we began to choose, and we chose in the context of world history and the international community.Therefore, to re-examine the 3,700 years, we must first have a global perspective and a modern view of history, and second, we must have a scientific attitude and value system.Only in this way can we see clearly "Chinese civilization in world civilization", find "common values ​​in Chinese civilization", understand "responsibility in the future world", and understand the will of civilization and clarify the position of China. This is the task of "Yi Zhongtian Chinese History". The part of this article about Islamic civilization was guided and reviewed by Mr. Mi Shoujiang and Mr. Ha Quan'an. "Seeking common ground in civilizations while reserving differences in culture" refers to Mr. Ma Weidu's point of view. I would like to thank you!