Along with much of the rest of the world, I spent my Friday night watching the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics. And I loved it. I should start by saying that I know the point of these very elaborate performances was to reintroduce China to the world; to provide an alternative to the Party’s suppressive, human rights abusing, climate change accelerating image; to give China a softer face. But, with that as full disclosure, I freely admit to feeling the very warm and hopeful feelings about China the Party intended me to feel.
The source of these feelings is the same as their object: the PEOPLE. In one of the more technical presentations of the night, a huge square comprised of a hundred or more oversize individual printing blocks moved up and down to simulate the effects of wind and water. My jaw dropped a lot watching the ceremonies, but during this bit it really fell. The movements were perfect, seamless and surprisingly beautiful for a bunch of blocks. And then, after a short pause to invite the applause, the blocks suddenly burst open and out popped a hundred or more smiling faces, waving proudly at the crowd. So proudly, in fact, that I caught my breath and shed a heartfelt tear for their efforts, proud myself of these faraway strangers I know nothing about and will never see again.
The careful discipline required for such a feat is awe-inspiring. And the potential of such a disciplined people, dedicating most of their billion lives to the larger interests of Community and Country, is arresting. According to the headlines (and maybe also to Nostradamus?), it is the century of China. China will almost certainly become a superpower in all of our lifetimes. Maybe, it will surpass us all and begin a new era of Asian hegemony, if not outright rule.
Without speaking to whether or not a world ruled by China would be a good thing, I will say that the prospect of its happening at all strangely excites and reassures me. Having grown up in mainstream white America, I realize that I always assumed that White Europeans, having assumed control of the world, would retain control of it. It seemed to my young, inexperienced mind that this was presumably the natural order of things, since this was the… present order of things. Until recently, the world permitted me to entertain this shockingly undemocratic assumption, and to take for granted our place – my place – in the grand scheme of things. But the possibility of China or any other country usurping our position in the top slot buttresses my most basic of American beliefs: that all men are created equal. That we are not special. Everybody wants to rule the world.
