致言奥巴马：以公正仁爱弥合人的断裂

——致奥巴马总统的一封信

(英文版见中文版后 翻译 陈晓晨 冯迪凡）

张庭宾

尊敬的奥巴马总统：

你好!我是一位中国公民，也是一位地球村的村民，值此你就任美国总统的时候，请允许我向你表达衷心的祝贺。

在你获得美国总统最后选举权后，我就一直认为你会当选，并在2008年7月份出版的书中明确表达了这个判断。这不仅是因为你个人的魅力；还因为美国民众想“改变”的强烈愿望；也因为在于一个假设——这是一种东方的逻辑——假如天无绝美国之路，天无绝人类之路，你应该当选美国总统。

在美国234年的历史上，可能没有总统比你面临的挑战更艰巨复杂的了。林肯总统曾经面对美国南北分裂的挑战；罗斯福总统曾经面对1929年金融大危机和经济衰退的挑战。然随后的世界战争不能算是他的挑战，而是他的机遇，也是美国的机遇。

现在的你必须面对两个战线的挑战：国内的金融大危机和经济衰退，如果经济进一步恶化，随之而来的还将有国内的贫富和种族冲突，这即是国内的分裂；与此同时，国际上的国家、种族、文明也将为有限的资源争夺的更加尖锐，甚至爆发世界战争，这是人类的分裂。

面对如此困局，作为过去70多年世界上最强大的国家，作为过去18年唯一的超级大国，美国难辞其咎。诚然，这不是你个人的责任，但今天，当你宣誓成为美国总统，它就成了你的责任。因为多大的权力意味着多大的责任。假如说美国总统是这个地球上仍然最强大国家的最有权力的人，你肩上的责任是最重大的。

没有人比你更适合担任未来艰难岁月的美国总统了。你是一位非洲肯尼亚裔的美国黑白混血儿；在人生观初步形成时，你在亚洲与印尼黄皮肤的孩子玩耍在一起，有一位信仰伊斯兰教的继父；你接受的是美国精英的教育，从哈佛法学院毕业的你放弃了令人羡慕的高薪工作，回到了芝加哥的贫穷社区继续帮助弱势人群。

这个非同寻常的经历只属于你——奥巴马先生。这是你的最宝贵的财富——你是美国白人和黑人的纽带；你是美国穷人和精英的纽带；你是美国、非洲和亚洲的天然纽带；甚至你可能成为基督教和伊斯兰教的纽带。你可以成为人类的纽带。

是纽带就会有两个结果：一是把两端的人、阶层、种族和国家连接为一体；另一个结果是被两端巨大的力量撕裂。如果结果是前者，那将不仅是你个人的幸运，也是美国的幸运，是全人类的幸运。反之，那将是我们共同的悲剧。

绳子是否会被拔断将取决于二种因素。第一是绳子本身是否足够粗大结实，关键在于你和团队的包容却统一，公正而强大的价值观；第二是，如何让拔河者的愤怒力量松懈下来，使他们平静下来，甚至坐下来谈判，让绳子变成他们相互间的安全带。

应该相信，是人都有生的渴望，都有追求幸福的美好初衷。世界上没有人一生下来就想作为“人肉炸弹”去牺牲的；就像没有人一出生就愿意像最近的一些曾经的欧美亿万富豪那样自杀。但是这个不健康的世界让他们变成那样。如果我们不去根除病因，这个世界会涌现越来越多的“人肉炸弹”和越来越多绝望的曾经富豪。

病因何在呢？是人的短视贪婪！由于人性越来越贪婪投机，不劳而获风气弥漫，世界越来越匮乏真正创造物质财富的人，渴望掠夺占有他人财富者越来越多，越来越大的纸上财富的泡沫被制造出来，而它与创造出的真实财富的背离越来越大。在此过程中，越来越多的金钱被实际重洗到越来越少的人手中，贫富分化日见加剧。文明与文明、国与国，阶层与阶层，人与人之间争斗的排斥力越来越大，而其凝聚力和向心力越来越小，如任由这一趋势发展，越来越多的人将失去财富、尊严和生存的最后希望，绝望会将生的渴望转化死的愤怒，那么，再结实的绳子也会被拔断的。

而那些越来越少的金钱赢家们真的赢得了幸福吗？没有！随着肉体的衰老，他们即使成功地将美色商品化并方便地购买，他们的内心越是充满悲凉，即使是伟哥也无法改变；随着死亡的临近，再多的金钱也不能给他们铺一条通往天堂的路，往往反会被更沉重地被拖入地狱，他们的内心越是充满恐惧。这样的世界没有赢家。

其实，要增加这个地球村的幸福指数很简单的——让那些拥有并不需要的金钱者给严重饥饿者送去面包和教育，从而赢得贫穷少知者尊敬的目光。要知道，世人尊敬的目光远比金钱把一个人送进天堂的概率要大得多。

为什么精英们没有这么做呢？因为这些最聪明的人早已绝望了。当现代人自我意识觉醒后，上帝作为“他”的存在而难以被“我”证明——人虔诚地信奉上帝，只有死后才能被接入天堂，而死后的人是无法向自己活着时证明天堂存在的。它很容易推导的结论是：既然“上帝死了”，天堂无望了，为什么我们不在征服享乐中体验当下的快感，满足此刻的欲望呢？精英们从此毫无顾忌地掠夺大众的财富。

换一种说法，精英的绝望正如德国历史哲学家斯宾格勒所言：人是一个小宇宙，人的悲剧在于，它与大宇宙是隔绝的，它使得个人意志无法与宇宙精神合二为一，长久存在。

东方的智者早在2000多年前就解决了这个问题。打个比方，人的灵魂与肉体，就像鸟与笼子的关系，现代人的精神之鸟无法飞离肉体牢笼，无法自由翱翔在大宇宙的自由天地中，乃至因肉欲贪婪而肉体牢笼越来越坚固，精神自由之鸟反而日益委顿，甚至奄奄一息。东方智慧的关键是化贪婪为智慧——转变“牢笼柱子”的能量为“笼中之鸟”的成长力量，当笼子栅栏越来越细弱，而笼中之鸟越来越强大，终有一天，精神的大鹏会破笼而出，其极致就是个人精神的小宇宙与大宇宙精神合二为一。由此，他们自觉走向了一条自度度人、自觉觉他的利人利己、人我双赢的道路。

这个道路在东方不只是一种理论设计，而是一种不断被精英验证的结果。所以在过去2000多年的中华文明中，最有智慧的人往往会选择这条道路，在他们智慧的引导下，中国人虽然发明了火药，却没有制造侵略世界的火炮，而是创造了欢迎“有朋自远方来”的礼花；郑和船队远渡重洋，却没有任何掠夺它国的行为。

遗憾的是，这些礼花到了某些外宾的手中，日后变成了对中华摧城掠地的火炮。这些火炮在摧残了东方文明这株根深叶茂却有些衰老的大树后，也使它得以嫁接西方独立、自强、自我的新枝，它在百多年来饱受折磨极为痛苦的东西方文明基因的交战和交融后，现在它的枝头已经挂起了累累的硕果，随仍有青涩，但假以时日，必非常甘美，会成为全人类的美妙成果。我们现在要做的是，尽最大努力阻止那些试图把它打下来，不让它最终成熟的行为。

东方这种自觉自愿、自利利他、内圣外王的价值观将可以极大地增强你和你团队价值观的凝聚力；也将可极大地消解人、种族、国家和文明间的分裂力量，将非常有助于你破解面对的巨大挑战。相反，如果你迫于压力，试图以邻为壑，向中国转嫁危机，不仅会遭到我们的坚决反对，也会使你和那些真诚希望美国改善的人们失去最重要的和解工具——美国不能达成文明间的和解，就很难达成国内种族的和解。

从这个角度而言，帮助中国让那些枝头尚有青涩的果实熟透，不仅会让中国人品尝到文明精华嫁接的幸福，而当那些果实真正成熟的时候，当美国人、西方人也品尝到其甘美时，在美国，在西方，西东方文明精华的真正嫁接也将开始。

简言之，人类的唯一出路是——东方智慧精华的人与人和谐、人与自然的和谐、人的肉体与灵魂的和谐与西方的自由、平等、人权和法治的结合，这是封闭的地球村倒逼使然。而两者唯一的衔接点是对人对己，对不同种族，对不同国家一样公正。

转变只能从心开始，从价值观开始，在当今损他人利己，损它族利己，损它阶层利己，损它国利己的巧取豪夺氛围中，改变只能从真正的精英舍己为人开始，从舍小我求大我开始，从舍一国的眼前利益而求人类长远共同利益开始。这将是一个长期痛苦的转变，也是一个需要勇于承受的过程。美国人、中国人等都需要为此做好充分的心理准备，不劳而获者迟早会付出对等的代价。但是，如果我们真的以生命高贵和灵魂自由为追求，这又将是难得磨练的机遇；如果这是一场人类文明新主流的嫁接升级，那么我们也将责无旁贷。

最后，请保护好你的健康和安全。祝你好运，祝美国人民好运，也祝人类好运。

张庭宾

2009年1月20日

An Open Letter to President Obama

Distinguished President Obama,

This is a Chinese citizen, a villager living in the Global Village. I am writing this letter to deliver my devout congratulations when you assume the office of US president.

I have long believed that you will be elected since you became the presidential candidate; I expressed the estimate in my book published in July, 2008. The estimate did not only come from your personal charm, but also the strong will that Americans want a “change”, and also an assumption in eastern logic: you will be elected, if Heaven never seals off all exits to America and human beings.

During the 234 years in US history, there is probably no other president than you who faces so arduous and complicated challenge. President Lincoln once faced the Civil War; President Roosevelt once faced the 1929 financial crisis and the Great Depression. However, the coming Second World War was his and America’s opportunity, rather than challenge.

Now you have to be confronted with difficulties from two sides: financial tsunami and economic downturn, and subsequently rich-poor and racial conflict domestically—that is domestic abruption; meanwhile, the contention of different states, races and civilizations over limited resource will be more sharp—even there will be a world war—that is human abruption.

Facing so many difficulties, the US, as the most powerful country of the world in more than 70 years and the sole superpower in the last 18 years, can not be out of guilty. Of course, it was not your fault; however, today, when you swear to be US president, it has been your responsibility, because the more power, the more responsibility. If US president is the most powerful man in the most powerful country, then you will take the most responsible on your shoulder.

No one other than you is suitable for US president in hard times in future. You are a black-white mix-blood Kenyan African American; you played with Indonesian children with yellow-skin in Asia, your father-in-law believed Islam; you took the best elite education, but gave up enviable jobs with high salaries, went back to poor community of Chicago to continue to help vulnerable groups.

This unusual experience only belongs to you—Mr. Obama. This is your most valuable fortune—you are ties between American Black and White, between the poor and the elite, between US and Africa and Asia, even between Christianism and Islam. You can be ties of human beings.

However, to be ties probably leads to two results: one is to connect different people, classes, races and countries into one; the other is to be split by the power of differences. It will be luck of yourself, America and human if it comes to be the former. Else, it will be our common tragedy.

Whether the ties can be split depends on two elements: one is if the ties is strong enough, depending on whether you and your team have comprehensive, unite, just and strong value; the other is how to loosen the ties by decreasing the steam of “splitters”, making them calm down, even turning to negotiation, which will change the ties into their safety net.

We should believe that all human beings have aspiration to be alive, and wishes to pursue happiness. No one in the world is born to sacrifice his life as “Body Bomb”, as no one is born to make a suicide like western ex-billionaires; but the unhealthy world makes them do so. If we do not remove the root, there will be more and more body bombs and more and more ex-billionaires.

Where is the root? It is short-sight and greed! As human nature turns more and more greedy and speculative, the atmosphere of gaining without working spreads. The world is increasingly lack of people who create real material, plunders that want to reap others’ fortune increase. More and more bubbles of paper money are created, while the gap from real material widens. In that process, more money is gathered in fewer people, polarization will be aggravated. The tension among different civilizations, countries, classes and people will be more serious. If that trend lose control, more people will lose property, dignity and the last hope of survival, and desperate will turn aspiration for survival into anger to death. Then, the ties will be split no matter how strong it is.

Moreover, will the less and less “winners” gain happiness? No! As their bodies get older, even they successfully commercialize the beauties, their soul will be of more sorrow—even Viagra cannot change it. As death approaches them, their souls will be filled with fears: money cannot pave their way to heaven, but to the hell. That world has no real winner.

Actually ,it is fairly simply to escalate the happiness index of this global village---let the one who has extra fortune disperse it to the severe hunger for food and education in order to win the respect for the less privileged ,for the chance one can be sent to heaven by the respect of others is much bigger than by money.

Unfortunately, why haven’t the elite done so? As they, the smartest one has already been desperate. After the self-conscious was awake in the modern world, the existence of god as “he” can’t be proved by “I”—human devoutly believes in god, however, one can only be accepted into heaven after his death, but the dead can’t prove the existence of heaven when they are alive.

The easy deduction is since god is dead and heaven is somehow hopeless, why can’t we experience the pleasure of conquering, satisfying our desire? The elite began to rob the world’s fortune ever since then.

In other words, German historical philosopher Oswald Spengler has described the desperate of elite as :human are small universes, however, the tragedy of human is it has been isolated for the giant universe, through which it obstructs the self-willingness from becoming together with the universal spirit.

The orient Wiseman solved the problem 2000 years ago. As making a metaphor, the relationship between spirit and body of human is like bird with birdcage: neither the spirit bird of modern world can escape the birdcage nor it can fly in the giant universe. Nevertheless，as the greedy of lust accumulates ,the cage of body becomes firmer and the spiritual bird becomes dying .The key of orient wisdom is turning greedy into wisdom—turning the energy of “cage barriers” into the growing force of the “cage bird”. When the barriers are becoming thinner, the birds get stronger. When the day comes, the spirit bird will get rid of the cage, as the individual universe and the giant universe becomes one. By doing so, they find a way of saving –yourself—is—saving –others and altruistic.

This road is not just a theoretical design in the orient, but a result which has been constantly proved by the elite. Therefore, in the past 2000 years of Chinese civilization, the wisest one chose this way. Led by their wisdom, Chinese invented the powder and the firework to welcome the friend for far beyond but didn’t invent the artillery which was used invading the world later on. The Zheng He’s fleet he sailed the world but didn’t rob other countries.

It is pity that when the fireworks were in the hands of some foreigners, it become artilleries destroying China. By destroying the oriental civilization ,the leafy but aging tree, can it be grafted on the new branches if independence，strongness and individuality of the western world. After hundred years of suffering the war and integration of genes between the east and west, now the tree has become fruitful. Although it is still at its earlier stage, but it must be sweet overtime, and becoming the wonderful harvest of all human. Now what we have to do is to prevent those who are trying to stop it from maturing.

The view of value in terms of consciousness, altruism, Internal Holy and External King of the orient can be used to enhance the morale of your team, and also can be used to clear up the division force between people, race, countries and culture, helping you facing the enormous challenges you will have to face. On the contrary , if the pressure makes you try to seek benefits for itself at the expense of other countries ,diverting the crisis to china ,you will not only get our firmly opposing ,and also will lost the most important tool for a peaceful solution from the one who wish sincerely that America can improve. As if America can’t reach the compromise between cultures, it can’t reach the peace domestically.

From this point of view, helping china to let the premature fruits getting mature ,not only will benefit the Chinese from tasting the happiness of cultural integration ,but also when the fruits are really mature ,the Americans and westerners can taste them ,and the real engraft between the west and east culture can really begin.

In short words, the only way-out of human is the combination of the harmony between people, nature, between the body and soul from the east with the freedom, equality, human rights and law from the west. This is required by the enclosed global village. And the only joint of this two is the justice beyond people, races and countries.

Change only can be from the heart, the view of value, and it only can begin from the sacrifice of the real elite, giving up the self for the big picture and giving up the one country’s interest for the mutual interest of human for a longer term, as we are in a world of benefiting ourselves in way of harming the others. This is going to be a very excruciating change and also a progress of stepping up and taking the hits. American and Chinese need to prepare them fully for this: the one who is gaining without effort will pay equally. But if we pursue the royalty of life and the freedom of spirituality, it would be a great opportunity of growing up. If this time will be an engraft upgrade of the new mainstream of human civilization, then we are duty--bound.

Finally, please take care and make sure your security and your health.

Good luck to you, good luck to American and good luck to human.

Zhang Tingbin

Jan 20th ,2009