Slanting Toward The East

The other day, I came across a video of a guy running from police using a motorcycle.  The commentators are breathless talking about how unsafe the driver is, weaving in and out of traffic.  I laughed hysterically.  He is driving far better than what I consider everyday driving in Jakarta.  The Indonesian word for "weaving in and out" is nyelip-nyelip, and it is the reason why people use motorcycles in Jakarta.  Asian drivers are, by comparison to US drivers, completely bat-s**t crazy.

Let me just emphasize that life in Asia is BAT-S**T CRAZY.

Not that I'm complaining.  I'm one of those people who likes a little anarchy with my coffee.  Western civilization is just too regimented and regulated for my tastes.  I'm one of those people who, if there was a still a frontier, I would be on the next train out.  Not that I am all against a little routine, but I just can't abide having to walk on eggshells lest I "trigger" someone or step ever-so-slightly outside the "legal" boundaries.

Living in Indonesia means that I can get my fill of city life and then take a short jaunt into the jungle and live completely by my wits.  I love camping, hiking and anything where I pretty much make my own rules, though I am always careful to respect my surroundings and those who will follow later.

In my experience, Westerners who live in Asia do so for the simple reason that life is freer.  There aren't so many rules about what you can and can't say or do.  It's a much more relaxed way of life with a stronger sense of live and let live.  Kind of like Texas used to be before all the Yankees took over.

I say Westerners who live here, because it's not something readily apparent to a tourist.  It takes time to expand and figure out where the new boundaries are.  Some people can't handle it and run screaming for the exit after a couple of weeks.  They realize fairly quickly that imposing one's rules on those around you doesn't fly here, and those used to having their lives regimented to the tiniest detail are fearful of having too much responsibility laid on them.

I often wonder is the Western mentality is what drove people to leave and colonize.  Certainly, North America attracted thousands escaping the severe lock-step mentality of European culture.  There's a certain type of European - and by that I mean Americans as well - that craves being left the hell alone.

Unfortunately, once these folks set up housekeeping, the busy-bodies come right behind and start dictating rules again.  That's what drove the American expansion across the western half of the continent.  The free spirits went out ahead to get away from the hive mentality, but were quickly overwhelmed by the hive once things were tidy and operating smoothly.

Asia is definitely unusual for most Westerners.  When someone is fat, you call them fat.  When they are crippled, you call them crippled.  There is neither political correctness nor euphemistic language.  People talk plainly and do pretty much as they please, and by extension, allow others the same courtesy.

It's the "liberal" western mentality that drives so many people to leave the West and come East.  I put "liberal" in quotes because the root comes from the Latin for "free," and having a small group of people dictating what one can think and say is definitely NOT free.  Nor is forcing someone else to accept one's own idea of "free."  Free is the ability to think, say and do whatever one pleases, especially within the domain in which one lives.

Almost to a soul, the Westerners I meet who live in Asia talk about the freedom here.  As long as I don't push, no one will push back.  If I don't try to force someone to believe what I believe, then I am pretty much free to believe it.  Very simple, clear rules.

Granted, there is a spectrum of freedom in Asia.  Each of the vast number of cultures here have their boundaries, but they are broad and not overly enforced, and certainly no one will take you to court for what you believe.  /The point where you got spanked is when you overstep propriety or start proselytizing.  Up to that point, you might get a sidelong glance or raised eyebrows.

Western intolerance is not a new phenomenon.  It dates back centuries.  Between religions and politics, the West has always been ready to force compliance with the ruling dogma.  It shows up in culture, science, personal relationships, and a dozen other more subtle ways.

Some Westerners, steeped in Western propaganda, will likely take umbrage with these statements.  I will likely get a flood of email telling me what an insensitive jerk I am, or how I don't know what I am talking about.  I suspect those are the people who would run for the exit here, being terrified of the sudden release of constant pressure to conform.

I am well aware that the East considers the West to be far too open, and the West considers the East to be far too rigid, but having lived in both places, I feel confident in my statement that the East is more free and less rigid - and yes, that includes mainland China.

I realize that I am speaking in gross generalizations here.  I could write books on comparative cultures across Asia and the world.  I know full well that Japanese culture is very rigid, and Korean culture is very regulated and Thai culture is pretty much wide open unless you insult the king.  However, when it comes to being able to have one's own beliefs and the ability to speak openly about them, Asia beats the West by a mile.

Yes, speech is only one of many individual freedoms, but it is the most important.  The ability to speak one's mind without reprisal is a hallmark of liberty.  Perhaps it is that Asian culture is far older and more mature than Western.  Perhaps it is just that no one cares or wants to humiliate in public.  Whatever the reason can be debated for hours on end.  Whatever way you want to slice it, I would much rather live bat-s**t crazy.

Report From The Eye Of The Storm

Return with us now to the thrilling theme of "traveler versus tourist," a metaphor we here at the Far Side Global Headquarters - deep in the jungles of Borneo - have adopted for our worldview.

The reader may think of this column as a follow-on to our last screed called, "Who Is More The Fool?"  In today's edition, we will explore "traveler versus tourist" as it applies to "diversity."

As we have developed our metaphor, we have shown that a traveler enters new realms of culture and experience as an observer and reporter.  The traveler attempts to meld as much as possible into the surroundings and taste the sweet and bitter of the foreign world.  The traveler does not judge nor discriminate.  The traveler understands that the surrounding culture has developed over spans of time and he seeks to understand why.

The tourist, on the other hand, brings his culture with him.  He seeks to impose his own norms and standards on the surrounding land.  He is the evangelist, the one who thinks his way is better, or at least more comfortable, and so forces conformity in order to feel less threatened.

In terms of mainstream labels, we may think of travelers as conservatives (seeking to conserve), while tourists are liberals (seeking to liberate).  The conservative wishes to conserve what is found in any given place, while the liberal wishes to change everything to suit some "greater good."

A traveler is conscious of his tracks and tries to minimize his impact on the surroundings.  Instead, he absorbs the local flora and fauna, making deep mental records and spending great amounts of time pondering and examining the context in which he finds himself.

This is not to say the traveler accepts everything at face value or is naive.  If he finds himself in a land where ritual cannibalism and human sacrifice are the norm, he does not wait around to examine the roots of these beliefs, he simply steps quietly but quickly to the exit.

On the other hand, we have the tourist.  The tourist is deathly afraid of having any experience that is outside his zone of comfort.  He is convinced that local cuisine is filthy and infested, and so brings his comfortable McFoods with him.  He is convinced that local accommodations are rat-eaten and sub-standard, and so brings his Holiday-Innian experience with him.  He believes the locals are heathens that must be converted to whatever system of belief he holds dear.  He criticizes the local customs and beliefs as ridiculous and beneath his consideration.  To a tourist, everything is wrong but his own standards.

In the past three years, I have found myself in a very curious position, straddling the traveler-tourist paradigm.

I have been deeply involved in building a "western" style arts center in Jakarta, where the owner has wanted to bring "western" style shows to the city.  On the other hand, I have been dealing with "western" companies wanting to break into the Indonesian market with their wares.  On both sides of the equation, I have run head-long into the tourist mentality.  The locals want international shows, but are not willing to learn and accommodate international standards.  The foreign companies want to enter the local market without accommodating local styles of doing business.  The locals think that "international standard" is the way something looks, and the outsiders think that "international standard" means the way we do it back home.

It is the perfect storm with your humble traveler standing at precisely the geodetic center of the storm.

On the one hand, I want to help the locals bring these massive foreign shows, and want to teach them the styles and methods of doing it.  On the other hand, I know the mentality of the foreign shows, who expect a certain modus operandi on the receiving end.

It is a delicate situation in which your humble traveler finds himself.  I believe both sides are right.  I know how these mass-market shows operate - god knows I've helped create enough of them.  On the other hand, I know the the locals have developed their style of doing business over centuries of physical isolation from the rest of the world, being a chain of islands fairly remote from any mainland.

For your humble reporter, it is both gleefully fun and infinitely frustrating.  On the one hand, I want to help the locals fit into the international market they so desperately want to join, and on the other hand, I want to help the foreigners fit into the market they do desperately want to join.

The immovable object meets the irresistible force.  It is not an enviable position, since I have had my share of both sides railing against me.  Both sides expect me to be able to change the other, yet my personal mentality is that both sides are completely right.

Such is the life of a traveler.

It would be so easy to be a tourist.  I could force whichever side I chose onto the other.  What I have chosen, however, is to find some way to blend the two, in the hopes of making both better for the experience.

In point of fact, I am in the position of believing that the "western" way of doing shows is the right way - in its context.  And I believe that the Indonesian way of doing business is right - in its context.  When the two contexts meet, one can begin to appreciate the fun I have had for the past three years.

I must become a travelist or a tourer, but in either case I am become Death, Destroyer of Worlds.

Centuries ago, Marco Polo was the first Westerner to record his travels in Indonesia - specifically in the area of central Sumatera around the modern city of Medan - where he met the Batak people.  In his wake, Lutheran missionaries followed and were slaughtered and occasionally eaten by the Batak.  That is, until a fellow by the name of Ludwig Ingwer Nommensen showed up and converted a large number of Batak to Lutheranism.  To this day, the Batak have a unique church (HKBP) that separates them from all other Indonesians.  In simplistic terms, the church is western Lutheranism blended with the Batak language and sensibilities.  A new culture created from the blending of two otherwise clashing ones.

It is possible to make a hybrid culture without surrendering the more profound elements of the progenitors.  However, it is not an enviable position to be at the crux of the effort.  It is akin to hanging on to the blades of a blender, trying to maintain one's identity while at the same time trying to make the rest of the mix into a homogeneous mass.  All sides want what the other has without surrendering any part of what they bring, or accepting any part of what they want.

Your humble traveler stands at the center of the plains of Geddon, amidst the final conflagration, and tries to maintain enough individuality to report on the destruction of both sides.  Perhaps I will be slaughtered and eaten, perhaps I will find that happy medium and become a patron saint.  Either way, I will destroy something and build something else.

History is yet to be written.

But one thing I am assured of...I am a traveler.

Post Scriptum - when I first arrived in Indonesia, I had a Batak girlfriend.  One Christmas, I followed her family to the HKBP church.  When it came time for Communion, I went to the front with her.  The first priest looked at me, then asked her (in Batak language), "Does he understand (this)?"  I responded (in the Batak language), "Yes, I do."  He shot a glance at me and his jaw went slack.  Then he passed me down the line without being slaughtered.

That is what travelers do.

Machiavelli Versus Sun Tzu

In the 50-year history of the Star Trek franchise, one of the most memorable and poignant lines, packed with metaphor and subtext, was Spock's observation that 'only Nixon could go to China' (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country if you're keeping track).

Indeed, 41 years ago, when Nixon went to China to 'open' the nation to global economic participation, he likely had no idea the can of worms into which he was prying.  To the Western mind, it was a vast supply of cheap labor and a billion potential consumers.

China has always been inscrutable and mysterious to Westerners, not unlike a tiger.  The West was ill-prepared for wrestling tigers, especially the US, which was a mere babe in arms when it came to global hegemony.  The Chinese had conquered the world many times before Nixon boarded Air Force One.  His nation had only shown up yesterday in Chinese history books.

In the 40 short years since Nixon's visit, China has gone from a closed, intensely self-absorbed nation to an economic dynamo sitting squarely atop the globe and directly threatening the century-long plans of the 'exceptional' Americans for world domination.

America's weakness has always been its hubris.  From the days of religious refugees spilling out of Europe to seek peace in North America, there has been an underlying current of 'exceptionalism' in American culture.  When America looked in the mirror, it saw a Shining City Upon The Hill, a civilizing force among nations, a power to reshape the world in its own image.  Balancing precariously on this fragile pedestal, the US has applied its resources and ingenuity to casting a New World Order, with itself as Greek god enthroned on Olympus.  More literally, a new Rome stretching forth its hand to own all it touches.

However, as anyone who has played King of the Hill knows, having the high ground is not enough when you occupy the most desirable position.  Being a leader is a fun place to be, with the perks of power and dominance, but there is always someone waiting in the wings to topple you from your throne, and China has three millennia of experience at doing just that.

China, for better or worse, has sat ensconced on the Eastern hemisphere for centuries.  It has been the center of power, learning and economics on this half of the globe since long before the US ever thought to lead the world.  In fact, it is highly likely that Admiral Zheng He was traipsing around present-day California before Christopher Columbus was even born.

Suffice it to say that China has watched empires rise and fall.  Its own ambitions have touched every continent.  Genghis Khan's Mongol empire, seated in Beijing, knocked at the door of Europe and so scared folks that even today, the expression 'Mongol hordes' still infects the English language.

When it comes to business, the Americans have found themselves outmatched.  Unless you have sat across from Chinese at the negotiating table, you will not understand and fully appreciate the word "ruthless".  When it comes to business, the Chinese will slit your throat while bowing politely and offering soft words of praise on your business acumen.  They are able to scale this technique from one-on-one to nation-on-nation.  Where the US bombs its way into hearts and minds, the Chinese buy and trade, and one can infer which method engenders more loyalty.

When Nixon entered China, he saw himself as liberator.  He was going to undermine the Communist system by showing the Chinese the glory of democracy and capitalism.  Forty years later, the US dangles from a rope and China is tying the other end to the tree.  Welcome to Chinese business dealings.  One can be reasonably sure that when Nixon sat down with Deng Xiaoping, he likely wasn't thinking that the culture behind Deng had invented gunpowder, paper money, state lotteries, and even spaghetti and meatballs - all the tools of US hegemony were, in fact, made in China.  'Opening' China to democracy and capitalism was actually throwing Br'er Rabbit into the briar patch.

One of the US's main strengths, being the new kid on the global block, is also its primary Achilles Heel.  Being new to the list of empires gave the US a certain amount of deference and laissez faire on the part of the world, since it had no operating history, no track record, and folks were willing to offer the benefit of the doubt.  However, this advantage was turned to the dark side and was taken over by greed and lust for power.  Blinded by pride, Nixon marched into China to unwittingly unleash the tiger that would turn to maul the supposed trainer.

Empires are like Super Bowl champions, every year there's a new one, and history is no different.  America got its ring, the trip to Disneyland and enjoyed some endorsement contracts, but this season has seen many injuries and the loss of some key players, so another team has risen to dominate the game.

The US team is a new franchise and has only held championship status once in its history.  The new champion China has been around for a while and has won many Super Bowls before.  Within the culture of the franchise, they recognize that you only sit at the top for a short time before being toppled by the next champion.  While you're at the top, you make a little money, store up some wealth, get a few things done, and then wait for the inevitable losing season.

The US has squandered its position because it has no history.  It forgot its Reformation roots of humility and work, and instead of storing wealth for the eventual fall, it went all-in, like a cocky poker player in a Vegas tournament.  When the deal went south, it could do little else but watch as the pile of chips moved to the wrong side of the table.

The mentalities and strategies of the two sides are vastly different.  The US makes blind bounding leaps throwing caution to the wind and over-extending itself in the quest for glory.  The Chinese advance in increments.  They extend a little, secure and shore up, then extend a little more.  The Americans are brash nouveau riche - spoiled and profligate - while the Chinese are ancient dynasties of wealth and privilege.  The former throws money and caution to the wind, while the latter quietly amasses wealth and fortifies position and influence, yielding when the occasion requires it.

The two sides are like yin and yang.  They are the perfect compliment to each other.  They can not defeat each other, nor can they dominate each other.  They will always return to equilibrium because they can not exist without each other.  In the Chinese view, they are happy to have the flamboyant Americans to hide behind, like a courtier to Louis XIV.  Let the gaudy sun king take all the glory...and the blame.  Meantime, sit quietly behind the throne directing the action and save every scrap that falls from the royal table.  It is the tortoise and the hare writ large.

Indeed, the Chinese and Western banksters are equals, and on the stage of history, it is not the rise and fall of the American empire that is the real drama of our times.  Kings come and go.  Rather, it is the clash of these two hidden powers - the Eastern and Western dynasties - that will be the true action of the play.  Even now, the Eastern bloc is establishing its own system of alliances and finance to compete head-to-head with the mere apprentices in the West.  To add insult to injury, the Eastern dynasties are using the tools of the West against them, like Xiao Lin adepts turning force against itself.  The hapless West keeps throwing empty punches and spends a lot of time on its back staring up at the sky, not quite sure how it got in that position.

For those with eyes to see, it is an epic death match between two fundamentally equal sides - in one corner sits Niccolo Bernardo Machiavelli and in the other Sun Tzu.  Those of us with front row seats will get spattered with blood and body parts, like an audience at a macabre Gallagher concert.  The rock has met the hard spot, the tiger and the bull, and we the world are caught between.  It is not the first time, and won't be the last, but it is the latest event of the season.

It's Rotschildt versus Li in the classic rivalry that has entertained the world for centuries.  Both sides are master manipulators, and both know that empire is just a show to distract from their real plays.  They are adept at avoiding the spotlight.  One side uses the blunt weapons of Machiavelli: the ax, the hammer and the sword.  The other uses the refined weapons of Sun Tzu: deception, stealth and redirection.

Nothing much to do now, but buy some snacks and settle in for a real show.  In the game of empire, these are Princes skilled in the Art of War.

Simple Choices

I'll never go back to toilet paper.

Look at it this way.  Either you can have a simple spray nozzle delivering a gentle stream of cleansing water to tidy up, or you can erect massive factories, mow down forests, use noxious chemicals and spend millions on researching plies and softness to produce toilet paper.

Not to mention the former is so much more effective than the latter.

I'm willing to bet that Obama is such a lousy president and the US is crumbling because of toilet paper.  Sort of a paraphrase of the "for want of a nail the kingdom was lost" parable.

Obama knows what I'm talking about.  He lived in Indonesia for five years.  I'll bet he's forgotten the lesson and has failed to install spray nozzles on the White House thrones.  That's why he's so distracted and glum.  He doesn't have the so-clean feeling all over!

There's something to be learned from every culture, and one clear thing I have learned in Indonesia is that water beats the living crap out of paper any day (pun intended).  Furthermore, having bathrooms that are completely tiled with a drain in the corner just makes so much damn sense!  Instead of buying tubs and curtains and stalls, just tile the damn room floor to ceiling and stick in a drain.  Then you can slosh and splash to your heart's content and go merrily about your business.

I suspect, and the reader is invited to disagree if he likes, that the US is crashing because of its infernal and hell-bent desire to bend Nature to its will.  History, though, would teach us that such an attitude will do little to promote the general welfare.

Egypt's golden age of dynasties centered around the flooding of the Nile.  There were no live news feeds tallying up the insurance costs or wailing about lost productivity.  Folks knew it was going to happen and they built their culture around the annual event.  Their culture lasted for millennia.  The US has barely broken two centuries.

In the US, people erect trailer home parks in Tornado Alley, or sprawling cities on river deltas in the direct route of hurricanes.  They build wood-frame houses where termites live and mold flourishes.  They seal their houses against the wind and rain, and install billions of dollars worth of machines to regulate every aspect of their lives.  Then, standing like some Shakespearian tragedian, they defy Nature to take its course.

Naturally, there is a lot of wailing and gnashing and beating of breasts when the inevitable happens.

It's as if the US has fostered an entire population of masochists.  Begging for pain and suffering, the American people do all they can to stand in the path of destruction while placing as much valuable labor and equipment in front of them so that they can absorb the brunt of Nature's power and scream in delighted pain.

Americans are strange beasts indeed.

To be fair, it's really a hemispheric problem.

Many Easterners revere a man who became god by sitting peacefully meditating under a tree for 20 years until he figured it all out.  He then taught the process to his followers and then died quietly in his sleep at a time and place of his choosing.

Westerns worship a god who became man to teach a message of peace and love.  He was then tortured by the most horrific methods available and nailed to a tree until he died.

Which philosophy do you think is more in tune with Nature and the way of things?

Perhaps the key to solving all the problems in the West just now is a radical change of mind.  Perhaps rethinking the very foundations of Western society and culture is in order.  Maybe simplifying and shifting priorities would eliminate so many things perceived as obstacles.

After all, does it make much sense to rally and praise whistleblowers and then sit passively as their lives are destroyed by the very organizations which they ratted out?  Where's the logic in that?  There may be a lot more whistleblowers if they thought that people would actually protect and defend them for speaking up, rather than watching in feigned horror as they are destroyed and then forgotten when the next victim comes along.

Not to mention how much it would help if things actually changed for their efforts.

It all comes down to paper or water.  Simple choices have big effects.  Building houses that acknowledge the elements and work with them ripples through huge industries and saves lives.  Protecting the messengers who bring us vital information encourages more of the same.  Very simple choices.  Very big effects.

As for me, I'll never go back to toilet paper.