Anxiety in the Depth of History - One Close Look at America

Author: Lin Da
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: The author tells stories from real-life experiences in the United States in the form of letters. Vividly introduces the ideological principles, establishment and development process, operational methods, historical value, and the costs paid and to be paid for implementing this system. The size of the United States is about the same as that of China. Like most international students and new immigrants, when we first set foot on this vast and unfamiliar land, the choice of our initial settlement was quite. We ended up in an ordinary place, living in a mundane and tranquil environment. The Americans around us, young and old, were all hard at work, leading ordinary lives to an extreme. For them, achieving a better life was not an easy task either. Before we had time to think about anything, the living pressures faced by new immigrants immediately threw us into the same hard work. In this way, we naturally shared a common language and experiences with the ordinary Americans around us, as well as their joys and sorrows. Many Americans even became our good friends. Unconsciously, we realized that the United States had gradually moved beyond a collection of abstract concepts, becoming the land beneath our feet, turning into forests and pastures, and becoming one American after another. We too have experienced the frustration of being called "peripheral people." It was obviously impossible for us to instantly enter its culture upon entering this land, and our original cultural background, distant as it was, began to feel unfamiliar. In daily life, two entirely different cultures often collided abruptly before our eyes, leaving us initially feeling lost and unable to avoid the awkwardness. However, over time, we began to accept the situation of being "peripheral people" more calmly, even gaining some insights. Calmly, we realized that for the first time, we could sit in a quiet place, maintaining a distance from both cultures—one that was neither too close nor too far. They began to take shape as a landscape, and for the first time, they presented us with unprecedented meaning. The suffering of "peripheral people" is very common among new immigrants; it is a tragic effect produced by the convergence of two dominant cultures on an ordinary individual. We are grateful that we managed to escape it. However, our situation made us unable to help but think that as immigrants squeezed between the cracks, we still felt the contradictions and pressures. Then, when these two cultures, two major powers, truly confront each other, how unfamiliar and confused they must be—perhaps it would not be an exaggeration to say that the situation is fraught with danger. Our position allows us to see more of their differences. We found that they not only have their own complete value systems but even their own different vocabularies, contexts, and logic. Sometimes, starting from the same major premise and following their respective logic, we end up with results that are completely unrelated. On this basis, dialogue could only be painful and difficult. Therefore, it seems that before making a decision to welcome or reject each other with open arms, there is a long and arduous path of mutual understanding that must be taken. Otherwise, easily calling "yes" lacks justification, and readily speaking "no" can also be off-topic. Moreover, history has already determined that they cannot avoid each other forever. They have tried to do so, but with no results in sight, so they have tried to move closer to each other. Sometimes, if we do not temporarily distance ourselves from our habitual ways of thinking, we cannot take a step forward on the path of mutual understanding. We are learning about this strange country as ordinary new immigrants. Once we arrive, we must accept it; this is also our only path, and we have no choice. The United States is not a country good at hiding its flaws. It casts a shadow wherever it throws sunlight. All its shadows are exposed without any concealment to everyone, even strangers. So, even ordinary outsiders like us can immediately spot a bunch of problems. However, we quickly realize that we must wake up from our complacency, because later we soon discover that this does not necessarily mean we are wiser or more perceptive than Americans. They seem to be very aware of this shadow, and they are only forced to accept a simple truth: if you seek sunlight, you cannot avoid the shadow behind you. We begin to wonder, when Americans tolerate this shadow (a tolerance that often causes them immense pain), what is the unwavering light in their hearts? What are they seeking, to the point of paying such a heavy price? This is truly a question for us. In the process of understanding it, our interest in this short-history, unfamiliar country has grown day by day. Based on our experience as ordinary people, we found that the first step in understanding is simple interaction. No matter how hard a major power may appear on the outside, its people are all ordinary, and even the largest major power is made up of these ordinary people. When people become friends, communication turns into friendship, and mutual understanding naturally begins. It is always a good thing for either side to see the world from a broader perspective. Last year, we gradually wrote these letters to our good friends back home. We hope to share with them what we have read, seen, heard, and thought. Here, we sincerely thank the editors of the Sanlian Bookstore and all the friends who helped publish this book.