Tango is not only a fascinating dance but also a fascinating philosophy, culture and lifestyle. The search of tango is the search of connection, love, fellowship, unity, harmony and beauty, i.e., an idealism that is not consistent with the dehumanizing reality of the modern world. The world divides us into individuals, but tango unites us into a team, community and species. In tango we are not individualists, feminists, nationalists, Democrats, Republicans, etc., but interconnected and interdependent members of the human family. Tango calls us to tear down the walls, to build bridges, and to regain humanity through affinity, altruism, cooperation, and accommodation. It is a dance that teaches the world to love.



October 24, 2018

Pluralism vs. Monism


Pluralism maintains that the universe comprises of various distinct entities that exist independently. In contrast, monism posits that seemingly separate elements are interconnected fragments of a unified whole. While pluralism emphasizes the diversity of the world, monism emphasizes its unity. The former represents the micro or analytical thinking of the West, whereas the latter represents the macro or holistic thinking of the East.

Pluralism is used by capitalists to justify and defend the individuality, independence, personal freedom, and autonomy of individuals, and to advocate for individual rights, liberty, creativity, private ownership, competition, and a free market economy. In contrast, monism views individuals as interdependent members of an integrated human society, emphasizing shared interests, equality, coexistence, fraternity, cooperation, responsibility, and the well-being of society as a whole. These two philosophies have resulted in different economic and political systems. The question of which is in the best interests of humanity and can lead to a better future for mankind remains unanswered.

Aristotle said, "The whole is greater than the sum of its parts." Prior to modern times, monism was the prevailing philosophy throughout human history. Early humans recognized the importance of solidarity and cooperation for the survival and success of the species. However, this changed with the emergence of modern science and technology, which empowered individuals and made them increasingly self-sufficient and independent, resulting in the rise of individualism and pluralism that promotes personal rights, freedom, choice, diversity, LGBTQIAPK+, same-sex marriage, etc.; multiculturalism that embraces different cultures and values; relativism that denies the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, true and false, beautiful and ugly; anti-intellectual tendency against reason and science; affirmative actions that protect marginal cultures, minority groups, heterodoxies, and alternative lifestyles; reverse discrimination against mainstream culture, tradition, and conventional wisdom; the domination and monopoly of an increasingly smaller minority and the struggle and failure of an increasingly larger majority due to competition; the consequent plutocracy; and the aggrandizing inequality, division, polarization, dissension, and disunity in society.

After all, people who embrace individualism and pluralism believe in the law of the jungle and have no respect for equality and morality. That poses a threat not only to their own society but also to the entire world, as evidenced by the growing moral decay, societal fragmentation, and widespread lawlessness in America, the lack of moral integrity among its political elites, and the detrimental impact of their selfish, hegemonic, bullying, militant and coercive foreign policies on the world. (See The Lessons of Tango.)

What pluralism and individualism failed to take into consideration is that individuals are interrelated and interdependent even though they may not realize it, and that the survival and success of the species depends on their cooperation. (See Tango and Individualism.) Human society must be based on philosophies that unite people rather than divide people and some form of moral code, institution, government and order. Turning people into individualistic rivals could only create conflict, animosity and chaos, as attested by the unrest resulted from the US led efforts to "free" people, and the consequent humanitarian disasters and refugee problems, which are further exacerbated by the open border policy and multiculturalism at home. The situation could only get worse if we keep propagating radical liberalism, asserting absolute personal freedom, putting the individual above society, opposing any order that we consider authoritarian, calling democracy the tyranny of the majority, labeling one gender the sexual predator of another gender, radicalizing education, media and law, and fragmenting society into more and more conflicting entities. (See Darwinism and Eastern Philosopies.)

When people lived under slavery, feudalism and autocracy, liberalism once played a positive role in unleashing the potential, creativity and productivity of individuals, which contributed to the success of capitalism in the West. However, as capitalism progressed, it gradually alienated into its opposite. What made it a success also causes its failure. As a reader commented, "Freedom and human rights movements led people to put a lot of emphasis on individuality and as a result, the inflated self-image lessens our ability to view the world as a connected whole. This inflated self-image is also probably the root cause to many modern psychological ailments and problems: loneliness, depression, and mental disorder. If we can zoom out and see ourselves as a tiny one, rather than the one, in this big universe, a fact that has not changed a bit since the big bang, we may again find the beauty in the ancient natural law and adopt the right perspective towards the self and the rest of the world." (See A Wise Voice.) The outcome is that political power and social wealth are gradually concentrated, controlled, and abused by a small group of people once again, although this time that is done not in the name of hereditary kingship or aristocracy, but free competition.

Observing the success of capitalism in the West, the East, while adhering to its holistic philosophy and Confucian values, began to liberate people's initiative and creativity, which has also brought positive changes to the East in recent decades. While the East strives to integrate the advantages of the West into its own system, the West stands still and refuses to learn from the East. It believes that, based on its past success, its way is the only right way. Instead of mending its deep-seated structural and institutional problems, it becomes increasingly neoliberal. The West spends vast amounts of money on media propogandas, NGOs, military, cognitive, trade, technological and financial warfares etc. in an effort to defend its system and impose its ideology on others. This is not surprising given that capitalism has a vested interest in this ideology, without which plutocracy loses legitimacy. (See Democracy vs. Plutocracy.)

But this time the West may prove itself wrong. The West may have an advantage over a monistic East, it may also have an advantage over a Westernized East, but it has no advantage over a monistic East that incorporated the strengths of the West. Individuality and sociality are two aspects of human nature that must be balanced for the well-being of mankind and society as a whole. Neither authoritarianism that deprives individual freedom nor individualism that denies the common destiny of humanity, human interdependence, coexistence, equality, collaboration and responsibility can lead to a coherent human society. A healthy and harmonious society is based on the fraternity, solidarity, cooperation and sharing of its people who are willing to put their common interests above personal interests and work as a team. That is how family works. (See Tango and Family Values.) That is how tango is danced. That is how China is becoming strong, and that is how America can become strong again. Despite the influence of individualism and pluralism, tango gives us a new perspective to see ourselves as interrelated, interconnected and interdependent members of the human family. Tango teaches us to cherish, love, cooperate and accommodate with each other, and has demonstrated that is the only way to a better world. (See Philosophies that Separate Two Different Worlds.)



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