Tokyo Imperial Palace Moat
Norms in Society
A notable Japanese pundit having a political influence was invited by Chinese wise men in Nanjing or Shanghai during the Sino-Japanese War before WWII.
They exchanged their views on the state of China where the Imperial Military was exchanging fire with Chinese troops for years. One of old Chinese wise men said to the Japanese, "War in China is not fatal. It happened so many times in the past. From the north, the west, the south, and the east different tribes once invaded China. But, after battles a new dynasty was built and the Chinese society was rebuilt to survive and flourish. But Japanese were doing something extraordinarily wrong. Japanese politicians and generals were demolishing the norm of the underground society of China."
The norm of the underground society is called Ro-ki, a Japanese classic word, though its Kanji expression is differently pronounced by Chinese. Ro means something or somebody lowly; Ki means discipline.
The old Chinese wise man lamented over Japanese arrogance. Like the Chinese elites, Japanese politicians and generals took bribes from Chinese but they did not perform as expected. In the Chinese underground society, there was a kind of rules about how the elite who received a bribe should behave. The elite should distribute money among parties concerned, fellowmen, relatives, and so on while offering facility for those who paid a bribe. But Japanese politicians and generals behaved like conquerors; they took a bribe as much as possible but would not afford facility. So, some Chinese elites came to follow suit. Morals in the underground society of China was being destroyed. And if this level of the norm of the society had been destroyed, the whole society would have collapsed. And rebuilding the society would become impossible as the foundation was destroyed. No past conquerors or invaders of China had destroyed this traditional discipline in the underground society of China, but Japanese were doing it, the old Chinese pundit said.
This episode tells how Chinese intellectual persons regarded the Japanese military presence in China before and during WWII. They did not think Chinese troops could defeat the Imperial Army and Navy, but they thought Japanese could not govern the Chinese people well, including the underground society. And it was the US that put an end to this stalemate as the Imperial Navy attacked the US Navy base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, in December 1941.
In addition, the norm in the upper society is called Sei-ki in Japanese classic expression. Sei means something beautiful and pure. Indeed the high society looks outwardly beautiful and clean. If discipline of the upper society is damaged, the nation can be restored through a regime change or a revolution as long as the foundation of the society, that is, Ro-ki, is preserved. Old rotten politicians, generals, business leaders, and supper-rich men can be replaced by new politicians, generals, business leaders, and super-rich men. But truly rotten lowly people cannot be replaced by any others, which is the lesson from the lamenting of the old Chinese of wisdom.
Finally, I think the reason why the lowly people in China were losing their norm during the Sino-Japanese War before and during WWII was that the Imperial Military was so thoroughly dispelling and expelling the traditional Chinese elites from every city and town while demolishing their base of wealth and interest deeply rooted in the Chinese society. But the Imperial Military had no room and time to provide new virtue, discipline, and education for poor Chinese people being abandoned by their central and local governments.
Conversely, it tells the Empire of Japan had no real intention to govern China before and during WWII. The Empire just sent troops to the Chinese continent to fight against Chinese troops that had attacked Japanese troops stationed and citizens working in Shanghai (under administration and control of foreign powers) and other Japanese territories in the continent.
Now, didn't the US invasion of Iraq destroy Ro-ki or the norm of the lowly Iraqis? Isn't the US invasion of Afghanistan destroying Ro-ki or the norm of the lowly Afghans? On the other hand, how much can Islam protect poor Muslims as the norm in society against the American way of occupation and governance? Put simply, it is war between Islam and American justice in terms of the norm of society.
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Mat 3:17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.