CHINA IN CALEB'S EYES
China. Made in China? My neighbor down the street said that China produces most of what we use in America. Yet still my younger brother told me that they were an ancient civilization and that they were ruled by emperors and marauding warlords. With the experience of a lifetime I now see a country much like us. I finally don't see an image of China biased from other people's perspectives, I see China through my own eyes. I encountered new social institutions and ways of life that provoke thought and inspire contemplation on why we do what we do as Americans. The Communist form of government does not have a command economy, but rather an economy focused on capitalism like ours. They have traditional families with one or two children, and put high value on family relationships and filial piety. Who is to say that these institutions are wrong only because they differ slightly from our own American System? China is a wonderful place with a diverse culture and deep history, It would be beneficial that when making policies involving other countries our leaders should visit those countries and live there for a short period of time. If our leaders did this, they would develop a love for the people unlike any other by witnessing first hand their virtue and kindness. My vision of China culminates in the feeling that China is a friend. One of the first lectures I remember while on my trip to China was a specific professor who asked us,”How would you describe Americas relationship with China?”. He gave us three options to choose from: close and friendly, cordial, or hostile. We raised our hands to the categories we thought most accurate, and most chose close and friendly. He told us that this was correct, that we were the audience he hoped to speak to today, and then expounded chinese political thought to us. We are friends to the Chinese government, and even better, we are friends to the people.. Never could you find such kind, and actually hilarious people as easily as we did in China as we did in America. To welcome us to the country, the student ambassadors performed a choreographed dance for us, and when leaving they gave us postcards with kind messages. We were endowed with gift after gift, and always smiled at on the streets. There is something to be learned from our Chinese brothers and sisters, and the student ambassadors were always willing to take a risk and try our American style of life just as we were trying their Chinese style. This led to lasting friendships being formed, and I still keep in contact with a student ambassador over the social media app wechat. With the diverse world we live in today, and with the many chances we have to improve our world and create lasting friendships across the globe I cannot adequately express my thanks for the chance to gain those friends in China. It is a frontier, an ancient culture and nation that should be respected and revered just as much as we love and respect our dear Uncle Sam and Lady Liberty. But most of all China is a friend, the people being willing to work with us, to share with us their many treasures, and to stand side by side with us. I hope that vision they have for us can be shared with the leaders of our country, and applied to the hosts of other countries in this world. We need to see us through their eyes, just as I now see America through China’s eyes.