A Discussion of “Righteousness” (Part 1)
 
The Chinese character for righteousness (义) contains a wide range of meaning in regards to morality. It is also one of the core elements of traditional Chinese culture. When mentioning the character “righteousness,” people might first think of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese Literature. Although the novel chronicles the lives of feudal lords during the Three Kingdoms era, the interpretation of “righteousness” is expounded throughout the book. The stories of Zhuge Liang, who exemplified loyalty to the nation and trustworthiness, and the anecdotes of Guan Yu's sense of justice have exerted tremendous influence for generations.
 
There is a story called “A Righteous Woman Repels an Army.” During the Spring and Autumn Period, the State of Qi attacked the State of Lu. In order to escape from the Qi army, a Lu woman was found running in the outskirts of the city. She carried a child in one arm, and dragged another child with her other hand. When a Qi soldier ran after her, she let go of the child in her arm, and kept the child she was holding in her hand. A soldier caught up to her and asked her, “Why did you let go of the child in your arm, and kept the child you held in your other hand?” She replied, “The child I held in my hand is my older brother's son, the child in my arm is my son. I was not able to take both of them, so I let go of my son.” When the general from the Qi army heard her response, he asked, “Which one do you love more, your brother's son or your own son?” The woman replied, “The love I have for my own child is a selfish kind of love. But I have a sense of righteousness toward my brother's son. Although it hurts to let go of my own child, keeping my brother's son is the right thing to do.” The Qi general stopped the attack on Lu. He said, “Even a woman from the State of Lu understands the meaning of righteousness. How can I attack a benevolent and righteous state like Lu?” He ordered his army to return to Qi. The woman’s own son was able to return home safely as well. When the Duke of Lu heard the story, he sent many gifts to the woman and bequeathed her the name of “Righteous Lady.”
 
There is an ancient saying, “I want to be both alive and righteous. When I'm unable to keep both, I shall give up my life and be righteous.” “Righteousness” enables one to tell right from wrong, be fair, rational, and moral. It is what keeps the society stable, and what keeps relations amongst people harmonious. However, since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) took over China, it has destroyed the 5,000 years of traditional Chinese culture, and treated the Chinese people with “treachery” and “infidelity.” It has taught people to fight against and target each other, and to eliminate spiritual beliefs.
 
For example, although Peng Dehuai saved Mao Zedong's life several times, Mao wanted to kill Peng because he criticized Mao at the Lushan Meeting. Pro-democracy activists, Zhang Baijun, Luo Longji, and Chu Anping, and hundreds of thousands of intellectuals who were encouraged by Mao to advise the CCP under the promise of “No beatings, no name-calling, and absolutely no retaliation,” were later labeled as “right wing” when they spoke some facts, and consequently tortured, insulted, and killed. During the Cultural Revolution, people lied, cheated, and betrayed their friends, family, and colleagues to protect themselves in order to survive. “Righteousness” no longer existed and morality declined rapidly.
 
After the “reform and opening-up policy,” the CCP promoted “money worship.” Without moral constraints, people pursued materialism, which created endless social problems. People came up with ruthless money making schemes and tricks to obtain personal gain.
 


说义 (上)
 
“义”是含义极广的道德范畴，也是中国传统文化中核心的部份。提起“义”，人们最先想到也许就是中国四大名著之一的《三国演义》，这部书内容上虽然写的是三国纷争的历史故事，然而对“义”的诠释却是贯穿全书的宗旨。诸葛亮“鞠躬尽瘁死而后已”的忠义，“七擒孟获”讲的是信义；关云长“义不屈节、父子归神”，这些脍炙人口的故事流传甚远，对人的影响极其广泛。
 
《义姑退兵》说的是，春秋时期，齐国攻打鲁国，在郊外遇到一个妇人，一只手携著一个孩子，另一只手抱著一个孩子在跑，齐国的士兵就去追她。那个妇人就把手里抱著的小孩子丢掉了，带著携的孩子一同跑，士兵把那个妇人追到了，就问她：“你丢了手里抱著的孩子，却带著携著的孩子一同逃走，这是什么缘故呢？”那个妇人就说：“刚才带著走的，是我哥哥的儿子；抛弃了的是我自己的儿子，我看著这个情势，是不能两存的，所以宁可把我自己的儿子丢了。”齐国的将官听了，就说：“哥哥的儿子和自己的儿子，哪一个比较亲些呢？”那个妇人说：“对于自己的儿子，是一种私爱，对于哥哥的儿子，是一种公义。抛弃了自己的儿子，虽然心里肉痛，可是从公义上说，还是这样做是对的。”齐国的将官就把自己的军队约束住了，不再去攻打鲁国，并且说：“鲁国的一个女子，都如此深明大义，这般仁义的国家，哪里可以去攻打他们呢？”于是就带了兵回去。那妇人丢掉的自己的儿子也得以保全。鲁公得知了这件事，就送给妇人许多礼物，并且送她一个名号，叫“义姑姊”。
 
“生，亦我所欲也，义，亦我所欲也，二者不可得兼，舍生而取义者也”。“义”让人明辨是非，不逾越公正、公理、公德做事，保证著社会的稳定、人与人的和谐共处。然而自中共夺权篡政以来，将中华民族五千年的传统文化破坏殆尽，取而代之的是“背信弃义”、“忘恩负义”式的对人民、对所谓的其专政下的敌人检举揭发、无情打击、消灭思想、消灭肉体。
 
以其党魁毛泽东为例，彭德怀几次出生入死救过毛的命，在庐山会议上，彭刚刚批评了毛几句，毛就翻脸无情，欲置彭于死地。章伯钧、罗隆基、储安平这些被中共利用过的民主党派人士、和有见地、有思想的几十万知识份子，在“反右”初期受毛的给党提意见的鼓动和“不打棍子、不扣帽子、绝不秋后算账”欺骗，出来说了几句实话就被毫无信义的毛打成“右派”，受尽折磨、侮辱、甚至含冤而终。文革时期人们为了保全自己，出卖家人、朋友、同事蔚然成风，说谎话、落井下石成为人们生存的保障。“义”荡然无存，人的道德急速下滑。
 
所谓的“改革开放”以后，中共宣传“拜金主义”，没有道德的约束，对钱财、物欲疯狂的追求致使社会问题层出不穷。“厚黑术”、“犬儒症”、投机钻营、尔虞我诈泛滥横行。