The Dead Must Be Equal, and Ultimately Will Be Equal

 The Dead Must Be Equal, and Ultimately Will Be Equal

The Analects states: “The Master does not speak of the strange, of force, of disorder, or of spirits.” It also says: “He said, ‘Not yet understanding life, how can one understand death?’” From my shallow understanding, these words of the sage Confucius make sense. However, when compared to two lines from Sima Qian’s Records of the Grand Historian—“In the end, it is only on the day of death that right and wrong are settled” and “All men must die; some deaths are weightier than Mount Tai, others lighter than a feather, depending on the purpose they serve”—I, with my biased view, believe Sima Qian’s reasoning slightly surpasses Confucius’s here. Otherwise, I’d have no way to address the theme of this little essay: “The dead must be equal, and ultimately will be equal.” Admittedly, this might sound like a stretch, but I have no choice. Communism is too fantastical—fantastical to the point of ignoring right and wrong—and the Communist Party is too shameless—shameless to the point of blurring life and death. The banner of communism shines with light, a light so bright that anyone who can’t or won’t see it is deemed a reactionary, heedless of right or wrong, good or evil, or human nature. The Communist Party wears a halo, a halo so radiant that everyone it approves of is crowned with light, regardless of era, region, or even life or death. And what’s more terrifying? The truly terrifying part is that they claim—and firmly believe—they are dialectical materialists. Indeed, they “辩” (distinguish) others, they “证” (prove) themselves, and with “materialism,” they gain the license to “neither revere the heavens, nor believe in gods, nor fear ghosts,” giving them the capital to commit every imaginable evil.

Long ago, I wondered why the Communist Party “neither reveres the heavens, nor believes in gods, nor fears ghosts.” I even pondered the definition of heaven, the concept of gods, and the resting place of ghosts. With my limited intellect, I’ve made no progress on the latter question—thinking about it turns my mind into mush, leading me to shamelessly assume I vaguely grasp Confucius’s struggle. But for the former question, I believe I have an answer that convinces me: they “don’t revere the heavens” because of the arrogant madness of communism and the Communist Party. Viewed as a whole, they see themselves as loftier than the skies—how else to explain “fighting the heavens is endless joy”? They “don’t believe in gods” because of their self-aggrandizement; historically, they have their own gods and even believe their gods are the gods of all humanity, beyond dispute—how else to justify “liberating all mankind”? They “don’t fear ghosts” because of their self-awareness; in reality, they know they are far more terrifying than any ghost—how else to reconcile the sheer number of people they’ve directly killed? Terrifying? I’d say in reality, they’re far more horrifying than these words suggest, on an entirely different level. I don’t know if others fear them, but I truly do. Yet, reflecting on Sima Qian’s experiences, learning, thoughts, and spirit, I shamelessly draw strength from him. Sima Qian said: “In the end, it is only on the day of death that right and wrong are settled.” Sima Qian said: “All men must die; some deaths are weightier than Mount Tai, others lighter than a feather, depending on the purpose they serve.”

I mean no disrespect to those with good religious beliefs. To me, death is a black hole, an endless black hole. I’m unsure if humans have souls, let alone whether souls persist after death. As for paradise, fairylands, hell, or the underworld, I can only say I hope they exist—truly, desperately hope they do. I hope the souls of the virtuous find peace in paradise or fairylands after death, and I hope even more that the souls of evildoers—or “its” soul—are dragged to hell to suffer torment. Knowing myself, I realize my likely destination after death is the latter, but I still won’t change my hope. For the wicked—wicked to the level of “patriotic traitors” like Hu Xijin, Jin Canrong, Sima Nan, and Zhang Weiwei—I’d willingly join them in hell or the underworld to endure torment alongside them. The more I think, the more fantastical it feels; the more I say, the more hollow it seems. I’m helpless. All communists, while alive, insist and believe they serve the people, as if they have no desires. All communists, while alive, proclaim and call for devotion to the communist cause, as if they’ve transcended the mundane. All communists, while alive, delude themselves and others into thinking they wear halos, as if believing it makes it true. Sometimes I wonder: for power, for domination, for evil, they disdain discussing right and wrong, refuse to distinguish good from evil, and dare not face human nature while alive—out of self-comfort, self-escape, and, most of all, genuine fear. Though it goes against my heart, I try to look up to their position, accept their actions, and understand their logic. But to demand that their dead—dead communists—still evade discussion of right and wrong, distinction of good and evil, and confrontation with human nature? That’s too much, far too much. I refuse to accept it. Even if one day I face them in hell or the underworld, I won’t accept it. Sima Qian said: “In the end, it is only on the day of death that right and wrong are settled.”

Furthermore, the great American President Franklin D. Roosevelt championed humanity’s four freedoms: freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. I won’t elaborate on the brilliance of these words—any good person should understand them. But to request these from the Communist Party? It’s a fool’s dream, like playing music to a ghost. We must lower the standard—to emotional freedom, to emotional freedom regarding all dead communists. To judge right and wrong, distinguish good and evil, and discuss human nature for all dead communists—surely that’s not too much to ask? Alas, in reality, it remains a fool’s dream, still music to a ghost. There’s no way around it. The standard can’t get any lower, but it can’t withstand communism’s fantasy or the Communist Party’s shamelessness. Communism and the Communist Party insist their dead have light—great figures with great light, small figures with small light. More卑劣 (vile) and laughable, they have the gall to claim they’re great atheists. Indeed, in their eyes, all the gods of good religions combined can’t compare to their dead. Forget numbers—their dead not only renew over time but their light’s intensity can be adjusted as needed. Who can compete with that? No way, no way. I’ll respond with Sima Qian’s words again: “All men must die; some deaths are weightier than Mount Tai, others lighter than a feather, depending on the purpose they serve.”

Those who govern should treat people with benevolence, win over the masses with virtue, connect the sentiments of high and low, manage distinctions between inner and outer, preserve what’s achieved, mend what’s lacking, pursue the way of heaven, gain the people’s hearts, and be grateful to the masses.

Those who govern should not flatter the heavens, nor humiliate people, nor deceive with grand emptiness, nor feign delicacy to delude themselves. They should legislate not for themselves, guard wealth first for the people, wield power while first considering its roots, and manage resources while first pondering their source. They should aim upward while resting secure in their position, reflect on the past while valuing the present, first respect life, then fear death.

These two paragraphs are my fantasy of “those who govern.” I’m not trying to show off or pretend I’m cultured by crafting clumsy classical Chinese. Nor are these words meant for all communists—they neither deserve nor could understand them. Urging them to reform is an insult to my ancestors. On the contrary, I dreamed this up in contrast to their deeds and thoughts. Setting aside fantasy, just analyzing communism and the Communist Party through “first respect life, then fear death”: Do they respect life? In reality, they don’t even respect themselves—while alive, they enjoy everything. Do they fear death? Logically, they aren’t too worried about their own deaths—their dead still shine with light. What do they respect? Only power, and the wealth, fame, and even sex it covers. What do they fear? Only power, and the freedom, status, and even life and death it controls. In this world, with power, they can deceive, making people believe communism’s banner glows radiantly. With power, they can brutalize, forcing people to believe the Communist Party wears a halo of boundless light. But what if—what if there’s a hell or an underworld? Would Satan or Yama buy their nonsense? I don’t believe it. No matter what, I don’t believe it.

When heaven lacks the way, people suffer its calamities. When people lack the way, heaven will surely destroy them. The way of heaven cycles—whom does the firmament spare? Communist Party and patriotic traitors, just you wait. The evils you’ve sown will be repaid, sooner or later.

With this essay, I mourn all the lives recently lost to torrential rains and floods—and even more to the Communist Party’s wicked Xiong’an policies—excluding communists and patriotic traitors. May you find peace soon.

Sima Qian said: “In the end, it is only on the day of death that right and wrong are settled.” Sima Qian said: “All men must die; some deaths are weightier than Mount Tai, others lighter than a feather, depending on the purpose they serve.”

Sima Qian, I bow to you!

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Monday, August 14, 2023