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Getting Sympathy from the Chinese People
The Dalai Lama always urges his people to earn the sympathy of the Chinese people. He means it. The SFT and the Tibetan government in exile endorse this view, in their own limited ways. In the case of the first, the definition of « Chinese People » seems limited to dissident groups that they exchange with in Western countries and in the second, talks with the Chinese government.
What about the several billions of Chinese out there ? The Chinese people at large, the ordinary people living in China, have little sympathy for Tibet in general. Fed negative press by the official media, they know nothing of the wrongs that were perpetrated. They know that life was bad, but theirs was just as bad. They even view the Tibetans with envy ; they get subsidies and have a right to have 3 children, « What are they complaining about ? Why is their life worse than ours ? »
Even those who are educated and been in the West have a difficult time assessing the past in relation to Tibet. Many like Tibetans are Buddhist themselves and are fascinated that such an exotic place as Tibet still exists. They want to see its culture alive, its story told, are aware of the often senseless policies that direct life on the Plateau, but don’t see fomenting despair as a constructive solution.
SFT and the other groups never talk about the Chinese NGO’s who head Tibetan projects aimed at giving local populations more say in their lives, acting as a buffer for circumventing, toning down or getting rid of the top down local policies with their often absurd projects. They teach local Tibetans how to claim their rights, how to stand up against illegal mining and how to manage their assets more efficiently. They give courses in leadership, management, Chinese and English. They look for ways to bring hope and to legally circumvent the system the way they have learned to do.
Tibet needs hope and happiness more than anything else. People need courage and the belief that their lives are going somewhere, that they are worth living, that there are ways to make their lives better in the present situation.
The activists feed on negativity and negativity breeds despair. It creates a blind spot to optimism, the driving force for seeking solutions. It encourages people into believing that the only way they can be useful and serve their nation is by lighting up like a torch, that their worth as a human being doesn’t go beyond that. « Tibet burns » is a favorite slogan for the « Rangdzen » warriors and rappers. Yes, Tibet burns, and what happens after it has all turned to ash ?
In a free society everyone is allowed to express their views. Activism is necessary to balance options, though the problem is that there is little out there to balance the Tibetan activist movement. The Tibetan diaspora is rich in talent and groups doing everything from blogging to painting to music to banking and new business ventures. Many have visited Tibet and some have worked for NGO’s there, but few have sought to go further, to make their life there. There are no precedents, no structure, no encouragement from inside Chinese Tibet. There is no one outside who encourages it either, or sets the tone, no route to follow, and event if it is possible, it is difficult to be the first. Tibet’s future though, relies on someone being the first ; others will follow.
What Tibet Needs
What Tibet needs now is constructive energy. The fall of the Chinese dictatorship, in spite of all the brave words and comparisons to the Arab Spring dramatically uttered in Union Square on March 10th this year, is no more certain than North Korea deploying a nuclear weapon. Even if it were to happen, it could give rise to unprecedented chaos, something even the Dalai Lama does not wish for.
The views of the Chinese government and those of the Tibetan government in exile are at such odds that the gap could take years, generations to close. What happens in the meantime ? A whole society in Tibet is beginning to fall into a negative spiral of violence and despair. Waiting for the political climate to improve is not an option, there will be little to save if one does.
What Tibet needs now is to survive and surviving means being smart ; one has to look for and take advantage of what opportunity comes by, be ready for setbacks and slaps in the face. If one falls, one has to be ready to rise at the slightest easing. It is difficult, it is not pleasant, it is dangerous and it doesn’t bring fame and glory. One has to swallow one’s pride and control one’s anger, open one’s mind and be ready to love and forgive.
But the results come, slowly, but surely. They come in finding ways to gain support within the system that leads to improving people’s moral and livelihood, the keep culture alive, to give Tibetan tools that will allow them to economically, culturally and spiritually become masters of their own lives in the context of a growing China.
The Middle Way and independentists depend on certain opportunities that no one can foresee or control to reach their goals. They think that they carry the whole of the burden of the future for Tibet, but what are they offering ? Extreme views and hope for talks with an adversary that holds all the cards. Their presence adds diversity and options, but it cannot be the only one out there. There should be a parallel force that has no official or political mandate but interacts with people in China at all levels with no political overtones.
There needs to be a constructive force that enlists a different kind of support ; the kind that engages in finding solutions for everyday problems and concerns of the type the NGO’s have been trying to do for the past few decades, though not always successfully.
This force must seek to move forward regardless of political change. It should interact with Chinese people and organizations who are already supportive of Tibet and have done work in the area, share and benefit from their experience ; find another level of Chinese officials to talk to ; not about politics but about education and economic development and convince them that there is no risk in trying new things. They should be like a fifth column that seeps in everywhere, bringing change that fits the Tibetan situation and temperament, change that will take root regardless, waiting for a better day.
The Tibetan diaspora is full of talent, hope and resourcefulness. This new generation should be this force and they should enlist the good will of others who want to see Tibetans be part of the 21st century in their own country. A force that shuns politics and divide, that is ready to work with whatever it has to work with, who is strong in diplomacy and innovation, who is not scared by the walls that come up constantly.
A force that builds confidence and convinces China that a happy, constructive Tibet is better for everyone. This is much more difficult to achieve than encouraging desperate acts and following the « all eggs in one basket »approach of the activists.
This is entirely possible. There are many out there waiting for opportunities. Someone has to start.