Cui Zengqi: Looking at China and looking at the United States (6) - Honesty and Credibility

Cui Zengqi: Looking at China and looking at the United States (6) - Honesty and Credibility Before coming to the United States, I had a gathering with friends to say goodbye. Many people who have lived in the United States have warned me that in the United States...

Cui Zengqi: Looking at China and the United States (6) - Honesty and Credit Before coming to the United States, I had a gathering with friends to say goodbye. Many people who had lived in the United States told me that I must be honest, trustworthy, and not lie when doing things in the United States. I felt that this was self-evident. Sure enough, as soon as I set foot in the United States, it was clearly stated on the customs declaration form, 'If the declaration is false, you will be subject to a fine of XX or imprisonment of not more than several years.' Here is your signature. From now on, in the process of applying for housing, medical care, and welfare, there will be aphorisms with similar content every time, always reminding people to be realistic in everything. I have indeed seen cases where people were punished for false declarations. Because everyone values ​​integrity, you feel more at ease doing business in the United States. When you go to a store to buy something, most of the time the price is clearly marked. If you are not satisfied with the product, you are guaranteed to return it or exchange it. You don’t have to worry about being deceived. However, some people should not take advantage of the store’s honesty and do things that harm the store’s interests. Everyone living in the United States has a Social Security number (some people call it an employment card number). You must use this nine-digit number to find a job, open a bank account, see a doctor, and apply for benefits. This number is your code name. All your activities are recorded on the computer under this number, and no good or bad things can escape. Credit cards are a symbol of American society's emphasis on integrity. As long as you have good credit, you can travel all over the world with just one card. You can buy things and travel without any hindrance; however, once you lose your credit, you will encounter obstacles everywhere and it will be difficult to move forward. In addition, as far as personal feelings are concerned, most Americans are more candid and less circumstantial. When they often talk to Chinese people, they hope that you will answer 'YES' or 'NO', instead of 'What if?' What if-' makes you, the monk Zhanger, confused. Americans do things based on trust in everyone. They will only investigate and punish you if you are found to be dishonest. But Chinese people are different. They often treat people they don't know with suspicion at first. Only through conversation and certain interactions can they give a certain amount of trust. This may be due to differences in national culture, or a reflection of the self-protection consciousness formed by the Chinese people's long-term oppression and deception. In real life in mainland China, there is currently a serious integrity crisis. In terms of interpersonal relationships, due to the continuous political movements, there is a lack of basic trust between people. This is because of the things that have happened in the past where people suffered losses due to honesty. People who enthusiastically and frankly spoke out and made suggestions for the country were labeled as rightists; the truths told by people to the party organizations during the thought reform movement were taken out of the archives as evidence against the party; people became counterrevolutionaries overnight because they talked about the fact that "Jiang Qing is Lan Ping, the famous actor in Shanghai". Nowadays, many officials talk about communist morality, but they do shady things such as loosening their belts and filling their own pockets. They use their power for personal gain, harm the public and enrich themselves. Corruption has reached the extreme. Their actions have lost the trust of the people and shaken the foundation of their governance. Economically, due to the lack of faith and morality and the excessive pursuit of economic interests, there are fewer time-honored brands such as Hu Qingyutang and Tongrentang that are based on integrity. Gutter oil, tainted milk powder, fake medicines and various counterfeit goods flood the market. Endless bargaining puts people in the market at all times to avoid the risk of being deceived. Chinese goods have become synonymous with low-priced and inferior products in the international market. The interactions between people have become less simple and honest. I remember when I was young, I was deeply moved by the sincere and simple language and soul of Chinese farmers when I went to the countryside. But now it is difficult to find such a feeling. Sometimes I really don’t know whether society has progressed or whether the world has changed for the worse. Integrity is the basis for maintaining the development order of human society and is crucial to the development of a country and a nation. Integrity is the foundation of building a person, the way to make friends and family, the foundation of government and the soul of business. The family education and social education we have received since childhood is to learn to be an upright person, to be an honest person, to tell the truth, and to do honest things. Recently, China has proposed the goal of doubling its GDP and per capita income by 2020 compared to 2010. We are delighted with this ambitious and specific goal. I believe that this goal has been proposed after careful study by many departments and experts, and it is possible to achieve it. In order to ensure the smooth realization of this goal, integrity education must be effectively strengthened. Not only are there moral constraints on integrity, but there should also be relative legal and institutional constraints. We encourage people not to conceal their true thoughts or conceal their true feelings. In particular, leaders should not lie or cheat, so that mutual trust can be achieved between the people and between the people and the government, and an honest society can be established. A social environment that emphasizes integrity and civilization is the guarantee for achieving new social development goals, and can also inspire people's endless motivation to build and develop society.