Communication, not Confrontation: Reclaiming Our Humanity

Communication, not Confrontation: Reclaiming Our Humanity
United Daily News Editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
November 6, 2007

Nobody who harbors any expectations about freedom and democracy can possibly be satisfied with the state of Taiwan's politics. Leave aside problems of corruption, incompetence, even systemic defects. The most distressing fact is that politicians care only about tooting their own horns, and nothing about listening to other people or even their own consciences. The channels of communication between the ruling regime and the political opposition are blocked. No one listens to the public. Such is politics on Taiwan, where people have lost their humanity.

The flames of Taiwan's politics burn red hot. Politicians' hearts, by contrast, remain as cold as ice. Democracy has become a meaningless label unworthy of the name. Declarations of "Love for Taiwan" have become rote incantations. This did not happen overnight. It is the result of long years of political and social neglect. A minority of politicians have destroyed the simple honesty of Taiwan's rustic culture, but members of the Great Silent Majority merely sit and watch as they are turned into sacrificial offerings. How else is one to explain what is happening?

In early 2004, on the eve of the battle for the presidency, this paper introduced a column called "Relativity." It tried to provide a breath of fresh air in the smoke-filled room of politics. It tried to help readers regain some measure of their humanity. People from all walks of life must cease defining themselves by their occupations, and speak to each other as members of a family, regardless of how little they might know each other. Only when they are indifferent to fame or gain, only when it no longer matters if their comments are witty or pungent, fluent or hesitant, can they touch peoples' hearts. Only then can they experience the warmth that the political realm on Taiwan can never provide. Relativity began by interviewing family members, and went on to interview classmates, teachers, students, and friends. Its goal was to create space for deeper human interaction.

These dialogs between characters offered two pleasures. First, these dialogs offered slices of life one could chew over. Second, many touching scenes do not involve words, but glances that elicit a smile and understanding. Often snatches of dialog contain great emotional depth. What is indispensable is one's humanity. Language is merely one of many forms of communication. Sometimes views stated too plainly come across as calculated, excessive, or superficial.

Politics on Taiwan has been just the opposite. Political tests of strength have become verbal jousts. Humanity has been tossed aside. Dynamic factors such as space and time, cause and effect, have all been milked dry. This is what is so absurd about politics on Taiwan. The ruling regime and opposition parties exchange rhetorical volleys at the drop of a hat, on the assumption that those demonstrating superior rhetoric are the most qualified to rule the nation. Based on such logic, citizens of the ROC have been played for fools by opportunistic politicians spouting endless streams of nonsense.

Without dialog, there is no politics. Without dissent, there is no democracy. Without humanity, politics is but an empty stage, or worse, an execution ground. Over the past several years, Taiwan's politics have brought people more suffering than happiness. That is why "affluence" still gets peddled on campaign sound trucks.

Consider how much Taiwan has lost in recent years. People no longer talk of community or social harmony. The ruling regime no longer talks of reducing prejudice. The ruling and opposition parties no longer talk at all. The island has been divided geographically into north and south, and ideologically into blue and green. As long as the knife of ethnic bigotry remains stuck in the back of Taiwan's society, how can anyone speak of community and nationhood? No matter how high prices climb, they have nothing to do with the ruling regime. People live their lives day by day, as if they were on death row.

Fortunately, even though the political fissures are deeper than ever, the people are learning to heal their own wounds. We no longer see friends and family members being torn apart by political differences. More and more people are refusing to become pawns of the politicians. Society is reclaiming its humanity. But awareness is not enough. The public must transform its awareness into a social movement. Only then can they force politicians to behave like human beings. Only then can they reclaim the core values and concerns that have disappeared from Taiwan's political stage.

Relativity ceases publication today. Its motto was: "From another angle. From another perspective." Each of us values things differently. Dialog can promote mutual understanding by allowing us to see the world through others' eyes. We can broaden our own horizons while helping others discover who we are. The keywords are "humanity" and "understanding." No matter how shrewd a debater a politician might be, if he lacks humanity and understanding, he can never be anything but a tyrant who abuses state power.

The curtain has rung down on Relativity. We now await the debut of social dialog.

對話替代對立：找回政治裡失卻的人性
【聯合報╱社論】
2007.11.06 03:36 am

任何對民主及自由有期待的人，都不可能滿意台灣近年的政治狀況。撇開政府貪腐、失能、體制傾斜等問題不談，讓民眾最感痛心的是，政治人物已陷入一種只顧自我宣示、無意回應或反省的境地，朝野對話的管道封死，傾聽民意的耳朵雙聾。政治落到如此，人性也被扭曲到不忍卒睹了。

台灣政治戰火的熾熱，相對於政客們對人民的冷感，民主儼然已變成了名不副實的標籤，愛台灣的呼喚也幾乎變質為符咒。這個現象，並非一朝一夕形成，而是長年的政治及社會心理塵埃缺乏清理的結果；雖說少數政客恣意摧毀了台灣社會的敦厚和淳樸，但沉默的多數眼睜睜旁觀自己淪為供桌祭品，又要如何解說？

二○○ 四年初，在總統大選前夕的惡戰時刻，本報推出了「相對論」專欄，即希望在漫天政治煙塵中打開一個不同的呼吸空間，幫讀者拾回一些人性的感覺。當各界人物褪去其社會角色，還原為「家人」的身分展開對話，無論親密或恬淡、慧黠或辛辣、暢快或欲言又止，都能喚起人們內心深沉的共鳴，那是台灣公共領域無力再提供的溫暖。相對論後來的訪談對象，從「親人」拓展到同學、師生與知己，目的也在打開更深廣的人性空間。

聆聽這些不同人物的對話，至少有兩種莫大的樂趣。其一，這些對話中所凝斂所濃縮的人生內涵，耐人咀嚼再三，始終滋味甘醇；其二，許多感人的情節，往往不落話語，而在雙方的相視一笑、欲言又止乃至輕淺點撥之間；更大的包容，其實常在彼此沒有道盡的對白中。亦即，在一個有縱深、有情感的關係向度裡，人性才是本質，語言則只是一種載體；有時話說得太白，反而顯得刻意或過度，而顯得淺薄了。

台灣近年的政治現象，恰好與此相反：政治角力變成一味講究言辭機鋒，卻把本質的人性拋在一邊，於是也把時空、因果、行動要素完全抽至乾涸。這正是台灣近年政治最大的荒謬，朝野動不動就喊辯論，彷彿誰的辯才最流暢無礙，誰就最有資格統治國家。在這樣的邏輯下，結果是台灣人民被源源不絕的似是而非的論述所統治，被反覆無常的政客所玩弄。

沒有對話，不成其為政治；不能容納異議，不能稱為民主；而若失落了人性，政治只是一座巨大的公共戲台、甚至公共刑場罷了。過去幾年，台灣政治帶給人民的，是災難多於幸福；也因此，「幸福」這個奢侈品還能放在競選宣傳車上繼續叫賣。

想想看台灣近年失去了多少東西？人們不再談共同體，社會不再談族群融合，執政黨不再談化解歧見，朝野甚至不再對話。橫被切為南北、縱被撕為藍綠、內被插以族群之刀，傷痕累累的台灣，連人民和國家都縫不起來，如何談「共同體」？物價怎麼漲竟都被指為和執政者無關，人民的生活難道不是煎熬如刑場？

所幸，當我們回看這個社會，上層政治的裂痕雖然愈發深刻，民間卻已逐漸懂得自我療傷。多年之前，同儕、家人為政治立場歧異而爭執的景象，如今已不復見；愈來愈多民眾開始自覺，拒絕再成為政客的棋子，這顯示：社會學會了回歸人性。但是，單純的覺醒還不夠，民眾必須將這項自覺提升為有效的公民行動，才能同時促使政治人物也學習回歸人性，重拾台灣政治中失去的核心價值與關懷。

本報「相對論」專欄今日刊出完結篇。正如「相對論」刊頭詞所言，換一個角度、換一個身分，我們對事物的估量就會有不同的輕重。對話，可以增進人們彼此理解；而能透過別人的眼睛看人間，不僅世界更開闊，也能幫助人們發現自己。此中的關鍵語，不外「人性」與「理解」。不管多麼聰明善辯，少了人性，少了理解，政治人物將淪為手握公權力的屠夫。

「相對論」專欄落幕，寄望社會的對話登場。