Ronny TONG Ka Wah 湯家驊: Requite Injury with Justice 湯家驊: 以直報怨

I remember a popular American TV series not long ago had a line that goes: “A bully needs to know that he will be punished.”

Unfortunately, this is not the culture of Americans today, nor is it certainly the culture of America’s allies. Perhaps this can be explained by Western religious beliefs. The New Testament’s Gospel of Matthew records Jesus saying in the “Sermon on the Mount”: “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” The philosophy behind this is to transform bullying through patience. This may be the reason why America’s allies repeatedly endure humiliation. But in today’s law of the jungle, where the weak are prey to the strong, does enduring humiliation and maintaining self-respect work?

The East also has a similar concept of “repaying injury with tolerance.” Laozi, a Taoist, advocated in the “Tao Te Ching” for “repaying injury with kindness.” The Mohist principle of “universal love and non-aggression” and non-retaliation is also a peaceful idea of “repaying injury with kindness.” Nonetheless, this is not the traditional cultural concept of most Chinese people. Confucius, in the “Analects·Xianwen,” was asked whether one should “repay injury with kindness,” and he answered very clearly: “Requite injury with justice, and repaying kindness with kindness.” This means responding to harm from bullies with “integrity and justice,” rather than transforming them through virtue; only when others show goodwill should one reciprocate with kindness. Confucianism emphasizes maintaining social order and morality, not unconditionally tolerating bullies.

Today, China’s foreign policy is closer to traditional Confucian thought than Taoist thought. China is the only country in the world that responds to American bullying with neither humility nor arrogance, standing firm. We do not advocate revenge, nor do we support the American cowboy culture of “an eye for an eye.” But we have long recognized that weakness and tolerance only invite more bullying and even aggression. The Chinese people have endured humiliation for over 200 years. Now is the time to stand up straight among the clowns and “requite injury with justice.”

記得不久以前一套美國流行劇集中就這樣的一句對白：「欺凌者需知道他是會受懲罰的。」可惜這不是今天美國人的文化；也肯定不是美國盟友們的文化。也許這可以從西方宗教信仰去解釋。新約聖經《馬太福音》記載，耶穌在「登山寶訓」中說：「有人打你的右臉，連左臉也轉過來由他打。」這思想背後的哲理是以忍耐來感化霸凌。這也許是美國盟友一再強忍其辱的因由。但在今天弱肉強食的森林法則下，忍辱自重行得通嗎？

東方也有類近這種「以忍報怨」的思想。道家老子在《道德經》中主張「報怨以德」，墨家的「兼愛非攻」、不報復也是一種「以德報怨」的平和思想。儘管如此，這並非大部份中國人的傳統文化思想。孔子在《論語·憲問》中被問及是否應該「以德報怨」，他回答得非常明確：「以直報怨，以德報德」，意思是說對欺凌者的傷害應以「正直、公正」回應之，而不是以德行感化對方；只有當別人表現出善意時才以德回報。儒家思想強調的是維護社會秩序與道義，而不是無條件忍諒欺凌者。

今天中國的外交國策是接近傳統儒家思想多於道家思想。中國是全世界唯一以不卑不亢、橫刀立馬之態度回應美國霸凌的國家。我們不倡議怨怨相報，更不主張那種以暴易暴的美國牛仔文化；但我們早已認清了，軟弱、忍辱只會引來更多的欺凌，甚至侵略。中國人忍辱了二百多年，今天是時候屹立於群丑中，「以直報怨」。