The Origin of Chinese Humanist Tradition 1.

These days, one only has to mention Chinese human rights to get snickers 
from Americans and the western media.  Admit it, the Chinese culture is 
known for food, customs (some disturbing) and test-taking.  But Chinese 
human rights?  Oh Come on.  Isn't that an oxymoron?

Two great rivers ran through the Chinese Americans.   The first river, the 
Western Democratic Tradition, originated in the Ancient Greece.   This river
coursed through Hellenistic empires, dried to a trinkle, preserved through 
two millenia by Romans, Christians and Jews and Arabs, reformed and expanded
in the Religious Reformation and Classic Renaissance in Europe and 
eventually landed to America and made USA in its image.   It is our American
river, the one we know.

But the second river, no less deep and no less long, the Chinese Humanist 
Tradtion, is the hidden river that goes through our heart.   Around the same
time Greek philosphers and scientists posed questions for posterity, the 
Chinese scholars congregated in schools all over China.   The Chinese 
scholars and Greek scholars never met each other then,  did not know each 
other existed and their descendents would not know for 2000 years.  But the 
two rivers existed and ran parallel and until fairly recently, no man have 
even drunk from both.  We are the first to drink from both rivers and to 
claim descent from both.

As the world's most reluctant writer, I am writing this because even Chinese
and Chinese Americans remain ignorant of the unique Chinese perspective and
deep vein of Humanism that permeates much of Chinese culture.   I hope to 
start this conversation and ask everyone to help expand it.