MORAL AND POLITICAL EDUCATION HELPS TO BUILD A SOUND MINDSET

MORAL AND POLITICAL EDUCATION HELPS TO BUILD A SOUND MINDSET*

December 7, 2016

Education in moral standards and political philosophy is essentially designed to help people build a sound mindset. In order to facilitate students’ all-round development towards wholesome and capable individuals, education should focus on the students, care for and serve them, strengthen their moral standards and political awareness, and refine their character and manners. Moral and political education at universities and colleges is a broad topic. It should give consideration to what students are thinking and answer some profound and comprehensive theoretical and ideological questions. Here, I would like to emphasize a few points.

First, we should help students acquire a clear understanding of international and domestic trends.

Only with an understanding of these trends and the laws of history, can we take a firm stance in upholding our ideals and convictions. Human society evolves from primitive society to slave society to feudalism and capitalism, and then to socialism and communism – this is the general law. However, the path of history is never smooth or straight. Since the concept appeared more than 500 years ago, socialism has experienced both successes and setbacks. It is like a river, flowing a winding course but always surging forward. Understanding these twists and turns is as important as understanding the general trends of development.

Some people like to say that the future of communism is bleak or the idea is outdated. What lies behind these claims is no more than ideological bias or a lack of vision. Communism is an ongoing movement that keeps developing in practice, and we are championing such practice by building Chinese socialism. We should help students to understand that the evolution of human society is an unstoppable historical course and so is Chinese socialism. To achieve this, they should be educated on the ideological source and evolution of socialism, and the history of our Party’s endeavors to develop Chinese socialism. This will build up their faith and confidence in communist ideals and the common goal of building Chinese socialism.

Second, we should foster in students an accurate understanding of Chinese socialism in comparison with other social systems in the world.

China is now a fully open economy. We see interactions between our country and the rest of the world all the time and face comparisons. When students experience problems, many of them automatically turn their eyes abroad and compare China with the West. Without a correct stance and the right methods, they risk reaching ill-founded or even erroneous conclusions. This is the root cause of a large number of ideological problems among students. We cannot avoid this problem, and we should and must give a proper response.

We say that China is following a sound and feasible path. This is not the subjective judgment of any individual, but a conclusion we have drawn based on past experiences, the current situation in China and worldwide comparisons. When we talk about Chinese characteristics, we mean they are special and have unique strengths.

For example, our democracy is people’s democracy, by which all affairs and matters of public concern are decided through discussion and consultation. Under the leadership of the Party, this helps us determine the common will and the convergence of interests of the whole society. In contrast, the Western political model, characterized by the separation of powers and constant shifts in party rule, increasingly exposes its shortcomings and limitations. The system of checks and balances has become a hindrance to the exercise of power, and rivalry between parties has hijacked national interests. Some countries that blindly copied the Western political model or had it imposed on them are now trapped in endless changes of government and social unrest.

Another example is our socialist market economy, which leverages the decisive role of the market in resource allocation as well as capitalizing on the role of the government. It has secured remarkable achievements for our country. In contrast, some countries that disregarded their own realities and uncritically embraced neoliberalism found themselves in a development trap from which they struggle to escape.

Here is another example. Since our country launched reform and opening up in 1978, more than 700 million rural people have escaped poverty. This means that we have contributed to more than 70 percent of global poverty reduction. In accordance with the goal of building a moderately prosperous society in all respects, by 2020 all the rural population living below the current poverty line will have emerged from poverty. We have devoted enormous efforts to this and attained remarkable results recognized by the UN. This is an unprecedented achievement and a major contribution to humanity. How have we been able to achieve this? Because with the strengths of our socialist system, the Party and the state have pooled massive resources and the whole of society has contributed.

I can give many other such examples in our economic, political, cultural, social and eco-environmental progress and Party development. We should talk about these facts openly and thoroughly to help students grow more confident when comparing China with other countries and foster an objective and comprehensive understanding of contemporary China and the outside world. Some people think the grass is greener on the other side of the fence. We must work harder to assure more Chinese that the moon is brighter and the scenery is beyond compare in their homeland.

Third, we should make students aware of their mission and responsibilities in this era.

A country can be full of hope and look forward to a great tomorrow only when its younger generations have ideals and a strong sense of responsibility. College students today are in their prime while we are working towards the Two Centenary Goals. It will be a great honor to join in this great journey to realize the dream long pursued by generations of Chinese.

An important task for our education is to inspire students, through the Chinese Dream, to pursue their own dreams. We show them the road to ideals and light it up. We should make it clear to our students that rejuvenation is the greatest dream of the Chinese nation since the 1840s, and that it requires continuous efforts from generation to generation. We should make it clear to them that the Chinese Dream is the dream of the country, the nation, and every Chinese.

Students now have unprecedented opportunities to build their careers and achieve success, and genuine prospects of turning their dreams into reality. We should also inspire them to pursue their own dreams as their contribution to the cause of our country and our people, to forge ahead as builders and pioneers, and to write a song of youth and lead a life worthy of our times.

Fourth, we should help students develop a correct understanding of how to integrate great ideals and practical work.

“Throughout history, those who can achieve great feats have not only extraordinary talent, but also an indomitable will.” To turn aspirations into reality requires true knowledge, competence, perseverance, unremitting self-improvement through hard work, and the patience to start from small things. We should guide students to cherish their youth, be grounded, and achieve their dreams through diligence. We should help them understand that dreams begin with study and success depends on competence, so that they will work hard and acquire knowledge and competence as the foundations for their future success.

We should help students temper their will and character, develop an enterprising spirit to give of their best, improve their inner strength to have no fear of failure, maintain an optimistic attitude towards life, and cultivate the courage to face all difficulties and setbacks.

Young people should be ready to realize their aspirations anywhere in the country. We should encourage college students to fix their gaze on national development and go to the grassroots, the west, or any other places that need them most to make a worthwhile contribution to the country.

* Part of the speech at a national conference on moral and political education in institutions of higher learning.

(Not to be republished for any commercial or other purposes.)