Commentary: SARS Causes 'Base Line of Civilization' to Float

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, May 28, 2003

Commentary: SARS Causes 'Base Line of Civilization' to Float

The SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) has changed our habit of conduct and way of life, and instantly prompted us to cast our eyes on the "bottom line" of civilization. Don't spit everywhere, don't scatter garbage all over the place, wash your hands frequently, restrain your pet from urinating and defecating...

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The SARS has changed our habit of conduct and way of life, and instantly prompted us to cast our eyes on the "bottom line" of civilization. Don't spit everywhere, don't scatter garbage all over the place, wash your hands frequently, restrain your pet from urinating and defecating��

Many habits which should have been cultivated in humans at the kindergarten period now have required people to receive "reeducation" on related civilization by the use of such methods of punishing people by a hefty fine and reporting offence cases, this really makes people sigh with emotion.

In recent years, achievements in the construction of spiritual civilization are evident to all and social mores have greatly improved. But only after the inroad of SARS that we discovered with surprise that the civilized degree of many people had not yet got over the "base line of civilization"! Although the construction of spiritual civilization itself encompasses these "bottom lines", and the "Program for the Implementation of Civil Morality Construction" also contains requirements in the aspect of "social ethnic", in some places, however, some people, in their grasp of the construction of spiritual civilization, overemphasize a "high-end" realm, devoted main efforts to hardware standards, while neglecting the construction of civilization in daily life.

As a result, the roads have been hardened, but vestige of phlegm on the ground is clearly visible; green lands have been built which, however, have become the best places for pets to shit and piss: toilets are so sumptuous that cause people to step back at the sight of them, but inside which there is even no paper to clean one's hands after wash.

As to some bad habits which are taken as a common practice, ignored and even taken pride in are all the more incompatible with modern civilization. Using the chopsticks just taken out from one's mouth to pick up food for the guests, and yet euphemistically calling this as taking pleasure in helping others; excitedly shouting at and wrangling with somebody 100 meters away at a public place, and yet calling this as warmhearted and hospitable; people stripped to the waist are seen in summer in the street pushing their way on to the bus, and yet calling this to be forthright and sincere, this kind of "helping other with pleasure" and "being warmhearted and hospitable" can only cause the outsiders to avoid them as quickly as possible. Someone says that we like to shout at the top of our voice and to sit around a table eating and drinking, this is only a difference of customs, not the differentiation of superiority and inferiority. But the prevalence of SARS has reminded us that these habits are differentiated into civilization and non-civilization and, what is more, into high and low and advantage and disadvantage; The "base line civilization" is not an insignificant, nor may or may not be the needed part of spiritual civilization construction, but rather they will affect the image of the Chinese people and even public health and security.

Whether or not a country or a region pays attention to the "base line civilization", whether it has passed the "civilization base line" often determines its image in the eyes of others. I remember I went to a big city in south China in a certain year, it was very hot there, although some people were seen thinly clad in alleys and enjoying the cool in front of the doors of their homes; in the streets and in buses, there was even no one dressed in waistcoat, people wore at least short-sleeve, round-collar shirts. Instantly I felt the atmosphere of civilization there, even today I still have a good opinion of the city.

In fact, "base line civilization" is the cultured quality trained through each daily move of people, which is most contacted and easily felt by others. It is the foundation of spiritual civilization. To a certain extent, it can most truly reflect the achievements gained in the construction of spiritual civilization. It is not hard to imagine that a citizen, who pays attention to public morality in each small matter in daily life and does not interfere with others, will, in his eyes, take pleasure in helping others and appropriately make contributions to society, and he regards that as a matter of course and a duty incumbent upon him as a citizen, thereby turning spiritual civilization into a conscious and voluntary action. Otherwise, the construction of civilization will inevitably become water without a source and a tree without roots.

Last summer, Beijing youths launched a movement to clear away those stripped to the waist from the streets and other public places, this action aroused lots of disputes, asserting that this action made a fuss over a trifling matter. In fact, civilization requires us to pay attention even to these small matters-SARS has taught us this truth. The recently published measures of punishing those spitting everywhere by a hefty fine and rewarding those who report offence cases of dumping garbage everywhere have been deeply understood and widely well received by the masses. But uncivilized actions that should be banned are far more than these. With regard to those who pay no attention to public morals, it is still necessary to continue to lay down stipulations on punishment; with respect to uncivilized acts, such as paying no attention to hygiene food and drinking for which regulations on punishment cannot be formulated for the time being, there should at least be things like the guiding principles recently published by the Ministry of Health for SARS control, relevant experts be invited or even nationwide discussion be held to comprehensively examine our habit of conduct and lifestyle, and formulate a systematic and concrete "guiding principle" for civilized actions of residents, pointing out which aspects are civilized, and which aspects are not, people should be taught this from their childhood, and efforts should be made to give wide publicity on this. Whenever necessary and possible, there should be measures for certain restraint or punishment, people should be given the minimal concept of right and wrong and the standard for civilization.

We believe that China which had been known as "a land of civilization and propriety" over 2,000 years ago will, through the disaster of SARS this time, definitely be able to take a further solid step forward in the construction of spiritual civilization, stride over the "bottom line of civilization" and really merge this ancient civilized country into modern civilization.

By People's Daily Online

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