Smell the roses: positive trends and Western accomplishments

Of course non-Western cultures have their own beautiful distinguishing traits, like the penchant of the Chinese to value social harmony above all, and the notion of lotus-like morality (a shining flower amidst the muck) in India. Of course there is great diversity within the West, from the dour Lutherans of the North to the ruthlessly selfish of the ultra-West, and not all incarnations of Western life display all of the great five accomplishments in equal measure.

Still, we encounter the fruits of all five in every Western country, and far less of them anywhere else. Outside the West, there are few public spaces to be seen and heard in, little grace towards our true nature and that of our neighbours, little in the way of universal art that speaks to us all and thereby reminds us of our common struggles in this world, little investment in and harvesting of diversity, and no true belief in the separation of powers that motivates power-sharing.

It is because of the benefits available from the five accomplishments above that the rest of the world migrates to the West and stays there, while few Westerners opt to live outside of the West unless those places are themselves more Westernised, like Hong Kong was for a while. These five elements define what it means to be of the West: stunning historical accomplishments to cherish, to nurture, and to expand in our hearts and minds.

The West is great because it has successfully charted a path of inherent tension that acknowledges, yet separates, two core ingredients needed for human thriving that appear to be in conflict. The first is a brutally honest intellect that determines how things actually work and is realistic about the corrupting influence of power. The second is acceptance of human nature and allowing that nature to spill out into open places where soothing lies, beauty, and ideas can be shared with one another. To this point in history, these unlikely bedfellows of cold reason and warm love have shown themselves to be an unbeatable combination for producing human thriving.