The Plight of Tibet

I was looking through my computer and found something I wrote awhile back, my views might have changed slightly since then but let me post it up here for everyone to see:

Tibet has suffered under the control of the Chinese government since its invasion in 1950s whether this suffering is through economic, political, cultural or religious issues is not of importance with the point or question I’m asking as long as its agreed that this suffering has of course happened by the hands of the Chinese government towards Tibet.

So why have these Chinese come to impose this suffering on Tibet and its Tibetan people? When I talk to some peers they have a similar thought of China only caring for itself and its own people; if they can better themselves by assimilating Tibetans, destroying Tibetan culture, exploiting resources then they will do it, even at the expense of Tibet and Tibetans. Whether the suffering of Tibet and Tibetans is being inflicted by the wishes of the majority of the Chinese people, its government alone or being a changing mix of both since the invasion is debatable but I think we can agree that there is a particular group of Chinese people who has and is inflicting this suffering on Tibet and Tibetans.

Now why and how would these Chinese be able to purposely and willingly inflict suffering on another group in hopes of improving their own situation? Many times I hear the word evil used to describe these Chinese, so how did these Chinese become to be what we see as “evil”?

However these Chinese are a result of their conditions and environment in China during the period in China before Tibet’s invasion and even preceding it. China and its people before Tibet was invaded had already suffered from the Sino-Japanese war during World War II and its its Civil War; suffering over 20 million dead in the Sino-Japanese war alone. During the invasion and shortly after it, China was also suffering from poor economic policies and rounds of natural disasters causing widespread famine which led to the deaths of 40 million Chinese.

This is why these Chinese were able to purposefully and willingly inflict suffering on Tibet and its people in the hopes of improving their own situation. I think that the Chinese, having experienced great suffering from these events, like any human being, were feeling uneasy about their own security and the assurance of their well-being and thus wanted to stop their own suffering and make sure that they never experienced that type of suffering again and so were willing to even impose suffering on another nation and people if it would help them become more powerful as a nation and thus prevent or deter suffering from other foreign powers or exploit the resources of another nation in hopes of creating a better life for themselves free from famine, lack of necessities, etc..

By saying this I don’t justifying what these Chinese people have done to Tibet and Tibetans. What they have done is no doubt wrong but I think what these Chinese people have done is comparable to the Germans after the events of WWI when the German people were suffering from the heavy reparation fees of the Versailles treaty and the Great Depression. When the Nazi party led by Hitler pointed the finger at the Jewish people as the cause of their suffering the Germans persecuted the Jews in hopes of ending their own suffering and hardships.

Thus I think “desperate times call for desperate measures” is suitable saying for these types of actions but even more suitable is that in desperate times people are more willing to try desperate measures; measures that they would not normally think of doing if they were not in such a situation.

I believe that my theory or thought is an optimistic one. In believing that the Chinese inflicting Tibet’s suffering are a result of their own suffering it gives us hope for the future. Once China develops and these people are able to live a life where they can be free from the fears of suffering, I think that the suffering of Tibet and its Tibetans will in turn be ended.

You can agree or disagree with me on this one, if you disagree please reply.