On a sunny day, Simon von Friedrich Schükuz, an Israeli netizen who is fluent in Chinese, was very confused and curious.
He had a deep interest in Chinese culture, but in an exchange with his Chinese friends, he realized that they had little reaction to the idea of Jews as "God's chosen people."
This surprised him very much because in his culture it was a concept that was highly respected and recognized. Simon decided to post on a popular Chinese forum to try to explore the phenomenon.
The title of his post was straight to the point: "Why can't I communicate with the Chinese: Why don't you have reverence after hearing that Jews are God's chosen people?" quickly attracted a large number of clicks and replies, sparking a heated discussion.
In the post, Simon expressed his confusion and incomprehension. He argues that even if Chinese do not practice religion, there should be some degree of respect or reverence at least when they hear that a certain ethnic group is seen as "God's chosen people."
And he found that his Chinese friends seemed indifferent to this, which puzzled him. The responses from Chinese netizens ranged from sarcastic language to attempts to explain cultural differences.
One netizen wrote: "When Confucius opened the lecture, Jesus was not yet born, and our cultural roots are very different from yours. We respect all cultures and beliefs, but that doesn't mean we have to be in awe of everything. ”
Another netizen was more straightforward: "What we Chinese respect most is our ancestors and time-honored traditions. Our beliefs lie in culture and history, not in a specific religious image. ”
The discussion became more and more lively, and netizens engaged in in-depth discussions on the themes of freedom of belief, cultural diversity, and how to coexist in respect.
Some netizens have tried to explain this phenomenon from a philosophical and sociological point of view, arguing that the expression of "awe" in each culture can be completely different, and that not all cultures see awe as an emotion directly related to religion or gods.
After reading these comments, Simon began to reflect on the fact that his starting point may have been too one-sided. He realized that while Jews had a special place in their own cultural background, that status was not a universal concept.
He began to understand that the expressions of cultural identity and beliefs are diverse, and that people from different cultural backgrounds may have completely different values and belief systems.
In today's rapidly globalized world, people from different cultural backgrounds increasingly need to resolve possible conflicts through communication and understanding. Everyone has their own beliefs and values, but in this diverse world, it is the responsibility of every member of society to seek common ground and mutual respect.