Today, I bought a lunch box Chinese food, and I opened plastic bag discovered some art on my lunch box that really ignited my anger. the portrait shew a Chinese servant maid holding a serving plate while kneeling, such small designed print that really says something about Chinese culture and mentality about society, relationship with others, this position you never find in other culture beside Japanese and Korean, that both two countries are heavily influenced by empire era Chinese. It also reminded me how different the Western culture on this kneeling position, one position defines two people's rank, stand, value, relation, respect, how they must treat each other and how others must observe and abide this social greeting. In ancient China, son knelt before his father, people to emperor, common to official, wife to husband, live to deceased, today this lunch box designer painted an picture that restaurant waitress kneeling and serving her customer. But in Western art, there are not a lot of kneeling, I don't recall many prophets knelt before angels or God, did Moses or Jacob kneel? or any disciples to Jesus? Bible does not clearly state, or I should troll God wants us to be His friend, not His slave. However I found some related to kneeling, Ajax sorted of kneeling preparing his death, I guess the artist wanted readers to know Ajax cared nothing about worldly honor before his death, another record clearly stated a sinner begged for Lord's forgiveness so he knelt (NT), and now Tebow brand kneeling that involves prayer and thank to God for winning game. I think Westerners understand the true meaning of this position better than most Chinese, even nowadays most or almost every Chinese have no basic education of this kneeling art, one of great example: June 4th, Student kneeling down to beg China officials (the people's servants) for discussion of freedom and human rights. No wonder Democracy society was developed and built 2000 year ago in Greek and then spread to West, and China now still has no civil solution for political affair, it's the people don't have knowledge about basic value and stand on relationship. I kneel down to no one, I only bow down to truth. I now put a few kneeling pictures here to point out the fundamental difference .
Sonnet 121
'Tis better to be vile than vile esteemed,
When not to be receives reproach of being,
And the just pleasure lost which is so deemed
Not by our feeling but by others' seeing.
For why should others' false adulterate eyes
Give salutation to my sportive blood?
Or on my frailties why are frailer spies,
Which in their wills count bad what I think good?
No, I am that I am, and they that level
At my abuses reckon up their own;
I may be straight, though they themselves be bevel.
By their rank thoughts my deeds must not be shown,
Unless this general evil they maintain:
All men are bad, and in their badness reign.
