The Timeless Tale of East vs. West

Having walked half my days beneath Eastern skies and the other half where the Western sun rises, I could not have been offered a truer theme nor a topic more fitting than the timeless tale of East versus West. Meant to be presented at the VIII Media Forum on Human Rights, Journalistic Freedom, and Information Security, my travel, hampered from the start by my own journalistic adventures, ultimately revealed an irony that came full circle to mock me in part but revealed a sharper truth beneath the snigger. So here it is—the presentation I intended to deliver—finding its way out albeit ensnared in written form.

To frame the discussion, let’s begin by articulating what Eastern and Western values entail. Allow me to state at the onset that for this exercise, "Easterner" refers to those who espouse Eastern values, and "Westerner" refers to those who embrace Western values. Neither is demarcated by geography, ethnicity, or nationality.

Easterners value and prioritize collectivism, social harmony, and respect for authority and elders. They emphasize hierarchical systems and long-term, relationship-focused economic practices. By contrast, Westerners emphasize individualism, personal freedom, and self-expression. They encourage one to question authority and favor egalitarian and democratic systems that focus on individual rights, direct negotiation, competition, and short-term gains in economic interactions.

To the Easterner, time is cyclical, where patience and continuity are valued. Communication is indirect and high context, relying on shared experiences and nonverbal cues. In education, focus is placed on rote learning and respect for teachers. To the Westerner, time is linear, where punctuality and progress are emphasized. Communication is generally direct, low-context, and explicit. In education, emphasis is placed upon critical thinking, creativity, and independent thought.

How fundamental differences shape international relations and geopolitics?

Given that Easterners prioritize collective identity, tradition, authoritarian control, multipolarity, and regional sovereignty, and Westerners emphasize individual rights, democracy, liberal pluralism, and unipolar global leadership, this fundamental divide has evidently fueled geopolitical tensions over regime legitimacy, human rights pressures, and competition through military, economic, and proxy conflicts. This is exemplified most noticeably by rivalries such as Russia versus NATO.

Beyond Eastern and Western values, cultural divisions also work to drive conflicts in regions like the Middle East and South Asia. While Western interventions are perceived as intrusive, Eastern autocracies are seen as threatening, fostering mutual distrust and hostile narratives that the West loves to finger-point for fueling global proxy wars and diplomatic tensions. The starkly divided backing for authoritarian and democratic allies perfectly captures the paradox of the pot calling the kettle black.

As illustrated above, irreconcilable features of Eastern and Western values have brought on conflicts, amplified them, or both. Nonetheless, the way forward does not lie in overpowering one set of values with the other or forcing one to yield, but in discovering a path that bridges both—allowing each to flourish where they differ without imposition, while embracing their common ground to create synergy and mutual respect.

But where and how do we start? As a mother raising a Eurasian, this is a question I asked of myself very early on. Should I be tilting my child more to the East or the West? Of her varied nationalities and diverse ethnicities, how do I choose which to nurture as her dominant one? This is where the epiphany of looking beyond Eastern and Western values hit hard—for me to examine the overlooked influence of religious values, Christianity in our case, which I will draw upon to illustrate my points.

In Christianity, I have been able to find zests of Eastern values and hues of Western ones. I have also been able to discern where they intersect to bring forth a burst of flavors and colors that accentuate their fusion. Beyond classroom walls, I have thrust my offspring into the school of life, where she could see beyond borders, nationalities, cultures, languages, and ethnicities to see just how very different and similar people are—unshaped by the aforementioned, but something more instrumental and impactful, which would be the values inculcated by their upbringing, their circumstances, and ultimately, their beliefs and values.

This would explain why I feel a deeper connection to a fellow believer (in Christ) than someone who shares my political views or the country inscribed upon my passport. This would explain why I could connect with someone who speaks a language other than those I know if we both share an allegiance to a power far superior to all earthly kings.

A different kind of political identity?

So, I implore us to consider this: what if we could all adopt a different kind of political identity, one that is neither right, left, nor centrist, but one that sees us all as exiles in Babylon? Wouldn’t that cultivate a kind of theological tension to stretch our intellect and spirit in such a way that we could maintain complex biblical truths in balance without contradiction?

Save for Sergey Naryshkin (Russian Intel chief), who accurately identified the nature of the Ukraine conflict at the Moscow Conference on International Security in 2023, I fear most have missed out on its ultimate root cause. How can any of us—Russians, Americans, Chinese, Japanese, Arabs, etc.—possibly defeat the enemy when we are so clueless as to what we are battling against? This lack of clarity about the true nature of our common adversary is a major obstacle to resolving these conflicts that are characterized by strategic manipulation, indirect warfare, and global rivalries playing out in shadowy ways.

Indeed, among my friends, very few share my worldview or my faith. But I’ve come to realize that my journey begins by crossing the rivers of comfort—geographic, emotional, and political—in search of common ground. My humble offering is simply to show up and invite the sacred presence to take its place at the table; for in my deepest powerlessness, it is the whisper of the Holy Spirit that moves within us to knit a sacred bridge between our conflicting values and a higher divine purpose, where true conviction and unity can take root without human circus.

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