Who would you rather?

A few days ago I began training in invasive techniques for the treatment of chronic pain. The goal is to improve my knowledge and skills so I can later apply them to patients who need them. The specialists who are helping me with my training are very pleasant and intelligent people.

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With them I didn’t only talk about pain relief. We also talked about other topics. From all this debate, a very interesting question arose: Which country would you prefer to dominate the world, the USA or China?

It had never occurred to me to ask myself this question. Perhaps because the propaganda in my country has conditioned me to believe that the only ones who want to dominate the world are the United States, when deep down we know that most people in the world would do the same if they had enough power.

The opinions of both colleagues were divided. One of them preferred China as the hegemonic agent, arguing the very subtle and non-violent way in which they have managed to become the greatest threat to the Americans.

Some political scientists accuse China of using economic methods that harm small economic actors worldwide. This is very likely true, but it would be hypocritical to make such claims while at the same time forgetting the inhumane methods that Americans have used up to this day—almost as if it were a case of selective amnesia.

I understand that telling the truth to a bully, in most cases, means risking many things, including one’s life. But another country that seeks its development and does so through agreements that benefit all parties should not be attacked in this way.

The other colleague would prefer the USA, but his choice was based on how the Chinese mindset over the years has turned them into exploiters when it comes to labor. My colleague justified his position by pointing out the flaws of the Chinese instead of mentioning real benefits of American dominance.

I understand that so much discipline in Asian cultures has made the rest of the world perceive that they have limited freedom. But freedom is always limited; at least in Asia we don’t see as many shootings and acts of sabotage as we do in the West in the 21st century.

Ideally, there would be no great boss; instead, we would all respect one another, adopt good customs, or there would be no borders. However, human beings are self-destructive. It is impossible for someone else not to want what is mine. Being “rational” has been proportional to being evil and selfish—or perhaps evil is the fair price for dominating the planet. What do you prefer?

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_{English isn't m native language. Text traslated with ChatGPT}

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