Op-Ed Contributors

Why officials are superstitious

By Zhang Zhouxiang (China Daily)
Updated: 2010-06-24 07:39

That mentality is popular among some officials even today. They cannot be blamed for trying to further their personal careers, Li says. The uncertainty of promotion somehow strengthens their sense of mysteriousness about their political future. Such officials hope to get help from mysterious powers to further their political careers by worshipping deities and getting the blessings of monks and priests.

Li says utility not religious or spiritual quest drives them toward superstition. It is essentially a blind and greedy pursuit of power and fortune. "Only those who cannot find relief in public beliefs resort to superstition."

In modern society, what a person believes in is usually considered a personal matter. But when an official's superstition interferes with the public power entrusted in him, it calls for remedial measures. After studying the cases of superstitious officials involved in corruption, Li found that some of them had accepted bribes or misappropriated public funds only after monks or Taoist priests told them that the chances of being caught for their crimes were very low. This shows there is a link between superstition and power, which often leads to corruption.

In a broader sense, superstition among some officials reflects the problems of the entire society: lack of shared norms in belief. In his new book Believing Without Identitying: The Sociological Interpretation of Spiritual Beliefs in Contemporary China, Li emphasizes there is no platform where believers can exchange their views and share their feelings. Lack of communication has led to distortion in belief.

The present impulsiveness of people, he says, can be partly attributed to this lack of norms in belief, religious or social. It is necessary to reconstruct social belief, Li says. Only commonly approved norms in belief can give individuals a sense of belonging and identity, and offer them enough spiritual satisfaction. This applies not only to officials, but to other individuals as well.

All components of society, from the government to the ordinary citizen, have a role to play in reconstructing this social belief. "Only shared norms in belief can offer a solid foundation for construction of social identity. Shared norms in belief will bring peace and relief to the minds of the people, and support the development of the entire society."

(China Daily 06/24/2010 page9)