I heard an interview with Sidney Rittenberg on NPR last night and wanted to learn more about him.
I found out from this article written by Drew Brown that Sidney Rittenberg is amongst other things - a professor of History and Philosophy at Pacific Lutheran University (PLU). He went to China in World War II as an U.S. Army soldier and ended up staying 35 years.
He spent 16 of those years in Chinese prisons. He was incarcerated from 1949 to 1955 after being accused of being a U.S. spy by Joseph Stalin; and again from 1968 to 1978 for criticizing the government during the Cultural Revolution.
Nowadays he is a teacher and a business consultant for China/U.S. firms. He is considered a hero by the Chinese for not turning against China even with the personal mistreatment he suffered through.
One of the things that caught my ear in the interview yesterday was his comment that corporations may not always be the evil demons some of us think. He said he met some of the most honest, compassionate and enlightened people in his dealings with business people.
Not only is he a practical minded consultant but he has some really great things to say about what constitutes the "good life" as evidenced by this quote from the PLU article -
"Of great importance to Rittenberg, who gave the commencement address in May 2003, is finding happiness and encouraging others to do so. "College students will have spirited, lively discussions about philosophy, but when asked about happiness, they’re stumped," Rittenberg said.
He has maintained happiness by continuing his work to improve relations between the US and China. Along with teaching, lectures and frequent trips back to China, he and Yulin have established Rittenberg & Associates, which consults individuals, agencies and businesses who work with China.
"The road to happiness leads through other people’s hearts," he said. "It doesn’t matter how much you are able to accomplish. It’s the attempt, trying to serve others, that is important. It’s not the quantity, it’s the quality."
Wishing all you young people, students everywhere, a great deal of happiness.
Here's a link to an article by Sidney Rittenberg at Amazon titled - MAN WHO STAYED BEHIND
and a book by the same name written by Sidney Rittenberg and Mike Wallace.
