Moderator: Good afternoon. We have gathered 12 heroes who live on in the pages of history to hear their valuable opinions on the new challenge of our era, 'sustainable development for the Earth.'
Even in the shame of castration, I did not stop recording history, for it was my calling to pass down the truth to posterity. Sustainable development is also a matter of 'recording for the future.' We must record, without a shred of falsehood, how the Earth is sickening at this very moment and what efforts we are making. This record will be the sole basis upon which future generations will judge our era. So that we are not recorded as shameful ancestors, we must face the truth and write a just history.
I unified the scattered realm and standardized the weights, measures, and script. The crisis of the Earth today is also a problem of division. How can a unified response be possible when each state sets its own arbitrary standards! Sustainable development must be governed by a strong 'central power.' If it were me, I would unify the world's carbon emission standards and sentence those who do not comply to labor building a Great Wall. For a great cause, minor opposition must be silenced. Only strong laws and unified standards can end this chaos.
My strength could lift the world, yet I ended my own life. I was too focused on crushing the enemy before me to see the bigger picture. Is humanity today not trapped in a grand encirclement of 'environmental destruction' while being preoccupied with the immediate enemy of 'economic growth'? Sustainable development is about learning from my failure. Instead of just showing off strength, wisdom is needed to sometimes retreat and look around. The waters of the Wu River did not wait for me, but perhaps we still have time to turn the Earth back.
I was not of noble birth like Xiang Yu, but I won the realm by winning the hearts of the people. How could I feast alone while the people starved? Sustainable development is the same. It's not about difficult terms or grand plans. We must first consider the hearts of the children suffering from fine dust and the farmers whose crops have failed due to climate change. I would start with policies that provide practical help to their lives, like installing eco-friendly boilers and reviving small streams. He who wins the hearts of the people wins the realm; a policy that wins public support is one that will ultimately succeed.
I stepped back to read the entire board and made my move at the decisive moment. Haste always spoils things. The sustainability of the Earth must be approached with the wisdom that "a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." If we try to change everything at once, we will face immense resistance. Instead, I propose a stratagem of "using grain to feed soldiers." That is, we must slowly change the constitution of the economy by steadily stockpiling the 'new military rations' of green industries, and wait for public opinion to ripen before implementing decisive policies. True strategy lies in not rushing.
Heroes on the battlefield are important, but it is ultimately law and administration that govern a realm. I quietly supplied provisions from the rear and secured the laws and maps of the Guanzhong region to lay the foundation for unification. Sustainable development depends on 'unseen administration.' I propose building a global resource database, legislating a waste tracking system, and creating a framework to manage all environmental policies for flawless execution. More important than a flashy battle is the meticulous domestic governance that ensures the system runs without a hitch.
I was never defeated on the battlefield, yet I was killed by the sword of politics. My strategies were discarded. Even the most brilliant strategy is useless if the ruler does not use it. There already exist numerous technologies and policies like 'divine moves' that can solve the climate crisis. The problem is the lack of political leadership to implement them. Sustainable development, in the end, is about not repeating the folly of 'killing the hound after the hunt.' We need leaders who will listen to the voices of scientists and experts and boldly implement their proposals. You cannot win a war if you doubt your brilliant generals.
We chose to starve in the mountains rather than eat the grain of the unrighteous Zhou dynasty, for upholding our integrity was more important than life itself. Humanity today is surviving by eating the 'unrighteous grain' of fossil fuels, knowing full well that it sickens the Earth and threatens the lives of future generations. True sustainable development must begin with the firm decision to stop consuming this 'unrighteous grain.' Though it may be inconvenient and painful, we must reject the benefits of a destructive civilization and choose a life of contentment with the minimal gifts of a pure nature.
I am Jing Ke, the assassin who threw his life away to eliminate the great evil that was the King of Qin. For the peace of the realm, a dagger-like decision is sometimes necessary. Who is the greatest 'tyrant' threatening the Earth today? It is the giant corporations that lead environmental destruction for immense profit and the political forces that protect them. Demanding gradual change from them is a fool's errand. Sustainable development sometimes requires bold action that aims directly at the heart of this great evil. Through 'daggers' like global boycotts and powerful civil disobedience, we must bring down those who resist the system's change in one fell swoop.
I was a loyal minister of Chu, but was driven out by the slander of treacherous officials and threw myself into the Miluo River. I chose a clean death rather than compromise with a dirty world. Seeing the rivers and seas of the Earth polluted today feels as if my heart is drowning in the Miluo once again. The problem of sustainable development is not one of technology or institutions, but of the 'spirit.' We can never purify the world without first washing away the 'filth' of greed and selfishness from the human heart. I believe we must begin by reviving a clear and fragrant spirit of love for nature in people's hearts through poetry and art.