Under Walls

Once, globalization promised the beautiful vision of a “global village”—free flow of capital, borderless information, and unobstructed movement of goods and talent. Yet, in just over a decade, this illusion has rapidly faded. In its place, towering “walls” have risen again. From geopolitical camp divisions, trade tariffs, and financial sanctions to technological blockades in semiconductors and AI; from physical border fences and escalating arms races to ubiquitous algorithmic firewalls and information censorship, the world seems to be swiftly fracturing into a battleground between East and West.

This grand “wall-building movement” is not just distant international news; it profoundly and harshly reshapes the daily lives of ordinary people. Supply chain ruptures trigger inflation, assets shrink amidst currency and sanction volatility, and even online polarization makes cross-cultural communication hostile. Faced with this cold maze of de-globalization, how should ordinary people navigate the cracks of this camp confrontation? The British political philosopher Thomas Hobbes and the ancient Greek Cynic master Diogenes, offering the extreme perspectives of cold order and wild freedom, deconstruct this towering wall of our times.

Thomas Hobbes: The Defensive Bulwark of Iron Chains

If the cold-eyed Hobbes were to examine today’s international landscape, he would not be surprised by de-globalization and rising barriers. In his view, this is merely humanity shedding the facade of peace and returning to the essential “state of nature.”

• The War of All Against All: In his masterpiece Leviathan, Hobbes asserts that without a supreme global sovereign, nations inherently exist in a “potential state of war,” constantly guarding against one another. In an international jungle devoid of trust, it is pure self-preservation for every nation to pour resources into arms races, tech blockades, and financial walls to prevent sabotage and invasion.
• Covenants Without the Sword: Hobbes delivered a ruthless warning: “Covenants, without the sword, are but words.” The free markets and international treaties championed by globalization crumble before absolute power. As great power struggles escalate, treaties can vanish instantly. The race for technology and resources is simply each side forging their own protective “sword.”
• Safety Behind Iron Chains: Symbolizing the “Iron Chains,” Hobbes reminds modern individuals not to drown in naive fantasies of a borderless utopia. National barriers, financial controls, and information moats are essentially heavy, defensive iron chains. While they restrict flow and freedom, they act as shields blocking external risks and preserving internal order amid chaos. For the individual, recognizing the boundaries of camps and rules, and securing defensive layouts for survival and assets, is the foundation for standing firm in turbulent times.

Diogenes: The Illusory Cage Blown Away by the Gale

In stark contrast to Hobbes’s fearful defensive mindset, Diogenes, living in his barrel, would act as a wild, unbridled “Gale,” fiercely mocking the modern world’s frantic wall-building and camp antagonism.

• I Am a Citizen of the World: In ancient Greece, where city-state borders were rigid and outsiders were deemed barbarians, Diogenes groundbreakingly declared: “I am a citizen of the world (Cosmopolitan).” In his eyes, artificial borders, racial barriers, and East-West divisions are merely false concepts used by rulers to manufacture fear, incite hatred, and enforce dominance. The earth has no borders; it is humanity’s obsession that builds invisible prisons.
• Stand Out of My Sun: When Alexander the Great, having conquered most of the known world, stood proudly before Diogenes and asked what boon he desired, Diogenes didn’t even bother to move, leaving behind a legendary sneer at power: “Stand out of my sun.” To today’s politicians and oligarchs grandstanding about semiconductor sanctions and financial hegemony, Diogenes would offer the same cold laugh: these grand narratives are nothing but shadows blocking ordinary people from enjoying life and breathing free air.
• Breaking Walls with the Gale: Symbolizing the “Gale,” Diogenes believed that the higher the walls the world builds, the more individuals must master spiritual liberation. The scramble for resources and tech supremacy stems entirely from greed and vanity. When a person’s material desires are minimal and their inner self is self-sufficient, secular walls cannot trap them in the slightest. Let the external world panic and build its barriers; the individual can still be a free, wandering guest of heaven and earth.

Philosophical Divide and Conclusion

Hobbes and Diogenes present a intense collision between realistic order and spiritual freedom regarding “wall-building and de-globalization”:

• Hobbes, starting from defense and covenants, views wall-building as an inevitable tool in a cruel jungle. He advocates adapting to the order of iron chains, prioritizing safety and risk resistance.
• Diogenes, starting from authenticity and cynicism, views high walls as illusory products of fear-mongering power. He calls for breaking mental barriers with gale-like self-sufficiency and a cosmopolitan mindset.

Advice for Modern People: Caught in the storm of de-globalization, we must neither be overly romantic nor fall into endless collective anxiety. In terms of material survival and assets, we can adopt Hobbes’s sobriety, seeing through the jungle laws of the world without blind illusions. Build a “moat” of personal assets, professional skills, and information security to withstand shocks. However, in terms of spirit and self-awareness, we must equip ourselves with Diogenes’s gale-like audacity, refusing to be led by fanatic polarization or hateful rhetoric. Even as the world erects thousands of walls, your mind can still roam free across the universe as a lucid, self-sufficient citizen of the world.

Which philosophy of life do you lean towards in the face of this era’s tide?

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