First, allow me to acknowledge some people and organizations that made this conference possible. Xiaozhaung University, and particularly Dr. Tao, graciously provided the facilitates for the conference and many hours of organization, as well as financial support. The China Institute of Clinical Psychology provided organizational and financial support for the conference. The Zhi Mian Institute also provided financial and organizational support over the 2-years of planning for this conference.
Reflecting back, the seeds of this conference may have begun in the words uttered in a hotel lobby about two years ago: “maybe we aren’t thinking big enough.” Mark and I were sitting in a hotel lobby, energized by the reception existential psychology was receiving on the first of our journeys across China. Soon, Xuefu joined us in the planning and the energy quickly began to build. Two years later, here we are. And this is amazing! We have most of the top existential psychology scholars in the world with us here today, in Nanjing, China.
The title “existential psychology” may have emerged in the West, but it does not belong to the West. In the West, the first use of the word “existential” was applied to a particular group of ideas well after the death of Soren Kierkegaard, who is commonly identified as the originator of existential thought. In much the same way, existentialism has had a presence in Eastern thought well before the label ever came here.
And this was our purpose from day 1, to bring Western existential thought into dialogue with Eastern existential thought. The dialogues are about encounter, mutual exchange, and mutual learning. This is now my third trip to China focused on existential psychology. We have also hosted Mark, Xuefu, Charolette, and JiaJia in Colorado as they have brought indigenous Chinese existential ideas to the United States. Although there is much commonality in Eastern and Western approaches to existential psychology, there are also challenges and the need for cultural adaptation and critique. This, too, has been central in our intentions and what we have engaged in over the past three years. What we embark on today is a continuance of this process with an invitation for all of you to be participants as we learn, create, and grow together. From this encounter, I am certain we will grow individually and collectively, and that we will push existential psychology to grow along with us.
Today, I am proud to be here beginning this awe-filled journey with so many friends. I am joined by students who have lived the Nietzsche lines that “a student repays his [or her] teacher poorly if remaining nothing but a pupil.” You more than students; you have undertaken this journey with me and you are my friends, my colleagues, and my teachers. I am honored, this trip, to be joined by many colleagues from the United States who are the foremost leaders in existential psychology as well as individuals who embody the existential spirit and are among the top psychology scholars in the United States. I am proud to be joined by many leading scholars from the East who I have been privileged to get to know and others who I hope to begin getting to know over the next three days. You have humbly taught me much. Last, it is one of the great honors of my life to be standing here with my two good friends, Mark Yang and Xuefu Wang, who have worked tirelessly promoting and developing existential psychology in China. Mark, having studied and contributed to existential psychology in the United States and China, symbolizes this east-west dialogue. Xuefu is a true scholar of Chinese culture and existential psychology. Indeed, I believe Xuefu is rightly identified as the leading scholar of indigenous Chinese existential psychology. We are all part of this very prestigious group that is making history in existential psychology. Now let us join together to begin the journey.
I like the writing structure of your blog and it does a pretty decent job of presenting the material.
Posted by: Belstaff Clothing outlets | November 14, 2011 at 04:08 PM