On Confucianism

The Master said, “At fifteen, I had my mind bent on learning. At thirty, I stood firm. At forty, I had no doubts. At fifty, I knew the decrees of Heaven. At sixty, my ear was an obedient organ for the reception of truth. At seventy, I could follow what my heart desired, without transgressing what was right (from the Confucian Analects).”

It would not be appropriate to see Confucianism as a religion. It is a school of thought: a school in which the Master himself (Confucius) did not see himself as a creator of original thought but a vessel of the Universe. His words have echoed through time and influenced many great minds.

Confucius wished to “create a harmonious society (p. 236 Molloy).” He “believed that each human being is capable of being good, refined, and even great (p. 236 Molloy)…” His “idea of a perfect society was one in which every member of society would be cared for and protected, and no one would feel abandoned (p. 237 Molloy).”

Born to a poor family, Confucius was a shy child and was not remarkable in means of physical beauty or athletic achievement. In a world where battle was at the forefront of a male universe, Confucius had nothing significant to offer. However, he took to knowledge like a fish to water, and his mother nurtured this within him until her untimely death.

Confucianism can be analyzed in two main segments. We must study the Five Great Virtues and the Five Great Relationships to truly understand the Confucian school of thought. The Five Great Virtues are Ren (Empathy), Li (Appropriate behavior), Shu (Reciprocity), Xiao (Filial Piety or ancestral devotion), Wen (Culture or love of music, art, poetry). I feel most aligned to the concept of Shu. We are certainly well versed in our culture to the thought process of the Golden Rule which would be of a similar nature.

Shu represents not only receiving what is needed but also giving what you can to aid another human being. In a society that is very wrapped up in taking what we need to survive and climb our corporate ladder of choice, the ideal of reciprocity speaks loudly to me. I find its voice to be soothing and honorable. If all would honestly give as much as they proceed to take, what a wonder filled world this could truly be.

The other major segmentation of Confucianism comes in the representation of the Five Great Relationships. They are Father, Son; Older brother, Younger brother; Husband, Wife; Elder, Younger; Ruler, Subject.

I think the relationship that most intrigues me in the Five Great Relationships would be the Husband to Wife. Primarily we have lost the element of family in this country. A husband and wife must strike and imperative balance in order to raise a successful family unit. A husband is seen as being the leader, the strength, the money maker, the decision maker. The wife is seen as running the household, the one who will nurture and care for the husband, children and household. While some may view that as a very fifties view from our culture’s perspective, I think it can be done in such a way as to create family harmony.

If each relationship category operated within its well versed territory as Confucius states should be done there would be a beautiful harmonic flow in the society as it would naturally develop in this method of operation.

We have in the Western culture development, sought individual liberty which has positives and negatives as any element would. On the negative aspect, I see that striking out in a direction of betterment of self, only invited stepping on others in the path to your own personal achievement.

            The grand thread throughout Confucianism would be to follow the ideals of the five virtues and the five relationships in order to reach a state where one has become a superior person (junzi). “The Master said, a gentleman takes as much trouble to discover what is right as lesser men take to discover what will pay (from the Analects, p. 245 Molloy).”

            As in Taoism, one would strive to be as perfect in deed as one would also strive to be perfect in thought. Life was about learning. Life was striving to exist in a natural state of harmony. “A gentleman covets the reputation of being slow in word but prompt in deed (p. 245 Molloy).”

            Another component of Confucianism that I greatly enjoyed was its magnetism to the arts. Wen is a love of culture: music, art, and poetry. A soul being expressed freely to me is beautiful. “Confucianism has been a great patron of the Chinese arts (p. 251 Molloy).

            Basically, a conclusive thought regarding Confucianism would be that if one were to adequately follow the structured thoughts of the Master, one would become a person of honor, a person of good deed, a person who loved the arts, a person who was dedicated to knowledge and finding harmony within one’s society.

            Confucianism marries well to almost any religion because it is a school of thought not a religious persuasion. It holds high concepts of intelligence, valor, strength of mind, and actions that portray one in honorable societal light. There are no gods to worship. There are no rites of passage. There are no holy days or traditions, only a school of thought built on strong logic meant to be followed with a perfectionist’s tenacity to allow one to rise above the average of the societal stance and become the best of oneself.

            Because it is a school of thought, I see Confucianism lasting for many ages to come, able to supplement any people, with any belief, in any time period. It is a strong foundation for any human being committed to excellence of thought, and excellence of deed.