Confucius Says Essay

In this essay I would like to consider the activity and heritage of the outstanding Chinese philosopher – Confucius. It should be noted that Confucius (551 B.C. – 479 B.C.) – is the ancient Chinese thinker and philosopher. Without any doubts, his teachings had a profound impact on the lives of China and East Asia, becoming the basis for a system of philosophy known as Confucianism.
As a matter of fact, Confucius was a descendant of a noble family. He was the son of 63-years old civil servant Shū Liang-he and 17-years old concubine named Yan Zhēng-zai. However, Confucius’s father died shortly thereafter, and, fearing the wrath of his lawful wife, the mother of Confucius and his son left the house in which he was born. It should be noted that from early childhood Confucius worked and lived in poverty. Later, he came to conclusion that he should be a cultured man, so he began to educate himself. In his youth, Confucius served as minor official in the kingdom of Lu (East China, the modern Shandong province). This was the time of sunset Zhou Empire, when the emperor became nominal, in that time the patriarchal society were destroyed and nobility were replaced by the rulers of separate kingdoms, which were surrounded by humble servants, as stated in Confucius: A Biography.
The collapse of the ancient foundations of family and clan life, internecine strife, corruption and greed of officials, distress and suffering of ordinary people – all these factors aroused strong criticism of Confucius. Consequently, after realizing the impossibility to influence the policy of the state, Confucius resigned and left, accompanied by his disciples on his trip to China, during which he tried to convey his ideas to the rulers of different areas of China. At the age of 60, Confucius came home and lived the last of life teaching new disciples, as well as classifying the literary heritage of the past. After his death, the disciples of Confucius systematized his sayings and wrote the book “Lun Yu” (Conversations and judgments), which became the most revered book of Confucianism.
It should be noted that the number of disciples of Confucius is determined by the Chinese scientists up to 3000, but in reality it is impossible to calculate his disciples, however, only the names of 26 disciples are known, the favorite of them was Yen-Yuan, as described in Confucius: A Biography.
Although Confucianism is often called a religion, it has not institution of the church, and it is not important to the issues of theology. As a fact, Confucian ethics is irreligious. It can be said that Confucian ideal is the creation of a harmonious society in the ancient pattern of which every person has his functions. Harmonious society is built on the idea of ​​loyalty – loyalty to the relationship between superior and subordinate, aimed to preserving the harmony of this society as a whole. It should be noted that Confucius formulated the golden rule of ethics: “What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others”, as stated in Confucius and Chinese Philosophy.
Further, I would like to provide the five constants of a righteous man, according to Confucius.
Benevolence – means human principle, love for people, kindness, mercy, humanity. Benevolence – is the human beginning in man, which is also his duty. It is impossible to say what a person does by not answering at once to the question, what is his moral vocation. In other words, a man is what he makes from himself. Follow the Benevolence means to guide with compassion and love for people. In the XVII century in Britain was formed the ideal of the perfect man as a gentleman. This is what distinguishes man from beast, that is something that opposes animal qualities of savagery, treachery, and cruelty.
Righteousness – means truth, justice. Although adherence to Righteousness it is not a sin, the man follows righteousness as it is should be. As a fact, Righteousness is based on the reciprocity: thus, we have to honor our parents in gratitude for the fact, that they raised us. This category balances the quality and tells a noble man necessary firmness and severity and also opposed to selfishness: “a noble man is seeking Righteousness, and low – the benefits”, as described in Confucius quotes.
Li – means custom, rite, ritual, loyalty to the rituals. Li considers the respect for parents and governors. In a more general sense, Li – is any activity aimed at preserving the fabric of society. The word “ritual” – is not only equivalent to the corresponding Chinese term “Li”, which can be translated as rule, ceremony, etiquette, or more precisely, the custom. In the most general form of a ritual means specific norms and social patterns of decent behavior. It can be interpreted as a kind of connection of the social organism.
Wisdom – in common sense, prudence, wisdom, discretion – the ability of a person to calculate the consequences of his actions, look at them from the outside, in the long term. According to Confucius, Wisdom opposes stupidity.
Letter – honesty, good intentions, integrity. Letter prevents the hypocrisy, as describe in Recalling the Teachings of Confucius: The Virtuous Character of a Superior Man.
It should be noted that moral obligations, as they materialize in the ritual, become a matter of education and culture. These concepts of Confucius were not divorced. They are all included in the content category “Wen” (originally this word meant a person with painted body, tattoo). As a fact, Wen can be interpreted as the cultural meaning of human existence, like education. This is not a secondary artificial creation of man and not his primary natural fiber.
To sum it up I would like to say that Confucius is a Chinese philosopher, who lived 2500 years ago and still has an important impact on the lives of Chinese people. In contemporary China, there have been enormous changes, and, nevertheless, the ideas and ethical values ​​of Confucius are not forgotten and discarded in China. Confucians tend to self-improvement, which in fact involves two planes: the first – is to separate the man from the animal world, and the second – to gain wisdom. Moreover, I would like to provide my favorite quote of Confucius: “By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest”, as described in Confucius quotes. Thus, everyone can improve himself and become better.