Good Confucianism book (pdf) - Department of Physics

42 Teachings I: The Foundation of a Good Persongrowing a plant, takes work and time. The proper behavior of a morallytrained adult is not based on tastes or on our feelings at the moment: themoral attitude – humanity – cultivated properly, is based on a standard ofright and wrong.The insights Confucius had about humanity and ritual put him in thetop ranks of moral philosophers, but Confucius is not finished yet. He stillhas much more to say about the ideal we must try to live up to and howthat will affect society and government.The GentlemanQu Yuan (c.340 – 278 BCE) was a poet and statesman. He advised his ruler,the king of the state of Chu, against an alliance with the state of Qin. Hewas accused of treason and banished. When Qin captured the capital cityof Chu, Qu Yuan was in such despair that he committed suicide, drowninghimself in the Miluo River.The Dragon Boat Festival, held on the fifth day of the fifth month, includesmaking “ zongzi, ” rice wrapped around a filling, to feed the fish lest they eatQu Yuan ’ s body, and also the dragon boat races as a symbolic attempt tosave this most loyal and honest official. 48A person who can practice both humanity and ritual is called a “ gentleman.” 49 Originally this was a title of nobility referring to the youngersons of a lord. They would have been part of the noble, warring, class.“ Gentleman ” was a title based on birth, not merit.Confucius, however, redefined the word “ gentleman ” to make it a goalone wants to reach. A gentleman is someone with ethical and ritual trainingand a good education, and is an example of moral behavior. A gentlemanis what one should be; he is the paradigm, the model or standard, of whatwe should become. 50 To unify China and bring back the peace and goodgovernment of the early Zhou dynasty, government needed to be led bygentlemen, chosen for their moral character, not their noble birth.With Confucius ’ redefinition, the status of gentleman is not achievedby birth. To become a gentleman one must be trained and educated, andpractice morality.The gentleman is usually described in opposition to the small or pettyman. The small man concentrates on possessions; the gentleman concentrateson virtue. 51 The gentleman helps others build up their good points;the petty man encourages the bad in others. 52 The gentleman corrects hisruler; the petty man agrees with whatever the ruler says. 53 The gentleman ishard to please – things must accord with morality; the petty man is easy toplease because he does not care if things are done morally; the gentlemanis easy to serve because he understands people ’ s abilities; the petty man is