Discusses Confucius contributions Essay

Confucius life was of grand importance in the forming of Chinese culture. Confucius plan and simple approach to life, revealed his dusky seeded beliefs that through great hu while effort maven place shape their own future. He had great faith in the common man and believed that they are teachable and perfectible. Confucius believed that ordinary humans could be tot up awe-inspiring with wisdom and great knowledge. The quest to improve ones egotism became deeply rooted in the Confucian heritage. Confucius concept of cleanistic rectitude was considered part of the pursuit to becoming the perfected per word of honor. Confucius was devoted to nurture and teaching. His teaching emphasized self-improvement and moral rectitude. When his words for the sake of the self are explored it becomes clear Confucius was constant in his belief of self-improvement through out his life and his work.Confucius was a philosopher, teacher and political figure that lived from (551-479 BC) in the st ate of Lu, now know as the Shandong province. He was a fraction of the minor aristocracy and bureaucratic class during that time. By the time of his birth, his family had on the face of it become poverty-stricken. He was known for his conservation of the traditions of ritual and music of the loot civilization.At an early age, it was apparent that Confucius was dedicated to learning. Confucius father died when he was tether years old and this probably had a huge impact on his familys class. The lose of his father and his family being poverty-stricken must endure been key factors that set him upon his ambitious journey to improve human kind, governments and society. His return was his first teacher and he developed an emphatic quest for knowledge.It was a common practice for aristocratic families to hire tutors to educate their passwords, scarce Confucius was one of the first persons to devote himself totally to learning and teaching for the sole design of transforming and im proving society. Confucius was also a dedicated government servant. He served in government posts where he managed stables and kept books. At the age of nineteen Confucius unite a woman of similar background. Confucius early acts are all bring factors that made him a young and wisescholar during his time.Confucius concept of moral rectitude was evident because he wanted to make education functional to all men. He believed everyone could benefit from learning and self-cultivation. Confucius established a arts program for leaders, paved the route for education to all and redefined learning as not only the acquisition of knowledge, nevertheless also as a character builder. Confucius primary role of education was to provide the proper way of training noblemen. This education would consist of continuous self-improvement and frequent companionable interaction. To personally achieve the goal for the sake of the self, Confucius mastered cardinal arts ritual, music, archer, chariote ering, calligraphy and arithmetic. The art that became most important was that of ritual.Confucius was actively involved with the government. It was his desire to have a rebirth of the ideas and institution of a past golden age. Confucius hoped to integrate the ritual of those times into the government and family life. He believed this could only happen with ideal patterns such as the legendary sage-kings Yao and Shun. Confucius believed that the moral principle of an ideal ruler would translate to a moral state. The ideal ruler would process virtues of benevolence toward others, a general sense of doing what is right, loyalty and constancy in serving ones superiors.The moral rectitude fit to Confucius could also be taught and handed down by performing rituals. religious rite acted as guidelines for race to follow in any given kind situations. Ritual could vary considerably depending on age, social status and gender. Confucius contributed to somewhat specific rituals and val ues but also the importance of the past and hierarchy of the social classes. Rituals be came the way to act.Most East Asian societies expect to be influenced by Confucius teachings, valuing the community, the family, and other social relationships over individuality and uniqueness. The Confucius influence encourages support of education and learning from books and from the past, refinement of social rituals to smooth the relationships of people in a community. The westernculture has vastly deviated from Confucius teaching. Each sidereal day the western culture ignores more rituals and become more self-absorbed. A scan at todays headlines or reality TV makes this obvious. instantly there are still some existing rituals and moral behavior, but the boundaries blur with each generation.What Confucius provided was a definition of ethics and morally characterized by personal actions and rituals. A simple way to understand Confucius thoughts is to gain an sense of taste of the varyin g levels of honesty. Over time, they developed into the following form*Li ritual. properness or politeness, Etiquette. This concept originally meant to sacrifice. The frontier later expanded to lay ceremonial behaviors and past even more diffuse mean, that of propriety or politeness. This expanded the term to everyday life situations. Confucius was revered as the government agency on ritual behavior.*Ziao or Hsiao filial piety. Respect and obedience. The was considered to be the sterling(prenominal) virtue and was shown towards the living and dead. The term filial means of a son and therefore denotes that a son should have respect and obedience to his parents. This term was expanded to other relationships such as ruler and subject, husband and wife, old brother and younger brother, and that between friends. The duties and ritual where prescribed for each of these relationships. lastly this term was integrated into the Chinese legal system. An example of this would be that a child would be punished more harshly if the crime were against a parent.*Zhong or Chung loyalty. This term is equivalent to filial piety, but on a different level. This term apply predominantly to the social classes of ruler and minister. In a case of Zhong, a minister should obey the ruler because he has the higher (anointed by god) authority and therefore that maked it the right thing to do.*Ren or Jen humanness. The relates to the Golden Rule This term is best described by Confucius magnetic variation of the Golden Rule, Do not do to other whatyou would not corresponding them to do to you.*Junzi or Chun-Tzu the gentleman. The ideal towards which all strive. This term mean son of a ruler. This term implies that a gentleman are ever expected to act as moral guides to the rest of society. Gentlemen are those who cultivate themselves morally and who personify the other characteristics of honestly. Confucius is exclamatory of this conceptConfucius was a man of great vision. The politics of his time did not allow his philosophy to flourish, but he did provide an awakening to human king. He was perceived then and now as a heroic conscience. Confucius teaching remains tremendously influence today, but unfortunately, they are not always taken to center field or practiced. Todays politicians could learn much from his teaching. One of Confuciuss principal legacies, the notion of the enlightened civil servant, is not a familiar as it should be in the modern word. Humankind moves forward, but sometimes we forget to bring the greatness of our history with us.