Confucius
Confucius said, “When you see a person of worth, think how you may emulate them. When you see a person who is unworthy, examine your own behavior.” This is called Li, one Confucius’ Five Principles of Deliberate Tradition:
1. Jen , having a sense of compassion and understanding, first, for ones’ self, so that one can have compassion and understanding for others. By understanding, this means taking into consideration where other people are coming from.
2. Chun Tzu, letting go of self-doubt as well as ego, so that one can mature as a person of understanding.
“To go too far is as a bad as to fall short.”
3. Li, the outward practice of having respect for ones’ self by means of treating others with respect. Which also means not letting another’s bitter outlook on life, their lack of respect for themselves, effect you. You have only control over yourself.
4. Te, living through the example of morality by putting one’s own advice into action. First, live what you are preaching; otherwise, no talkie.
5. Wen, the ultimate goal - having a balanced sense of self, through these steps, enables one to enjoy art, peace, and success.
After the lecture on these five points, my humanities professor asked the class which of these they thought the most difficult to master. Most said Jen, because they worked in hospitals. Having compassion for some patients is like trying to pet a cat in water.
The professor reminded them, “Remember, this philosophy is about focusing on how you will fix you first.”
A girl in front of me asks, “What’s compassion?”
Then it was my turn to share.
“Probably the fact that people are so ignorant” I wanted to say, but I bit my tongue.
Yes, compassion.
“I think that making inward reflection a lifestyle, would be the most grueling part. No one wants to look inside themselves, especially not on a daily basis. But, specifically, the most difficult one would be Li. If my horn worked, I’d honk the hell out of it, every time someone demonstrated their basely, thoughtless, and potentially fatal driving. Perhaps the fact that my horn no longer works implies how much patience I practice. It’s a good thing we don’t carry horns in our pockets. But, a person’s actions are the outward expression of their own self worth and it’s difficult to not want to be the one to bring justice to situations like that.”
Understanding = Compassion. No wonder we all hate each other. We’re too busy trying to understand how we can fit 16 credit hours, a job, and sleep all into one week.
Oh, and Happy 4/20!
1. Jen , having a sense of compassion and understanding, first, for ones’ self, so that one can have compassion and understanding for others. By understanding, this means taking into consideration where other people are coming from.
2. Chun Tzu, letting go of self-doubt as well as ego, so that one can mature as a person of understanding.
“To go too far is as a bad as to fall short.”
3. Li, the outward practice of having respect for ones’ self by means of treating others with respect. Which also means not letting another’s bitter outlook on life, their lack of respect for themselves, effect you. You have only control over yourself.
4. Te, living through the example of morality by putting one’s own advice into action. First, live what you are preaching; otherwise, no talkie.
5. Wen, the ultimate goal - having a balanced sense of self, through these steps, enables one to enjoy art, peace, and success.
After the lecture on these five points, my humanities professor asked the class which of these they thought the most difficult to master. Most said Jen, because they worked in hospitals. Having compassion for some patients is like trying to pet a cat in water.
The professor reminded them, “Remember, this philosophy is about focusing on how you will fix you first.”
A girl in front of me asks, “What’s compassion?”
Then it was my turn to share.
“Probably the fact that people are so ignorant” I wanted to say, but I bit my tongue.
Yes, compassion.
“I think that making inward reflection a lifestyle, would be the most grueling part. No one wants to look inside themselves, especially not on a daily basis. But, specifically, the most difficult one would be Li. If my horn worked, I’d honk the hell out of it, every time someone demonstrated their basely, thoughtless, and potentially fatal driving. Perhaps the fact that my horn no longer works implies how much patience I practice. It’s a good thing we don’t carry horns in our pockets. But, a person’s actions are the outward expression of their own self worth and it’s difficult to not want to be the one to bring justice to situations like that.”
Understanding = Compassion. No wonder we all hate each other. We’re too busy trying to understand how we can fit 16 credit hours, a job, and sleep all into one week.
Oh, and Happy 4/20!