Essay on Western World and Confucius

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Words: 859
Pages: 4
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Jin Park
English II/ 2 / Garrison
February 10, 2015
Modern western culture in Confucianism

“If you think in terms of year, plant a seed; if you think in terms of ten years, plant tree; if you think in terms of 100 years teach people.”(Kong).

Confucianism one of the most influential, and well-known philosophies in eastern Asian culture had its rise and fall, meaning it was once the federal government philosophy, but people also tried to demolish it. The philosophy of Confucianism has anyways been impacted by modern western thought, due to an adoption of modern culture by the eastern hemisphere, which has changed the perspective of how the easterners thought about themselves and their culture.

Confucius (a.k.a. Master Kong) is a man who was “born of a rather impoverished family of noble descent in the state of Lu (in modern Shantung). Quickly achieved a reputation for a scholarship and learning” (“Confucius and Confucianism”). Confucius was a fifth century BCE philosopher who was considered the governing ‘genius’. Who never quite got there at the end for Confucius spent ten years traveling through the whole of China’s various states. He had ambitions of attending a political position at one of the Chinese courts, however he never succeeded in the endeavor and spent most of his life as a teacher (“Confucius and Confucianism”). “Realizing that the warlike leaders paid no attention to his philosophy, Confucius returned to Lu, and he spend the rest of his life teaching a group of gifted and devoted students”(“Confucius and Confucianism”). Confucius, even with the all the scholar he had and with his genius mind no tribal leader would take him for they were blinded by money, glory, and fame.

Although Confucius had lots of different ideas, and philosophies, “The Confucianism glorification of the perfect, harmonious and utopian society of the past” ("Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy"). Was the main idea of Confucianism. “As Confucius said, he was expected to take 'as much trouble to discover what was right as lesser man take to discover what will pay' ” (“The Influences of Confucius”). This certain quote meaning wise people go through trouble to seek the justice, but lesser (meaning not wise) people just want money, it shows how corrupted and dumb the society was back then and even now. He also believed that people should do their own assigned job and stop acting like he (or she) is like another. One of most famous quotes that Confucius said is “If the people lead by laws, and uniformity among them be sought by punishments, they will try to escape punishment and have no sense of shame. If they are led by virtue, and uniformity sought among them through the practice of ritual morality, they will possess a sense of shames and come to you of their own accord.”(Confucius). This tells how Chinese can unite under the law, and humanity, instead of power, and fear.

When the western countries took over Asia, the Chinese and Westerners thought that Confucian values are keeping China from becoming more westernized so the Chinese dropped Confucian values. They also tried so demolish the Confucianism itself but because of its fame, and well-knowingness, it was able to survive. After that around the 90’s guy named “He (He Jin Tao) also approved funding over 100 “Confucius Institutes” to be established around the world
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