Over the years I’ve written a lot about China. China is one of the most unique places I’ve ever been, and their history is absolutely fascinating. They also have quite a cast of characters that have made their impact on the world.
China’s been around for over 2,000 years and if you think our society and government has accumulated a lot of rules, you can imagine how many have been created in China. The Chinese are very good at following complicated rules — in fact, following rules isn’t just a part of the day’s work, it’s a religion. That religion is called Confucianism.
Confucianism doesn’t deal with questions of the soul, or God, or life after death. It deals with how we should behave — toward our parents, toward our superiors — and, in the case of government officials, toward the public.
The guy that came up with all the rules is Confucius, who was born in the province of Lu in 551 B.C. His father died when he was three, and Confucius worked hard after school to support his mother. After leaving school, he gave lessons in his home, charging whatever his pupils could afford. He taught history, poetry and — his favorite subject — the rules of proper behavior. He initially only had a few pupils, but the word spread, and at the end of his life he boasted that he’d taught 3,000 young men.
Through the years, Confucius was invited to take a job in the government. But he wouldn’t work for any government he disapproved of, so for many years he turned down all the offers. He once said, “I don’t care that I’m not known. I seek to be worthy of being known.” An official he disapproved of once asked him for advice on how to rule. Confucius replied that he should learn to govern himself before trying to govern others.
Confucius taught his students how to behave through a collection of rules, all of which were written down by his followers and compiled in a book known as the Analects. Many of his sayings start with the words “Confucius said,” or sometimes “The Master said.”
Confucius was nearly 50 when he finally accepted a government position as chief magistrate of Chung-tu, a town in the province of Lu. One story is that under his rule, the people became so honest that wallets and purses accidentally dropped in the streets would lie untouched until their owners returned to find them.
Confucius’ reputation continued to grow after his death, and in time the Analects became the basis of one of China’s oldest and strongest religions. Mao Zedong tried to stamp out Confucianism when the Communists took over in 1949, but old habits die hard,and Confucius’s principles are still widely practiced, both in government and in private life, even today.
We hear Confucius sayings all the time and often don’t realize they should be credited to Confucius. I think maybe may all time favorite is: “Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.”
But another comes to mind that maybe we should give some serious thought to at this very moment in our history — “In a country well governed, poverty is something to be ashamed of. In a country badly governed, wealth is something to be ashamed of.”
If Confucius was running for office, I think he’d get my vote…..
— 30 —