CHAPTER 1. Confucius

Transcription

1 CHAPTER 1 Confucius Confucius (c. 551 B.C. to 479 B.C.) was a great Chinese thinker and philosopher. His influence was (and is) widespread throughout Asia. His goal was to build a humanistic and harmonious society. Confucius teachings have evolved into a set of rules and practices to live one s life by. For example, What one does not wish for oneself, one ought not to do to anyone else. The system of philosophy is known as Confucianism. Confucius is also known as Kong Qiu and Zhong Ni. He put great stress on study (or learning), and wanted his students to think for themselves and study the world and their relationship to the world. He sought peace and prosperity for all people. The ruler of a country would not inherit the position but rather would earn it by good deeds and thoughts. Human excellence was the goal. Empathy and understanding were the guidelines for relationships of people. Ethical behavior was essential. Since 1990 China has held memorial ceremonies in honor of Confucius. For twenty years prior to 1990 the Communist Party took the position that Confucianism was reactionary and any homage to Confucius was banned. A naïve reading of his writings by this author leads to a conclusion that he was apolitical and humanitarian. 1

2 2 Insights for Managers from Confucius to Gandhi I looked at the following extract to find statements I do not accept. Consider Only the highest and lowest characters don t change. At best, I give that a maybe. Also You can kill the general of an army but you cannot kill the ambition in a common man. I accept the first thought but the second thought is not obviously correct. Well, no one is perfect. On the average, Confucius does very well. Even the above two weakest quotations are not objectionable. Confucius, Wit and Wisdom (Aphorisms of Confucius) in The Wisdom of Confucius, edited and translated with notes by Lin Yutang. New York, Modern Library, 1938, pp Wit and Wisdom Confucius said, To know what you know and know what you don t know is the characteristic of one who knows. Confucius said, A man who does not say to himself, What to do? What to do? indeed I do not know what to do with such a person! Confucius said, A man who has committed a mistake and doesn t correct it is committing another mistake. Confucius said, A melon-cup that no longer resembles a melon-cup and people still say, A melon-cup! A melon-cup! Confucius said: It is said, It is difficult to be a king, but it is not easy to be a minister, either. Baron Wen Chi said that he always thought three times before he acted. When Confucius heard this, he remarked, To think twice is quite enough. Confucius said, I do not expect to find a saint today. But if I can find a gentleman, I shall be quite satisfied.

3 Confucius 3 Confucius said, A man who has a beautiful soul always has some beautiful things to say, but a man who says beautiful things does not necessarily have a beautiful soul. A true man (or truly great man) will always be found to have courage, but a courageous man will not always be found to have true manhood. Confucius said, A man who brags without shame will find great difficulty in living up to his bragging. Confucius said, The man who loves truth (or learning) is better than the man who knows it, and the man who finds happiness in it is better than the man who loves it. 1 Confucius said, In speaking to a sovereign, one must look out for three things: To talk before you are asked is called impulsiveness. To fail to talk when you are asked is called lack of candor. And to talk without noticing the sovereign s mood is called blindness. Confucius said, When you find a person worthy to talk to and fail to talk to him, you have lost your man. When you find a man unworthy to talk to and you talk to him, you have lost (i.e. wasted) your words. A wise man neither loses his man, nor loses his words. Confucius said, A gentleman does not praise a man (or put him in office) on the basis of what he says, nor does he deny the truth of what one says because he dislikes the person who says it (if it is good). Tsekung asked Confucius, What would you say if all the people of the village like a person? That is not enough, replied Confucius. What would you say if all the people of the village dislike a person? That is not 1 There is no indication in the text as to whether the reference is to loving truth or loving learning. It uses only the word it.

4 4 Insights for Managers from Confucius to Gandhi enough, said Confucius. It is better when the good people of the village like him, and the bad people of the village dislike him. (When you are disliked by the bad persons, you are a good person.) Confucius said, The common man often gets in trouble because of his love for the water (literally gets drowned in it); the gentleman often gets into trouble because of his love for talking; and the great man often gets into trouble because of his love for the people. All of them get submerged in what they come close to or are familiar with. Water seems so familiar to the people, but easily drowns them because it is a thing that seems so easy to approach and yet is dangerous to get too near to. Talking easily leads one into trouble because when you talk, you use so many words, and it is easy to let them out of your mouth, but difficult to take them back. The people often get one into trouble because they are mean and not open-minded; you can respect them, but you must not insult or offend them. Therefore the gentleman must be very careful. Confucius said, The people who live extravagantly are apt to be snobbish (or conceited), and the people who live simply are apt to be vulgar. I prefer the vulgar people to the snobs. Confucius said, It is easy to be rich and not haughty; it is difficult to be poor and not grumble. Confucius said, When a country is in order, it is a shame to be a poor and common man. When a country is in chaos, it is a shame to be rich and an official. Confucius said, Can you ever imagine a petty soul serving as a minister of the state? Before he gets his post, he is anxious to get it, and after he has got it, he is anxious about losing it, and if he begins to be anxious

5 Confucius 5 about losing it, then there is nothing that he will not do. Confucius said, Do not worry about people not knowing your ability, but worry that you have not got it. Confucius said, A gentleman blames himself, while a common man blames others. Confucius said, If a man would be severe toward himself and generous toward others, he would never arouse resentment. Confucius said, A man who does not think and plan long ahead will find trouble right by his door. Confucius said, Polished speech often confuses our notion of who is good and who is bad. A man who cannot put up with small losses or disadvantages will often spoil a big plan. Confucius said, In talking about a thoroughbred, you do not admire his strength, but admire his temper. Someone said, What do you think of repaying evil with kindness? Confucius replied, Then what are you going to repay kindness with? Repay kindness with kindness, but repay evil with justice (or severity). Confucius said, When you repay kindness with kindness, then the people are encouraged to do good. When you repay evil with evil, then people are warned from doing bad. Confucius said, To repay evil with kindness is the sign of a generous character. To repay kindness with evil is the sign of a criminal. 2 Confucius said, Men are born pretty much alike, but through their habits they gradually grow further and further apart from each other. 2 Liki, Chapter XXXII.

6 6 Insights for Managers from Confucius to Gandhi Confucius said, Only the highest and the lowest characters don t change. Confucius said, I have seen rice plants that sprout, but don t blossom, and I have seen rice plants that blossom, but don t bear grains. Confucius said, Even though a man had the beautiful talent of Duke Chou, but if he were proud and egoistic, he would not be worth looking at. Confucius said, If the superior man is not deliberate in his appearance (or conduct), then he is not dignified. Learning prevents one from being narrow-minded. Try to be loyal and faithful as your main principle. Have no friends who are not as good as yourself. When you have mistakes, don t be afraid to correct them. Confucius said, When you see a good man, try to emulate his example, and when you see a bad man, search yourself for his faults. Confucius said, Well, well! I have never yet seen a person who knows his own faults and accuses himself before himself! Confucius said, Don t criticize other people s faults, criticize your own. Tsekung said, What do you think of a person who is not snobbish (or subservient to the great) when he is poor, and not conceited when he is rich? Confucius replied, That s fairly good. It would be better if he were happy when he was poor, and had self-discipline when he was rich. Confucius said, You can kill the general of an army, but you cannot kill the ambition in a common man.