It's National Mocha Day!
So grab a mocha and settle in to read the rest of this post
It's also Confucius day
In case you don't know much about him, we're about to change that.
Once you read about him and what he had to say,
think about how you can put into practice his wisdom
Confucius (551–479 BCE), or Kong Fuzi, was a Chinese philosopher, teacher, and political figure during the Spring and Autumn period of China's history. He is traditionally regarded as the most significant of Chinese sages, and his teachings laid the foundation for Confucianism, a philosophy that has profoundly influenced Chinese, Korean, and Japanese culture for over two millennia.
His Life and Work
Born into a formerly aristocratic but impoverished family, Confucius lived during a chaotic and violent time of political disunion. He sought to restore peace and harmony by returning to the social order and traditions of the earlier Zhou dynasty. While he held a few minor government positions, he was largely an itinerant teacher who gathered a group of disciples and traveled from state to state, seeking to advise rulers. He never achieved a high-level official position, but his teachings were compiled by his followers into the Analects, a collection of sayings and conversations that became the foundational text of his philosophy.
Key Teachings of Confucianism
Confucianism is not a religion but a system of ethics and social philosophy that emphasizes personal and governmental morality, correct social relationships, justice, and sincerity. Its core tenets are:
- Ren (Benevolence/Humaneness): The central virtue of Confucianism, it refers to showing compassion, empathy, and kindness to others. It is the idea of treating others with the same respect and consideration you would want for yourself.
- Li (Rituals and Etiquette): This is the proper conduct and social norms that maintain order and harmony. It includes respecting elders, adhering to social hierarchies, and performing rituals, which were seen as essential for self-discipline and harmonious coexistence.
- Xiao (Filial Piety): This is the virtue of showing respect, obedience, and care for one's parents and ancestors. It is considered a fundamental duty and is a key to maintaining social order, as a well-ordered family is the basis for a well-ordered state.
- Junzi (The Superior Person): This is the ideal individual in Confucian thought, a person who embodies moral integrity, wisdom, and leadership. The goal of self-cultivation is to become a junzi who leads by example and inspires others to be virtuous.
Confucius believed that social harmony could be achieved through the proper fulfillment of roles within five key relationships: ruler and subject, parent and child, husband and wife, older and younger siblings, and friends.
Here are a dozen of Confucius's most famous and influential quotes:
- "Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall."
- "The superior man thinks always of virtue; the common man thinks of comfort."
- "It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop."
- "By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest."
- "I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand."
- "What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others."
- "Study the past if you would define the future."
- "When anger rises, think of the consequences."
- "He who learns but does not think, is lost! He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger."
- "The man who says he can and the man who says he can't are both usually right."
- "To know what you know and what you do not know, that is true knowledge."
- "Respect yourself and others will respect you."