The thought of Confucius, a legacy for humanity

Learn about the teachings of Confucius, a Chinese wise man whose thought has remained valid throughout the centuries.

Confucius was a Chinese philosopher, with such transcendence that the echo of his thought has reached from the year 535 BC to the present day. He lived in a time when wars and confrontation reigned. However, he never gave up his efforts to find and proclaim a path to overcoming difficulties through knowledge.

When he was 50 years old he began to travel throughout China. On his journey he made his thoughts known, especially in the form of aphorisms.. His influence was so great that he soon began to fill squares and even politicians and men of power took his reflections for themselves.

“If you want to be wise, learn to question reasonably, to listen carefully, to respond calmly and to remain silent when you have nothing to say”

–Johann Kaspar Lavater–

Confucius’s thought revolves around education, as a source of virtue. It mainly proclaims 3 fundamental virtues: KINDNESS, which generates joy and inner peace; SCIENCE, which allows doubts to be dispelled; and COURAGE, which drives away all forms of fear. Below we share with you some of those phrases from Confucius that are still valid today.

Confucius and education

Zhao Zhenjiang (2014) highlights that Confucius was the initiator of private education in Chinese history, since only the nobility had access to education. Confucius dedicated much of his life to teaching and had more than three thousand disciples. He earned the nickname “sacred teacher among teachers.”

The basic objective of teaching was to train virtuous, sensible and clear-minded people. In this way, they would be the most qualified to assume responsibilities of great social importance and thus be able to make their contribution to society. According to Zhenjiang, “For the philosopher the general principles of education lay in high ideals, great virtue and love for others“. Confucius considered virtue the most important principle.

Read Also: The abandoned child: reactive disorganized attachment

The disciples of the philosophers came from all kinds of backgrounds: politics, commerce, education, diplomacy, ritual specialists, etc. However, despite his origins, Confucius aimed improve your culture and training as well as increase your virtue.

Confucius’ ideas about living wisely

Much of Confucius’s philosophy is dedicated to offering capsules of wisdom on how to live profitably and achieve virtue. In his thinking we see a tolerant spirit, which advocates reflection and moderation in behavior.. This is reflected in ideas such as the following:

“Some money prevents worries; a lot, it attracts them”

“Everything has its beauty, but not everyone can see it.”

“When the goal seems difficult, don’t change the goal; look for a new way to get to it“

“Going a little far is as bad as not going as far as necessary.”

“He who controls his anger dominates his worst enemy.”

“It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness“

“Music produces a kind of pleasure that human nature cannot do without”

“Revenge eternalizes hatred”

“Vices come as passengers, visit us as guests and stay as masters.“

“Never place bets. “If you know that you have to beat the other, you are a cheater…And if you don’t know, you are a fool.”

Coherence, a test of virtue

In the thought of Confucius There are several allusions to the importance of having congruence between the way of thinking, feeling and acting.. It gives special importance to actions, because these are the ones that reveal the true validity of words. Reject artificial postures and exalt simplicity. This is how he thinks about it:

Read Also: Geniuses and figures, even in their epitaphs

“The superior man is modest in speech, but abundant in action.”

“Artificial language and flattering behavior rarely accompany virtue.”

“The highest type of man is he who acts before he speaks, and practices what he professes.“

“Seeing justice and not doing it is cowardice”

“Just as water takes the shape of the container that contains it, a wise man must adapt to circumstances.”

“Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him to fish and he will eat for a lifetime”

“Wisdom is concerned with being slow in its speeches and diligent in its actions.”

“Only the most excellent wise men, and the most complete fools, are incomprehensible.”

The relationship with others

In the philosophy of Confucius there are many reflections aimed at proposing appropriate formulas for managing relationships between people. Respect must be at the base of every society and generosity is a maximum good, which brings happiness to those who practice it.. It promotes the idea of judging others kindly and maintaining harmony. Let’s see some wise advice in this regard.

“He who seeks to ensure the well-being of others, already has his own well-being assured.“

“Demand a lot of yourself and expect little from others. This way you will save yourself trouble”

“Nature makes us men resemble each other and come together; “education makes us different and makes us move away”

“Human nature is good and evil is essentially unnatural“

“What the wise man wants, he seeks in himself; “The vulgar, they look for it in others.”

“A man’s defects always conform to his type of mind. Observe his flaws and you will know his virtues.”

“The young and the servants are the most difficult to handle. If you treat them with familiarity, they become disrespectful; “If you put them at a distance, they resent it.”

“Do not respond to an angry word by replying with another of equal tenor. It is the second, yours, that will surely lead you to the fight.”

Knowledge

Education and knowledge are an essential part of Confucius’ philosophy. This thinker genuinely believed that human nature is good, but that it must be cultivated and formed to reach its best expression. Knowledge is a sure way to achieve virtue and virtue brings with it inner peace and happiness.. The following aphorisms reflect his thoughts on the subject: