Confucius Says:

[coriolis]

I came across this in Our Oriental Heritage by Will Durant. The author is paraphrasing a passage in The Great Learning, one of the classics written or attributed to Confucius, circa 490 B.C.

The world is at war, says Confucius, because its constituent states are improperly governed; these are improperly governed because no amount of legislation can take the place of the natural socal order provided by the family; the family is in disorder, and fails to rovide this natural social order, because men forget that they cannot regulate their families if they do not regulate themselves; they fail to regulate themselves because they have not rectified thir hearts-i.e., they have not cleansed their own souls of disorderly desires; their hearts are not rectified because their thinking is insincere, doing scant justice to reality and concealing rather than revealing their own natures; their thinking is insincere because they let their wishes discolor the facts and determine their conclusions, instead of seeking to extend their knowledge to the utmost by impartially investigating the nature of things. Let men seek impartial knowledge, and their thinking will become sincere; let their thoughts be sincere and their hearts will be cleansed of disorderly desires; let their hearts be so cleansed, and their own selves will be regulated; let their own selves be regulated, and their families will automatically be regulated-not by virtuous sermonizing or passionate punishments, but by the silent power of example itself; let the family be so regulated with knowledge, sincerity and example, and it will give forth such spontaneous social order that successful government will once more be a feasible thing; let the state maintain internal justice and tranquility, and all the world will be peaceful and happy.

[Pburgh]

If that could only happen.

[coriolis]

I know, it is kind of ideal, but without ideals, we are kind of lost. There are some really good principles there; that a person must first regulate him or herself in order to regulate the family; and that the disorderly desires come from improper thinking. I saw some instances of that in myself, in which we choose to believe some lie, which works with the desires to produce improper actions. And these actions then affect other people, yadda yadda yadda.

This almost sounds Christian, where it talks about renewing your mind. However this is coming from an humanistic point of view.

[Stephanie]

He was a very smart man.

To summarize: if you take responsibility for your own actions, everything else will fall into place. What a concept!

[greeng13]

I agree.

I hope this is not too far off the thread but i see too much "It's not my fault...it's society's" in the world now though.

Judge droppped charges against a city employee here who was CAUGHT ON TAPE keying another employee's car. They had set up a hidden camera because this wasn't the first time.

Employee said he was "just leaning" against the car...

Video shows him look around a bit and then walk behind the car and key it from the license tag all around the rear corner panel.

But he didn't do it though....

Yeah right

Link below:

http://www.wcsc.com/news/state/3899171.html

[therock1811]

People need to be responsible for their actions. If they aren't, they obviously aren't mature.

[Lindaloo]

He was a very smart man.

To summarize: if you take responsibility for your own actions, everything else will fall into place. What a concept!

ALOT of people should use that analogy. The world would be a much better place.

[Stephanie]

EXACTLY Lindaloo.