Confucius Jen - "Humanity" and Term Paper

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They are, never taking anything for granted; never being over-confident ("over positive"), of course never being "obstinate" (for that is a truly shameful attitude to take in any personal or social circumstance); and never being egotistic (self-love, or narcissism is akin to egotism, and in Confucian thought it is repugnant).

In Book IX (28) the Master says that "he that is really Good can never be unhappy." That doesn't mean one supposes that the truly jen person, the very Good person, goes around with a smile all the time and everything always goes right. It just means, the sense of being at peace comes when one achieves a level of goodness in life, and peace in this context relates to happiness, not to overt joy or ebullience.

Book XII offers a great deal of information about Goodness, jen. Ritual plays a pivotal role here, as the Master insists that sticking to traditional rituals is a form of Goodness. In other words, never question the values and rituals that have been part of our culture for centuries. Do not challenge or forget rituals.

And moreover, Ssu-ma Niu inquired about Goodness; and the Master explained that the jen (the Good) man is "chary of speech" (chary also embraces the concept of jen), but Ssu-ma Niu wasn't doing well at understanding that reference. So the Master, and all readers of Confucian thought now know what the Master means, right? Not completely. The Master is somewhat mysterious about the meaning, and he is not trying to be rude by his evasiveness, and yet he uses humor. "Seeing that the doing of it is so difficult, how can one be otherwise than chary of talking about it." He is making a pun by saying the Good man is chary of speech and secondly, he is simply implying that his mysterious response is due to the fact that Ssu-ma Niu is not yet qualified to learn the true meaning; it will not be revealed at this time.

It is also stated by the Master that a Good man behaves the same way in public, in unfamiliar places, as he does at home with one whom he respects and knows intimately.

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In Book XII, number 22, Fan Ch'ih asks about what a Good ruler is. The Master indicates that Good ruler loves men. The wise ruler "knows men."

More about Goodness is revealed in Book XIII (19); Ch'ih asks about Goodness this time, and the Master says the Goodness in a person shows when he is courteous in "private life" and "diligent" in "public life" - he is also "loyal in relationships." If you are truly a person who reflects Goodness, you might be with barbarians, the Master counsels, but still your Goodness shows through to all who are near you. That goes for people today; for example, a well-mannered young man who goes to the Temple or the Mosque or Synagogue with his parents and behaves as a gracious human being; but he doesn't forget that same grace and humanity when he is in the locker room at school with a group of boys who are rowdy and disrespectful of their teachers. Goodness, in other words, knows no place or time; it just is an ongoing virtue which must be practices and faithfully tested by individuals as to their sincerity in approaching it.

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