Confucius& Confucianism

Lee Dian Rainey

(traducere Marina Sasu)

Confucius said that we can become responsible, adult people who behave properly. If we can do that, we can change the world we live in. Unlike many people today, when Confucius talks about morals and virtues, he does not do it to accuse others or to force his thinking on anyone. Confucius tells us that we should become educated, not to get a job, but to become better people. He, and his followers, talk about cultivating the self, just as one grows a garden. Do that properly and you change your family, neighborhood, and country. Confucius a spus c putem deveni oameni responsabili, adulti care se comport n mod corespunztor. Dac putem face asta, putem schimba lumea n care trim. Spre deosebire de muli oameni de azi, atunci cnd Confucius vorbete despre morala i virtui, el nu o face pentru a acuza pe alii sau pentru a fora gndirea nimanui. Confucius ne spune c noi ar trebui s devenim educati, nu doar pentru a obine un loc de munc, dar i pentru a deveni oameni mai buni. El, i urmaii si, vorbesc despre cresterea de sine, la fel ca i cineva care crete o grdin. Faceti aceasta in mod corespunztor i veti schimba familia, cartierul i ara. A filial son serves his parents in the following ways: he offers them the utmost respect when at home; he serves them so as to give them the greatest joy; if they are ill, he feels the greatest anxiety; he is completely devastated at their funerals; when he sacrifices to them (as ancestors), he is completely reverent. If he can do these five things, we can say that he is able to serve his parents. Un fiu filial servete prinii si n urmtoarele modaliti: el le ofer cel mai mare respect acasa; ii servete, astfel nct s le dea cea mai mare bucurie, n cazul n care sunt bolnavi, el simte cea mai mare anxietate,el este complet devastat la nmormntrile lor; cnd se sacrifica pentru ei

(ca strmoii), el este complet pios. Dac el poate face aceste cinci lucruri, putem spune c el este capabil pentru a servi prinilor si. Confucians argue that the bond between parent and child is the foundation of human relationship. Confucianistii susin c legtura dintre mam i copil este fundamentul relaiilor umane. The Analects argues that if a young man is filial toward his parents and respectful to his older brothers, he will rarely become the kind of man who will defy his superiors or stir up rebellion. Analectele susin ca, dac un tnr este filial fa de prinii sai i respectuos fata de fraii si mai mari, el va deveni foarte rar genul de om care va sfida superiorii si sau se va amesteca pn rebeliune. Ideally, the family is the first place we are taught how to behave and the place where moral cultivation begins. By practicing filial piety we learn to put others interests before our own. n mod ideal, familia este pe primul loc in care suntem nvai cum s ne comportam i locul unde cultivarea moral ncepe. Prin practicarea pietatii filiale nvam sa punem interesele celorlalti nainte de cele proprii. Relations with our family teach us how to deal with other people and how to respect other people. Relaiile cu familia noastr ne nva cum s ne intelegem cu alte persoane i cum s respectam alte persoane. Private ambitions must be subordinated to the loyalty one feels. Ambitiile private trebuie s fie subordonate loialitatii pe care cineva o simte . Wisdom begins with learning about things. nelepciunea ncepe cu nvarea despre lucruri.

 Knowing ourselves means being honest about ourselves: To say you know when you do know, and to say that you do not know when you do not know this is wisdom. Knowledge then is related to honesty and sincerity: we should know that what we say is honest because it is something we can do. Cunoaterea nseamn a fi sincer cu noi nine despre noi nine: "Sa spui tiu cnd tii, i s spui c nu tii cnd nu tii - aceasta este nelepciunea. " Cunoaterea, apoi este legata de onestitate i sinceritate: ar trebui s tim c ceea ce spunem este sincer, pentru c este ceva putem face. Courage had become a problem, not an asset. Still, courage was associated generally with physical courage, bravado, and honor. Confucius took the concept of courage, made it a virtue, and put it in the service of moral behavior. To see what is right, but not to do it, this shows a lack of courage. Curajul a devenit o problem, nu un avantaj.Totusi, curajul a fost asociat,n general, cu un curaj fizic, bravad i onoare. Confucius a luat conceptul de curaj, l-a fcut o virtute, i l-a pus in serviciul de comportament moral. "Sa vezi ce e corect, dar sa nu il faci, aceasta arat o lips de curaj. Real moral behavior in the real world requires courage. But courage, when not guided by moral behavior, simply allows the wicked to be more wicked. Confucius said that a noble who is courageous, but who does not know what is right, will create political trouble, while a lower - class man who is courageous, but does not know what is right, will become a criminal. Courage by itself is no guarantee of moral behavior; courage in the service of morality generates the energy to carry out that moral behavior. Comportamentul real moral n lumea real necesit curaj. Dar curajul, atunci cnd nu este ghidat de un comportament moral, pur i simplu permite s fie mai rau. Confucius a spus c un nobil care este curajos, dar care nu stie ce este drept, va crea probleme politice, n timp ce un om de clas mai mica care este curajos, dar nu stie ce este drept, va deveni un criminal. Curajul de la sine nu reprezint o garanie a comportamentului moral; curajul n serviciul de moralitate genereaz energie pentru a efectua acest comportament moral. Too much honesty, without regard to the situation, can work against moral behavior. Too much loyalty, to the point where it is blind loyalty my

country, right or wrong may well mean that one is ignoring other responsibilities like wisdom and moral courage. Too much of a search for knowledge could lead to a bookishness that does not act out into the world. Too much insistence on a standard of right and wrong, especially when these are not important issues, can lead to inflexibility and officiousness. Prea multa onestitate, fr a ine seama de situaie, poate lucra mpotriva comportamentului moral. Prea multa loialitate; pn la punctul n cazul n care acesta este loialitatea oarb ara mea; corecta sau gresita - poate nsemna i c una este ignorarea altei responsabiliti ca nelepciunea i curajul moral. Prea multa sete de cunoastere ar putea duce la un caracter livresc care nu acioneaz n lume. Prea multa insistena pe un standard de corect si gresit, n special atunci cnd acestea nu sunt probleme importante, poate duce la inflexibilitate i caracter oficial. Too much wisdom can be misused. All the virtues can be taken to extremes, and when they are they become not virtues, but faults. These virtues should be understood as dependent on one another and working together. Prea multa nelepciune poate fi utilizata n mod abuziv. Toate virtuile pot fi duse la extreme, iar atunci cnd se intampla, ele devin defecte.Aceste virtui ar trebui s fie nelese ca dependente una de cealalta i lucrand mpreun. Having humanity requires that we overcome the greed and egocentricity of the self. Humanity is defined as the opposite of self - interest, profit, and looking for possessions. Avnd umanitate, ne cere s depim lcomia i egoismul. Umanitatea este defnita ca opusul propriului interes, profitului i cautarii de posesiuni. Humanity is a moral attitude. Humanity is the umbrella that includes all the virtues being honest, sincere, wise, courageous, practicing filial piety, and sympathy toward others. All of these moral building blocks bring us to the attitude of humanity. Umanitatea este o atitudine moral. Umanitatea este umbrela care include toate virtuile- a fi onest, sincer, nelept, curajos, practicarea pietatii filiale, i simpatia fa de alii. Toate aceste blocuri de constructii morale ne aduc la atitudinea umanitii.

 Each situation we encounter will be different; the people in that situation will be different. Moral behavior in one situation may be disastrous in another. Applying rules mechanically does not take into account what Confucius called timeliness. Times, places, people, and circumstances all change, sometimes dramatically. Behavior must accord with timeliness, not a set of rules. Each situation and each person is different and we must use our knowledge of others and our knowledge of ourselves to lead us to a decision about what to do. Added to that is our sense of sympathy or understanding putting ourselves in their shoes. This leads to flexibility in the situation. Fiecare situaie pe care o ntlnim va fi diferita; oamenii n aceast situaie vor fi diferiti. Comportamentul moral ntr-o situaie poate fi dezastruos n altul. Aplicarea normelor mecanic nu ia n considerare ceea ce numete Confucius "actualitate". Timpuri, locuri, oameni i circumstane toate schimba, uneori dramatic. Comportamentul trebuie s fie in accord cu actualitatea, nu cu un set de reguli. Fiecare situaie i fiecare persoan este diferit i trebuie s ne folosim cunostintele noastre de la alii i cunotinele noastre despre noi nine pentru a ne conduce la o decizie cu privire la ce s facem. Adugat la asta este sentimentul nostru de simpatie sau nelegere - ne pune n pantofii lor. Acest lucru duce la flexibilizarea situaiei. A person who can practice both humanity and ritual is called a gentleman To become a gentleman one must be trained and educated, and practice morality. The gentleman is usually described in opposition to the small or petty man. The small man concentrates on possessions; the gentleman concentrate son virtue. O persoan care poat practica atat umanitatea cat i obiceiul este numit un "domn ''. Pentru a deveni un domn un individ trebuie s fie instruit si educat, i sa practice moralitatea. Domnul, de obicei, este descris n opoziie cu micul sau cu omul mic. Omul mic se concentreaz pe posesiuni; domnul se concentreaza pe virtutea sa. Confucius provided a complete prescription for the reform of the individual, society, and the state. As individuals, we encourage our moral virtues through education and self - cultivation, striving for the attitude of humanity. This has social and political implications. Individuals, gentlemen, with humanity, can lead us to a society that is more polite and where people are respected.

Confucius a oferit o reet complet pentru reforma individuala, societatea i statul. Ca indivizi, ne ncuraja virtutile noastre morale prin educaie i auto-educare, lupta pentru atitudinea de umanitate. Acest lucru are implicaii sociale i politice. Persoane fizice, domnilor, cu umanitatea, ne poate conduce la o societate care este mai politicoasa i unde oamenii sunt respectati. The gentleman is not interested in a full stomach or comfortable housing. He is careful in his actions and his words, seeking out those who know the Way and being put straight by them. This is what it means to be eager to learn. Domnul nu este interesat de un stomac plin sau locuin confortabil. El este atent n aciunile i cuvintele sale, cutnd pe cei care tiu Calea i fiind pus direct de acestea. Aceasta este ceea ce nseamn a fi dornici s nvee. The virtue of the gentleman is like the wind and the virtue of the common people is like the grass: when the wind moves, the grass is sure to bend. Ordinary people will move in the direction that the gentleman leads them. Virtutea domnului este ca vntul i virtutea poporului este ca iarba: cnd vntul se mut, iarba este sigur s se aplece. Oamenii obinuii se vor muta n direcia pe care domnul ii va conduce.