What is the human condition? I think in Confuciaism the human conditon really focuses on ethics and morality, and this is based around three groups. Realists- Who believe everyone is bad. What do you do when people don't behave? Him them. You have to control them, and there are penalties and rewards. They also believe that people are fundamentally rational, meaning they know what is in their own best interest. So why doesn't this work? Because people are not looking toward the future. Their concern is what is happening now. On the other hand you have the Mohim- Who believe that people are good and if left alone people would do well. They believe that you can't force people to do something, and that one should "feel toward all people under heaven exactly as one feels toward one's own people, and regard other states exactly as one regards one's own state." Then there is Confucius who didn't agree totally with either.
What is the solution to this condition, and how do we reach this final goal? By following five key terms. Confucius being steeped in tradition, thinks we should follow Jen (Ren), Chun Tzu, Li, Te, and Wen. Jen- being benevolent, good hearted. This is a life style choice and affects the decisions that you make now. Chun Tzu- Is a mature person. "Being the opposite of a petty person, a mean person, a small-spirited person." Li- The way things are done. You have to have models and direction and there is a way everything should be done, and has lots of rules on how things are done. Other meanings of Li are Chung Yung. This literally means "Middle" and "Constant". This goes to the five constant relations. Parent-Child, Husband-Wife, Older Sibling- Younger Sibling, Older Friend-Younger Friend, Ruler-Subject. Parents should be loving, children reverential, elder sibling's gentle, younger siblings respectful, etc. This shows that you are never alone when you act, every action affects someone else. Te- Power. You have to trust the government. It also means virtue. Wen- Arts of peace. You train yourself in the art of music, art, poetry, etc. There is something positive about learning the arts of peace. You also move up in Confucianism as you become good in a certain field in the art.
How is it best to live the solution in our own lives? The way according to Confucius is to live your life around these five key terms. My problem with this is what happens after that? They believe in no heaven or hell. What are the rewards for living a life according to this? Confucius says, "We haven't yet finished studying life to delve into the question of death." What? Never the less death is still there, and what's worse is that you don't really know when death would come. If you were sitting outside having lunch and see balls of fire crashing into the earth and see a giant one headed your way with people yelling RUN, do you say...run...I can't, I haven't finished my lunch. Maybe that was a bad question, I think some people would. Rationally you would be missing the big picture. Your lunch really isn't going to matter; the same goes with your life in the end. Yes it matters while you are here and how you live it, but in the end it matters where you will spend eternity in a real place called heaven or a real place called hell.
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