Confucianism and Taoism / Christopher Hamby

What is the human condition? What is the solution to this condition? How do we move from problem to solution? And how is it best to live the solution in our own lives?

In Taoism and Confucianism, the human condition comes down to a balance between good and bad. Basically, everything that is happening is working to find harmony within oneself. The famous image of the yin and yang illustrates this balance and relationship between one and nature. There are 5 constant relations that exist within the world. These relations tie into both Taoism and Confucianism. The 5 relations are Jen, Chun Tzu, Li, Te and Wen. Jen (pronounced Ren) focuses on the benevolence and love of humans. Chun Tzu is a mature and developed person who follows the tao. Li is the general principle of order, or simply, the way things are done. Te is the power, by which men are ruled and by which sets moral examples. Wen is the arts and the Taoist's and Confucianist's respect for the arts. By using some of these principles, humans can lead a good and prosperous life. By showing affection for other humans and caring about others, we can lead a great life.

In Taoism and Confucianism, the best way to live your life and move from problem to solution is to simply live. Make decisions for yourself and learn as much as you can and be a good person. In Confucianism, many people separated themselves among two different sects of ideals. The Realists, who believed that punishment will help one become a good person. Then there are the Mohists, who believe people are good and if left alone, they will do the right thing. Personally, the Mohist outlook sounds very nice and I think everyone enjoys the concept of “universal love,” but this is not always the case. Some people do very bad things for absolutely no reason at all. The Realist approach, through punishment, can be effective but you risk people behaving good only to avoid the bad, which means they are not being good for the right reasons. Ultimately, it is up to the person to decide what they want to do and who they want to be. The Confucius and Taoist way of life, I think, are both very peaceful and would certainly do people a lot of good to take the opportunity to think and grow.

I also wanted to comment that I really enjoyed what we did with the I Ching. I had heard of it before, from friends, discussing how it can be used to determine the end of the world and whatnot. I never realized it was as simple as placing certain symbols on 16 note cards. I must admit, however, I was a bit frightened when I read what my hexagrams meant. I received the hexagrams 20 and 23. Now, I asked what are the forces behind my relationship with my girlfriend? The first hexagram was 20, contemplation and observation, which doesn’t sound too bad. I take that as “I am contemplating over some aspect of my relationship with her.” Then, I received the next hexagram, number 23. I learned, after some research, that hexagram 23 is considered by many people to be one of the bad or unwanted hexagrams. This does not mean it is a bad thing to receive this hexagram, it just tends to be seen in a negative light. Well, 23 means splitting apart and finality of death! To be honest, this scared me pretty bad. I searched dozens of websites, hoping that there was an alternative meaning to this hexagram, which there is because the I Ching is completely subjective to interpretation. I thought about this all day and I’ve come to the conclusion that it is a splitting(or ending) of my contemplation of what is happening. Almost as if I need to break away from something that I continue to think or dwell over in our relationship.