Confucianism and Taoism are religions in China. They view life in good and bad, represented in Taoism’s Ying Yang. Confucianism see humans as teachable and being that learn from our experiences. We can be improved or perfected over time. Confucianism is based around the teachings of Confucius. Through Confucianism we see humans as malleable beings that can become almost anything. Where other religions place emphasis on a metaphysical deity, Confucianism places emphasis on humanity. All humans have the potential to become a sage, or display acts of extreme benevolence. What prohibit that is that human’s first discern between what is right and profit. Our actions can become focused on our own gain, a ruler rules for personal gain, the ruled suffer from unjust burdens. Our behavior is decided by greed and our ego. The ultimate goal is to become the “gentlemen”, the ideal moral figure. We achieve this in how we treat others in the relationships around us. To solve the human problem we need to get rid of greed and our ego and make our actions not about ourselves but about others, this is done through self discipline.
The Taoist would disagree with Confucianism in its disbelief in a deity. Where Confucianism would say that humans can train themselves up to the Decree of Heaven, Taoist believe that the Tao, or way. They look at the relationship between humanity and the cosmos. A Taoist looks at how we line up with the Tao. The human condition exists when we are not in balance with the Tao and opposing forces, light and dark, good and bad, are unbalanced-ying and yang. To solve the human condition we need to balance out the force to line ourselves up with the Tao.
I found these two very fascinating in their view of humanity and how we live our lives. I think that how we do treat others is important to humanity as a whole, and that ego and greed does cause serious problems. I also like in Taoism the sense of balance and symmetry. Life does suck at times, and those times always seem to be when or lives are unbalanced with so many opposing forces.
Agreed, so how do we gain balance? Is balance possible without imbalance?
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