Explain this Confucian Virtue and discuss the ways in which this does or does not exist in contemporary American society. Use concrete examples. Make sure that you adequately define this Virtue - Essay Example

Confucian Virtue Confucius was a Chinese philosopher who was born in 551 B.C. He came from a very noble family that had faced extremes of life ranging from poverty, political and social turmoil. The real name of Confucius was K’ung Ch’iu, from where the two other familiar names, Kung Fu Tzu or Master Kong developed (Sun, 49). Confucius was elite who was well versed in the field of philosophy. He upheld high degree of morality and could not easily bow to any rule that seemed oppressive to morality and righteousness relevant to humanity and relationships. Therefore, Confucius saw it prudent to impart into individuals some crucial knowledge regarding ethics and philosophy. Thus, the core of the teachings of Confucius oscillated around the right individual ethics, values and virtues that are morally healthy and socially upright.
Confucianism refers to an ethical, virtuous, moral and as well as psychological system of thought that was introduced by Confucius (Sun, 37). This system borrows its origin from the periods of Autumn and Spring in the Han Dynasty. During that period, Confucianism was majorly used as a tool for ethical and sociopolitical teaching. The teachings of Confucianism majorly revolve around humanism. Such teachings mostly espouse the importance of family relationships and disregards beliefs in gods. The teachings further depict that human beings can be taught through personal as well as communal endeavors. In addition, the teachings of Confucianism maintain that individuals are improvable as well as perfectible relevant to their personal as well as communal endeavors (Smith and Huston, 51). This can be realized mainly through self-creation as well as self-cultivation of morally upright virtues alongside lending credence to ethical maintenance.
Confucianism’s teachings majorly revolve around four main ethical concepts. These include ren, yi, li and zhi. Ren observes the virtue of humanness and altruism whereas yi obligates righteousness and moral responsibility to do good (Smith and Huston, 47). Li determines the way a person should conduct himself or herself with regards to certain norms. Zhi regards the ability to identify what is considered either wrong or right relevant to how an individual relates to others in the society (Wong, 67). It is of critical significance to acknowledge that the teachings of Confucianism can bring good results when incorporated within the governance policies and rules of any country. Confucius argues that for a leader to govern his subjects effectively, he must start with himself. This will equip him with the necessary concepts relevant to good governance. This has made Confucianism serve a legitimate role in providing essential moral foundations for the political system in China.
Teachings of Confucianism have developed strong roots in the contemporary American society. The contemporary American society has embarked on a mission to educate people on the concepts engrained in Confucianism. This has been possible following the worth of such teachings when inculcated in the current generation. This has been effected through establishment of several Confucian programmes that serve the roles of teaching the Confucius concepts, Chinese history, cultures and languages in several universities. One of these learning institutions where such Chinese history, cultures and languages are taught in America is the Confucius Institute at Pace University in New York. Others include Confucius Institutes in universities like Stockholm, University of Melbourne and University of Chicago (Wong, 53).
Confucianism concepts have also infiltrated the American sector of law. For instance, the human rights lawyers as well as the media commentators from North America have strongly shunned the part of hiring policy that alienates believers of Falun Gong (Wong, 61). Such hiring policies have been termed derogatory and demeaning towards morality, ethics and human codes of rights. It is significant to acknowledge the fact that the teachings of Confucianism have been incorporated in the American political system of leadership. This follows the strict observation of democracy with regards to leadership as entailed in the Confucius concepts. It is prudent enough to note that majority of American population have adopted the Confucian lifestyle in a myriad of ways. The people, as well as the government have lent more focus on education to every citizen. Again, the American society observes more respect to old people with high degree of responsibility to the needs of the family as is detailed by the teachings of Confucianism. Moreover, the people of contemporary American society are increasingly polite in all their daily activities with more focus on hardwork and virtues of humanness.
In conclusion, it is of critical importance to acknowledge that the teachings of Confucianism are critical in inculcating the spirit of humanness in human beings. Adotption of such teachings in the modern life can help in keeping check all the moral wrongs that the society may get engaged. Such teachings are also crucial in shaping the behavior of human beings alongside nurturing morally acceptable ethics, virtues and codes of conduct. The incorporation of the concepts of Confucianism into the modern society is key in transformation to all sectors of development, sociology, politics and economy.
Works Cited
http://drc.ohiolink.edu/search?query=confucianism&submit=Go
Smith, Huston, and Huston Smith. The Worlds Religions: Our Great Wisdom Traditions. New York: HarperOne, 1998. Print.
Sun, Anna X. D. Confucianism As a World Religion: Contested Histories and Contemporary Realities.
Wong, . Confucianism, Chinese History and Society. Hackensack, N.J: World Scientific, 2012. Internet resource. Princeton (N.J.: Princeton University Press, 2013. Print. Read More