The Core of the Teachings of Confucius - Essay Example

Confucius was an elite who was well-versed in the field of philosophy. He upheld a 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 to 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 disregard 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 about certain norms. Zhi regards the ability to identify what is considered either wrong or right as relevant to how an individual relates to others in 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 contemporary American society. 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 affected by the establishment of several Confucian programs that serve the roles of teaching 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, the University of Melbourne, and the University of Chicago (Wong, 53).

Confucianism concepts have also infiltrated the American sector of law. For instance, human rights lawyers as well as media commentators from North America have strongly shunned the part of the 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 into the American political system of leadership. This follows the strict observation of democracy with regard to leadership as entailed in Confucius's concepts. It is prudent enough to note that the majority of the American population has adopted the Confucian lifestyle in a myriad of ways. The people, as well as the government, have lent more focus to education for every citizen. Again, American society observes more respect for old people with a high degree of responsibility for 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 hard work and virtues of humanness.

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 modern society is key in the transformation of all sectors of development, sociology, politics, and economy. Read More