Confucius once said, “what has one who is not able to govern himself, to do with governing others”. Confucianism was based on the Mandate of Heaven, teaching people how to behave in their social rank, and helped them form a strong government. Confucianism helped the people of China to be independent, have faith in a strong government, and to know that they had the chance to become equals in society if they had a good education and have good morals. Confucianism was developed in China by master Kong in 551 to 497 BC, although the principles of Confucianism began long before his birth, during the Zhou Dynasty.
Confucius lives during a time of chaos and conflict. At this time, China consisted of a number of small feudal states, which were the subject to the kings of the Zhou dynasty. Confucius was concerned about the state of warfare between the feudal states. Confucianism is often characterized as a system of social philosophy rather than religion. It was built on a religious foundation to establish values institutions and ideas of traditional society.
The objective of Confucius was to teach people to live with integrity and to be self-sustainable, all he wanted was to get the old traditions back into Chinese society. He wanted people to know that he approved of allowing everyone to have their own private life without the intervention of the government, unless it was needed. People believe that his ideas were based on commas, mutual respect, and an appreciation for character virtues. He wanted the society to be open to other opinions and learn how to positively interact with others.
Confucius believed that social rituals were the specific ways of interacting with others. He believed that if everyone understood their rank in society and were taught proper behavior of their rank, then everyone should get along. He believed that the only way the social order would be threatened was if people failed to act according to their role. it is true that the only quality between people was in their social rank. for instance, if you said the wrong thing to the emperor or a powerful official you would lose your life. his teachings teach a man how we should act and behave in his daily life. He believed that each of our relationships, we have a designated role. He said that in order to keep relationships healthy, we must have a role, know what it is, and how to act in that role.
The identified five Main relationships are as followed, ruler and subject, husband and wife, father and son, older brother and younger brother, and friend and friend. These social standards were based on the idea that family is the most important relationship. Some say that for husband and wife, the husband must listen to what the wife says and do as she would like in order for the relationship to be healthy. There was a big focus on family and China. An individual success belongs to the whole family.
Although Confucius did not have much political experience, he views the political community as an ethical society aimed at promoting morality. He did not believe in the Gods, as he thought that since there was no way they could be there physically, they couldn’t help them in any situation. Confucianism required officials to criticize the rulers and refused to serve the corrupt. The movement produced reformers, philanthropists, dedicated teachers and officials from the 11th through the 19th centuries.
Confucius was a believer that the most important thing is the people’s faith and their ruler, because this was the foundation of the state and it cannot exist without it. Without trust in the ruler’s bad things could’ve happened to society. He brought back the traditions of the forefathers. He thought the government was a tool to help bring out the best of us people. Confucius sought as responsible for the well-being of its citizens but that they not forget their individual rules for themselves.
While the people carried out the role, The government must be looked upon for leadership and to be respected because if you disrespected the government you will inevitably be killed off. It is known that Confucius thought that the typical gentleman would have a good education and have good morals, these teachings influenced the government to allow man as court official. that saying, that even the poorest people have the potential to become high-ranking officials, based on their moral standing, not social standing. People who didn’t approve of his teachings became known as Daoist’s.
In conclusion, it is very clear that Confucianism was very good for people of society and government. It taught the people that they were understood by the government and that they could have complete faith in their army. Although people didn’t always approve of the way he governed, it was a successful way of governing China with the way he ruled.
Work Cited:
- “Confucius 101: Key to Understanding the Chinese Mind.” China Mike, www.china-mike.com/chinese-culture/confucius/.
- Study.com, Study.com, study.com/academy/lesson/confucianism-definition-beliefs-history.html.