Relevance of Confucianism in the Modern World

The history of philosophy is full with great minds that have had such great impact on humanity. Even in the present day, philosophers' names, views on life, and the world are still remembered and passed down generation to generation.

One philosopher is the man born in 551 BC in the ancient state of Lu in China. He is known in the east as K'ung Tzu or Kung Fu Tzu but in the west he is known as Confucius. Born during the depressing age known as the Warring States Period, Confucius grew up in a society marked with chaos and disorder. Immorality became the rule and the old traditional values were ignored. The once powerful Chou dynasty, a great accomplishment of the ancient Chinese civilization, was coming to an end. Confucius spent most of his life travelling from one state to another, hoping to attain his values of political and social reform. He thought that his duty to the Chinese society was to bring back an era when government leaders were righteous, virtues were upheld and morals were, rightfully observed.

It is difficult to classify Confucianism as either religion or philosophy. Confucianism stressed the ways in which people can live together pleasantly and develop an orderly society. The "higher good" doesn't come from the privileges of birth but of the practice of sensible, positive and kind behavior, and of service to others. The philosophy of Confucius recognized and valued the wisdom of the past and gave emphasis on a person's values, society, and life. Confucius taught the human Way as opposed to the mystical Way of Lao-tzu. He proclaimed that one must follow the four principal virtues of Love, Righteousness, Propriety, and Wisdom. Confucius also taught what is probably the earliest form of the Golden Rule: "Do not do unto others what you would not have them do unto you." For Confucius, this was relevant especially to what he called the Five Relationships: between ruler and subject, husband and wife, father and son, elder and younger brothers, and older and younger friends. The Confucian Way called for the respect of one group (subjects, wives, sons, and younger brothers) in return for compassion and support of the other group (rulers, husbands, fathers, and elders). He also considered the past in order to restore the present for the future. Therefore I think that some of his ideas are useful and effective even in our times today.

The power and force of Confucianism lies in its values and ideals, the basics of which have become part of the ways of the Chinese life. Confucianism is a strong influence in countries of Southeast Asia as well as among people of Far Eastern living around the world. Western people are able to appreciate Confucianism through worldwide connections and through its literature. Many Chinese in the present day perceive themselves as Buddhists and Taoists but also consider themselves as Confucianists as well. Confucianism is one of the three religions that form the traditional heritage of China (together with Taoism and Buddhism).

The early Confucian ideas were founded on self cultivation for the benefit of society. It was said that a leader should be a good and moral person. The Chinese term which most closely relates to our word, character, is te. Confucius and his followers condensed te as a moral concept. Te also refers to positive human