ANALECTS OF CONFUCIUS

The Master said: “A young man should serve his parents at home and be respectful to elders outside his home. He should be earnest and truthful, loving all, but become intimate with his innate good-heartedness. After doing this, if he has energy to spare, he can study literature and the arts.”

I actually enjoyed reading the analects of Confucius as it gave me significant insight into the mind and lifestyle of Confucius. From the selected quote, it can be derived that Confucius places high value on the importance of filial piety and also believes that man should treat his elders with respect. In class, it was discussed that he was born in a time that was surrounded by war and its evil deeds. Perhaps he placed such a high importance on treating others with care and respect because he grew up in a rough era and wanted to be the one to inspire change. Confucius also encourages people to ‘study literature and the arts’ and this is synonymous with the class discussion which tells us that Confucius values the lessons from the past. Perhaps he wanted people to learn from the past, as he did, in order for them to be able to better relate to his teachings and way of life. I find Confucius to be a very inspiring person as he

was able to see good in people despite being surrounded by war and fighting.