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.5.Learning to speak: Be plain and honest in your speech; donot lie or boast; speak softly and circumspectly; do not yellor shout.6.Learning to bow (in salute): Lower the head and bend atthe waist; speak without gesticulating; do not be flippantor rude.7.Learning to recite: Look at the characters with undividedattention; read slowly, short passages at a time; clearlydistinguish, character by character; do not look at anythingelse or let your hands fiddle with anything.8.Learning to write: Grasp the brush with firm intent; thecharacters must be balanced, regular, and perfectly clear;there must be no carelessness or messiness.* William Theodore de Bary and Irene Bloom, comp., Sources of Chinese Tradition, 2nd ed.,vol.1, New York: Columbia University Press, 1999, p.812.76 CONFUCIANISMpeace and order to the entire world.The underlying lesson is thatlearning must begin with the individual.Thus, in understandingwhat it means to grow up Confucian, the main feature is theemphasis on the role of learning for every person.The Great Learning has suggested across the centuries that oneshould look to oneself to correct problems rather than blamingsome external cause or some other person.This line of reason-ing has both strengths and weaknesses.On the one hand, itdemonstrates how important it is for the individual to takeresponsibility for him- or herself.On the other hand, it may leadsomeone to blame him- or herself unfairly, failing to recognizean outside cause of a particular problem.This teaching beganwith Confucius himself, however, who suggested that it wascharacteristic of the noble person to find fault with himself,whereas it was a trait of the petty person to always blame others.Growing up Confucian meant that one became acculturated tothe idea of assuming personal responsibility for one s mistakesand ultimately seeing a broad moral responsibility and obliga-tion to all other people.FIVE RELATIONS, THREE OBEDIENCES,AND FOUR VIRTUESFor a child growing up in a Confucian home, the process oflearning to be a moral person began by acquiring an under-standing of the moral basis of various relationships not justwithin the family, but across all of society.Some of these rela-tionships would be more relevant than others for certain people,but all would provide a foundation for comprehending whatconstitutes a moral relationship and what behaviors can helpsomeone become moral.Probably the most-used system of representing these idealrelations was through several groupings of relationships, themost common being the Five Relationships, or wu-lun; and theThree Obediences and Four Virtues, or san-ts ung ssu-te.Both ofthese groupings have long-standing roots in Confucian thought.They are first found in several of the ancient ritual Classics,Growing up Confucian 77and they have played a central role throughout the history ofConfucianism.The Five Relations focus primarily on men sconduct, while the Three Obediences and Four Virtues aredesigned specifically for women.The Five Relations cut across all of society, picking outwhat are considered to be the most crucial relations that exist,from the ruler down to the common person.These includerelationships between ruler and minister, parent and child,husband and wife, older and younger brother, and friendand friend.In each case except the last, the connection ishierarchical, which means it is an unequal association.In suchrelations, there are moral responsibilities upon each party.For example, as it is the duty of the minister to serve the ruler,it is also the duty of the ruler to care for the minister.Withthe other sets of social connections, too, there are reciprocalduties placed on each person.While it is the duty of the childto serve the parent, it is the responsibility of the parent tocare for the child.Whereas the wife is expected to serve thehusband, it is the husband s duty to provide for the wife.Friends are different, in that their bond is on a more equalfooting, but even there each person is linked to the other bymoral responsibilities [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]