Confucian Ethics Assignment

Posted: January 16th, 2023

Confucian Ethics Assignment

I love my mother and father,

I love my brothers and sisters,

I love my sons and daughters,

I love my extended family and neighbours,

I love my friends and enemies,

I love the rich man and the poor man,

I love the young and old,

As I love and love and love, Confucian Ethics Assignment

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So too does the productivity of my humanness and heart begin and develop,

Like an oak tree beginning from a seed into a towering behemoth,

From these humble beginnings,

My love of humanity and care for everyone and everything around me develops,

Just as an oak tree develops branches from the main stem.

Analysis

The poem makes two things clear about Confucian ethics. Firstly, the root of morality is to cultivate compassion and benevolence towards other humans without consideration of their social identity. The family and community offer a convenient setting for practicing Ren through typical interactions with others. This makes it clear that compassion and benevolence can develop in any setting with human interactions. Still, the family offers a good setting for beginning the practice of Ren before expanding into other settings as the social sphere expands. Secondly, the practice of Ren has a starting point but does not have an end. As an oak tree grows to develop new branches so too does the practice of Ren develop even with new social interactions. The implication is that humanness has no endpoint and individuals must always strive to develop Ren as part of practicing Confucian ethics. Confucian Ethics Assignment