The most interesting facet of Confucianism, to me, is that it is based solely on Confucius's disciples' accounts. Because Confucius wasn't overly significant during his life and didn't begin making his respectable impression until well into his retirement back in his hometown, his disciples' observations were the key to composition of the tone of Confucian philosophy. Another logical observation of Confucianism that I came to appreciate was his assertion that we cannot possibly know what the afterlife holds unless we are completely certain about all the aspects of our lives--something we know is not the case.
Regarding the decisions that life poses on a daily basis, Confucius stated that we should abide by the decree of destiny, the decree of heaven, and free will. The decree of destiny and free will determine the course of life; however, while we can control our free will, we cannot control our destiny. The decree of heaven states that we should live our lives according to what we believe is correct, and that the afterlife--heaven--will be an expression of such characteristics. The observation that we cannot control the circumstances of our destiny but that we can control our reaction accentuates the mind-over-matter facet that should govern our lives.
Confucianism, thought it didn't define what is necessarily good and bad, focused more on benevolence and ethics. In China, Confucianism is practical; however, as alluded to in class, applications such as Syria may not apply.
Ben--I really find Confucius' assertion that we cannot possibly know what the afterlife holds unless we are completely certain bout all the aspects of our lives very interesting. As humans, we clearly do not completely understand our current lives, as we are constantly philosophizing and searching for meaning and purpose within our lives. In my Christian faith, I acknowledge that I have limited knowledge in regards to my life and the purpose that I am serving in God's plan. However, I take it upon faith to trust that God does have a plan that will one day be revealed to me.
I believe that I might change Confucius' assertion a bit to fit my beliefs. I recognize that I am not completely certain about all aspects of my life, but I do trust in some very clear messages that reveal aspects of the afterlife. The Bible is very clear about Heaven and Hell and gives detailed accounts of the two from "streets of gold," to "wailing and gnashing of teeth." I trust this knowledge of the afterlife, and ultimately recognize that I will never fully grasp these concepts until I am faced with them at my life's end.
I feel that Confucius' focus on the here and now is incredibly important. I believe that my actions here on Earth directly affect where I will go in the afterlife. I daily choose to serve God and show love to others as the here and now is all that I can control. My eyes are on the revealed afterlife every step I take as I work to serve a Lord that died for me. I recognize that my control is only in the present, even though I do not understand all things, and that all I can do is give my best here so that I can be with Christ for eternity in the afterlife that I cannot yet grasp. It's all about faith.
I found the discussion on Confucianism to be interesting. I found that the aspects of striving to live a morally perfect life to be very similar to the teachings of Christianity. Most organized religions and some philosophies have some form of ethics on how to act so that we can achieve a sort of inner fulfillment during our lives but also create a better world for everyone else. It seems that Confucianism virtues are not that different from virtues of Christianity or Aristotle. Confucianism has a very practical feel to me and I find it similar to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in how your actions in the present play a role in what you believe happens to you in the next life. I think that Confucian virtues are useful set of standards on how to live one’s life.
I agree with Karlie's point on the idea of how can you know what the afterlife holds unless we can understand this life first. I definitely think that people are naturally curious and we don't like to have things like what happens after death is unknown to us. I think Confucianism is trying to say that why should we worry about the next life while we still have this one. I can see similarities in Christian theology in how God gave us free will to make our choices that can cultivate ourselves and the lives around us.
One smaller point I wanted to state on human nature being good or evil is that I would like to think that people are generally born good or at least neutral. I would find it hard to believe that people were intrinsically evil and are forced to redeem themselves.
I agree with Brett that we are not born evil however can be raised or become evil. I think that we are born with a clean slate and how we are raised can weigh heavily on how we are later in life and what we do and help to shape that as well. I also agree with Karli in that the key to understanding the afterlife is to understand life first.
The most interesting facet of Confucianism, to me, is that it is based solely on Confucius's disciples' accounts. Because Confucius wasn't overly significant during his life and didn't begin making his respectable impression until well into his retirement back in his hometown, his disciples' observations were the key to composition of the tone of Confucian philosophy.
ReplyDeleteAnother logical observation of Confucianism that I came to appreciate was his assertion that we cannot possibly know what the afterlife holds unless we are completely certain about all the aspects of our lives--something we know is not the case.
Regarding the decisions that life poses on a daily basis, Confucius stated that we should abide by the decree of destiny, the decree of heaven, and free will. The decree of destiny and free will determine the course of life; however, while we can control our free will, we cannot control our destiny. The decree of heaven states that we should live our lives according to what we believe is correct, and that the afterlife--heaven--will be an expression of such characteristics. The observation that we cannot control the circumstances of our destiny but that we can control our reaction accentuates the mind-over-matter facet that should govern our lives.
Confucianism, thought it didn't define what is necessarily good and bad, focused more on benevolence and ethics. In China, Confucianism is practical; however, as alluded to in class, applications such as Syria may not apply.
Ben--I really find Confucius' assertion that we cannot possibly know what the afterlife holds unless we are completely certain bout all the aspects of our lives very interesting. As humans, we clearly do not completely understand our current lives, as we are constantly philosophizing and searching for meaning and purpose within our lives. In my Christian faith, I acknowledge that I have limited knowledge in regards to my life and the purpose that I am serving in God's plan. However, I take it upon faith to trust that God does have a plan that will one day be revealed to me.
ReplyDeleteI believe that I might change Confucius' assertion a bit to fit my beliefs. I recognize that I am not completely certain about all aspects of my life, but I do trust in some very clear messages that reveal aspects of the afterlife. The Bible is very clear about Heaven and Hell and gives detailed accounts of the two from "streets of gold," to "wailing and gnashing of teeth." I trust this knowledge of the afterlife, and ultimately recognize that I will never fully grasp these concepts until I am faced with them at my life's end.
I feel that Confucius' focus on the here and now is incredibly important. I believe that my actions here on Earth directly affect where I will go in the afterlife. I daily choose to serve God and show love to others as the here and now is all that I can control. My eyes are on the revealed afterlife every step I take as I work to serve a Lord that died for me. I recognize that my control is only in the present, even though I do not understand all things, and that all I can do is give my best here so that I can be with Christ for eternity in the afterlife that I cannot yet grasp. It's all about faith.
I found the discussion on Confucianism to be interesting. I found that the aspects of striving to live a morally perfect life to be very similar to the teachings of Christianity. Most organized religions and some philosophies have some form of ethics on how to act so that we can achieve a sort of inner fulfillment during our lives but also create a better world for everyone else. It seems that Confucianism virtues are not that different from virtues of Christianity or Aristotle. Confucianism has a very practical feel to me and I find it similar to Judaism, Christianity, and Islam in how your actions in the present play a role in what you believe happens to you in the next life. I think that Confucian virtues are useful set of standards on how to live one’s life.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Karlie's point on the idea of how can you know what the afterlife holds unless we can understand this life first. I definitely think that people are naturally curious and we don't like to have things like what happens after death is unknown to us. I think Confucianism is trying to say that why should we worry about the next life while we still have this one. I can see similarities in Christian theology in how God gave us free will to make our choices that can cultivate ourselves and the lives around us.
One smaller point I wanted to state on human nature being good or evil is that I would like to think that people are generally born good or at least neutral. I would find it hard to believe that people were intrinsically evil and are forced to redeem themselves.
I agree with Brett that we are not born evil however can be raised or become evil. I think that we are born with a clean slate and how we are raised can weigh heavily on how we are later in life and what we do and help to shape that as well. I also agree with Karli in that the key to understanding the afterlife is to understand life first.
ReplyDelete