Confucianism Thought I Have Chosen

Confucianism Thought

I have chosen the passage "It asks, What's the best course I can personally take in the face of an alienating society? Confucian writings are not addressed to the general public, but primarily to a relatively small group of idealists (open to all) who have voluntarily decided to take on the Confucian way of life" (Chapter Five). This passage, and others relating to the Confucians show, I think, how different their way of life is from how we live in the Western world, but also shows that they have a completely different society that takes more of the individual into account, rather than the general thoughts of society. I like this idea of Asian thought, because it seems to open the person up to many more experiences, but it also really makes them think about their actions and lives as they relate to the rest of society. This is important because in our society, we don't tend to look very much at others, or our actions, in fact, many people just don't care about how their actions affect others. Take people who speed and tailgate on the freeway, for example. These people are not living in the Confuciust way; they are only interested in themselves. They do not realize that they are really driving a weapon, and in a split second, their car could kill them or someone else if they make just one tiny mistake. That is not living with the best course. I have to wonder how different our society would be if we lived our lives according to Confucianism how our lives would be different. I don't mean every part of the Confucian way of life, but I mean looking at ourselves and others more deeply, and looking at our "best course" as we go through life. I don't think a lot of people do that, and I think our lives would be better if we were a little bit more reflective about ourselves and others. I don't think our society is doomed, like some thinkers do, but I think that we could create a better society that is more caring and open, and that looking at other ways of thinking, like Confucianism, is one way we could improve and grow as a people as individuals.