If Confucius were alive today in Stockton, California...

Current Event: Restore Subsidies for Graduate Student Loans!

2011-12-04T22:23:00.001-08:00

The recent graduate student petition reminded me of the below quote.

"The Dao of great learning lies

in making bright virtue brilliant,

in making the people new,

in dwelling at the limit of the good."

The below link is a petition to restore subsidies for graduate student loans.
https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/%21/petition/restore-subsidies-graduate-student-loans/TtNGQfHG?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl

I normally don't promote any kind of petitions.

However, as this is a very important topic regarding education, which is at the heart of Confucius's thoughts and emphasis, I believe this petition would belong here in my blog.

I believe that if Confucius was alive in Stockton today, he would support this petition, as would many Confucians or Neo-Confucians. The reason why education is so important is because it is only through education may Confucius's vision of how humans should be can be manifested: the creation of "gentlemen" or "morally cultivated individuals." However, education is not free and are very expensive. This is why I believe we should support the petition for the numerous graduate students out there who are trying so hard to become better individuals to society and contribute to the overall health of the society.

Finally, I would like to leave you with passages from The Great Learning's The Eight Stages to demonstrate why it is so important that the future generations must have funding for education and must get education.

In ancient times, those who wished to make bright virtue brilliant in the world

first ordered their states.

Those who wished to order their states

first aligned their households.

Those who wished to align their households

first refined their persons.

Those who wished to refine their persons

first balanced their minds.

Those who wished to balance their minds

first perfected the genuineness of their intentions.

Those who wished to perfect the genuineness of their intentions

first extended their understanding.

Extending one’s understanding lies in straightening out affairs.

Only after affairs have been straightened out

may one’s understanding be fully extended.

Only after one’s understanding is fully extended

may one’s intentions be perfectly genuine.

Only after one’s intentions are perfectly genuine

may one’s mind be balanced.

Only after one’s mind is balanced

may one’s person be refined.

Only after one’s person is refined

may one’s household be aligned.

Only after one’s household is aligned

may one’s state be ordered.

Only after one’s state is ordered

may the world be set at peace.

From the Son of Heaven to the common person

for all alike

refining the person is the root.

That roots should be disordered yet branches ordered is not possible.

That what should be thickened is thin yet what is thin becomes thick:

this has never yet been so.

This is called “knowing the root.”

Popular TV Shows: Will ABC's Revenge's character Emily Thorne be trapped in her own web of revenge?

2011-12-04T18:40:00.000-08:00

Emily Thorne Starts Dating Daniel Grayson as Part of Her Revenge Plot

"Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves." I think this quote would do well for Emily Thorne to heed. As shown in the picture above, Emily Thorne/Amanda Clark started dating her enemies' son, Daniel Grayson, as part of her revenge plot. However, if you look closely at the picture or had seen the recent episodes, you would feel the sense that Emily/Amanda might be slowly developing deeper feelings for Daniel. Her situation is a perfect example of why revenge should be done or not be done. Ultimately, I wonder will she need to "dig" the extra grave for herself.

If Confucius were alive today in Stockton, he would probably choose to watch the popular tv show, Revenge, and examine it based on his own thinking. This blog post is going to explore what Confucius would say about this popular TV show.
This character's decision and actions trigger the clash of the Confucian virtue values. The main character, Amanda/Emily, chooses to exact revenge out of "yi" (duty) due to her "ren" (love) for her father. At the same time, she is following the "li" (propriety/rules of social order) in a way because she is taking revenge for the wrongs/injustices done to her father. She would be following the concept of "An eye for an eye" but under her own jurisdiction rather than that of the government or society.

Thought for readers: Will Emily Thorne be trapped in her own web of revenge? Will she need to "dig" the two graves that Confucius was talking about?

Current Event: Stockton Asian Farmer Market

2011-12-03T23:04:00.000-08:00

Although Stockton is a city that is in the middle of nowhere and has no Asian resources like in Los Angeles, Stockton has an Asian farmer market that provides awesome, fresh Asian food resources for those who wish to buy cheap, Asian food (e.g, fresh Chinese soy milk). AS a matter of fact, I regularly attend this farmer market even since I found out about this resource since I am a big fan of Chinese soy milk and traditional Asian vegetables, such as Chinese spinach. Additionally, they sell tofu for ~ $0.50 to $0.75 (3x cheaper) than any store and sell green Chinese spinach and boy choy for the price of $5 for six of them.

If Confucius were alive today in Stockton, I believe he would try to go to this Asian farmer market weekly. I believe this because this is a market run in the old traditional style, which is actually seen in other Asian countries as well. Additionally, this is the type of market where the whole entire family participates in selling their produce and help out for the benefit of the family. On the surface of watching the sellers, I was already able to discern the Confucian values of the "Five Relationships" and the important value of family helping each other. The buyers like myself also come in families, which show how this simple early morning market activity is not just about "shopping" but rather a family gathering of quality hang-out time for the family members and even friends or acquaintances in the local community. For example, sometimes I even run to random people that I know from school (students or professors) or even members from my church.

Is there a correlation between Modern Music Lesson Training & Confucianism?

2011-12-03T23:01:00.000-08:00

Classical music is a component that has always been part of myself. It is almost impossible for me to ever define myself without thinking about music. This blog is to express my love for two important dominant themes that had been part of the culture worldwide: classical music and Confucianism. However, these two topics were rarely associated together. In fact, most considers those themes as two separate entities.

My personal belief is that classical music training has been innately part of the Confucian tradition societies for thousands of years but just not explicitly expressed as that.

Above I have a clip from a music lesson, which this lesson is not the best type of example tof what I wish to illustrate since this student is a young 4-year old girl. Like most 4-year old, she was barely able to sit through the 30 minutes lesson and already had no patience beyond sitting still for lesson past the 15 minutes mark. However, most piano lessons are actually approximately 1 hr, 30 minutes is already sort of short.

Although not the best example, the concept behind the learning of the 4 year girl for piano lesson is definitely worth discussing. First, the reason for the parents of the 4 year old girl who wish for her to take lessons. Second, the instructor teaching the girl acts in traditional Confucian manner as well.

One reason why the parent wanted her daughter to learn piano lesson is to make her daughter practice sitting through a some type of learning for a longer period of time so that when the daughter enteres kindergarten the daugther will not have as much trouble. Another reason comes from examination of the lesson closely, which the viewer would see that the piano lesson was taught in mandarin to an American born Chinese (ABC) child. Thus, this young child not just learn music and disciple but gains an opportunity to learn and retain her mandarin.

Current Event: Hmong New Year Celebration in Stockton

2011-11-14T14:21:00.001-08:00

Last Saturday, I attended the Hmong New Year Celebration with my sister and friends. I am not Hmong and had never seen a Hmong Celebration so this celebration was quite new and different for me. Sadly for me, I did not like the food that were present at the celebration since the food was either large amount of barbecued meat or fried something. Also, the vendor sellers mostly only spoke Hmong, which caused me to have difficulty to communicate with them. However, there were some really nice performances by various performers, such as ethnic dances and singing, and some interesting vendor shops that had very nice hand-crafted artwork.

At the celebration, everyone came in groups, specifically with their family members. For example, my friend went with almost his entire family (parents and all 10 siblings). Additionally, everyone at the celebration dressed up really nicely, as shown in my pictures. The girls/ladies all wore traditional Hmong outfit with bright colors that appeared sparkly. The boys/men mostly wore suits, button-down shirt, and suit pants.

If Confucius were alive today in Stockton, I think he would go to this celebration even though he cannot speak Hmong language.I think he would had found it interesting to examine the interactions of the people present. Additionally, there are Confucian concept of "li" and "family relationship" present at this very interesting and lively celebration.

Two sisters

Current Event: University of the Pacific Hosts the Jon Schamber High School Speech & Debate Touranament in Stockton

2011-11-13T09:28:00.000-08:00

University of the Pacific Speech & Debate Team

A couple of weekends ago on October 28th through 30th, the University of the Pacific Debate team hosted on campus the 32nd annual Jon Schamber High School Forensics Tournament. This tournament a full, two day tournament for the high school students in Stockton or near Stockton. The tournament features the following: CX (Cross Ex) Debate, Lincoln Douglas Debate, Parliamentary Debate, and Radio Broadcasting, Ten Different Individual Events. The Pattern A individual events are Expository, Dramatic Interp, Impromptu, Thematic Interpretation, and OPP. The pattern B events are Oratory, Humorous Interp, Extemp (Combined National & International Topics), Duo Interpretation, and Oral Interpretation.

This debate tournament reminded me of something that I really enjoy in high school and the fond memories: being part of the debate team. I once was a competitive high school debater like the numerous debaters who attended this tournament who did LD Debate, CX Debate, and Expository Individual Event. Personally, I believe that debate and speech team in high school teach good valuable lifelong values for the students: teamwork, writing, speaking, thinking, and most importantly, the value of learning.
If Confucius were alive today, I believe he would had approved of debate and speech. Confucius once said, "Without knowing the force of words, it is impossible to know humans." In fact Confucius thought writing was so important that he included it as one of the "six arts" that all scholars must know. He would had approved of the values that I listed earlier for the debaters: teamwork, writing, speaking, thinking, and especially, learning.

High School Students Waiting to Compete for Individual Events

Another concept that Confucius emphasized was to approach goodness by being cautious in speech. "Imperturbable, enduring, simple, slow to speak - such a one is near to goodness." Lastly, Confucius believed speech and good learning of speech to apply speech properly was very important as shown in this quoted text below:
"When a man is broad-minded and acquainted with the past, and yet not filled with incorrect legends or stories of events, we may be sure he is deep in the study of history....When a man is quiet and thoughtful and shows a sharp power of observation, and yet is not crooked, we may be sure that he is deep in the study of philosophy...When the people are cultivated in their speech, ready with expressions and analogies, that shows the teaching of prose, or Spring and Autumn Annals...And when a man is cultivated in his speech, ready with expressions and analogies and yet is not influenced by the picture of the prevailing moral chaos, we may be sure that he is deep in the study of Spring and Autumn Annals."

Current Event: Think Fast! Students Sharpen Lifelong Skills in Debate Competition

2011-11-11T01:16:00.000-08:00

Last weekend on November 4th through 6th, one of the largest college debate tournament, hosted by the University of the Pacific Debate team, took place on campus at the University of the Pacific. This tournament was the Paul Winters Invitational- a full, two day IE/NFA/LD/NPDA/CEDA tournament. University of the Pacific's Speech and Debate Team was founded in 1854. It is now one of the oldest, more accomplished, and prestigious debate teams in the state of California. Pacific team did very well and took third at this host tournament.

This event reminded of what Confucius said about speech and writing. Confucius once said, "Without knowing the force of words, it is impossible to know humans." In fact Confucius thought writing was so important that he included it as one of the "six arts" that all scholars must know.

Science Blast Community Day in Stockton!

2011-11-05T18:21:00.000-07:00

Science Blast Community Day
Today, November 5, 2011, this annual Science Blast event was held at A.G. Spanos Center at the University of the Pacific from 8:30 AM to 12PM. This popular event was hosted by the science-related student community from the University of the Pacific and the Delta College. Numerous children from the community were in attendance.

Culture: Nature vs. Nurture in Stockton

2011-10-30T20:16:00.000-07:00

Southwest Hall in 1800s - Stockton State Mental Asylum

Current Southwest Hall

I recently found out that Southwest Hall, the second largest residence hall at the University of the Pacific, was originally the Stockton State Mental Asylum. This was an interesting bit of information that made me realize that if Kaspar Hauser had lived in Stockton during the 1828, he would most likely had put into the Stockton Mental Asylum, the current Southwest Hall because people in Stockton would had considered him insane for claiming to grow up in a cell and for not being able to speak any human language. Hauser was a German youth who claimed to grow up in a darkened cell and showed up in the streets of Nuremberg, Germany at the age of approximately 16-17. Kaspar was and has remained a hot topic for the psychology realm today due to his unique situation.

Video 1

The story of Kaspar Hauser reminds me of the “nature vs. nurture” theme in Xunzi’s teaching. “Xunzi argues, humans are innately inclined to satisfaction of physical desires and thereby to competition, which in turn cause disorder and chaos, if not restrained and guided properly.” (Introduction to Confucianism 79) He believes that “human nature is innately evil rather than good” and human nature needs “cultivation” to be transformed into goodness. He grew up in a cell with no human contact and no method of “cultivation” for his human nature. He essentially lived like a caged up animal/beast. He had only desires for physical satisfaction and needs. When he first arrived at the village, he was treated exactly like an animal to the extent of putting him on display. However, he was taken in by the villagers and was cultivated, his human nature was forced back into himself. The first video demonstrates the villagers’ initial attitude and the change in attitude after Kaspar’s “transformation.”
Essentially, by being taught the rules of society by the villagers, he was being guided by “li” or “propriety/ritual” of the society. In this way, he gained knowledge of the guidelines for human behavior and righteousness. It is just as Xunzi said “education is of primary importance for ordering the state and transforming human nature” (Introduction to Confucianism 79). According to Xunzi’s teachings, Kaspar would now no longer be considered a “beast” or “a human born without moral virtues.” Xunzi believed that “humans are all born with the same nature and it is learning that sets them apart” (Introduction to Confucianism 80). When Kaspar and others “undertake learning,” they became humans. In fact, as shown in the second video, it is seen that Kaspar Hauser has become so cultivated in such a short time that he is able to feel music in his heart and desires to learn and play music as easily as he can breathe.

Video 2

Culture: Drunken Monkey & Martial Arts

2011-10-30T15:54:00.001-07:00

The Drunken Monkey theme from the lecture last Friday reminded me of the "Drunken Monkey" martial arts form in the movies, Last Hero in China and The Drunken Master. Both movies are quite popular martial arts movies (the clips are shown below). As there are numerous martial arts schools in Stockton, specifically Kung Fu school, such as Charley's Independent Wu Chun (been in Stockton for over 20 years), this topic with regards to the martial arts film clips is relevant to my Confucius blog in Stockton.

If Confucius were alive today in Stockton, he would have considered martial arts of any form to be beneficial to learning as martial arts meet the Confucian learning in his teaching. He was once quoted to say that for all scholars must be "well-versed in both polite letters and martial arts." Additionally, it is emphasized in the teaching of Confucius that "archery" and "charioteering" are part of the "six arts" that all scholars must know. This means that all scholars are required to have physical strength as well as part of their learning. In fact, Confucius had great physical strength since he came from a family of warriors (his father was a well-known general and owned a fiefdom). He was also skilled at archery and chariot-driving. Archery is not just about being able to shoot a target; it is an activity that requires great physical strength (speaking from experience of doing this sports myself) but also a way to cultivate people.
The "six arts" are strongly emphasized, internally and externally, in the chinese culture. Just like archery and chariot-driving, the martial arts shown in the video are great examples of something that are more than a means of being a healthy sport/ activity or means to win a fight/ war. Confucius would had considered the drunken monkey martial arts in the clips as the means to "cultivate people" and their "thinking" and values through the methods that they learn, reflect, and realize.

In addition to the martial arts reference in Stockton, the "Drunken Monkey" form could be considered in the angle of viewing from their origins, the form of the "Eight Immortals" (the drunken gods). The "Eight Immortals" is a very well-known legend in the chinese culture. As strange as this examination may appear to some, this above video actually has some Confucian values regarding the "li," "yi," and "learning." Jackie Chan's character Wong Fei-hung did not start fighting until he got approval from his mother and so followed the "yi" (duty/ the precept that governs the five relationships) and "li" (ritual/ propriety/ rules). If one examines the above Jackie Chan video closely, one would realize that each form that he uses are named accordingly to one of the eight immortals like "Li Dong Bin" since each of those forms were originally the martial arts styles of the eight immortals. Here the character played by Jackie Chan would be following "li" and "yi" as well in referencing to the gods in the styles, which he is showing respect for when used in his moves. Just like the Drunken Monkey video I showed in the last blog post about how monkeys become stronger and "better leaders" after drinking more wine, Jackie Chan here become stronger and a better fighter when he drank more wine. This would be an example of how the "Confucian learning" is done. He likes to drink but here drank with the good intention to become better fighter and "junzi" to defend the honor of his mother and himself, thereby demonstrating his learning.

Current Event: Drunken Monkey in Stockton!

2011-10-28T23:00:00.000-07:00

Drunken Monkey

Today, October 28, 2011, Dr. Robert Dudley from UC Berkeley gave a seminar talk on "The Drunken Monkey: Is Alcoholism in Modern Humans an Evolutionary Hangover?" at the University of the Pacific's Biology Building. The Drunken Monkey hypothesis was first proposed by Dr. Dudley. "The drunken monkey hypothesis proposes that human attraction to ethanol may have a genetic basis due to the high dependence of the primate ancestor of Homo sapiens to fruit as a food source. Ethanol naturally occurs in ripe and overripe fruit and consequently early primates developed a genetically based attraction to the substance" (Wikipedia).

Although this event may appear to be an abnormal situation to do for my Confucian blog, this event is actually quite fitting for my blog. If Confucius were alive today in Stockton, he would definitely choose to attend Dr. Dudley's "Drunken Monkey" Seminar. Confucius would examine Dr. Dudley's seminar based on his own thinking because he is a person that loves learning and believes that any opportunity to learn is precious. This is an awesome example of Confucian ethics in action. As the students and professors are listening and paying attention to the lecturer regarding the "Drunken Monkey" talk, they are following the "li" (propriety). Additionally, Confucian learning is "the transmission of human culture from generation to generation." Confucian reflecting is "pondering, entertaining, imagining." To truly understand the point of the seminar talk, each of the audience member would have to be fully engaged in the Confucian thinking of "learning" and "reflecting."

Current Event: UOP Engineering Boat Race!

2011-10-20T20:00:00.000-07:00

Last Friday, October 14, 2011, the University of the Pacific's annual Engineering Cardboard Regatta broke the record for having the least numbers of boats sunk. It was an amazing feat that no other year's boat race had ever accomplished! Although this event appears to be a stressful situation for each of the participating boat teams as they are graded for this project, it is actually an entertaining affair for all involved. As sad as it to say this, it was super entertaining to watch boats sinking and students struggling to cross to the other side of the pool. This common event that might appear normal and just a family entertainment on the surface is, in actuality, an excellent example of how Confucian learning is in action.

Current Event: Confucian Engaged in Youth at Stockton Christian Church

2011-10-16T23:14:00.000-07:00

Although most do not consider that Confucianism and Christianity can be merged, it can be seen in this video that they can exist harmoniously together. I was at this church event a couple of weeks ago and felt that the actions I saw that day are full of Confucian virtues.

As shown in the video, the children are happily preparing the lunch of the entire congregation. They are practicing the concepts of "li" (propriety/ritual) and "yi" (the precept that guides the social relationship in a Chinese society). They are showing their respect for their elder and for the church community in their actions. Secondly, the elders in the video are also practicing Confucian virtues: "li," "yi," "ren" (kindness or human heartedness). The elders here assist in the preparation of the meal by helping to cut materials and cooking so that the children will not hurt themselves. Through this, they demonstrate their "li" in following the social order, their "yi" in taking responsibility for the younger members of the society, their "ren" by being concerned about the welfare of the children.

Popular TV Shows: Dexter in Focus - Bridge Between Confucianism and Legalism

2011-10-13T16:44:00.000-07:00

Popular TV Show Character Dexter

When I heard about the Dexter show and the main character, I realized immediately that the Confucian traditions are applicable to the character. In fact, Dexter follows the code from Xunzi’s (Xunzi was a student of Confucius's grandson) saying of “In the case of incorrigibly evil men, punish them without trying to reform them.” This is exactly how Dexter acts in his actions and how he justifies himself. For Dexter, the justification he used is called the “The Code.” According to his code, he only kills victims that have killed someone without justifiable cause and will likely commit the crimes again.

Many people in Stockton, especially the students at the University of the Pacific, watch this popular show during their free time. Off the top of my head, I can name a few of the pharmacy and the undergraduate students. This show is so popular that the last season was watched by over 5 million people per week. Additionally, the Dexter show has been nominated for numerous awards, such as 19 Primetime Emmy Awards (3 times in a row from 2008 to 2010), Creative Arts Emmy Awards (over a dozen), Golden Globes (2 times), 14 Satellite Awards, etc. Thus, I feel that, as a current student of the Pacific, I should write a blog about this popular show.

Basically, he believes in that above phrase that I put above. He always makes sure that the victims are guilty and makes sure that there is proof of the victims’ guilt. He punishes the evildoers because he considers them “incorrigibly evil men.” Dexter believes that “if [a human] comes forward in bad faith, meet him with punishment.” So Dexter’s actions are carried out to whatever he believes is true in the eyes of the beholder (himself). Those ‘evildoers’ are not men/women because they are not cultivated. They are like the “birds and beasts” that have “intelligence but no sense of duty” (The Regulations of a King 45). Also, Xunzi said “a man without ritual will not live” (Introduction to Confucianism 80). By the the wisdom of this phrase, Dexter was right to punish the evildoers without reforming them since those evildoers did not follow “li” or “ritual” of the society when they decided to harm another member of the society. If a human is cultivated, then he/she would “come forward in good faith” (The Regulations of a King 34). When this is the case, this human should be “treated according to ritual” (The Regulations of a King 34).

Upcoming post: Dexter breaking the “yi” of Confucian ethics!

Current News: Stockton Amtrak Crash!!! Crash at Contra Costa County

2011-10-08T15:29:00.000-07:00

On September 30, 2011 at approximately 7:20 p.m., the train carrying 191 passengers from Oakland to Bakersfield (with stop at Stockton) collided with a truck at a rural crossing east of Brentwood in the Contra Costa County. Majority of the passengers were due to arrive at Stockton Amtrak station at 7:30 p.m. that evening. There were 37 passengers and two crew members that suffered “minor to moderate” injuries. My little sister was one of the passengers inside the train car that collided with the truck and was one of the few passengers in that train car that were unhurt. Almost all the passengers wanted to get off the train immediately but were all told they had to stay on the train. My sister, along with the other passengers, was forced to stay at this crash site for the next five hours. My friends and I drove to the train crash location to try to take my sister and were told that no one was allowed to get off the train by the police officers.

Picture Courtesy of an Amtrak passenger from the crash

The train finally left the crossing in the Contra Costa County at around 1:10a.m. and arrived in Stockton around 1:40 a.m.
Despite the terrible disaster that occurred that day, my sister was still able to act with the Confucian ethics that had been instilled in her mind. I will only name some of the ethics she applied in her actions. First, when the crash occurred, my sister offered her seat to the elderly and those who are senior to her. Secondly, she let the people who didn’t have a phone (especially the elderly) to make phone calls from her phone to contact their loved loves. She treated the elderly members of the train as if they were her own grandparents and gave them the due respect because of the Confucian concept of the “extension of the family.”

Better Leadership: How Confucianism Can Be Used in the Context of a College Fraternity

2011-10-05T22:03:00.000-07:00

University of the Pacific--home to the numerous student organizations and activities that are available on the school campus--has an especially large number of fraternity organizations. Most fraternities and large organization clubs, have conflicts and issues among the members. I recommend Confucianism application in a fraternity as the best solution to solve inter-fraternity conflicts I agree with Dr. de Bary that Confucianism is a “life-style and an attitude of mind.” The Confucian principles can have beneficial effects on a person in all aspects of his or her life. Each member of the fraternity can benefit from the application of Confucianism and the fraternity’s conflicts can be more easily dealt with.

The main concern of Confucius was the fundamental principles of humanity. The most common concept of Confucianism is the “Five Relationships,” the relationships that he believed people should live by. They are as follows:

1. Parent and Child

2. Husband and Wife

3. Elder and Younger Siblings

4. Superior and Inferior in age and status

5. Ruler and Subject

For each of the five relationships to work, the relationship must be reciprocal. The latter (e.g, child) must obey and respect the former (e.g., parent). The former (e.g., parent, older sibling) must protect and guide the latter (e.g., child and younger sibling) on the right path. If one member of the relationship does not fulfill his/her duties, then he/she causes the disintegration of the li (propriety), which will bring the social disorder of the society.

The primary principles of the Confucian tradition are “dao” (the way), “li” (propriety), “ren” (humanness, “de” (virtue), “yi” (righteousness), and “xiao” (loving respectful relationship between children and parents). Confucius believes that the Confucian virtues and tradition should guide society as natural laws.

Proper application of Confucianism in a fraternity would be the most beneficial in minimizing the inter-fraternity conflicts, especially the personality differences among the members. For Confucianism to work, members should practice the concept of li, ren, and yi. Through practicing “li,” the brothers will be “guided by edicts” and “kept in line with punishments.” By practicing “ren,” they would be able to act towards their brothers with benevolence, love, kindness, and humanheartedness. Thus, there would be less discrimination against each other because of their race, circumstances, and strange personalities. If the brothers are able to practice “yi,” they would be acting responsibly with a better understanding of their duty and moral obligation to the fraternity.

Culture: Values of family in American Born Asians

2011-10-02T22:47:00.000-07:00

Mary and Sarah are second generation Asians (or ABA) who were Pre-Pharm and Pre-Dental majors at the Pacific, respectively. Their families brought them up far away from their homeland (Vietnam & China). For Mary, the Vietnamese culture and language is not even being practiced at home, especially her family are somewhat open-minded about what Mary should do for academics and boyfriend. For Sarah, the Cantonese language is often spoken at home and, in most ways, her mother adheres to the common Asian discipline for Sarah and her sister. They did not choose to study Pre-Pharm or Pre-Dental. For both Mary and Sarah, despite their love for art and talent in art, they chose to study Pre-Pharm and Pre-Dental due to her “ren” or love for her family (parents and younger siblings) and her strong desire to support them in the best way possible after she finished with school. Despite being American born and being second generation with slightly different family upbringing, they act unconsciously with the Confucian principles. They act in such manner because the Confucian virtues are the “natural laws” and what determine the moral society and guide the social order in the Asian societies.

Although “Confucian morality revolves around family relationships” specifically regarding the relationships of “parents and children,” “husband and wife,” and “elder and younger brothers,” (Yao 32-33) the Confucian ethics do not apply only to the issues of individuals and family. The family is the “basic unit of the human community,” and family virtues are the “cornerstone of social order and world peace” (Yao 33). Each member of the family has obligation to fulfill “responsibilities to each other with a sincere conscientious heart” (Yao 33), and this will result in “a harmonious society and a peaceful state” (Yao 33) or government. This results because “being good as a son and obedient as a young man is the root of a man’s character” (Xiao Book1 #1). Ultimately, the “junzi” (gentleman or a morally abiding/cultivated person) “devotes his efforts to the roots, for once the roots are established, the Way (Dao) will grow therefrom” (Xiao Book1 #1). It is necessary for a person to develop his character first through his roots. Confucius further emphasized the importance of family as the foremost concern and the importance of a person’s roots in the Book of History: “Simply by being a good son and friendly to his brothers a man can exert an influence upon the government” (Xiao Book2 #21). Therefore, when a person’s character is well established based on his roots through fulfilling his responsibilities in the family, this person will have positive effects/influence on the government and society whether this person is an official or not.

Better Leadership: Why Legalism Should Not be Applied in the Context of a College Fraternity

2011-09-30T21:54:00.000-07:00

Legalism, “Fa Jia” or “school of law,” was the utilitarian political philosophy with Han Fei Zi as its major proponent. The legalists argued that the best government is one based on authoritarian control, not ethical or moral persuasion. They claimed that human nature was incurably selfish and that people normally do not know what to do. Thus, the only way to preserve the social order (and society) was to impose strict discipline from above and enforce laws strictly. For example, if your father or your husband disobeyed the government in a small infraction, such as lying, you were morally obligated to report him to the officials and let the officials punish him.

Legalism was utilized in history with effective results and long-lasting accomplishments. The first person to use this philosophy after the Zhou Dynasty was Qin Shi Huang Di, “The First Emperor.” Through legalism, he gained very fearful and law-abiding citizens who did not dare to do anything against his decrees. Despite the “reign of terror” that he created, his short fifteen year reign is one of the most well-known and widely discussed., especially his legacy of “The Great Wall of China” and “The Terracotta Warriors.” Another famous example in history is the person who started communism in China, Mao Zedong. He often used legalism to justify his actions for the “good of the nation.”

Proper application of legalism in a fraternity would be beneficial and minimize the inter-fraternity conflicts, particularly personality clashes among the members that have led to factions within the fraternity. The fraternity can preserve the social order by imposing discipline through the leader and having the leader strictly enforce the laws. The fraternity would benefit from the implementation of two tools.

1. “Fa” is the law or principle. The laws of the fraternity must be clearly stated and written for all of the members to see. The law would allow the good members to be awarded and the bad members that break the rules of law to be punished.

2. “Shu” is a method, tactic, or art. Shu would allow the fraternity to gain a bureaucratic administration under the control of the leader and would allow the leader to enforce the laws and perform the task of running the fraternity. (New World Encyclopedia)

Actually, the members of the executive board in one fraternity that I know of have already been utilizing some forms of legalism, but the intra-fraternity conflicts have not dissipated, at least in part because the fraternity has not properly used legalism for both “Fa” and “Shu.” With respect to “Fa,” the fraternity has laws but the laws are not always clearly written and publicly known to the whole fraternity. With respect to “Shu”, the fraternity lacks a true bureaucratic administration because the leader lacks the ability to remain aloof and conceal his personal intentions and because the fraternity does not have strong laws to provide the primary model of behavior for the fraternity.

Culture: Importance of Confucian Virtues: the Natural Laws in Asian Societies

2011-09-24T11:21:00.000-07:00

Dr. Yao, Author of Introduction to Confucianism, wrote in his book that the “Five Regulations” are “five Confucian virtues,” which are “ren” (humanness), “yi” (righteousness), “li” (ritual/propriety), “zhi” (wisdom), “xin” (faithfulness). He claims that these virtues are believed to be as constant and unchanging as natural laws, remaining the same for all time and guiding/ordering all other virtues” (Yao 34).

Dr. Yao’s sentence here is very powerful and important because it was able to convey effectively the important Confucian virtues that are the glue in Asian societies. They are the unspoken and accepted laws that guide East Asian societies, even if they are not obvious or invisible at times.

I agree with what Dr. Yao said that “these principles and regulations are taken as the essence of life and the bonds of society” (Yao 34). Some modern philosophers claim that “Confucian moral system” is “similar to that of virtue ethics” (Yao 33). In actuality, “what is meant by ‘morality’ in Confucianism is in fact quite different from that defined in Western ethics” (Yao 33) since it is a special morality system that covers a much wider area than in Western ethics. Many had attempted to characterize Confucian ethics as only about “moral issues.” It is more than that and includes issues about “politics, religion, education, psychology and metaphysics” (Yao 34). All of the five virtues in the passage are crucial, and I do not believe that there is one virtue greater than another and that there is a specific method to separate their connection.

What is Confucianism?

2011-09-22T20:39:00.000-07:00

“About 2,500 years ago, a man was born to a once aristocratic family in a small state called Lu in East China. During his lifetime, the man endeavored to…carrying forward the old tradition in a chaotic environment and opening up a new horizon in a dark age. By the time he died at the age of seventy-three, his teachings had spread throughout the state and beyond…But there was one thing that neither [his students and disciples] knew: that Chinese culture, and to some extent, East Asian culture, would be forever linked with his name, that the tradition he loved…would rank with the greatest in the world” (Yao – Author of An Introduction to Confucianism). This tradition is Confucianism- the Western English word coined by the Jesuits from the 16^th century.

I do not think Confucianism is a word that can be defined or described. Therefore, I would not even try to define the term but rather would do my best to illustrate my thinking and belief of the word Confucianism in my blog. When the word ‘Confucian’ is mentioned, some thinks of Confucius (“Kong Zi”) or some thinks of a really boring concept, particularly the younger generations. Despite being a younger generation, I agree with Dr. de Bary’s concept of ‘Confucian’- the one word that would characterize the Chinese way of life for the last two thousand of years. (Theodore de Bary- Sources of Chinese Traditions) Dr. de Bary’s reason for such characterization is that there is no other individual in Chinese history besides Confucius that “has so deeply influenced the life and thought of his people, as a transmitter, teacher and creative interpreter of the ancient culture and literature and as a moulder of the Chinese mind and character” (Theodore de Bary).

An Introduction

2011-09-17T00:06:00.001-07:00

This blog is a place to discuss Confucian ethics and Confucian "Dao" (Way) of life. The purpose of my blog is to explore the application of the Confucian principles in the each daily living, specifically in Stockton.

My interest in writing this blog is due to my passion for Confucius and his philosophy. I believe that the Confucian principles can have beneficial effects on a person in all aspects of his or her life.
As a person that comes from a traditional Asian family, I had grown up with the Confucian principles constantly being engrained into my mind, and these principles have been integrated into my identity as a person.

About Me

2011-09-01T14:20:00.000-07:00

I am a boring student who loves Confucianism and practices this in my daily life. I am a double major in engineering and mathematics who would like to explore how Confucian idealogy fits into my life, along with my other passion and interests.