Big Business and the Ghost of Confucius

By Charmaine Anjanette C. Legaspina and Jeri lee Gomez

The wealth and resources of a country or region, especially in terms of the production and
consumption of goods and services is what we define as Economy. It is also the careful
management of available resources within a specific area. Moreover, economy plays a very
significant role in the society and to the world view also. In fact, to make things better, we need
to consider opening doors for improvement, for enrichment purposes and for reconstruction ideas
that would probably determine the kind of nation that we had. Status of living might consider as
well, plus the literacy rate and the health care services of the county. Industrialization comes
within the box, just like what happen to the civilized countries of the South East including China,
Taiwan, Singapore, Korea and Japan. People living in this country simply shows the good
example of an economically developed countries. From a low income economy to a high
economy region of the South East. And it clearly embrace the adaptation of Confucianism for the
betterment of their economy. As part of their progressive lives, they widely opened their doors to
what is currently going on the status of industrialization. They are now considered as the Capital
Cities of the State, having the benefits of higher employment rates and services. And
Confucianism really makes a big impact to those leaders of these county and they used it as their
foundational way in applying it to their government for the purpose of economic betterment.

The inclusion of these teaching from Confucius makes leadership at its stake. They applied
moral obligation to the group as well as the diligence to study, authority springs from morality
not force and many more. Knowing that family is the basic unit of society and government,
therefore it should be the reflection of reality. The rapid transformation of the society itself
because of this, is merely what builds up the balance in the community, so to the acceptance of
authority that is just and right. They use these philosophy to control the work force wherein
family centeredness is emphasized all the time. Same with Korea where cooperation and
harmonious aspect among the people in the group was absorbed by these so called followers of
Confucius. Just like Taiwan and Japan, they also create the same way of promoting a sense of
belonging among the workers and exposing them to cultural heritage and not relay on self-
centeredness and individualistic leadership as some western cultures did. Korean standard was
rooted deep with Confucianism having the systematic moral values and authority from the
government. Look at Singapore and their deep respect for education and their moral education
curriculum where Confucius ethics was promoted as their fundamental basement for
strengthening harmonious atmosphere. As part of this, they also include social obligation, social
control from the government, the moral education and signboards that were posted everywhere in
their country for reminding them of this. As a result, their economic growth amazingly
transformed calling them as the financial center of the Southeast Asia. In fact, Multinational
Corporation comes from them.

It is good to know that there is Confucius which provides these ideology but somehow true that
the government holds the plan. And for today, Confucianism is no longer relevant to the future
generation, wherein different ideology exists in an instant.

In the Philippines, we also have these kind of philosophy. The concept was from our National
Hero Dr. Jose P. Rizal. Rizal’s educational philosophies states that ‘’the school is the book in
which is written the future of the nations. Shows us the school of a people and we will tell you
what those people are’’. According to Dr. Camilo Osias, ‘’School has an important role in the
development of dynamic nationalism and internationalism in relation to democracy in education
of the youth. High educational institutions should do more to turn out graduates who can think
logically, scientifically and creatively. Our education should instill love for work, spirit of
tolerance, respect for law, love for peace and practice of thrift’’. They both believed in the
importance of school as factor of social organization towards patrimony and better leadership.
And as part of this, the school must train citizen into different phases of life namely as the moral,
intellectual and physical phase. It must be developed among individuals and the school is the one
to prepare it so that people could live efficiently in the community.

It is the education that will elevate the progress of the country. It is the key to a better living. It is
a good start to touch lives by planting moral aspects to our students. It is the behavioral ideology.
Focusing on the cultivation of virtue in this modern world that makes individual more
fundamentally good and teachable citizen.