Katherine R.

Dahang
BEED - III
Ms. Kim Jaudian
October 9, 2020

TLA 1: Research about the life of Confucius and his contributions to Chinese culture.

Growing Up

Confucius grew up in an era called the “golden era of intellectual reasoning”. This was during the Zhou
dynasty (1046-256 BCE). His father was a soldier named Kong He who died when Confucius was three
years old. The rest of his childhood was spent in poverty as Confucius was raised by his mother. Confucius'
family was part of a growing middle class of people in China called "shi." They weren't part of the nobility,
but were considered above the common peasants. This gave him a different outlook on life than the
majority of people. He thought that people should be promoted and rewarded based on their talents, not on
what family they were born into. He went by different names. He has been called Kong Qui or K’ung Fu-
tzu (Kong Fuzi). Others called him “Master Kong” (Kongzi). “Confucius” is the Latin version of “Kǒng
Fūzǐ” ( 孔夫子 – meaning “Master Kǒng”). The Jesuit missionaries to China were responsible for coming
out with the Latin form of his name. Confucius was also called “Zhong”, which is a name usually given to
second born child in a family.

Early Career

Confucius worked in the fields and as a bookkeeper but later on became a teacher, instructing a small group
of devoted followers about morality and ethics. Soon the district started to pay attention to his teachings and
he became the town’s governor. This marked the beginning of a journey that led to his reputation as a great
philosopher and thinker.

His Philosophy

Confucius developed his own philosophy which he taught to others. The Han dynasty (c. 202-220 CE)
embraced his ideas and made Confucianism the official philosophy of the government. Other dynasties such
as Tang dynasty (618-907 CE) and Song (960-1279 CE) took similar steps to instill Confucius’ ideas and
philosophy as the dominant school of thought among the populace. Today, his philosophy is known as
Confucianism. His ideas didn't become popular until years after his death when they became the basic
philosophy of the Chinese culture for over two thousand years.

Later Life

Confucius quit his government job at the age of 51. He was disappointed that the leaders were not following
his teachings. He then traveled throughout China for many years teaching his philosophy. Some of his
followers wrote down his ideas in a book that would later be called The Analects of Confucius. Through his
teachings, Confucius touched the lives of people not only in China but also Japan, Vietnam, and Korea who
also have a deep connection with his teachings.

Death

Confucius died in 479 BC of natural causes. He spent his last few years in his hometown of Qufu teaching
his disciples.

Legacy

Confucius' teachings became the state philosophy of China during the Han Dynasty. His teachings were the
basis of the government civil service exams. The government liked Confucianism because it taught to
respect authority and that a strong central government was important. Confucius' teachings remained an
important part of Chinese culture and government up until the 20th century.

Contribution of Confucius

Father of Confucianism

Confucianism is a philosophy or way of life which is named after its father and founder, Confucius. Also
known as Ruism, Confucianism can be regarded as a religion, tradition, teaching or an ideology. It first
emerged as an inspiration from Buddhism and later developed as an individual philosophy which had an
impact on the lives of many people. Confucianism includes many philosophies that not only teach us how to
live a moral life, but also how to efficiently run a fair government.

Breaking Cultural Boundaries

The teachings of Confucius brought about something of a cultural revolution in the world, and numerous
cultures adopted his philosophy. His simple yet virtuous way of living fascinated millions of people and
introduced them to a new way of thinking. His ideas on humanism touched the lives of many people and
broke cultural boundaries.

Neo-Confucianism

Neo-Confucianism is an updated version of Confucianism. It strived to bring rational changes to

Confucianism such as removing superstitions which came about from the mystical theories of Buddhism and
Taoism. Neo-Confucianism promoted a reasonable and rational take on things which appealed to its
followers. It began during the Tang dynasty but fully emerged as a newer version during the Song and Ming
dynasties.

Confucius and Politics

Confucius believed that the best way to make a government successful was for the ruler to be virtuous and
lead by example. If the ruler is virtuous, then the people will automatically follow suit. If the king is
competent and works ethically and no one is forced to do things against their will, then people will
ultimately look up to their ruler. Confucius had very strong views on the practice of bribery. He believed
that an inner sense of shame should stop people from doing wrong and lead them on the path of virtue.

Impact on Education

Confucius was a learner and a mentor. He contributed to China’s educational system not only through his
teachings and ethics but also by promoting education for the poor and underprivileged. The Zhou dynasty
offered education by government officials and public administrators but this was only available for
aristocrats, and the general public had no access to education at all. Only those belonging to the elite class
had the opportunity to gain a traditional education based on six arts: chariot driving, mathematics, music,
archery, calligraphy, and rituals. In order to break this feudalism and aristocratic monopoly, Confucius set
up private institutions to teach students of all social classes.

Producing the Great Analects

The Analects has influenced a great many people in China and is still followed by many today. Confucius’s
philosophies were not limited to a single subject. From matters of society to his thoughts on how education
could benefit the human race, the Analects covered a wide range of topics including morality and dignity. It
talks about following a life of righteousness that will ultimately teach your followers and future generations
the same path.
TLA 2: Confucius spoke about the ideal man/person in society. This ideal man was called a chun-tzu
[shoon-tsa]. Chun-tzu meant superior man or literally "prince's son." Confucius wrote: "The superior man
is concerned with virtue; the inferior man is concerned with land." Confucius' ideal or superior man/person
was less concerned with land and wealth than he was with knowledge, social graces and wisdom. This for
Confucius was a successful person. In our society we often gauge the ideal and successful person
differently. In a composition explain (1) How would you define the ideal person in our society? and (2)
What is your definition of a successful person? Option: Is your definition of a successful person the same
as society's definition?

An ideal person is one who possesses all character traits that are considered virtues in society.
Mother Teresa is an ideal person to me, because she had all the attributes of a good person, which made her
very vulnerable and at the same time very powerful. How she was able to motivate people with nothing, but
her faith is nothing short of a miracle. She gave out everything she had to the poor, including her skills,
resources and her life. Although she is no longer with us, she will be forever be kept in the most precious
place in our hearts. A person does not need all the accomplishments of Mother Teresa to be considered ideal.
At the end of the day, we were all given different talents and abilities. However, an ideal person always
gives his personal best in whatever he does. It is due to this reason that an ideal person is trusted, loved,
revered and admired for the right reasons. When an ideal person is not around, his absence is felt and people
miss him. An ideal person put the needs of other first and strives to bring joy to the people around him every
single day. An ideal person is hard to come by and sometimes we overlook him as the naive guy next door.
However, if the world was full of ideal persons, then it would be a better place.

Successful person for me is one that is genuinely content and happy with their vocational or
professional career and personal or family life. Fame or money can also be a contributing factor in this case
but without happiness, the person would not be termed as successful. Success is being a good friend even
when you feel like you get nothing in return. It’s being able to reflect and improve yourself as much as
possible. It’s being open to learning as much as possible and wanting to broaden your horizons as often as
you can. Success, to me, is being a person that contributes something to society, and is a positive addition to
our world. It is not defined by a piece of paper proving you graduated or a stack of money in a bank account.
It’s defined by your quality of life, your happiness and your effect on the world around you. I believe success
is defined by who you are and the person you aspire to be. Success is measured differently for each person.
What may be a small accomplishment for one person can be a huge milestone for another. Someone once
told me treat all your accomplishments the same, no matter how small they may seem.

My definition of a successful person the same as society's definition everything we want in life
involves risks. The purpose of planning is not to eliminate risks but to choose the right one. I believe that a
successful person has a high level of self-management and are consistently planning and taking purposeful
actions in pursuit of their goals and dreams. They know what it is that they want, and have a plan or know
what steps they need to take in order to achieve them. A successful person has a lot of self-motivation and
finds purpose in their lives by discovering personally meaningful goals and dreams. They are able to realize
their own incredible potential. All of our experiences can contribute to the creation of our best selves. The
main ingredient in all success is the ability to make wise choices. That's because the quality of our lives is
determined by the quality of the choices we make on a daily basis. This course has taught me that successful
people stay on course to their destinations by wisely choosing their beliefs and behaviors. I believe that life
is a journey, not a destination. I also believe that we build character by making mistakes, learning from
them, and using them as a learning process for growth. No one is perfect, we all make mistakes. It's how we
deal with them and move on, that matters. It is not about what we did in the past, for that is over. It's not
about the future because that has yet to happen. It is about today, the here and now that truly matters,
because we can change what we do today.

TLA 3: Scenario:
Your best friend is desperate to pass a social studies exam. While taking the exam, your friend asks you for
an answer. Do you help a friend in need, or do you concentrate on your own work? How would Confucius
advise you? What would Mencius tell you to do? What advice would Lao Tzu give you? Explain. How is
Chinese thought similar or different from how you/we/people in the World think?

For me I will help a friend in need because there will be days that I will also need their help because I
don’t want our friendship to be destroyed but I will not tolerate that kind of behaviour that every exam
he/she will ask for answers instead I will say that he/she should study because not every time I can help
them. I don’t like seeing other people being stressed with the exam so I will help them as much as I can. So
if I help the friend in need I think Confucius will advised me that  It seems a natural thought that we should
therefore befriend those more excellent than us, so as to learn from them. Yet like Aristotle, Confucius
insists on symmetry in true friendship, advising, “do not have as a friend anyone who is not as good as you
are.”. and I think Mencius will tell me that 'Friendship should be maintained without any presumption on the
ground of one's superior age, or station, or the circumstances of his relatives. Friendship with a man is
friendship with his virtue, and does not admit of assumptions of superiority. Lastly Lao Tzu will advised me
that It is a matter of life and death, a road either to safety or to ruin. Hence it is a subject of inquiry which
can on no account be neglected. Having friends makes you rich beyond measure. Having friends is vital to
how we live, survive and prosper. So we should not take friendship for granted. We should pay attention to
having friends, how to attract friends and how to be a friend. We do not want to be surrounded by an
overabundance of fair weather friends, for they are fools’ gold. When needed, we should turn to friends or
be the friend that is needed. It can be tough letting friends be friends. Sometimes we can see it as
broadcasting we are weak, stupid, unworthy or some other characteristic that we should hide. In fact to lean
on a friend makes us stronger, healthier and wiser. The art of making friends and influencing people is one
to pay very special attention to. If you have ever had the good fortune to be a friend you will know how
special an experience it can be.

TLA 4: Scenario
Pretend you are elected the new ruler of a new land. No previous government has existed. How would you
rule over this new land? Be sure to explain your reasons and justify your responses. Following are a list of
questions to help guide you. Explain your answers thoughtfully and incomplete sentences. 1) What would be
the primary (most important) goals of your society? 2) How would you implement (put into practice) these
goals? 3) What is the most effective way to make a child an ethical and moral being? In other words, what
motivates one child to be good and another child to be bad? 4) What is the function of the ruler in your
society? Would the ruler make all the laws or designate roles to a legislative body? Who would enforce your
goals?

If I will become elected as the new ruler of a new land, I will set a primary goals that protect all the
people from violence, both from inside and outside the community. If this peace and security cannot be
achieved, nothing else matters. But if a community is somehow able to enjoy both peace and security, then a
lot of good things are likely to happen. Justice, equality and liberty mean nothing if people cannot live
peaceful lives free from looming threats of violence. The world is a very fragile place. Most of history has
been about unspeakable strife. Peace and security should never be taken for granted. Society to me should be
focused on two equally important things. The efficiency of communities and their engineering of new ideals
and the proper functions in which to progress to greater ones while maintaining a grasp on the old. The
second should be the efficiency of the individual, the self perspective in the grand scheme and the role and
understanding of every single being. A task so vastly hard to tackle, many find it meaningless but personally
that's what a perfect society is about. It's about the ideas people make when they are together and the
individual ideas we make when we're apart, to form a powerhouse of intelligence conversation and a
virtually open window to brainstorm new opportunity. Society should not have one face but rather so many,
that the idea of a face at all is lost in translation. All that's left is togetherness and individual progression.

Our children need guidance. There’s just too much distraction around them that can lead them astray.
Remember that kids are like sponges. They absorb everything they see or hear. And it falls on us, adults, to
steer them to the right path. It is our responsibility to instill moral values to our children as early as possible.
They look up to us as role models. If we want them to grow up to be productive members of society, we
must teach them how. When raising kids, you cannot overlook the importance of morals and ethics. But with
ever-increasing external stimuli. The world is coming close with great speed. Present day kids are global
citizens and exposed to different cultures across the globe. They are constantly interacting with people from
different backgrounds. As a result, they may face confusion when it comes to acceptable and unacceptable
social conduct, whether it is peer pressure or social media, your child is exposed to many external factors.
Children have a high need to be accepted by the peers. In such cases, they may often drift off on an
unwanted path just to be liked and admired. Most often, even social media can feed your child with
conflicting values. Your child can learn better with positive reinforcement. So, don’t forget to applaud good
behaviour of your kids. Parents can easily become criticizing adults but forget to congratulate on a job well
done. Appreciate your little one more and help them feel positive about themselves. Moral growth continues
for many years and children are exposed to many people in this period. Some of them can influence your
child’s moral and ethical behaviour. If your child gets confused with differing codes of conduct, clear their
doubts and allow them to think through the differences.

The function of the ruler should be judged by his ability to protect the people and secure their rights, and
he should come to power by the collective consent of the people. The perfect government is one in which the
ruler has only the power which allows him to aid the people. The ruler make all the laws or designate roles to
a legislative body it is their responsibility for making enabling laws to make sure the spirit of the constitution
is upheld in the country and, at times, amend or change the constitution itself. In order to craft laws, the
legislative body comes out with two main documents: bills and resolutions.
TLA 5: In a minimum of one page, describe your relationship with your parents. Are you a filial son or
daughter? If you are, explain how being filial affects your life as a teenager. If you are not filial, justify the
reasons why you are unfilial, then describe the ways in which acting filial might change your family life. Or
Complete the following journal entry. Divide your paper in half. On the left side, record your description of
your relationship with your parents or guardians. On the right, record your emotion response to the
description.

My parents is such as an angel who always gives me countless love and never required for any reward. As
their daughter, the only thing I can do for them is to be filial, so that their love wouldn't be vain. Someone had
asked me if I am a filial child. I am trying to be, but obviously I wasn't. When I was a little kid, I didn't even
know what being filial is. Until the happening of a conversation with my parents let me realized to cherish
them and be filial, which also changed who I am, since I had started being aware that my parents would get
older and older, and I would have less and less time to stay with them. My parents is always with me whenever
I need them so that I rely on them a lot. Over 20 years of my life my parents have constantly encouraged me
to work hard, get an education, and to do the things that I am passionate about. They raised me to be
independent and taught me how to form my own opinions and decisions. They want me to be successful in
life, but they believe that success comes in many forms and takes hard work to achieve. Being filial daughter
came with a lot of family rules and traditions. Complete obedience to my parents during their lifetime and as
they grow older, taking the best possible care of them. My parents would often repeat “this is for your own
good” every time my trust and values were violated and I would repeat this to myself in an attempt to justify
the physical and emotional pain they caused me. Children see their parents as superheroes growing up, and I
was no different. As a child, I put my parents on a pedestal and decided that they could do no wrong. In its
purest form, filial piety is a method of honouring and thanking elders for the sacrifices they have made. It is
a value passed from generation to generation to respect those that came before. I’ve always felt the immense
pressure to please my parents growing up, so much so that I’ve suppressed my own identity, voice and
dreams in order to keep my parents happy. At the heart of it all, healthy practices of filial piety can greatly
deepen the relationship and respect children have for their parents. Oftentimes, however, it takes the form of
a poison apple, used to excuse damaging parenting behaviour and held above a child as a warning or
reminder to make them behave. Filial piety is deeply-rooted in Asian tradition and it isn’t going anywhere.
But that doesn’t mean it’s a bad thing. Filial piety is a Chinese value that I’m proud of as long as it’s taught
and implemented in a healthy way. To do that, we have to first understand the two different forms of filial
piety: reciprocal and authoritative.

Reflection Paper:
Guide question:
Write an essay consisting of 150-300 words with this topic: Confucianism and the World

Religion forms a fundamental part of a community. One of the major religions in China is Confucianism
founded by Kung Fu-tse, a Chinese sage. The name ‘Confucius’ is the Latin name for Kung Fu-tse.
Confucianism not only exists in China but has also in Korea and Japan. Additionally, nearly 26,000 people
in North America strongly belief in Confucianism. Today more than half of the world’s population practice
either principal or indigenous religions. Religion still shapes people’s lives significantly in politics and
culture. There is ever increasing ethnic and cultural differences, which have led to several religions practiced
alongside each other. There are about six million people who today call themselves Confucians. They mostly
live in Asia, particularly in China. In Europe, North and South America and in other continents there are a
small numbers of people who identify themselves as Confucians. For over 2,000 years, China’s poetry and
history, government and social life, and the ethics of the society dominate philosophical system of
Confucianism. Confucius emphasized on the ideal of order and harmony. Confucius emphasized that people
should live in harmony. He suggested a system of interpersonal relationships and proper governance. In the
system, age favored over where only friends were equal. He regarded government as the noble duty of all
because ethical governance would bring joy to the people. This explains why people are loyal to their
country and the government of the day, while living in order and harmony with each other. He also believed
that through education anyone could reach the highest standard of a gentleman. Confucius viewed the family
as a basic unit of society. The family reflected the social, economic, and political units of the society. Family
served as the natural environment for moral training. It also acted as the bridge between the individual and
society.
 Confucius directed his teachings toward the government. Subjects owed respect to the ruler, just as
the sons’ owed respect to their fathers. He also perceived the state as an expanded family. The subjects
considered the emperor as the “father and mother” of the state. Today one of the duties that the emperor
carries out is the wishes of his subjects as taught by Confucius. When Confucianism became a state religion,
it formed the basis of the Chinese education system. As such, education became the only way to win
government appointment to higher posts. The government honored distinguished scholars just like sports
super-heroes of the United States. Wealth, honor, and status followed the successful candidate and his
family. Today citizens consider government officials as people of brilliant minds. Although Confucianism
developed and changed, certain core ideals remained and became a stabilizing force for Chinese civilization.

Assignment
1. Write your own personal "code of ethics." What are the rules a "good person" should live by?

1. I will not change who I am for others, and I will stand up for my beliefs even when they are
unpopular.  If I’m not confident in myself and respectful of what I believe, then I cannot expect others to
exhibit confidence in me and respect my beliefs.  While it may be uncomfortable for me when other people
disagree with my actions, and while my unpopular actions may not yield the most positive outcomes for
me, my ethical decision making is often rule-based and virtue-based rather than consequence-based.

2. I will treat people as I want to be treated myself (the Golden Rule). Put simply, I will always be
courteous and civil in my day-to-day dealings with people. Just because I am in a bad mood does not
give me the right to take my frustrations out on the world. In fact, it is important that I try to brighten
other peoples’ days and have a positive impact on everyone with whom I come into contact.

3. I will value basic human dignity and rights and will not intentionally cause harm to another
human being. Human beings have the God-given ability to decide for themselves how they will lead
their lives, and they have a basic moral right to have their decisions respected. This freedom to choose
gives humans, regardless of their race, religion, nationality, ethnicity, gender and sexual orientation, a
unique dignity 

4. I will be transparent in my purpose and act in a manner that is fair and just for all concerned.
It is important to promote a spirit of openness in both my personal and professional lives. In some
aspects of my personal life, I do claim my right to privacy and/or am willing to tell non-harmful white
lies to spare the feelings of others.

5.  I will never be satisfied with anything being less than my best effort. I am committed to trying
my hardest in all aspects of life, be it a work assignment or a personal relationship.

6. I will seek continuous improvement. Personally, it is important that I strive to live a more virtuous
life every day. The more that I can live according to my virtues, the more moral my actions will be and
the more ethical of a person I will be 

7. I will keep my promises and honor my commitments. Because I play many roles, my promises
and commitments take many forms, including promises to myself, my friends, my family and my
profession as well as contracts, agreements, assignments and my development classes.

8.  I will always make my family my number one priority. I will bring them joy and derive great joy
from my relationships with them. No matter what else is going on in my life, my highest obligation will
always be to my family. This is my rule, and my ethical decisions will follow it. I do however
understand that not everyone lives their lives according to this rule, and I will not view them as
immoral for breaking it. It is because my family and I have a very special relationship that I am
comfortable making this strong commitment to them.

9. I will view my life as a gift and be grateful for it and my circumstances each and every day.
God has given me the best possible family and life for which I could ever ask. I have been blessed with
an extremely comfortable life, and I realize that this is not the norm. For this reason, I am thankful for
what I have been given every day, and I try to use my privilege to improve my community through
service and donations when possible.