11/26/14

Analects 17:6



Analects 17:6
Tzu Chang asked Confucius about humaneness. Confucius said, “If you can practice these five things with all the people, you can be called humane.
Tzu Chang asked what they were. Confucius said, “Courtesy, generosity, honesty, persistence, and kindness. If you are courteous, you will not be disrespected; if you are generous, you will gain everything. If you are honest, people will rely on you. If you are persistent, you will get result. If you are kind, you can employ people.”

I will interpret what Confucius said about the quality of being humane in a simple yet meaningful way because its meaning is already well said. If you are courteous, you will not be disrespected. It means that if you are respectful to others, they will also respect you with all their heart because respect begets respect, unlike when you will not respect others, they will not also treat you with respect. If you are generous, you will gain everything. It means that if you are generous with others, they will also show their generosity to you. For example, when you give material things or other things to others, when the people you showed generosity have their own resources, without saying they will also give you things that they have. If you are honest, people will rely on you. It means that if you are honest, people will always listen and believe to what you will say or said because you showed honesty to them. If you are persistent, you will get result. It means that, if you will strive and work hard for a thing or a goal you want to finish, you will eventually get it. For example, when you will study hard and undergo sleepless nights because of studying about the subject or for the exam, you will get a good result because of persistency. If you are kind, you can employ people. It means that if you are kind to others, people will also show their kindness to you and they will allow themselves to you because they know that you will be kind to them.

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