Fragments of History 4: A Story of Small Confucianism - Ancient Teachings Hidden in Our Daily Lives

My roommate Mikishan is a collector of "Fragments of History."
Today, she found a fragment of the teachings of a great person from ancient China.
Actually, I cherish it too.
Take a little look.
From Momiji the cat

The basic setting is seniority.
Benevolence and righteousness are important.
Make "learning from the past" your motto.

Such are the feelings rooted in our culture.

Some people say that in this day and age, it no longer matters, but that is not the case.
If you ignore this, it becomes quite difficult to live in society.

The teachings of Confucius, created about 2,500 years ago in a world of war, have permeated every corner of the lives of us East Asians and appear at unexpected moments.

The era in which Confucius lived was a disorderly and chaotic time where wars occurred frequently.
Saddened by a bleak world where "the strong win," Confucius thought about "what should be done for society to be peaceful" and established his teachings.

What runs through his teachings is the order and principles maintained by "respecting and loving those above you, and protecting those below you."

Never forget to show respect to kings, superiors, and parents.
Conversely, when you are in a higher position, you have an obligation to care for and protect the other person.

Well, when thinking within the framework of a nation, there is also a history where it was used quite conveniently to demand loyalty from people or to fix social status.

It is also well known that in China's "keju" (imperial examination), Confucianism was valued above all else and became inseparable from career advancement.

Therefore, there is much criticism.

Even so, Confucian ideas spread naturally from China to the Korean Peninsula and then to Japan, like water soaking into a riverbed.

And for 2,500 long years, it has been close to the hearts of people who want to cherish their families and human connections.

There is no doubt that there were warm parts of the teachings that protected small peace in people's daily lives.

Superior and inferior are words that are no longer in fashion.
I also think that we must change how we perceive them along with the times.

But I hope that only the warmth within these teachings will be passed on.

Momiji's note 🐱
Apparently, in the old days, if you ate before your parents, you would get yelled at a lot, Hiiragi.

Hiiragi's note 🐱
Apparently, people in the old days would give their food to their children even if they had to go without, Mom.