Ideal Person
Ideal Person
REL/133
Abstract
For this assignment, we have been tasked to describe the ideal person according to Confucius. I will be including the concepts of ren, li, shu, xiao, and wen in my writing because these were the major Confucian virtues.
Ideal Person
There are many ways to describe the perfect person. If someone were to ask me what the ideal person is, I would say that the ideal person is one who has strong virtues, is a morally sound person, understand himself and others, helpful, and respectful. I think these are very important building blocks to being the ideal person. Everyone has their own definition of their ideal person, though. I may have a different definition than my neighbor or even my best friends. Regardless the person judging, it is always important to be your own definition of an ideal person because that is a perfect place to start. Confucius had his own definition of an ideal person. He believed that in order to be an ideal, or excellent, person you must have the five virtues. These virtues are ren, li, shu, xiao, and wen. Each one of these virtues plays a particular role in the bigger picture of becoming the ideal person. Ren is the virtue of being sympathy and empathy. According to our text in Chapter 6, Confucius stated that “If you want to be kind, be polite.” This was a very interesting quote because it really is true. Li is the virtue of propriety. This means that no matter that the situation or who is around, you always do the appropriate thing. You must say the appropriate things, dress according to each situation, etc. Shu is one of the most important virtues because this is the virtue that represents reciprocity. What this means is that everything you do has an action or consequence that follows. You must always think about how your actions will affect other people. If you are doing something that you would not like to have done to you, then you should
REL/133
Abstract
For this assignment, we have been tasked to describe the ideal person according to Confucius. I will be including the concepts of ren, li, shu, xiao, and wen in my writing because these were the major Confucian virtues.
Ideal Person
There are many ways to describe the perfect person. If someone were to ask me what the ideal person is, I would say that the ideal person is one who has strong virtues, is a morally sound person, understand himself and others, helpful, and respectful. I think these are very important building blocks to being the ideal person. Everyone has their own definition of their ideal person, though. I may have a different definition than my neighbor or even my best friends. Regardless the person judging, it is always important to be your own definition of an ideal person because that is a perfect place to start. Confucius had his own definition of an ideal person. He believed that in order to be an ideal, or excellent, person you must have the five virtues. These virtues are ren, li, shu, xiao, and wen. Each one of these virtues plays a particular role in the bigger picture of becoming the ideal person. Ren is the virtue of being sympathy and empathy. According to our text in Chapter 6, Confucius stated that “If you want to be kind, be polite.” This was a very interesting quote because it really is true. Li is the virtue of propriety. This means that no matter that the situation or who is around, you always do the appropriate thing. You must say the appropriate things, dress according to each situation, etc. Shu is one of the most important virtues because this is the virtue that represents reciprocity. What this means is that everything you do has an action or consequence that follows. You must always think about how your actions will affect other people. If you are doing something that you would not like to have done to you, then you should
References: 1. Molloy, M. (2010). Experiencing the World’s Religions: Tradition, Challenge, and Change (5th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.