Analect 5.11 On resoluteness (ES)

     

    In analect 5.11 Confucius says he has yet to, "meet someone who is genuinely resolute" This begs the

question of what it means to be a resolute person in general and whether one's resoluteness is up to 

Confucius high standards? Traditionally, to be resolute is to be unwavering and determined particularly

towards some specific kind of goal or purpose. Why then when someone asks if Confucius does not 

consider Shen Cheng a resolute person, does Confucius says no saying, "Cheng is full of desires, how 

could he be resolute?". 

    Again this begs the question of what it means to me resolute, or better what it 

means too Confucius to be a resolute person? This question is unfortunately not answered in this analect.

 The one important clue I can possible see to make sense as to why Confucius rejects Shen Cheng as a 

resolute man, has to do with desires. Perhaps to be resolute one would need a singular goal or desire to

focus on, and all other desires must be blocked out. Maybe Confucius is trying to say that when a person

becomes too muddled with many desires, then it would be impossible to be completely unwavering in 

regards to even just one goal or desire at a time. That the others desires would always being gnawing

in some form or other at you, that you would never be genuinely resolute with your tasks at hand.

How does one remove their desires and become a resolute person, and whether or not it is possible to

begin with remains to be seen, and I wonder how or if in future analects, Confucius will go about solving

this dilemma?

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