Final Thoughts

    The second and more in-depth journey through Confucius’ Analects left a remarkable shift in my world view and will have lasting impact. Upon my initial read of the Analects I was under the impression that Confucius was dry and lacked applicability to modern western life. The emphasis on filial piety was my original major takeaway. Considering this, I now realize my luck in getting this second examination of the Master. 

    Though stated heavily in class, the now apparent flexibility in the Way of Confucius seems of paramount importance to the philosophy. The contrast of the newly revealed flexibility to my prior shallow notion of the Master can be best described in the moment while imbibing with a fellow classmate in the Zuangzi precept. Before the semester began, I expressed my trepidations about “redoing” Confucius – considering I found myself at the time to be surely in the Daoist camp. My peer seemed to enforce my ideas. “He’s just all about the rituals… thats all that really matters” he said. Now looking back at this conversation, I see now how much beauty can be lost when taking Confucius in a fast context without slowing to examine the man himself as he encounters each of life’s tests. Good is a broad path with limits. Here is the flexibility of Confucianism.   

    The more thorough read of the Analects shines light on a Master who, on most days, is no more than a flawed man. In each action that Confucius takes, the Analects read in such a way that places the reader in his shoes… or rather what ever footwear would have been worn during the Zhou dynasty. As the text continued, the Way of Confucius became something to constantly aspire to rather than something within us. The aspiration of observance seems the only real possibility as Confucius’ Way requires the multiple people to enact and thus multiple variables to concern oneself with. This emphasis Confucius places on the observations of others felt at first vain and misplaced. However now I see Confucius observation and judgment of others as more of a way to understand humanity as a whole rather than my own precise space on its spectrum. As such, I now see the purest observance of the Confucian Way as an almost loss of self. That is to say that behaving genuinely in a Good act is not a choice for the true Confucian as it is instead guided by an absolute understanding of humanity.   

    In final what I hope to take way most from Confucius is his love for “learning”. Though I understand his use of學 has been most attributed to ritual, I think ritual can now, after this new read, be understood in a multitude of contexts which can also include our modern use of 學. It is my hope that I can continue to enact the virtue of Confucius and study as if I am always behind and to love every second of it.