Introduction
Confucianism is a Chinese philosophy founded by Confucius in the 6th century BC. It is based on the belief that humans should live in harmony with nature and society and that humanity can achieve this by following certain principles of behavior. Confucianism has profoundly influenced Chinese culture and society and continues to have an essential role in modern China. Perhaps the single most excellent glue that has held Chinese society together is Confucianism with its five relationships: ruler-subject, husband-wife, old-young, parent-child, and friend-friend.
A Brief History of Confucianism
Confucius passed away at age 69 after contracting tuberculosis while living under harsh conditions with very little food or shelter during one winter because the government allocated no funds for this purpose. After his death, some followers spread across China, founding schools where they taught students about The Three Principles of Confucianism using stories from ancient times written down by him (Strayer and Nelson 101). Other teachings from him, such as those related to morality, were also based on old Chinese beliefs shared by most people at that time, including Buddhism, since both philosophies share similar ideas regarding life principles. These followers continued teaching their version of Confucianism even after it became outlawed during imperial times, starting around 755 AD due to its association with old traditions seen as outdated by most people following newer religions such as Buddhism (Strayer and Nelson 103). Despite this, Confucianism is still alive and gathering new followers.
Relation between Ruler and Subject
In the old days, only the ruling class and those who became part of it received a classical education. Ordinary people in those times were not taught to defend their rights. However, the ruling class, or the future ruling class, was constantly told that the primary duty of the ruler was to serve the people’s interests (Strayer and Nelson 101). Rulers and officials were taught to think of themselves as parents or guardians of ordinary people and take care of them as if they were their children. Although the ruler did not always put this principle into practice, it remained the basis of Chinese political thought. The weakness of this doctrine is that the happiness of the people is in the hands of the ruling class, which tends to default and exploit ordinary people (Strayer and Nelson 101). This phenomenon explains the frequent revolutions in the history of China.
Relations Between Parent and Child
Relations between parents and children were significant in ancient China, and they are still so in the present day. As the head of the family, the smallest unit of society, the parent was responsible for its material well-being, the transmission of moral standards to children, and the distribution of family roles. Since the child perceived their parent as role models and a source of ethical standards, he tried to behave according to these standards. This behavior is not the same as blind imitation, Confucius believed (Strayer and Nelson 101). If one looks from the point of view of a modern person, then the relationship between parent and child really cannot be called imitation. From the point of view of Confucius, children should not blindly follow their parents’ instructions but learn valuable lessons that will help them in the future (Strayer and Nelson 102). Therefore, the parent had to set an example through his behavior. The child should imitate the parent only when the father has a strong character.
Relations Between Old and Young
Confucius believed behavior should be based on principles rather than emotions or personal desires. He taught his followers to respect their parents, teachers, and others who had achieved something great in life, such as a king or a minister (Strayer and Nelson 102). This relation is because Confucius believed that if one shows respect for one’s elders, they will return the favor by teaching one what they know so one can achieve greatness like them. However, he did not believe in disrespecting anyone, no matter how old they were, because he thought doing so would make one look bad and cause others to feel poorly.
Conclusion
The central idea behind Confucianism is that humans are born with certain qualities that make them good or bad; good people act morally, while bad people do not. The way for humans to achieve goodness is through self-cultivation or cultivation of their person. This means learning to be respectful towards others and being honest with oneself and one’s actions, all of which will help one lead a moral life both now and when one dies. This idea will also benefit society because it will create harmony between people rather than conflict like we see today between different groups within society, such as rich or poor.
As mentioned at the beginning, these five relationships were the glue for Chinese society at the time. If one starts thinking about the very concept of glue for the state, then one can define the glue for the modern United States. It is not easy to give an exact answer to this question since the United States is a large and diverse country. However, the diversity of people, cultures, and religions is the glue for the United States. If this is so, this glue only becomes more robust because if it did not unite people, the United States would have long since collapsed into many separate states.
Work Cited
Strayer, Robert, W. and Eric W. Nelson. Ways of the World: A Brief Global History, Value Edition, Volume 1. Available from: VitalSource Bookshelf, (5th Edition). Macmillan Higher Education, 2021, pp. 100–104.