Virtue and Ideal Person

The ideal person that is described according to Confucius is a superior or noble person. A perfect person that can see beyond of what usual or normal people can see. It is called Junzi. This person is not born from in a day, but it is prepared to show his humanity at its best since childhood, “and the virtues have been practiced for so long that the whole Confucian manner of relating to the world has become completely natural” (Molloy, 2010). The ideal person is known to be at its perfection, but he does not qualifies himself as perfect, instead is humble, and admits he can commit errors as any human being. The ideal person excellence it’s manifested through five virtues, according to Confucius: ren, li, shu, xiao, and wen. Having and putting these virtues in action proof the ideal person. Ren (jen), this virtue means to think of the other. Being an ideal or perfect human being is shown in a person’s actions, showing kindness, sympathy, consideration, among others, to every other human being. Li is a virtue that means do the appropriate thing.

There are different situation sin life that required certain ways of acting, being polite to adults, wearing dress clothes to church, exercise with tennis, say please and thank you, are examples of how Li is put in action, Li can be translated or interpreted as showing good manners. Shu is the virtue that means reciprocity. It meaning is enclose in a phrase “Do not do unto others what you would not wish done to yourself” (Molloy, 2010). A phrase that explains itself. Xiao virtue is “fi lial piety (devotion of a son or daughter to a parent). It also means the devotion that all members have to their entire family’s welfare” (Molloy, 2010).

This virtue emphasizes the care and honor own to parents and family members. Value what family is, and love them among anything. Wen means Culture. This virtue is show love and respect for the person’s own culture, which includes its art, music, and everything that is part of a culture. There are other virtues that are taught in Confucianism, but these five are the bases to become an ideal person, be part of the culture, family, community the person lives in.

References

Molloy, Michael. (2010). Experiencing the World’s Religion (5th Ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.