Confucius Day
Ahh, the fortune cookie guy!
No. Actually, Confucius was
one of the world’s greatest philosophers.
He
was born in 551BC, in China.
He died in 479BC.
Confucius was a teacher,
scholar and politician.
Thanks to Confucius, the world
now has 449 famous sayings,
to help us
get through any situation.
Confucius says…
if the saying is funny or silly,
Confucius didn’t say it!
What did he say?
“Do not be concerned about others
not appreciating you.
Be concerned about your
not appreciating others.”
(Chapter 1 Verse 16).
“The gentleman is generous
but
not extravagant,
works without complaint,
has desires without being greedy,
is
at peace but not arrogant,
and commands respect but not fear.”
(from Chapter 20
Verse 2).
And:
“It does not matter how slowly you
go
so long as you do not stop.”
“To be able under all circumstances
to practice five things
constitutes perfect virtue;
these five things are
gravity,
generosity of soul, sincerity,
earnestness and kindness.”
I hate to admit it, but I found
some of the sayings to be
a little
out-dated…
and really, this is not too surprising,
considering they were
written
around 550BC!
Other sayings sound very,
very familiar!
Some believe Confucius was born
into a royal family
of the Chou Dynasty…
others believe he was born
into a life of poverty.
In China, in the 6th century BC,
competing Chinese states
were
undermining the authority of
the Chou Empire, which had
ruled for 500
years.
The country was in a state
of moral decline…
until Confucius stepped in.
He used his golden rule
to show others the way:
“What you do not wish for
yourself,
do not do to others.”
Learn more about his biography here
Confucius Says!
(Today is also Coffee Day. Drink up!)
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