What We Know

We as human beings believe to govern the world, and know everything needed to make this place better. But in chapter 17 there are some lines that show the levels of knowledge we have. “The highest is barely known” (Part 17) this means that the highest levels of knowledge is barely known, and we instead believe we know it all. This level is followed by three others, “Then comes what people know and love, then what is feared, and then which is despised” (Part 17) I repeat that these levels are referring to what we know, and as its said we know more of what we despise that what we love.

Another thing that is said in this part that I also agree with is a line that says, “Who does not trust enough will not be trusted.” (Part 17) I have an agreement with this because if you don’t trust people then you wont earn their trust back. It’s a normal conduct from the human beings, if you feel uncomfortable with something you will throw it away, the same with trust. So to be trusted you must trust.

Introducing Tao Te Ching

The first impression the Tao Te Ching is one that looks like Confucius, or like the bible. It teaches you some basic things to live and why things are how they are. At the beginning the book tells how things complement other things. “Difficult and easy complement each other.”(Part 2) Also the text tells us why humanity is how it is, giving reasons for the fights there are and all the miscues. “Not collecting treasures prevents stealing.” (Part 3) This is very true, because without any treasures we cannot have anything that can be stolen. But this is not the only thing that is said through this, another way to see this is as if everyone had the same amount of everything then no one would steel anything, because they wouldn’t have anything to steel. Very wise things are said by this book, teaching us, and educating us.

We Should Learn From Others

In these Books of Confucius you can see again how he teaches all his people and gives them good lessons. We, in our modern society should be able to learn and apply the lessons that he gave to his listeners and many more important people have given to their followers. He tells us, “Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire.”(Pg 45) This is something that Jesus also said to his disciples when he was alive. This is an example of two people who said common things. We should listen this and do it, if these two people said it and applied it we must think it is a wise thing to do.

Not only I learn things from others but we should all learn things from others to be better each day, improving things that you did before. But the problem with some people is that they think they don’t have mistakes and therefore not correct them. Confucius has an answer to that, “To make a mistake and yet not change your ways - this is what is called truly making a mistake.”(Pg 45) This tells me a lot, explaining not only why arrogant people are so stubborn but also why they never change. Because they don’t accept who they are and what they do wrong they never change, meaning they truly make a mistake. This is why some people do mistakes and accept them and then go on to become better people. In the other side we see people who don’t listen to others and accumulate many mistakes without correcting them, and when they try to become better they cant. We are better of if we don’t think only about ourselves but about others

Wealth

In Book seven of Confucius there is a phrase that really moved me which was, “If wealth were something worth pursuing, then I would pursue it,”(Pg 20) this master is really wise, because by saying “If wealth were something worth pursuing,” he is already saying it isn’t, it is an unnecessary thing to have. And right after saying that he then states, “then I would pursue it” which means that he will always go after things that are worth to go after. This Master is a person who knows what is essential for his development in life, and wont waste time pursuing unnecessary things such as wealth. Today all that people search for is money, which in reality is important but not what we should live for.

Being Good

As I began to read Confucius a lot of things were going through my mind. What was this book about? Will I learn anything that will inspire me to write a Blog entry? Well after only reading a couple of sentences I saw what all this was about. What I read was that we must follow Goodness, which is very important. The text shows us, “Only one who is Good is able to truly love others or despise others.” (Pg 10) This told me how the importance of just having goodness in me will let me truly love other people. Anyways, we shouldn't or just can’t judge if others or good or bad, “I don’t know about that-what makes you think he deserves to be called good?”(Pg 15) We can see how a person has said another is good, but what proof of that does he have? For me it all is depending in your individual point of view.

But how is this relevant, why will being good let me love others truly? I had my own answer, I believed that we should be good and accept all things when being like that, seeing how they truly are, and therefore loving truly. So when we are good with our parents, we will love them and that is so with all other people. The text tells us about love against parents, “you should be respectful and not oppose them, and follow their lead diligently”(Pg 12) This also tells me that we must respect our parents as giving them thanks for all that they did for us.

Faith Is Important

Why read Elie Wiesel’s Night and compare it with the book of Job? Well after reading them I discovered that there is similar character in both of them. This character in Job is Satan and in Night it is the Nazis. We learn that Satan is trying to defy Job to not believe in God,. The bible shows us, “And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.”(Job 2, 4) Here Satan tells God that Job will not believe in him and so Satan begins to take away things from Job, but he doesn’t “sinned not, nor charged God foolishly”(Job 1, 22) In The other book, Night, the enemy are the Nazis, who try to take away the dignity to all the Jews, but they cant. “Blessed be the name of the eternal!”( Pg 64) Any ways, as this quote show us, the Jews were always havin faith on God and praing to him that they be protected. Both Books, Night and Job are examples of great faith.