Natalie Williams
Dr. Brandy Stark
HUM2770 Humanities (East-West Synthesis) Mode :( Online) Class#:2357
30 September 2014
Discussion China
After reading the Doctrine of the Mean, it stuck me once again how very alike most religions or philosophies are. Throughout this course we have studied about various religions, from Islam and Judaism, Christianity to Hinduism. Through all of these the main theme seems to coincide. Do on to others as you would have other do unto you. Simply put treat people the way you want to be treated. The line that we are discussing “…the superior man can find himself in no situation in which he is not himself” means the same thing.
If a superior man is dealing with anyone, be they of great wealth or low birth, it will not change how he will relate to those people. He will treat them as he himself would want to be treated. As a good, virtuous man. He would not look down his nose at the common man. Nor would he put the man of great wealth on a pedestal. He would relate to both as equals. He will treat all people with kindness and respect, just as he would want to be treated. If they are in need of food or shelter he would give it to them.
I don’t believe that Confucius uses of the word superior in the context that he is better than anyone else. Rather that he is content and secure in his beliefs and his self. He does not feel a need to demean anyone. Nor does he believe tht he should be above anyone else. He is a human being, we are all and should treat each other as
Works Cited
"http://www.chinapage.com/confucius/zhongyong/mean.html." n.d. 27 Sept 2014.
Janice C. Buchanan, Patrica J. Chauvin. Expanding Horizons . Pearson, 2011.