It was at that time that I discovered Confucius. One afternoon I took a book out of the library so I could understand more about his principles and ideas. I started reading at 9:00 PM, and the next time I looked at the clock it was 4 in the morning...
...And I had to wake up in 3 hours for work.
But I was hooked. I was mesmerized.
Could a person really live up to Confucius' vision of the Perfect Man.
("Perfect", I must make clear, in spirit. The highest level of virtue.)
I filled up 3 pages of a legal pad with notes.
Quotes from his book on virtue, logic and self-control.
As a young man, I was filled with pride and ego. I imagine I still am today. But I was awed by Confucius' ideas about rising above pettiness. About speaking evenly and calmly on any topic. About knowing what you were talking about....dealing only in facts and avoiding judgement of others.
He also spoke about education and the constant pursuit of knowledge. Not just for the sake of education...but in an effort to always ensure you were speaking truth. Being recognized as truthful, according to Confucius, makes one trustworthy.
It didn't matter to me that much of his teaching was a parallel to what he envisioned for the Government itself. What mattered to me was the possibility....just a chance...that I could emulate these traits. That I could even possibility reach SOME degree of his vision of the Perfect Man.
I didn't come close. I was young and I was pulled in many directions...not taking the time to really study any particular discipline and reaching a level of "expertise". But I had a reference point., I had something I could reflect on periodically. I had notes I could re-read at will. I had someone I could refer to when I needed a personification of things like "Calm" and "Virtue".
I never stopped studying self-improvement. I never stopped loving the beauty of mystery of the Far East. Today, the internet has opened me up to a plethora of Self Improvement experts and I can regularly compare and contrasts their views.
But I noticed that while these experts all talk about education and hustle, they don't talk QUITE as much as virtue and truthfulness. This isn't to say that they don't find these attributes to be valuable or important...but we seem to take it for granted today. We seem to assume that "of course" you should be honest. Of course you should have high morals and virtues.
The art of hammering home virtue and truthfulness seems to have been lost in the history and mystery of the Ancient Far East. A place where honor was as important as profit. Where virtue was as important as hustle.
Do the wealthy and driven get a bad rap? Somewhat, sure. There will always be a population that thinks all wealthy people are criminals and all driven people are selfish and shallow.
I don't think so. I think you can still have both.
Success and Virtues.
Somewhere in my study, I still have those notes, and as I write this I know I'll be digging them out this weekend and reviewing them.
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