Introduction
Confucius was known to be a teacher and above all a philosopher. Civilization in Eastern Asia was known to have been greatly influenced by his teachings. His teachings were based on making society better and not changing what was already inexistent. People were to be what they had always been and were not to allow the changes in society to affect their true selves. He focused on unity in the society so that success in terms of decision-making could be achieved easily. He made an observation that the decline of traditions in the societies happened because people were not united as a society and did not share objectives. Confucius was viewed to be both a revolutionary and a conservative.
Discussion
Confucius was a revolutionary because he used his intelligence to bring changes in his government even though they barely listened to him. He learned what was necessary for the government and in the process, he identified that the government leaders did not need intelligence to lead well, but also needed to have appropriate morals that leaders were supposed to have. This was because they could act as role models for the younger generation and for the citizens. Due to his efforts, the society was able to have good laws that the citizens abide by, and also chaos was reduced. Using his power he was able to get people to follow him and this demonstrated his role in the revolution.
During his teachings, he encouraged people to work together as groups or as a society and not individually because he knew that change could only be implemented when people worked together as a team (Morris 228).
Confucius was a conservative because he was known to be a teacher and that way his teachings were used by generations in the future. Confucius was to be the person under the preservation of Chinese culture which he saw had declined when he was growing up (Huang 134). Confucius was also known for being a traditionalist and thus conserving the ways of society. He was known to observe his ways around people who were way older than him, especially during meals and important meetings among other gatherings. He had so much respect for rituals and this helped him maintain order in the society. Since the stressed more on the social values that people held in the society, this made him bear the title of being a conservative.
The values that he put much emphasis on were excised during people’s lifetime because in the imperial palace they were also excised, not forgetting at home and even in open-air places such as markets. This strengthened people in religion and also brought seriousness to their activities. This helped in behavioral change and people in the society became much disciplined. He motivated people in times of despair and hence people cared for each other in society. On certain days he would wear certain colors in a bid to honor traditions.
Conclusion
Societies needed to preserve their cultures so that people could know their heritage. Confucius dedicated his time to teaching his students the ways of china people. In his teachings, he mentioned that everyone in the society had a place in terms of hierarchy and should not change by all means. This argument faced challenges because in Chinese traditions women were viewed to be inferior to society. This was negatively viewed because the societies became dynamic with time and some saw the traditions as old-fashioned. All in all his teachings helped to conserve traditions and changed the way forward for many Asian countries.
Works Cited
Huang, Youg. Rorty, pragmatism, and Confucianism: with responses by Richard Rorty. New York: SUNY Press, 2009.Pgs 122-178.
Morris, Ian. Why the West Rules–for Now: The Patterns of History, and What They Reveal About the Future. London: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2010.Pgs 227-330.