10/12/2024
Ancient Chinese Philosophy — Confucius (551-479 BC)
One of the core values in Confucius “君子求诸己，小人求诸人”.
(Translation) When conflicts or troubles arise, why should we look inward and correct ourselves? If you think about it calmly: if you’re genuinely committed to personal growth, then recognizing the moments when things go wrong and understanding the cause-and-effect relationship behind them is actually a rare and valuable opportunity.
Even if it’s not our fault, developing the habit of “first looking for the cause in ourselves” is an attitude of taking responsibility. Most of the time, there is a reason within ourselves for unpleasant situations, often rooted in deeper causes that we are not consciously aware of. Without thoroughly examining our own character, how can we find our shortcomings and correct ourselves? Isn’t your body and mind a small world of its own? Are you in charge of it? So when unpleasant things happen, there must be a reason within ourselves. How can we say it has nothing to do with us? Our flawed thoughts and awareness influence our biased words and actions, leading to undesirable results.
The cause and effect here is that the lack of own cultivation has caused unpleasant things. Villains lack the cultivation to find their own shortcomings and are unaware of their own shortcomings. Of course, they will focus on the shortcomings of others and blindly demand others.
