In this particular day I shall
interpret a verse from the Analects, namely 2:3. In A
Source Book In Chinese Philosophy, Wing Tsit Chan presents the verse:
“Confucius said, ‘Lead the people with governmental measures and
regulate them by law and punishment, and they avoid wrongdoing but will have no
sense of honor and shame. Lead them
with virtue and regulate them with rules of propriety ( li ), and they will
have a sense of shame and, moreover, set themselves right.’ ” 1
Firstly, let us discuss the theme of the verse. The
theme revolves around the “regulation of virtue, not law or force” as an
essential factor in achieving social harmony.
Confucius believes that in using
virtue, the people of the State will avoid the tendency of robotic conformity,
and instead be active followers that mold their ethical character in the
process. By molding one’s character,
with the assistance offered by the example of one’s leader, one can be a more
effective citizen of the state. By
being shaped morally, the citizens of the state can contribute greatly in
establishing order and harmony. This is
because they have the full understanding of the responsibility they have, not
only for themselves but also for their government and their co-citizens.
Let us reflect on this theme in the first sentence of what Confucius
has spoken.
“Lead the people with governmental measures and regulate them by law
and punishment, and they avoid wrongdoing but will have no sense of honor and
shame.”
Reflecting on the statement, purely ruling by the staunch use of law
and punishment is not helpful but rather detrimental to the state. This is because laws and punishment do not always
conform to virtue. They promote order
but mainly for the sake of following the laws and for fear of punishment. It is following the law mechanically but not
heartily. It does not promote the same
sense of order into the people’s being.
Rather, it molds the people into mere conforming individuals, never
having a sense of individuality and uniqueness.
This is what the phrase “have no
sense of honor and shame” talks about. Individuals that are similar to machines
do not recognize the importance of honor and shame, for their primary concern
is that as long as they fulfill the law, and as long as they keep their hands
off out of any trouble, all is well. In
other words, regulating by punishment and law ceases the opportunity of active
involvement of a state. It ceases the
opportunity in having a communal sense of responsibility with others, or with
communicating with others. It ceases the
opportunity in realizing one’s humanity, and instead promotes apathy.
Following the law should effect transformation within the person. And
the leader should be the first to manifest it in his way of life and his way of
leadership. It is by life practice that a leader is truly
a leader. It is the best accomplishment
he can bequeath to himself, to his family and to others. True leadership is by life example anchored
in righteousness and virtue.
Apathy, on the other hand, is
worse than treason or any state crime.
This is because a citizen does not fulfill his duties to the state. Not fulfilling one’s duties to the state,
therefore, invalidates one’s allegiance to the state and one’s responsibility
in making it better. A citizen needs to
animate his citizenship so that he will mold his ethical, social, and political
principles. This is seen when he does not only conform to
the law, but also lives it in his life in the right manner. But
this opportunity is robbed by the presence of too much conformity with the
principles of law and punishment.
The spirit of the law is the value of the law. The value of the law is the good of all. The good of all is the understanding of the
spirit of the law and practicing it in life. Conformity is an act of recognizing the law. It does not necessarily mean living the spirit
of the law. To live the spirit of the
law is to be transformed by it with values.
“Lead them with virtue and regulate them with rules of propriety ( li
), and they will have a sense of shame and, moreover, set themselves right.”
In this second part in the statement of Confucius, it emphasizes the
notion that if a ruler practices virtue in his way of governing his people, not
only that he promotes order in the state, he also molds their character. This molding is done because of the ruler’s
example. He becomes a credible leader
with integrity by his examples. In this
way the people will realize the importance of virtue. In
this way the people will be moved to reform their lives. In this way they learn a “sense of shame” and
“set themselves right”. To simply
put it, because of the effective implementation of the leader that is rooted in
virtue, the people not just conform to the law but live by the law. They learned a sense of shame for their
leader showed them respect and propriety, which moved them to show reciprocity.
The benevolence of their leader can
give a sense of empathy that is invoked in the being of an individual,
regardless of any social status. It is in this way that the people are refining
their attitudes or “setting their life’s direction to what is right”.
The Confucian verse emphasizes the fact that good governance must not
focus solely on the staunch observance of laws, or the forceful implementation
of it. Force cannot bring peace and
harmony to a state. Force cannot breed
anything but force itself. It cannot bring any good. To regulate or implement effectively, a
ruler must do it with benevolence and virtue.
In this way people will not be reduced to mere robots conforming to a
life of apathy. By being able to emulate
and regulate in the same benevolent objective and attitude, a government and a
state will attain social harmony. This
is because the people are involved, alongside their government. It is in this involvement that people
become less apathetic and more accomplished.
It is this involvement that the ruler of the state becomes more credible
and efficient. It is because of the
dynamic actions of the citizens and the ruler which make possible the
achievement of social harmony.
Leadership is a call to rule within oneself first before ruling
others. Good governance is right
interpretation and implementation of the law.
Founded on virtue, this will
bring about harmony among the people being led.
Good governance is living together the spirit or value of the law. The law is an instrument of leadership and
becomes a real connection between the leader and the people only when both the
leader and the people become better persons out of it.
No comments:
Post a Comment