In this particular day I shall
interpret a verse from the Analects, namely 7:16. In A
Source Book In Chinese Philosophy, Wing Tsit Chan presents the verse:
“Confucius said, ‘Give me a few
more years so that I can devote fifty years to Change. I may be free from great mistakes.’ ” 1
Firstly, let us go over the theme
of the verse. The verse revolves around
the theme of “making the will sincere”, which is another crucial aspect of
becoming a noble man. Being sincere
makes one be more effective as an individual and as part of society. This is because he is not held back by
anything negative, or anything contrary to goodness.
Let us observe this theme as we scrutinize
the first sentence in the verse, which is stated as:
“Give me a few more years so that
I can devote fifty years to Change.”
The Change that Confucius emphasized refers to
fundamental principle of the universe. It implies absoluteness, completeness,
harmony and unity. Every person needs to
know and understand these characteristics of Change so that he can fashion his
life along with it. Knowing and
understanding Change entails a lifetime.
It entails a lot of years of learning its rigid processes.
The mention of fifty years to be
added to Confucius’ life to devote to Change means that understanding it and
fine-tuning life within its principle is a great task. It requires transcendental and well-directed
attitudes and motives. One should not be
overtaken or shaken by things around him.
He should not even be affected by any material deficiency for as long as
he has all the basics for living. It is not easy to devote to Change. It
involves one’s constant determination and unshaken perseverance to do what is
good and avoid what is not. It cannot be
achieved within decades or number of years. It is itself a lifetime commitment.
An individual must completely
devote himself to the process of Change so that he can fully understand it,
internalize it, and live it. Change as a
fundamental principle is absolute and complete. This means that it is aimed for totality and
holism. It portrays the universe as a
totality fashioned in a complete cycle of harmony or unity of all that are in it. Men, being part of the universe, must live
his life along with these characteristics of Change. The basic example of this is the harmonious
co-existence of man with all that are present in the universe. Doing the otherwise, however, leads man to
disharmony and unhappiness.
Often, man shuns away from the principle of
harmony. This breeds many negative
thoughts, actions, decisions or biases, prejudices, narrow-mindedness, hatred,
violence, war and loss of lives. One
must be faithful and devoted in doing what is good and best. A simple example of this is in writing. When one improves his writing, he must not
stop. He must go on perfecting his style
and vocabulary, or else he will not become best in it. It is only in consistency that one can change
himself effectively.
It is in this consistency that
one makes his will sincere, for in change he fashions his objectives and makes
them clear. Sincerity implies consistency. By
being consistent, the value of sincerity is perfected all the more, thus making
the individual promote goodness.
The last sentence in the verse
would be “I may be free from great mistakes.”
Freedom from mistakes does not mean having no mistakes at all. Committing errors or mistakes is still a human
tendency. But if one has lived the
principle of Change, he can live his life fully despite the trials and
challenges. This is completely devoting one’s self to Change as the prime guide
to learning virtues. Even in the face of a traumatic past or any
emotional baggage, he remains clear in his objectives. He minimizes or even avoids commission of
mistakes or errors.
Mistakes or errors are committed when the mind is clouded and when one
allows confusion to rule within him. One
becomes “free” as he undergoes change, for he gradually learns the process of
detaching himself from the past which hampers his growth. Along the process he learns that he is bigger
than these experiences, and that he is the master of himself. He
becomes free for his reflection helps him to mature and let go the emotional
baggage that he has been carrying for many years.
To live along with Change is a noble commitment and a great
decision. For living one’s life along
with Change requires consistency and earnestness. Without these, life is in the wrong lane. This is because the individual restricts
himself even before the start of the process.
To change for the better is to free one’s self from anything negative within
him. One has to be mature so that he can
bloom into becoming a superior or noble man.
Being refined by all the realities in the universe, one has understood
Change. One has learned moral uprightness,
human-heartedness, humility, love for others, justice and happiness. Devoting to Change entails one’s entire life. This devotion to Change means devotion to
learn virtues. Learning virtues is not
conditioned by age or number of years.
It is something that must be done for as long as man lives. Those who devote themselves to Change and
learned virtues in the process are free of mistakes and
errors.
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