Confucius 4.7"Your faults define you. From your very faults one can know your quality"
Not sure on this one.
Thursday, December 13
Confucius 4.7 - Jeffrey Dahmer
Confucius 4.7"Your faults define you. From your very faults one can know your quality"
Not sure on this one.
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4 comments:
Hmm... Elaborate a bit more?
Which translation of Confucius are you using, if I may ask?
The DC Lau one is best.
A general guide to Confucius' teachings is Confucius' own: "The Great Learning".
p.s. Are you in Melbourne or just Victoria?
As in, is "not sure on this one", a comment on the enigmatic quality of Confucius' writings or is it a comment on how it ought apply to Jeffrey Dahmer?
In either case, what is it that you are unsure or and as well, might you have considered that if a person has got many faults, it shows — following Confucius' call for everyone to know their hearts, rectify their thoughts and improve themselves — that having faults is a case of personal failure?
It's a bit like Lao Zi's "Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power".
shall leave you alone.
i studied confucius before, that's all.
and actually, i kinda like the same stuff as you. (though i dont do the martial arts bit, i do do the eastern philo bit and graphic design and western philo. but design is self-taught.)
but im not aussie; just a s'porean studying in melb.
to elaborate a bit more ... I'm only just starting off with confucius, and it's something I've come to through my study of martial arts, so I come at it from a different angle to that of a scholar (i'm guessing).
Thanks for the tip on Lau - I've got a couple of translations, but the one that seems best is by Simon Leys, though will check out your suggestion.
As for this verse, I was aiming the comment at Dahmer himself, knowing that he checks the blog from time to time (!!!) ... I guess when you're faced with trying to deal with certain faults of your own, accepting them and living with them is the smartest way forward, and knowing that you're not alone (ie, everyone has faults) is comforting. Comparing MY faults to those of a serial killer makes me realise I don't have much to complain about.
Also, I'm no where near Melbourne or Victoria. Sadly.
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