Filial Piety In A Confucian Life

Many of the points of Confucianism are applicable to life today while a plethora of them are inexcusable.

One major gripe with Confucianism is the idea of harmony and filial piety and how it silences natural want and need to question the status quo. The relationship between father and son is supposed to be one in which the son lives his life to satisfy the wants and needs of his father even after death. In the Book of Analects it is that “When a person’s father is alive, observe his intentions, after his father is no more, observe his actions. If... he does then he is worthy to be called filial.” Dissent is not accepted and not believing what ones mentor may say prohibits someone for being a junzi. The inability to think for oneself and express their opinions goes against Article 19 of the UNUDHC. The article states, “everyone has the freedom of opinion and expression” . Filial piety does prevent one from freely expressing themselves. If one were to express discontent with their father then they would not be living a Confucius life, which they have been taught all of their life. It is not easy for someone to simply go against everything they have known

For something to be compatible it must be able to run smoothly along without any contradictions, which Confucianism has. Confucianism helped take China out of the warring states period and has made multiple people’s lives significantly better. Confucianism’s series of extremely structured relationships are what prohibits Confucianism and the UNUDHC from meshing. Those who are below in these relationships are expected to listen and accept whatever is said and any form of discontent or retaliation against these ideas is immediately thought of as being anti-Confucius and you are also threatening the stability of the whole system. These relationships lead to extremes such as lack of revolution and concubines. The lack of revolutions accounts for China’s seemingly extreme stability over the course of the Country’s history. Concubines kept women in a diminished position in Chinese society unless they were able to marry and influence someone who carried political