The Saint 65
Asked what he would do as a ruler, Confucius says that fi rst he
would feed the people and then he would make them prosperous—
and then, only after the primary needs have been taken care of,
would he initiate them into the Way.
The man who genuinely works for the common people does not
stand a great chance of success. The world is corrupt. Leaders do
not want to hear the Truth. (When Confucius fi nally becomes a
prince’s advisor, he is quickly dismissed for his candor.) Those in
power are almost always greedy and disdain to share what they have.
So the benevolent man is unlikely to win approval in their eyes. He
will be passed over for promotion. He will see his most thoughtful
plans for the betterment of the masses ignored or ridiculed. Yet
still— suff ering the wounds that patient merit always takes from the
unworthy—he strives on, not thin- lipped but cheerful, aff able, both
sweet and tough, like the Master himself.
At the heart of the Master’s teaching is a central princi ple: fi lial
piety. One reveres the past, and in par tic u lar one reveres the past
as it is embodied, exemplifi ed, and transmitted by one’s parents.
What is the appropriate mourning period for a deceased mo ther or
father? Three years is correct. Less is an aff ront. How far should a
child, even a grown child, stray from a parental home? He must stay
as close as possi ble. When he does journey he must do all he can so
as not to infl ict disquiet on his parents. Surely a dutiful son or
dau gh ter will give a parent the choicest bits of meat at dinner and
will cede the place closest to the fi re. This goes without saying. But
if he is a truly dutiful son, she a dutiful dau gh ter, this will be done
with a smiling face. To serve the parents is a blessing.
To the Romans, religion— religare— meant being tied back to the
past. One lived to emulate glorious ancestors, those who had risen
to the level of minor deities. The oldest Romans, found ers of the
Republic, were men and women held in awe for their virtue, probity,
endurance, and courage. One sought, at best, to relive their lives.