Confucius Said....

 You, shall I teach you about knowledge? What you know, you know, what you don't know, you don't know. This  is knowledge! 

Confucius.

Anyway...I like the above  passage from Odes about knowledge .  Automatically, it brought to mind, a limerick from Alan Watts that I  heard yesterday: 

There was a young man that said though,

it seems that I know that I know

but what I would like to see  

is the I that knows me

when I know that I know that I know. 

Alan Watts

We are more knowledgeable when we recognize we know little and accept that there is so much we do not know.  Socrates would agree with that.  The important thing is not in how much we know by knowing "things" but knowing the "knower" of those things or the knower who doesn't know. Who is this "I" that knows or doesn't know?  That question takes us beyond knowledge to wisdom.

Why Am I Thinking About Confucius? 

I started thinking about Confucius today after listening to Eckhart Tolle in the video below.  I was never quite sure about him.  His teachings, though wise and practical, always seemed to be lacking in something and I am not quite sure what it is. Maybe it was the assumption I make that he was more concerned about knowledge and blind obedience to parents and authority than he was about the wisdom that transcends knowing. He seemed to be lacking in "soul" , that higher dimension of consciousness. I don't know.    Lao Tzu, on the other hand, (if he was one person or a collection of many voices we are not quite sure),t he or they walked the planet around the same time Confucius did...and those teachings resonate with me more than Confucius' do.  I am sure they influenced each other in some way because Confucius does refer to the Tao once or twice in his Analects. 

Did Confucius Say It Was Shameful To Be Poor? 

It is a shameful matter to be poor and humble when the Way prevails in the state. Equally,it is shameful matter to be rich and noble when the Way falls into disuse in the state. Lau (8:13)

So here he refers to that invisible force or flow that moves everything along: The Tao or the Way in reference to a person's economic and social status. I think he sees it more as "justice" than an energy that flows beneath the surface of all things though. I think he is saying, if the nation, state, country or whatever that a person lives in is based on just, altruistic principals (In the Way)...then there should be no poverty...there should be an equal distribution of wealth.  If the state is corrupt, however, there should be no people who are much richer than the majority  because that would mean that the well-to-do  are taking advantage or partially responsible for the corruption.  This reminds me of the unequal distribution of wealth that takes place in our world today  and makes me question, who then should be ashamed?  The poor, indicating that the nations, governments etc around us are altruistic and benevolent and those with less must be doing something "wrong" if they have no wealth? Or the rich for taking advantage of  or even causing this unequal distribution indicating that our nations and political systems are corrupt...or at least not as altruistic and benevolent as they could be? 

Though I am not as "poor and humble" as many in this world  , I certainly am not "rich and noble" so is Confucius saying that I should be ashamed by my status, that my being here is my fault and has nothing to do with the system around me.  The system is providing, I am just not tapping into that provision? Or is he saying, the system is corrupt and others are benefiting from my lack of...and they should be ashamed? (Man...I just  made Confucius a part of my narcissistic world lol) 

Is the Way Prevailing when There Is Still So Much Poverty? 

Do you think the Way is prevailing in our nations today? And that those with less are simply not tapping into the abundance that is there for them to tap into?  Or do you think the Way is not being honored or followed and as nations we are lacking in benevolence and justice and altruism...we are lacking in higher consciousness? 

That brings me to this:

Zi Ghong asked, "What do you think of a poor man who doesn't grovel and a rich man who isn't proud?" Confucius said, "They are good but not as good as a poor man who is satisfied and a rich man who loves propriety ." 

What is he saying to me  here ("me" ....yes these analects were written just for me lol) ? Basically, what he is saying is "Suck it up buttercup!" It is virtuous to be satisfied with one's lot in life even if it involves poverty and it is good to appreciate, love,  our blessings when we get them.  I see some truth in that. At least he is not shaming me ( and all others in situations similar to mine) for being here like the above quote seemed to do. 

Is it Destiny Or Because We Deserve it? 

Confucius did use the word "ren" a lot which can be translated to mean our natural and innate desire to be good... and he said....

The Master (Confucius) seldom spoke about advantage in connection with destiny or in connection with ren.

In other words, Confucius did not ever say that our circumstances or blessings were a result of fate ( karma) or were they dependent on how good we were. Is that something I wanted to hear or not?  Don't know.

Anyway, I am rambling on about Confucius and  you can read all this for yourself and come up with your own level of "knowledge" or lack of.  Best I don't  confuse you or myself any longer. :) 

All is well. 

The Analects of Confucius – Lun Yu VIII. 13. (201) –http://wengu.tartarie.com/wg/wengu.php?l=Lunyu&no=201

The Analects of Confucius Translated by A. Charles Muller [Updated: 2021-12-01+09:00] http://www.acmuller.net/con-dao/analects.html

Eckhart Tolle ( June 21, 2022) Understanding Confucius Teachings With Eckhart Tolle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHNNXlburrU

Alan Watts (June, 2022 ) Your Attitude Creates Your Reality. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kbq_xs_2Wk