[One Thousand Characters a Day] Wisdom from the Analects, 'Studying People' <1>

by Jo Inkyung

Published 11 Dec.2023 06:00(KST)

Updated 11 Dec.2023 14:41(KST)

Editor's NoteIn a world driven solely by material things and profit, respect for people is increasingly disappearing. News of wars, social polarization, and discriminatory views against the vulnerable remind us that the path to a humane life remains a distant challenge. Over 2,500 years ago, Confucius, who lived during the "Spring and Autumn and Warring States" period, wrestled with similar concerns. As endless conflicts and disputes arose between countries, kings and ministers, and among the people, and trust fell to the ground, he gathered disciples who shared his ideals regardless of their status to teach about "being human." The conversations he had with people were recorded in the Analects and have been passed down to this day. Studying People by classical scholar Jo Yoon-je is based on Confucius's core philosophies of loyalty (忠), forgiveness (恕), and sincerity (誠), conveying the way (道) of relationships that can be applied as wisdom in human affairs. Through "studying people," which involves reflecting on oneself and understanding others, it offers the wisdom to discern, gain, and become the most precious "person," more honorable than anything else. Word count: 989.

[One Thousand Characters a Day] Wisdom from the Analects, 'Studying People' <1>

惟仁者能好人能惡人 (Wi Inja Neung Ho In Neung O In)

Only a benevolent person can both love and hate others. - Li Ren (Liin)

"When the emotions of joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure have not yet arisen, it is called 'Zhong (中).' When these emotions arise and are all expressed in moderation, it is called 'He (和).' 'Zhong' is the root of all under heaven, and 'He' is the way that connects all under heaven."

This is from the first chapter of Zhongyong, a book dealing with the virtue of the Doctrine of the Mean, which ancient scholars practiced most rigorously. It clearly shows that the core of Zhongyong is to restrain emotions and express them harmoniously. Normally, one maintains a calm state without showing emotions, and when the situation calls for expressing emotions, one must do so without excess and in a way that harmonizes the entire spectrum of feelings. Here, emotions are described as the four?joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure?but in the Book of Rites (Yegi), they are subdivided into seven: joy, anger, sorrow, fear, love, hate, and desire (喜怒哀懼愛惡欲). This classification is similar to the commonly used distinctions of emotions today. In reality, human emotions may not be easily categorized into just a few types. Don’t we often feel subtle emotions that even we ourselves cannot fully understand or precisely define?

Regardless of the classification, expressing emotions harmoniously is not an easy task. Ordinary people feel this keenly, and ancient scholars were no different. Therefore, they had to cultivate themselves continuously and offered many insights in various classics. The first method is nothing special but study. If one loves studying and can do it consistently, one can reach the level of restraining emotions. The study here refers not to the accumulation of knowledge as we commonly know it, but to deep self-cultivation.

The clearest example is found in the Analects, Ongya chapter.

Ai Gong asked, "Among your disciples, who loves learning?" Confucius answered, "There was a man named An Hui who loved learning, did not transfer his anger to others, and never made the same mistake twice, but unfortunately, he died young. Since then, I have not heard of anyone who loves learning."

- Jo Yoon-je, Studying People, Cheonglim Publishing, 18,500 KRW