Reading into Confucianism, I cannot help but think that Confucius was very persistent, if not a little stubborn. Now I do not say this to insult his ideals and ways, but rather I admire the fact that he did not give up on what he believed. Countless times in the text it is mentioned that what Confucius truly wanted, for every person to follow the way of the Sages and in turn abide by the Decree of Heaven, was nearly impossible. In fact, he himself declared "I have no hope of meeting a sage" (VII.26). Although he did believe that every person held inside themselves the potential to be a sage, he also recognized that it was a truly uncommon occurrence for anyone to actually become one. Realizing this I would think that many would turn away or reconsider their ideas. Instead, Confucius continued to teach his ideas in hopes that one day "If all people would follow this Way...Individuals would achieve perfection, society would be radically transformed and benevolence would rule" (21).
So even though I may question some of Confucianism's prescriptions, I applaud Confucius himself for continuing on against the odds.
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