Taoism Vs. Confucianism
...ing process to create a great member of a fluid society. The first five years is crucial, this is when a child is most observant and will take in most anything. During this time, being a father, I would try to do my best in illustrating the way of jen to my child. I may compose this by showing love and affection in my family, giving authorities and strangers respect and following out the practice of jen. Doing this hopefully my child will observe my actions and obedience will come naturally to my child and he or she will have a great sense of love and respect. Next, another crucial part of raising a child under Confucianism is Hsiao. This is the virtue of reverence and respect for the family. Under this aspect, I will teach my kids an array of things to help with their respect issues. To start, my children will learn to keep themselves well groomed, give my wife and I physical and emotional aid when needed, and keep us on a high level of spirits. In addition, my kids must do very well in everything they participate in, just to respect the family. Furthermore, education is the most important stressed aspect for my little Confucius. As Confucius himself said, the principles of higher education consist in preserving mans clear character, in giving new life to the people in dwelling and in perfection, or the ultimate good.(- Confucius-Koller P.277) On the other hand, Taoism serves to be more open minded in cultivating the child. To start, the main aspect of Taoism is to find the guidelines for human life through nature. To relate this to child raising, Taoists would rather their children find things out for themselves in nature, rather than through family and society. Therefore, instead of keeping my child at home during the first years of school to do homework and please the elders, I would send him out into the world to explore and have natural experiences. As to education, my child would go to public school, but I would teach him or her beforehand to look at all teachings through a natural view. Knowledge, as is taught in school, would not be the primary goal of the education granted to my child. Instead, the natural collection of knowledge will lead my kid to unity with the universe. As Lao Tzu said, . When the tao of humanity and the tao of the universe are in one, humans will realize their infinite nature and harmony and peace will reign.(Koller p.289) To put this all together, the child that I would want to raise, being a Taoist, would live a simpl...