Do not try to hurry things; do not focus on small matters. Nothing done in haste is thorough, and a focus on the small things leaves big things uncompleted.
— Confucius (K’ung-fu Tzu), Analects (Lun Yü) 13.17
(shortly after 500 B.C.)
Many years ago, friends, I re-translated several hundred favorite passages from various old works of philosophy and spirituality — including, from the Chinese, the Analects and the Chuang Tzu — for my own study, edification and benefit.
This was typical magpie behavior, you understand — collecting glittery objects that caught my eye.
For the last dozen years or so, these translations have simply languished in my untidy magpie nest of files.
As a reformed bird, however, I’m thinking that might not be the best use of them.
So, over the course of the next few months, I’m going to try posting some bits of those old translations here on this blog, sometimes with my own commentary appended, sometimes not. I don’t plan to devote every posting in these months to this task — just some of them. It might make for a nice variety, interspersed with my more typical essays.
As regards the present passage (an easy one — I’m saving harder stuff for later), here’s my comment:
Confucius saw human beings as embedded in communities, and as beings in need of productive and satisfying rôles within communities. For most of Quaker history, Friends have seen human beings the same way.
In the present passage, there appears to be a very real resemblance between what Confucius saw as desirable, and what we find necessary in our own Quaker meetings for business. For this reason, although this passage is often read as advice to the individual making decisions on his own, I’m inclined to think it might actually have been meant as advice to individuals participating in corporate decision-making.
But Confucius, whenever he gave such advice, wasn’t just saying: this is the practical way to proceed so that you get things done. His message was, this is how to proceed so that you develop yourself properly, and grow into a complete human being.
To grow into a complete human being, a “person of true quality” (chün-tzu) — ah, that was the highest ambition! Rather like, in Quaker culture, the goal of becoming a “seasoned and weighty Friend”.
Is this true? Do we need to learn how to sit in councils and participate there properly, in order to be complete human beings?
Would early Friends have thought it necessary?
Would Christ?
Your comments, friends, are welcome.
(click here to go to the next essay in this series)