ANALECT BLOG

The Analects in the book are quotes said by Confucius, a wise Chinese philosopher. After reading Books 4 and 5 from the book, I found an Analect that drew my attention, because it resembles something I often do.  This Analect says: The Master said, "When we see men of worth, we should think of equaling them; when we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves."  

The meaning of this quote is that based on the person we see, we should reflect on ourselves.  The quote gives us an example in which they say that if you see a man of worth you should try to be like them and copy the things they do well.  When I meet an admirable person that has accomplished obtain lots of merits in their lives, I feel motivated to follow their steps.  This example is similar to when you meet a successful person and you're inspired to work harder everyday at work to succeed like them.  The second example says that if we see a person that lacks good character, we should reflect on ourselves and judge our own defects.  I see this quote as the path to perfection because we have to recognize our mistakes before we try to improve them.  When I see someone that treats people badly I think in my head if I've ever mistreated someone as well, and try to avoid doing so in the future.  I always reflect on my behavior and try to avoid the mistakes that other people make.  Before judging someone else's attitude, I first examine my own.  

According to Confucius, we should be constantly reflecting on our attitude so as to improve it.  I agree with Confucius that reflecting on our behavior not only improves it, but guides us in the path towards becoming a better person.  We should perceive the good things from people, and avoid imitating their errors.