Daoism and Confucianism

What is your reaction to Mencius’s story about the child about to fall into the open well? Does it really prove anything? Are people really “good” by  nature? 

An Illustration by Helen De Cruz

Mencius, a devoted follower of Confucius, spread his experimental doctrine around in the story of the child about to fall into the open well. The doctrine supported his main ideology and point, that humans are inherently good as part of nature, and that there's more to human nature than self-driven determinations. If someone, anyone, were to see a child about to fall into a well, they would have immediately entered into an alarmed state. Heart pumping fast, blood flowing, very cautious and rushing to action. That person feels that way not because they want to get on the good side of the child's parents, or want to win the affection of the villagers, or dislike the child's cries. 

He does have a point. I think anyone that comes across that situation would feel alarmed and worried. Of course, all contexts have to be the same for them. We have a heart-mind for each other. Before applying our biases and contexts, we have this basic reaction to the events happening to each other. The result is after the steps of processing and adding everything on, then giving the responsive action or other.

It doesn't "prove" anything, but it definitely serves as a great example and proposition for his argument. To me, people are not good by nature. In nature, survival is priority. You need to survive to pass down your genes, thus ensuring the survival of your kind. It is no different for humans. Although we can think and reason, the innate nature of our primal instincts are still active and influence our everyday decisions. 

The word "good" is subjective in and of itself. What does good mean to you? To me, in this context, it means looking out for others and putting others before yourself in terms of priority. It means sharing your wealth or resources, helping others succeed and survive at the cost of your own chances at doing so. And to me, these propositions are rarely ever seen at all. I've seen people pay for other people's meals, I've seen people give each other rides or help with trouble. But how much of that is biased? How much of that was influenced by the thought of eyes being on them the whole time, the entire world peeking through?

What in the world do you suppose Lao Zi meant by saying that governing a country is like frying a small fish? 

A Plate of Small Chinese Fried Fish

We find ourselves now immersed in a simile. Governing a great country is like frying a small fish? What in the world is that supposed to mean. I thought about it more and more, and pondered more at the thought. The more I've picked at it, the more bits and pieces fell off and came to realization in my mind. How do you fry a small fish? Keyword is, small. It's small, it's fragile, it's likely to break and disintegrate. However, if you're careful with it and give it patience and care, it fries beautifully with time. With enough effort, oil, time, and temperature, it turns out perfect instead of a chunky mess.

How do you govern a great country? Keyword is, great. It's great. What does great mean? Great is subjective, but in general it means being prosperous in all the right ways. To be prosperous takes an immense amount of effort in the right direction. All the efforts focused in one direction, so that no efforts are diluted and diverted from the main point. How do you accomplish that? You set the nation forward and together. You give it patience and care, showing it genuine affection and leadership. 

What do these two have in common? It takes a great deal of time and patience to establish both of them. Everything has to be right to get the perfect result. A bit too hot and a bit too long, and you'll have a charred stick. A few bad laws and international relation swings, and you'll have a country burning down to the ground. They're both complex and simple in their own beautiful ways. The beauty lies in how one achieves that final goal. 

Works Cited

Bresnan, Patrick. Awakening: an Introduction to the History of Eastern Thought. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, 2018.

“Govern a Great Country as You Would Cook a Small Fish.” Cato Institute, 11 Sept. 2015, www.cato.org/blog/govern-great-country-you-would-cook-small-fish.

Van Norden, Bryan. “Mencius.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 6 Sept. 2019, plato.stanford.edu/entries/mencius/.

Verse 60: Frying a Small Fish, ramblingtaoist.blogspot.com/2009/09/verse-60-frying-small-fish.html.

~ 1000-Word Philosophy: An Introductory Anthology. “Mengzi's Moral Psychology, Part 1: The Four Moral Sprouts.” 1000, 17 Dec. 2018, 1000wordphilosophy.com/2018/04/10/mengzis-moral-psychology-part-1-the-four-moral-sprouts/.