Hierarchal Love

Xunzi argues that human nature is bad and that we need order and rituals to shape our actions. This necessitates that everyone follows a social hierarchy. Xunzi sees this as a strength, every person has designated roles and rules they must follow, forcing order. He believes that without these rules, abuse and tyranny would run amuck because people would fall back into their human nature. Xunzi goes so far as to claim that if human nature was good, we would have no use for these hierarchies. Essentially, not only do these rules provide a structure we can use to find goodness, they also are ALWAYS good when people are following them perfectly. I personally am not a huge fan of social hierarchies. And in many cases, even if your superior is treating you well, you are still suffering under a hierarchal system if you are considered a “lower class”. And clearly we didn't spawn on earth with these rituals already in place. SO how did we create something correct if our human nature is bad. In my opinion, Confucius’ mindset is clouded by the fact that he lived through the end of the Zhou dynasty but just because chaos can be bad does not mean it is always bad.

I wouldn’t describe myself as anti-tradition but I do think we need to embrace the fact that humanity is not containable or controllable. Things within our societies and cultures are going to continue to grow and change. I don’t think Confucianism allows for equal footing for all perspectives because of the social behaviors people are compelled to follow. I found this to be especially relevant because in pre-modern China, one had to be well-educated in Confucianism in order to gain nobility and political power. So when we look at how Confucianism was used, historically, it was a tool that the upper class used to weed out people who refused to conform to their strict rituals. In my version of the good life, I want to embrace a non-hierarchal view of the people in my life.