You said: “For those who are truly respectful and kind to their parents and elders, it is rare to find them willing to oppose authority. Similarly, those who do not seek to defy authority will seldom seek to create disorder. Therefore, a person with high ideals first focuses on cultivating fundamental virtues; once the foundation is secure, principles naturally emerge. Respecting one’s parents and elders is, indeed, the root of humanity.”
Analysis and Context This excerpt from the Analects was spoken by Youzi, a disciple of Confucius, emphasizing the importance of “filial piety” (孝) and “respect for elders” (悌). These values form the basis of a virtuous life in Confucian thought. In Confucianism, focusing on one’s foundational moral duties within family and society leads to harmony and stability at a larger societal level. You argue that when people cultivate respect and harmony in personal relationships, they’re less likely to disrupt the social order.
Youruo believes that if people can be respectful to their parents and obedient to their elder brother at home, then they can be loyal to the country outside. Loyalty is based on filial piety and brotherhood, and filial piety and brotherhood are aimed at loyalty. Confucianism believes that if filial piety and brotherhood are implemented at home, there will be no rebellion within the rulers; if filial piety and brotherhood are extended to the working people, the people will absolutely obey and will not rise to rebel so that the stability of the country and society can be maintained.
The filial piety and brotherhood mentioned here are the roots of benevolence, which is very important for readers to understand Confucius’ philosophy and ethical thoughts with benevolence as the core. In the Spring and Autumn Period, the Zhou emperor implemented the system of primogeniture, and the rest of the sons were enfeoffed as princes, and the same was true for the princes and below. The political structure of the entire society, from the emperor and princes to officials, was based on the feudal, patriarchal blood relationship, and the theory of filial piety and brotherly love reflected the moral requirements of the patriarchal society at that time. Filial piety and brotherly love are directly related to social stability. Confucius saw this point, so all his ideas and propositions started from this. He explained that filial piety and brotherly love are the roots of benevolence from the point that people will not rebel against their superiors if they are filial and brotherly. Since the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, feudal rulers and literati of all dynasties have inherited Confucius’ theory of filial piety and brotherly love, advocating to rule of the world with filial piety, and the Han Dynasty is a prominent example. They used moral education as an important means to implement the feudal rule, imprisoning the people in the shackles of the code of conduct, ethics and morality, which had a great impact on the people’s moral concepts and moral behaviors and also had a profound impact on the entire Chinese traditional culture. The theory of filial piety and brotherly love serves the feudal rule and the patriarchal family system. We should have a clear understanding and analytical judgment on this, abandon the feudal toxins, inherit its reasonable content, and give full play to the role of morality in social stability.
Phoenix Lee https://chinese-tradition.com/respecting-parents-and-elders-a-pillar-of-confucian-virtue.html