Analects 12:19

Chi K’ang Tzu asked Confucius about government, saying, “What do you think of killing the wicked and associating with the good?”  Confucius replied, “In your government what is the need of killing?  If you desire what is good, the people will be good.  The character of a ruler is like a wind and that of the people is like grass.  In whatever direction the wind blows, the grass always bends.”  [Analects 12:19]


Today, I will try to interpret the above analect which is part of "The Chun Tzu as Philosopher-King" in Achieving Social Harmony.

If a person is to be Chun Tzu or a noble man, even if he do not proclaim it, the people will know. His actions and words will be enough to testify his greatness. In relation to governing a state, Confucius says that, although implicitly, a leader must be a little or be like a noble man. He must be embody in him the values of a noble man. In this way, a leader could be effective in governing his people for the values speaks of goodness. When a person becomes a noble man, he is showing pure intentions. His actions will justify what he is saying. According to the above analect, if the leader is to be good, then it will influence his people to be good. The people will act in a good way since they saw that their leader was sincere in what he commands. They will see how dedicated he is in bringing the whole state to greatness. The good character of the leader will be reflected to his people and they will obey him. In the past blog, there I said that a leader, for Confucius, should not take in force to gain obedience and respect from the people as it would only bring the opposite. In here, it is stressed that violence is not the key to social harmony. Violence is not the right tool to discipline as it disruots social harmony and creates chaos. The non-violent act which is the act of goodness and pure intentions is more closer to bring social harmony as it promotes harmony in the self and the others. Whatever a person does will reflect on his actions and when the actions are of pure acts, then people would believe in him. If the person will continue standing up for his words, then he will gain obedience from them. In this way, social harmony is slowly achieved.