Academy of Morals 2.0

JESUS
- do not be vengeful, but in stead give them more than they ask for
- love your enemies
- everyone is equal- everyone is God's child
- treat everyone equally
- do unto others, what you want others to do unto you
- blessed are the weaker links, focused more on the poor instead of the rich
ZARATHUSTRA
- be more honest and moral
- do good deeds for you will be judged
- the material world is a blessing but worldly things should be enjoyed in moderation
- "good words, good thoughts, good deeds"
CONFUCIUS
- ren: be courteous, respectful, diligent, loyal
- li: sense of propriety
- xiao: filial piety, respect for elders
DAOISM
- live in harmony
- selflessness
- moderation
- detachment, don't be engaged in the world of politics and wars
- humility
BUDDHA
- compassion
- honest work
- shared happiness
- harmony and meditation
- avoid anger, greed, lust, envy
- generosity
- truthfulness
HINDU
- follow caste system and do your proper duties
- eliminate karma, good or bad
SOCRATES
- what defines morality is based on mere definitions
- humans could lead honest lives
- honor is more important than success, fame, or wealth
- should strive for personal integrity
- act honorably toward others
- work to build a just society

Po-tae-to, Po-tat-o: From a Seedling to ...........

Why do empires form? Is it due to the thirst for expansion? Urge for control? Domestic Issues? One Elitist? The answer: all of the above. Human desires take over and whilst power and wealth has its ups, it sure has its downs as well.
Rome: a paragon of how wealth and power lead to corruption but hey, it led to an empire. At the beginning, the Gracchi brothers attempted to rule with iron fists when it came to land distribution. Unfortunately, as the republic grew, different social classes felt as if they deserved more land. This led to heightened social tensions and a civil war. The rulers who controlled the Roman "ground", I suppose that's what it shall be called for now, only fueled the anger of the people and made things worse. Then Julius Caesar rose from the ground and became immensely popular. He became "that guy". His politics were headed in the way of a centralized government and after him, that's the road the Romans took.
China: Internal conflicts led to the unification of China and therefore those conflicts led to an empire that ruled over the unified China. During the Period of Warring States multiple dynasties tried to unify China again and become rulers over a vast piece of land. Economic development also led to the unification and "empirzation"of China as the economic prospered there was a need for rules and regulations. Whenever there is a need for some sort of authority, usually someone steps up the plate and takes control leading to a centralized government.
India: After Alexander the "Great" left an empty void with no one to take his place in India, different people, who believed that they were the ones who could bring change, attempted to unify all of India. In fact, Alexander's absence spurred the formation of empires. The unification of India, economic development, and social distinctions all were factors in the process of the creation of the Indian empire(s).

Old School vs. New School

Textbooks vs. Wikipedia. Although wikipedia is definitely easier and more accessible- seeing how you can pretty much you can see it anywhere and anytime- it still has a long way to go. Anyone with a brain and access to the internet can manipulate anything on the internet. So if you come across a page on wikipedia about a creature who can breathe fire and likes to eat little children, obviously it exists. I mean, it's on wikipedia... the internet doesn't lie! Wrong. So for accuracy and legitimacy, the textbook wins this round. Just going on wikipedia and typing whatever you need to research and have this whole page on everything you'll ever need to know about perhaps, hypothermia or the invention of post-its is wonderful but it's just feeding our generation with the belief that the internet is some sort of a god. At this rate, we won't even know what books are or how to find something in, god forbid it ever happens, the dictionary- a real, solid, made of paper dictionary. What's going to happen to us when the internet shuts down for a couple of days, weeks, months, or even years? Even though wikipedia is easy to use, I still prefer the old-school textbooks. They give me a little bit of hope that we're not all doomed to live in a society who types only with numbers and symbols and talk in texting lingo. 

How to Behave

           Krishna guilt trips Arjuna into entering a battle by using the caste system as his double-edged sword. Krishna begins by lecturing on the cycle of life- that everything that lives, death is certain and to everything that dies, life is certain. According to the circle of life, Arjuna shouldn't worry about the battle; he should especially abstain from pondering about what the outcome of the battle will be. Instead, he should charge into the battle with a feeling of detachment: live and die without a care about the battle. If he does decide to turn his back on the battle, Krishna notes that not only would he be betraying himself and his duties, but his family and his fellow soldiers. Ah, the weight of tainting his family name fully crushing down on his poor shoulders. Krishna doesn't make things any better as he goes on saying: "so basically, you should go into battle and forget that today could be your last day... but don't worry, if you die it's better for you anyways".
          Confucius would look upon this and praise how this is a pure example of li. He would side with Krishna and urge Arjuna to fulfill his role by supporting his people and rushing into battle. Following Krishna's advice would uphold Confucius's belief that people should respect and follow their superiors. But Confucius would frown upon all the talk about death and life and reincarnation. He would think that they were wasting too much time discussing religion. "Heaven and reincarnation are too big of ideas for mere humans to ponder upon", he would say.
           Krishna's earnest urges are parallel to Zarathustra's teachings in which he is describing a rewards system where if Arjuna does the right thing, go to battle, he will be rewarded with heaven but if he does not then his bad deeds will be rewarded with bad things. So I suppose that both Krishna and Zarathustra advocate the idea of karma. Along with the idea of a heaven and hell, the Bhagavad Gita has more similarities to Zarathustra's teachings than those of Confucius. 

Judgement Day

What qualifies as a good blog? a great one? a bad one? How do you judge another's blog? 

          A blog is something supposed to represent one's thoughts, emotions, and everyday encounters with life. In a sense, a blog is a small window into the life of another person whether it may be someone you know or a stranger on the internet. To enjoy someone's blog is one thing but to judge/asses the worth of that blog is something entirely different. In the blogging world, "quality over quantity" applies strongly. Sometimes, strong messages are spoken (or perhaps written) in a mere amount of a couple of sentences but at times countless paragraphs will not be enough.
          Length should not play any role. It's the quality, the meaning, what's spoken through the words that matter. The amount of thought and effort put in should be taken into account. Seeing as how, this is a school yet personal blog, the blogger's persona should shine through. Everyone has their own distinct style of writing- of talking. This blog should be used not only to spit out facts and thoughts but also to express. Different fonts, sizes, creative titles, pictures should all be used in the way the blogger wants to. CAPITALIZATION, bold, italics, bold&italics, underline, crossed out should be freely used in the way that the blogger sees fit. They shouldn't see this as just another homework assignment for just another mundane class but something more along the lines of a creative outlet to express oneself in an educational way. Maybe it's because I have a personal blog of my own or I enjoy reading others but I truly think that the blog should be like an summary or introduction to the blogger just as a book has a short enticing excerpt or summary in either the back or inside flap. But seeing as how, this is not completely a personal blog but rather an educational tool used for learning, proper grammar and spelling should be used to some extent. "typng lyk this 4 sch00l is n0t c00l fosho" The blog should be seen as an essay or project in the aspect that the writing rules we have been taught continuously  in school should be respected. Just think: would you pass in an essay with sentances lyk this nd b gr@ded 4 it? I don't think so.
          To receive a 3: the blog should be creative and fun to read, something that the reader enjoys reading. It should be enticing and interesting with valid, deep, well-thought out responses that have a tint of that person in them. (I hope my blog has at least a bit of "yerim" in it). Proper spelling and grammar should be displayed .
          To receive a 2: the question or topic would be expanded but it could have been expanded or talked about more. The blog is still a tad bit enticing but you lose focus at times. Proper english language may not be used.
          To receive a 1: "the i'm doing this just for the sake of doing it" blog. The blog answers the question or expands on the topic in the most minimalist way. It's a little boring and could use a little more "pizazz" and sparkles.
          Even though it's a little harsh, 0s should be given out. This would be very rare and would only happen in cases where there is no expanding. The blog post would merely be an answer or topic sentence like "Alexander the Great is great" or "Alexander the Great is not great".
          The overall grade should be given by the teacher but I think that other students should be able to read and comment on each other's blogs. If the grading is to be done by students, I think that it should be done anonymously because that would allow people to be more honest with their judgments. No one wants to be that "jerk" who gives someone a bad grade even if that person deserves that grade. Another idea is for maybe one or a couple of blogs to be chosen and displayed after every blog topic/question. This would encourage and motivate people to try harder and really put their effort since everybody has that little flame inside of them that wants to sparkle in the spotlight.

Wise Words from a Wise Man

Book III. 16: The Master said, “The gentleman understands what is moral, the small man understands what is profitable.”

GOVERNMENT(noun): the organization, machinery, or agency through which a political unit exercises authority and performs functions and which is usually classified according to the distribution of power within it

CORRUPT(adj): characterized by improper conduct (as bribery or the selling of favors); depraved

These two terms, supposed to be as far away from each other as possible, have been used interchangeably. Throughout history, there have been tales of numerous corrupt leaders or systems of government. This shouldn't come off as surprising since human beings are just merely human beings with human lustful indulges. We're all corrupt in some way. And when you put a group of humans together and give them the task of governing over other human beings, things can get messy. A government ruled by humans, who are inherently corrupt in some way or another, is bound to have some problems. The whole is the sum of its parts. Like dominoes, one corrupt person can persuade others to become like them and with one flick, the whole government falls down. 

So as our dear friend Confucius says, our government should be "controlled" by gentlemen not small men. In every type of government, isn't it the leader's job to look out for the country? This stands true even for dictators and tyrants. What is a leader without a country to rule? The day when the leaders truly place the people before their own needs will be the day of world peace. Even the tiniest decisions can be ruled by personal feelings and emotions. You have to be willing to put your life on the line to do what is right. The gentleman would sacrifice his reputation, money, etc. for the good of the people- to do what is moral. The small man would do what he thinks will benefit him the most. Nowadays, there are many small men in the governments all around the world and this is why our world is so corrupt.

They say that history repeats itself. Maybe a reincarnation of Confucius will happen to come strolling by and give the world a wake up call. with the technology these days, perhaps a machine will be created to convert small men into gentlemen. just a thought.