The Invisible Mentor

Posts Tagged ‘Analects’

This is what we talked about on The Invisible Mentor Blog this week: The Analects of Confucius, Sappho, One of the First Published Female Writers and Interview with Heather White.

Mondays at the Salon

This post is the sequel to “The Secrets of Creative Problem Solving” posted two weeks ago. Don Garb, President, Engineered Awareness recently led a workshop on “The Art of Invention,” which introduced some strategies for problem solving, some of which were new to me.

The Art of Invention

Booked on Tuesdays

The Analects of Confucius is a collection of the teachings of Confucius, the Chinese philosopher and great thinker who lived 551 BC – 479 BC. “The Analects concern themselves more with the development of virtue or moral character as a way of ensuring both good government and the self-improvement of the individual.”

Review: The Analects of Confucius

Wisdom Wednesdays

Sappho wrote choral poetry, monadic songs and wedding songs for and about young women, and composed choruses for them. Besides writing lyrical poetry and songs, Sappho organized and ran an informal school, called a thiasos, for girls who were ready to leave their wealthy families and transition into married life. At the institution, these young women were instructed in the proper social graces, composition, singing, and reciting poetry. Sappho’s thiasos was ranked among the best and was the most prestigious in the part of Greece where she lived.

Sappho, One of the Greatest Female Poets Who Ever Lived 

Perspective Thursdays and Workshop Fridays

This week we featured Heather White, Director of Membership, Toronto Board of Trade. White has some unique experiences that we can learn from. Here are Part One and Part Two of Heather White’s interview.

How can you use this information? What do you have to add to the conversation? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the right hand side) by email or RSS Feed.

From time-to-time I revisit books that I have read and their summaries/reviews that I wrote to see if anything has changed. While I was thinking about The Analects of Confucius, it struck me that Confucius was the circle leader for a mentoring circle. Even though Confucius was a sage, he also listened to what his disciples had to say. It was a give and take relationship and both mentor and mentees grew as people from their interactions with each other.

The Analects of Confucius is a collection of the teachings of Confucius, the Chinese philosopher and great thinker who lived 551 BC – 479 BC. “The Analects concern themselves more with the development of virtue or moral character as a way of ensuring both good government and the self-improvement of the individual.”

Presented as a series of discourses and dialogues that Confucius had with his disciples, The Analects of Confucius was written by his disciples several years after he died. The Analects consists of 20 Books (Chapters) and is essentially a rulebook of life. While reading this rulebook, it reminded me of Benjamin Franklin‘s 13 Virtues: temperance, silence, order, resolution, frugality, industry, sincerity, justice, moderation, cleanliness, tranquility, chastity, and humility.

Just as it is in the case of Franklin’s virtues, some of the rules in Confucius’ rulebook are no longer relevant today, but I also appreciated reading The Analects of Confucius the same way that I appreciated reading The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin because some gems of wisdom are scattered throughout both texts.

The Analects of Confucius also reminded me of Don Miguel Ruiz‘s Four Agreements:

1. Be Impeccable with Your Word
2. Don’t Take Anything Personally
3. Don’t Make Assumptions
4. Always Do Your Best

Confucius was big on knowledge and learning, very much into practical knowledge. He advised his disciples to build a solid foundation starting with the fundamentals, and that’s relevant for everyone today. Master the fundamental knowledge in your field, then build on that, and that’s how you become the go-to-it person in your field. Confucius recommends that we emulate the good qualities that we see in others, and the qualities we deem unsatisfactory, to correct them in ourselves. He also urges us to be conscientious, sincere and apologize when we have made a mistake.

The Analects of Confucius deals a lot with virtue, which Confucius defines as “the denial of self and response to what is right is right and proper.” He also says to practice the golden rule which is to do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Below are some of the things which stood out for me. Though I was not always comfortable with the language, I am very mindful of when The Analects of Confucius was written. I am sure that your list would be different.

1. Confucius said, “Those who are born with the possession of knowledge are the highest class of men. Those who learn, and so readily get possession of knowledge, are the next. Those who are dull and stupid, and yet compass the learning, are another class next to these. As to those who are dull and stupid and yet do not learn; they are the lowest of the people.”
2. The philosopher Tsang said, “I daily examine myself on three points: whether, in transacting business for others, I may have been not faithful; whether, in intercourse with friends, I may have been not sincere; whether I may have not mastered and practiced the instructions of my teacher.”
3. The philosopher Yu said, “When agreements are made according to what is right, what is spoken can be made good. When respect is shown according to what is proper, one keeps far from shame and disgrace. When the parties upon whom a man leans are proper persons to be intimate with, he can make them his guides and masters.”
4. “To see what is right and not to do it is want of courage.”
5. The Master said, “Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles. Have no friends not equal to yourself. When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them.”
6. Tsze-chang asked what were the characteristics of the good man. The Master said, “He does not tread in the footsteps of others, but moreover, he does not enter the chamber of the sage.”
7. The Master said, “When internal examination discovers nothing wrong, what is there to be anxious about, what is there to fear?”
8. The Master said, “Do not be desirous to have things done quickly; do not look at small advantages. Desire to have things done quickly prevents their being done thoroughly. Looking at small advantages prevents great affairs from being accomplished.”

Confucius Quotables

1. “Learning without thinking is useless. Thinking without learning is dangerous.
2. He who keeps on reviewing his old and new knowledge may become a teacher of others.
3. The wise man desires to be slow to speak, but quick to act.
4. Learn as if you were not reaching your goal, and as though you were afraid of missing it.
5. He who demands much from himself and little from others will avoid resentment.
6. If a man put duty first and success after, will not that improve his character?
7. When you make a promise consistent with what is right, you can keep your word.
8. The man of honour thinks of his character, the inferior man of his position. The man of honour desires justice, the inferior man favour.”

The Analects of Confucius is easy to read because it’s not very long. Click here to download an online version of the book. I am sure that after reading it you will find your own gems of wisdom. So what did I get from reading The Analects of Confucius? Act with courage and integrity, be thorough, chart your own path and learn continuously, are a few of the gems I identified. I recommend that you give The Analects of Confucius  a read.

How can you use this information? What do you have to add to the conversation? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the right hand side) by email or RSS Feed.

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Next week I’ll have a list of books to read this summer. But today instead of having a new book review, because I have many new readers I have included a link to seven book reviews I have already done.

Some of the books on this list you may not have heard of before, but all of them are worth reading. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin and Analects of Confucius are similar in the sense that both have lessons for us to live by. Though some of the lessons are outdated, there are some that are still applicable today.

If you’d like to understand your friends and customers better and know why they behave the way they do, The New Birth Order may shed some light on the issue. Bunker Bean and Jonathan Livingston Seagull demonstrate that if you believe in yourself you can accomplish anything, but the message is delivered in very different ways. Bunker Bean may drive you nuts the way he drove me nuts, but I am glad that I took the time to finish reading it.

Dorothea Brande’s prescription for success is to act as if it was impossible to fail. Since I read Wake Up and Live! about five years ago there are several books that recommend that you should work through the resistance and complete more projects. If you have a firm belief that you could do anything, you’d take more risks and get more done. Your outcome would be similar if you acted as if it were impossible to fail.

Bunker Bean, Leon Wilson

Wake Up and Live!, Dorothea Brande (The review is in my newsletter)

Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Richard Bach (The review is in my newsletter)

The Analects of Confucius

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

Technique for Producing Ideas by James Webb Young

The New Birth Order, Dr. Kevin Leman

Timeless Ideas Worth Exploring

If you have a Kindle or the Kindle apps for PC click here to download free Kindle books.

How can you use this information? What do you have to add to the conversation? Let’s keep the conversation flowing, please let me know your thoughts in the comments section below. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the right hand side) by email or RSS Feed.

Some of the book links are affiliate links.

I did a guest post for Josh Hanagarne at The World’s Strongest Librarian, Heavy Hitting Ideas From Heavy Hitting Books, and one of the commenters, Carlon suggested Enchiridion by Epictetus so I decided to read and review it. You can get a free copy of Enchiridion on the internet and it’s a very short book so it’s easy to read. Enchiridion is simple wisdom about life.

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One of the things I wanted to do on this blog is to review books off the beaten path that contains ancient wisdom, books that make you think. But, I have been reading a lot of more contemporary works. It struck me to do both so that I could compare and contrast the contents of books from yesterday with those of today to enhance the learning and user experience.

Epictetus, a Greek Philosopher was born AD 55. In Enchiridion, there are 52 ideas that we can apply to life. Epictetus advocates self-responsibility and self-discipline and he explains the difference between the things that are within our control, and those outside our control, the uncontrollable.  “The things in our control are by nature free, unrestrained, unhindered; but those not in our control are weak, slavish, restrained, belonging to others. Remember, then, that if you suppose that things which are slavish by nature are also free, and that what belongs to others is your own, then you will be hindered.” Knowing that distinction, allows us to stop trying to control the uncontrollable. I liked the idea of “Don’t be prideful with any excellence that is not your own” because so many people brag about the accomplishments of others, as if they had a hand in it.

As I am reading Epictetus, I am being reminded of books such as the Analects of Confucius and The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, which are filled with laws and ideas to live by. Please read the posts A Review of The Analects of Confucius and Review of The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin. Here are 10 ideas that I extracted from the book.

10 Great Ideas

1. Do not be averse to things not in your control because you will surely be disappointed
2. If you are going to perform a task, first think about the nature of the task and how you are going to perform it
3. People are disturbed by things because of the principle and ideas they have about those things. For example, some people are disturbed by death because of their ideas and beliefs about death.
4. “Sickness is a hindrance to the body, but not to your ability to choose, unless that is your choice. Lameness is a hindrance to the leg, but not to your ability to choose. Say this to yourself with regard to everything that happens, then you will see such obstacles.” This is important today in the way we often view people with disabilities, they have a disability, they are not a disability
5. “Don’t demand that things happen as you wish, but wish that they happen as they do happen, and you will go on well” is a good one for me because I have a tendency to want to control things.
6. View your possessions as things you have been given to take care of for a time. Never say of anything, “I have lost it”; but, “I have returned it.”
7. “For another will not hurt you unless you please. You will then be hurt when you think you are hurt.”
8. Don’t tell, demonstrate
9. It’s none of your business what others say or think about you.
10. “Don’t wish to be thought to know anything; and even if you appear to be somebody important to others, distrust yourself”

I would like to further explore the idea of viewing your possessions as if they were on loan to you. One example he gives is people losing their estates should view the situation as “I have returned my estate.” This is a tough one, but would viewing the loss of of a home, your shelter, be easier if you decided that it was time to return it? Would it hurt less? What are your thoughts? There is much wisdom within the pages of Enchiridion, and though I understand many of his ideas, some of them are difficult to take even though it would make life easier. Many of the ideas go against the grain, including viewing the loss of a house as it being returned.

I recommend Enchiridion because it is not only filled with wisdom, but it goes against the grain so it takes us out of our comfort zone which can lead to innovative thinking. What ideas can you use from Enchiridion?

Keep the conversation flowing please comment. Many readers read this blog from other sites, so why don’t you pop over to The Invisible Mentor and subscribe (top on the left side) by email or RSS Feed. I created a Mini Learning Toolkit and you can grab a copy by clicking here.

For your research and writing needs, consider my firm Ambeck Enterprise for white papers, articles, fact sheets, anniversary booklets, you name it. Since I am the best kept secret you may not know this, but I have over 15 years research and writing experience. I KNOW content. And if you cannot figure out which books to read for professional development, I am your WOMAN. I can assist you with that too. Visit my sales page for resources such as The Invisible Mentor Toolkit to assist you in acquiring wisdom from a distance.

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