"Doctorine of the Mean" - читать интересную книгу автора (Confucius)

pursue a course, which is far from the common indications of
consciousness, this course cannot be considered The Path.
"In the Book of Poetry, it is said, 'In hewing an ax handle, in
hewing an ax handle, the pattern is not far off. We grasp one ax
handle to hew the other; and yet, if we look askance from the one to
the other, we may consider them as apart. Therefore, the superior
man governs men, according to their nature, with what is proper to
them, and as soon as they change what is wrong, he stops.
"When one cultivates to the utmost the principles of his nature, and
exercises them on the principle of reciprocity, he is not far from the
path. What you do not like when done to yourself, do not do to others.
"In the way of the superior man there are four things, to not one of
which have I as yet attained.-To serve my father, as I would require
my son to serve me: to this I have not attained; to serve my prince as
I would require my minister to serve me: to this I have not
attained; to serve my elder brother as I would require my younger
brother to serve me: to this I have not attained; to set the example
in behaving to a friend, as I would require him to behave to me: to
this I have not attained. Earnest in practicing the ordinary
virtues, and careful in speaking about them, if, in his practice, he
has anything defective, the superior man dares not but exert
himself; and if, in his words, he has any excess, he dares not allow
himself such license. Thus his words have respect to his actions,
and his actions have respect to his words; is it not just an entire
sincerity which marks the superior man?"
The superior man does what is proper to the station in which he
is; he does not desire to go beyond this.
In a position of wealth and honor, he does what is proper to a
position of wealth and honor. In a poor and low position, he does what
is proper to a poor and low position. Situated among barbarous tribes,
he does what is proper to a situation among barbarous tribes. In a
position of sorrow and difficulty, he does what is proper to a
position of sorrow and difficulty. The superior man can find himself
in no situation in which he is not himself.
In a high situation, he does not treat with contempt his
inferiors. In a low situation, he does not court the favor of his
superiors. He rectifies himself, and seeks for nothing from others, so
that he has no dissatisfactions. He does not murmur against Heaven,
nor grumble against men.
Thus it is that the superior man is quiet and calm, waiting for
the appointments of Heaven, while the mean man walks in dangerous
paths, looking for lucky occurrences.
The Master said, "In archery we have something like the way of the
superior man. When the archer misses the center of the target, he
turns round and seeks for the cause of his failure in himself."
The way of the superior man may be compared to what takes place in
traveling, when to go to a distance we must first traverse the space
that is near, and in ascending a height, when we must begin from the
lower ground.
It is said in the Book of Poetry, "Happy union with wife and