Here’s something I have not thought about before: how would a modern Confucian-esque philosophy deal with orphans?  This question follows from this short piece in today’s China Daily:

China currently has 573,000 orphans, among whom 66,000 have been adopted by
government-sponsored orphanages, said Li Liguo, China’s vice minister of civil
affairs, on Thursday.

"New orphan problems such as the insufficient basic maintenance and the
incomplete orphanage salvation system have frequently emerged," Li said at a
press conference.

In China, nearly 80 percent orphans, aged under 18, are adopted by relatives,
mostly grandparents who are in their 70s or 80s and are living under the poverty
line, according to the ministry.

Some orphans live with their uncles or aunts in China. The adoption,
considered as the family’s overburden, often stirs conflicts in families and
such adopted children always roam about the streets and may commit juvenile
delinquency after making bad friends, said Li.

    It’s interesting to note how the story sees adoption as "the family overburden."  So much for Confucian value of doing the right thing by one’s family.  Taking in a niece or a nephew could very well be difficult emotionally and financially but wouldn’t it be considered a duty, and therefore another opportunity to realize humanity, in a "Confucian society."  I know, I keep beating this dead horse, but I am beginning to come to the conclusion that not only is China not now a "Confucian society," but that it never has been.  More on that some other day…

    Back to orphans.

     The first Confucian response would be to facilitate as much as possible the adoption of orphans by family members or friendly neighbors.  Finding a context that is not wholly alien to the child and will allow for close, personal attention to the child’s needs should be the priority.  Indeed, the social problem of orphans, for leaders who took a modernized Confucianism seriously, should rank higher in policy and budgetary importance than, say, hosting the 2008 Olympics, or increasing defense spending, or (thinking of a US context) pouring money into corporate welfare.

    If no family or friends could be found to adopt the child, then the second Confucian response would be to put a great deal of resources into orphanages, or, in the words of China’s bureaucracy, the "orphan salvation system."  The greatest challenge here, it seems to me, is paying the people who care for and teach orphans enough to make it a desirable position that would attract the most humane and talented workers.   In this manner, the state would assume a in loco parentis status and would have to take that responsibility very seriously.

   I do not hold out a lot of hope that things will get better for orphans in China any time soon.  When you think about the problem of child maltreatment in the US, a country that should have the resources and policy tools to prevent or respond more effectively, it is obvious that money is not the only issue here.  What is needed is a cultural and philosophical shift away from the competitive pursuit of narrow individual self-fulfillment and self-interest, toward a recognition that we can only be fulfilled when we perform our duties of care and responsibility to those closest to us.  Just as Confucius said.