The Useless Tree

Mencius

  • The next time you’re in Xian

        The famous terra-cotta soldiers of the first Qin emperor are really quite striking.  But after my trip to Dunhuang, I see them in a different, less celebratory light.   And now I find that Mencius presaged my misgivings: When… Continue reading

  • Humility

          Mencius said: "When you speak of the virtues another lacks, think of the trials you may yet endure." (144). Continue reading

  • Violence and Inhumanity

        There certainly seems to be an increase in violence in the world – or, at least, an increase in visible, reported violence.   Mumbai.  Baghdad.  Israel-Palestine.  North Korea.  Washington DC (a "crime emergency").  It is sickening.       I… Continue reading

  • Equal Opportunity Confucianism

        Confucianism, especially the Analects and Mencius, is, to my mind, most effective as a vantage point from which to assess and, if need be, criticize power holders.  I know that, historically, Confucianism was co-opted by power holders to… Continue reading

  • James Gomez and The Rule of Lee (not Law)

        So it turns out that opposition politician James Gomez was not formally arrested but merely questioned by police.  He has had his passport taken away and is not allowed to leave the country.  It all sounds quite straightforward,… Continue reading

  • PAP Ministers: “Vainglorious Thievery”

         A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post, "Inequality, Again," that reflected upon the large and growing gap between the incomes of the richest US CEOs and the average worker, using Mencius and the Tao Te Ching… Continue reading

  • Mencius on Iran and Iraq

         So now Bush is thinking about attacking Iran.  You would think that the failures in Iraq would demonstrate to him the complexity and difficulty of using military force, but you would be wrong.  Apparently, he is incapable of… Continue reading

  • April 5th

        Thirty years ago today a crowd of people gathered in Tiananmen Square in the heart of Beijing.  They were ostensibly mourning the death of Zhou Enlai, the longstanding Prime Minister who had died in January.  A formal public… Continue reading