In history no philosopher has ever affected more individual lives than Confucius did. For around 2000 years Confucianism was “…the most important single force in Chinese life…”. His beliefs were formed when he was a young man. Dismayed by the state China was in. He wanted people with power to adopt better morals and compassion. He thought that for peace to be reached, people needed to find li (courtesy) in there lives. Meaning that society could only reach the "ideal" if everyone was moral and responsible. Confucius never saw what his ideas did for China; dying many centuries before they were recognized. Confucius's life was to him unfulfilling but the influence he had on the world would rival most religious figures.

    Confucius was born in Chou, Lu (which is now the Shandong Province). His father (Shu-Liang Ho) died when he was 3 and his mother (Yan Zhengzai) died when he was 23. Confucius was born a basted and received much distained from others. He was not allowed to get an education because he was considered a peasant; however he had a deep interest in spirituality and Chinese traditions. He found a way to educate himself though; by working for a nobleman he gained access to Chinese writings and art. He became well respected for his fairness and his knowledge of Chinese traditions. He was happy to teach any one who wanted to be taught and quickly people were lining up to see him. Duke Chao admired him so much that he game him a job as an advisor. When Chao was exiled from Lu Confucius followed him to Ch'i. In Ch'i he earned the same respect that he had in Lu but the Duke of the state wouldn't put Confucius's doctrines into practice even though he believed in them. In 511 B.C. Chao died in exile and Confucius returned to Lu where he gave up on government and started a private school. People came from far and wide to be taught by Confucius. “Confucius was changing China one student at a time”.

    “To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must cultivate our personal life; and to cultivate our personal life, we must first set our heart right.” To “set our heart right” according to Confucius we needed to posses five qualities. These are integrity, righteousness, loyalty, altruism and jen (to respect all living things). Confucius also believed in a code of conduct. The code says that: we should only have or experience things in moderation. We should do what is expected of us to the best of our abilities. We should know place in a relationship. We should be respectful to our elders. Confucius believed that only if each individual person did these things would we be able to reach the "ideal" society. Confucianism didn't become widely known across China until the Han Dynasty; under emperor Wu. When it finally was recognised it took off in China, it became China's main ideology. Confucianism is still respected that there are temples that have Budda Confucius all together.

    Confucius was born a mere peasant who learned to teach. His teachings were not fully appreciated in his lifetime and often he was viewed with suspicion as was government fearful of his influence. However for over 20 centuries people have embraced his ideas and philosophy. This includes his code of conduct that instructs us to work harder and think of others instead of just ourselves. All though his life his aim was to make a better world.

    歷史上,沒有哪個哲人,能有孔子對世人生活影響之大的。兩千多年前的儒家思想是,“中國人生活中最重要的一支力量”。這種信仰是他在年輕時形成的。當時國家陷入在沮喪之中。他想使人們有接納良好的道德和同情心的欲望。要想實現和平,人們需在生活中發現禮(禮貌)。就是說,只要人人都有道德、負責任,社會就能實現這種理想。孔子沒見到他的思想對中國的影響;經過幾個世紀的掙扎才得到公認。在孔子的有生之年沒能實現,但他對世界的影響可與眾多宗教人士匹敵。

    孔子,出生在魯國陬邑(今山東境內)。父親(叔梁紇)在他三歲時去世,母親顏氏在他23歲時也去世了。孔子出身貧窮,常受人奚落。因被認為是農民,不允許接受教育。然而,對靈性和中國傳統他有濃厚的興趣。他找到了一條自學之路。給貴族做工,能接觸到中國書法和藝術。由于舉止文雅和對傳統的學識,他受到人們的尊敬。他樂于教那些想學習的人,很快人們都很想見到他。魯昭公很贊賞他,讓他擔當謀士。當魯昭公被逐出魯國,孔子就跟隨他到了齊國。在齊國,他也得到了同樣的賞識。齊景公雖然相信他們,但并沒有把孔子的學說付諸實施。公元前511年,魯昭公在流放中去世,孔子回到了魯國。他放棄在宮廷中做事,開設了一所私人學校。人們從遠方來向孔子求教。“孔子在一個一個學生的改變著中國。”

    “(古之欲明)明德于天下者;先治其國;欲治其國者,先齊其家;欲齊其家者,先修其身;欲修其身者,先正其心;……”根據孔子所說,要做到“正其心”,我們需要具備五種品質。它們分別是:正直,正義,忠誠,無私,恭敬。孔子還信奉一組行為準則。這個準則是這樣的:我們應該凡事只應中庸行事;我們盡全力去做期待的事情;我們應該在關系中知道自已的身份地位;我們應該尊敬老人。孔子相信,只要每個人都做這樣的事,就能實現這樣的理想社會。儒家思想直到漢朝才在中國得到廣泛傳播。它被最終得到承認,在中國流行起來并成為主流思想。儒家思想仍然受到尊敬,各地有許多孔圣人的廟。

    孔子出生在純粹的農民家庭,自學成才。在一生中,他的學說并沒受到賞識。政府擔心這種學說的影響,常常帶著懷疑的眼光看待。然而,20個世紀以來,人們采納了他的觀點和哲學。這包括行為準則,指導我們努力工作,和為他人著想而不僅僅為自己。他畢生的目標就是創造更加美好的世界。