David Brooks and Confucianism

David Brooks is a columnist for the New York Times. On Thursday Sept. 11, 2008, he published a column entitled "The Social Animal."

In this column he wrote, "Over the past 30 years, there has been a tide of research in many fields, all underlining one old truth — that we are intensely social creatures, deeply interconnected with one another and the idea of the lone individual rationally and willfully steering his own life course is often an illusion."

This is exactly what I wrote in my book: we need to recognize our connection to our community. Confucianism has a lot to say about relationships between individuals and the community. Both the Analects of Confucius (which are in my book) and the Great Learning have much wisdom on relationships and community.

In my description of The Winding Spring Process of Education I highlight a portion of The Great Learning (the Ta Hsueh, also written as the Da Xue) that describes the interaction of family and community.

Confucianism will make important contributions to America.

Robert Canright

TLR, Rod Dreher, and Ron Paul

Rod Dreher's column on 8/31/08 in the Dallas Morning News was puzzling. He called the Republican party "intellectually moribund" and raised many good examples of how the Republican party does not understand the "root causes of our civilizational crisis." Rod Dreher said, "there are and have been few, if any, effective sources of countercultural resistance from the right," even though Ron Paul and his supporters have resisted the culture of corruption very vigorously.

It is true the Dallas Morning News has effectively censored the Ron Paul Revolution, but Rod Dreher cannot be unaware of its existence. Mr. Dreher is in St. Paul, saying the Republican convention has, "all the brio of the Bataan Death March." I do love Mr. Dreher's way with words, but I wonder why he does not drive over to Minneapolis and observe Ron Paul's Rally for the Republic. Here is the Mission Statement for the Rally for the Republic:

The Campaign for Liberty events planned for August 31 - September 2 will be a celebration of our movement and our supporters, a launch party for the Campaign for Liberty, and a clear call to the Republican Party to return to its roots of limited government, personal responsibility, and protection of our natural rights. The event will run in conjunction with the first two days of the Republican National Convention and will feature top conservative speakers, musicians, and organizations. It will also have an organizational and training function for the Campaign for Liberty and the Freedom Movement.

I am very glad to see a Texan, Ron Paul, working hard to bring integrity back into politics. Integrity must be a part of the Texas Leadership Revolution. America needs better leaders for a better future. Developing better leaders is a concern to Confucians. I'm glad to see a Texan, Ron Paul, leading the charge for a better future.

But I am puzzled. Is Rod Dreher unaware of what is going on in Minneapolis, or is he under orders from Belo Corporation to censor Ron Paul?

Robert