Jen (Ren) is a key Confucian virtue. I ran across a reference to the kindness Pal Benko showed to Bobby Fischer. Pal Benko had qualified to play in the 1970 World Chess Championship cycle while Bobby Fischer did not, because Fischer was stubborn and skipped an important chess tournament.
Yes, Bobby Fischer was not supposed to play in that series of chess matches because he did not do what was required to qualify. Pal Benko showed benevolence to Bobby Fischer, giving Fischer the spot Benko had earned. The rest is history. Fischer was already on a winning streak. He had won his last seven chess games. Fischer obliterated Mark Tiamanov 6-0, even though Tiamanov had defeated him last time they played. Next he defeated Bent Larsen 6-0. In the semifinal game, he defeated Tigran Petrosian in their 1st game.
Fischer at this point had won 20 games straight against grandmasters. Only World Champion Wilhelm Steinitz had done better with a 25 game winning streak. Fischer went on to beat ex-World Champion Petrosian and the reigning champion Boris Spassky.
Bobby Fischer became the only American to officially hold the title of World Champion of Chess, and America was swept up in a chess playing frenzy, because of Benko's benevolence to Bobby.
Robert
Saturday, July 26, 2008
Sunday, June 29, 2008
The Four Step Process and the Eightfold Path
In Chapter 3 of my book, Achieve Lasting Happiness, starting on page 65, I describe the Four Step Process for Self-Transformation.
Four Step Process for Self-Transformation:
1. Seek truth
2. Commit yourself
3. Live joyfully
4. Share hope
Recently, when thinking about the Eightfold Path, I noticed an overlap between the 4 step process and the 8 fold path.
The Eightfold Path of Buddhism
1. Right view
2. Right intent
3. Right speech
4. Right action
5. Right livelihood
6. Right effort
7. Right mindfulness
8. Right concentration
Look at how the 4 line up with the 8:
1. Seek truth --> Right view (1)
2. Commit yourself --> Right intent (2)
3. Live joyfully --> Right action (4)
4. Share hope --> Right speech (3)
The top half of the Eightfold Path is universal.
Comparing the Eightfold Path to the Four Step Process illuminates both.
Robert
References:
Here is a website on the Eightfold Path
http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/eightfoldpath.html
Going through the archives of the Timeless Way Yahoo Group, here are the first 4 posts related to this 4 step process. They are a couple of years old.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TimelessWayDallas/message/14
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TimelessWayDallas/message/15
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TimelessWayDallas/message/21
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TimelessWayDallas/message/25
Four Step Process for Self-Transformation:
1. Seek truth
2. Commit yourself
3. Live joyfully
4. Share hope
Recently, when thinking about the Eightfold Path, I noticed an overlap between the 4 step process and the 8 fold path.
The Eightfold Path of Buddhism
1. Right view
2. Right intent
3. Right speech
4. Right action
5. Right livelihood
6. Right effort
7. Right mindfulness
8. Right concentration
Look at how the 4 line up with the 8:
1. Seek truth --> Right view (1)
2. Commit yourself --> Right intent (2)
3. Live joyfully --> Right action (4)
4. Share hope --> Right speech (3)
The top half of the Eightfold Path is universal.
Comparing the Eightfold Path to the Four Step Process illuminates both.
Robert
References:
Here is a website on the Eightfold Path
http://www.thebigview.com/buddhism/eightfoldpath.html
Going through the archives of the Timeless Way Yahoo Group, here are the first 4 posts related to this 4 step process. They are a couple of years old.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TimelessWayDallas/message/14
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TimelessWayDallas/message/15
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TimelessWayDallas/message/21
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/TimelessWayDallas/message/25
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Good Leaders have a Noble Spirit
The Wall Street Journal, Tue. June 10, 2008, had a review of a book, Nobility of Spirit by Rob Riemen. The review was written by Darrin M. McMahon. To bolster the legitimacy of this book, we are told the idea came from Thomas Mann's essay, "Adel des Geistes," which is "Nobility of Spirit" in English.
In Dr. McMahon's review, he says of Mr. Riemen, "It is the role of thinkers and writers, he [Riemen] believes, to serve as guardians of our spiritual nature and as custodians of timeless values..."
I must heartily disagree: It is your role to serve as guardian of your own spiritual nature and custodian of those timeless values you treasure. No one can do that for you.
I do very much appreciate the reference to "timeless values." My book, "Achieve Lasting Happiness, Timeless Secrets to Transform Your Life," is predicated on the belief that lasting happiness is rooted in timeless values.
McMahon says Riemen's book, "is intended as a meditation ... on the forces ... needed to sustain..." civilization. Yet, I think it is not so much ideas that sustain civilization as parents and teachers who sustain civilization. I've taught in lower economic schools, and there truly is a battle between civilization and misanthropy, between the noble spirit and the mean spirit. The battle goes on daily, and its heroes lack appreciation and support.
When I taught in the public schools, I saw many unhappy children having no idea of how to have a happy life, which is why I wrote my book and make my efforts to promote a noble life.
To appreciate how the noble spirit can give us better leaders, I suggest an alternative to Mr. Riemen's: I suggest Cicero. I suggest his De Officiis, "On Duties." The term Cicero uses is "greatness of spirit" instead of "nobility of spirit".
The book review says Mr. Riemen came upon the idea for his book at a dinner party. I was led to Cicero by my studies in Confucianism. I was looking for people and ideas from Western culture that correspond to Confucian ideals, and studied Cicero's work, On Duties, finding it very compatible with Confucian ideals.
If the next generation of American leaders would study Cicero's book, "On Duties," we would have a much brighter future.
Robert
In Dr. McMahon's review, he says of Mr. Riemen, "It is the role of thinkers and writers, he [Riemen] believes, to serve as guardians of our spiritual nature and as custodians of timeless values..."
I must heartily disagree: It is your role to serve as guardian of your own spiritual nature and custodian of those timeless values you treasure. No one can do that for you.
I do very much appreciate the reference to "timeless values." My book, "Achieve Lasting Happiness, Timeless Secrets to Transform Your Life," is predicated on the belief that lasting happiness is rooted in timeless values.
McMahon says Riemen's book, "is intended as a meditation ... on the forces ... needed to sustain..." civilization. Yet, I think it is not so much ideas that sustain civilization as parents and teachers who sustain civilization. I've taught in lower economic schools, and there truly is a battle between civilization and misanthropy, between the noble spirit and the mean spirit. The battle goes on daily, and its heroes lack appreciation and support.
When I taught in the public schools, I saw many unhappy children having no idea of how to have a happy life, which is why I wrote my book and make my efforts to promote a noble life.
To appreciate how the noble spirit can give us better leaders, I suggest an alternative to Mr. Riemen's: I suggest Cicero. I suggest his De Officiis, "On Duties." The term Cicero uses is "greatness of spirit" instead of "nobility of spirit".
The book review says Mr. Riemen came upon the idea for his book at a dinner party. I was led to Cicero by my studies in Confucianism. I was looking for people and ideas from Western culture that correspond to Confucian ideals, and studied Cicero's work, On Duties, finding it very compatible with Confucian ideals.
If the next generation of American leaders would study Cicero's book, "On Duties," we would have a much brighter future.
Robert
Friday, May 30, 2008
Confucianism, Economics and Finance
The Wall Street Journal has run a 3-part article about the collapse of Bear Stearns, a large investment bank (the articles ran on Tuesday May 27, 2008, May 28, and May 29). That reminded me that Confucianism has traditionally been concerned with the physical welfare of the people, as I mentioned in my New Confucian blog, Nov. 29, 2007.
In this Timeless Way blog, on Dec. 4, 2007, I discussed of moral behavior on Wall Street. Of course, moral behavior is very important to Confucians, but traditionally Confucians have stayed away from trade and commerce.
On Dec. 23, 2007, I mentioned that ancient Confucian discourses on the Salt and Iron debates and the Well-field system of agriculture show Confucians have always had an appreciation for the impact of economics on the peoples prosperity.
On Jan. 18, 2008, I mentioned the Confucian scholar Yan Yuan (a.k.a. Yan Xizhai, 1635 - 1704) discussed finance, labor and risk management.
In 2000, Dr. Wei-Bin Zhang published On Adam Smith and Confucius, the Theory of Moral Sentiments and the Analects, ISBN 1-56072-765-9 (Nova Science Publishers, Commack, New York).
So for thousands of years there has been a recognition by Confucian scholars of the importance of economics, but economics has always been a small topic within Confucianism. I think it should take on more importance.
Consider in addition to the collapse of Bear Stearns, the collapse of the investment bank Drexel Burnham Lambert and the hedge fund Long Term Capital Management. These investment banks and hedge funds do not get the press coverage that Enron, WorldCom, and Arthur Andersen got, but they all form a picture of an American financial system teetering on the edge of complete collapse due to incompetent leadership.
Confucians need to take their interests in ethics, leadership, and the prosperity of the people, connect it with a love of scholarship, and direct this interest to the real world of Wall Street Finance.
If the American financial system suffers a complete breakdown, which can happen, the entire world economy would sink and people around the world would suffer. Too many leaders in finance have developed moral blindness as a by-product of unbridled greed.
Confucians can and should bring the light of morality back into Wall Street.
Robert
PS, the Wall Street Journal article I mentioned in the beginning was titled, "Lost Opportunities Haunt Final Days of Bear Stearns" by Kate Kelly
In this Timeless Way blog, on Dec. 4, 2007, I discussed of moral behavior on Wall Street. Of course, moral behavior is very important to Confucians, but traditionally Confucians have stayed away from trade and commerce.
On Dec. 23, 2007, I mentioned that ancient Confucian discourses on the Salt and Iron debates and the Well-field system of agriculture show Confucians have always had an appreciation for the impact of economics on the peoples prosperity.
On Jan. 18, 2008, I mentioned the Confucian scholar Yan Yuan (a.k.a. Yan Xizhai, 1635 - 1704) discussed finance, labor and risk management.
In 2000, Dr. Wei-Bin Zhang published On Adam Smith and Confucius, the Theory of Moral Sentiments and the Analects, ISBN 1-56072-765-9 (Nova Science Publishers, Commack, New York).
So for thousands of years there has been a recognition by Confucian scholars of the importance of economics, but economics has always been a small topic within Confucianism. I think it should take on more importance.
Consider in addition to the collapse of Bear Stearns, the collapse of the investment bank Drexel Burnham Lambert and the hedge fund Long Term Capital Management. These investment banks and hedge funds do not get the press coverage that Enron, WorldCom, and Arthur Andersen got, but they all form a picture of an American financial system teetering on the edge of complete collapse due to incompetent leadership.
Confucians need to take their interests in ethics, leadership, and the prosperity of the people, connect it with a love of scholarship, and direct this interest to the real world of Wall Street Finance.
If the American financial system suffers a complete breakdown, which can happen, the entire world economy would sink and people around the world would suffer. Too many leaders in finance have developed moral blindness as a by-product of unbridled greed.
Confucians can and should bring the light of morality back into Wall Street.
Robert
PS, the Wall Street Journal article I mentioned in the beginning was titled, "Lost Opportunities Haunt Final Days of Bear Stearns" by Kate Kelly
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Leadership Crisis in America: February, Part 3, Texas and the World
There was so much scandal in February that I have had to blog in 3 parts. The theme in today's blog is "Texas and the World."
On February 23, 2008, three British bankers were convicted of fraud in connection to their work dealings with Enron. Yes, because David Bermingham, Gary Mulgrew and Giles Darby worked with the Texas company Enron, they are now going to jail.
I want to emphasize that when Texans are involved with swindles, we can can hurt people around the world.
We had bank fraud committed right here in Plano, Texas some years ago and I'm guessing the perpetrators thought, "so what, it's just numbers in a ledger." But we have to think along the lines of Emmanual Kant's catagorical imperative: what if every body cheated?
Our Texan President permitted the bankers here to commit massive fraud with sub-prime mortgages. Our country is now in a recession. The Federal Reserve Bank is bailing out investment bankers. And the disease of Mortgage Backed Securities is rocking banks around the world.
On February 19, 2008, Julia Werdigier wrote, "Brown Defends Takeover of Ailing British Banker," in the New York Times. The Northern Rock Bank in England was failing because they believed American bankers were honest and responsible. The government had to nationalize it to keep it open.
That was February. On March 23, 2008, the Financial Times of London reported that the central banks of Europe might have to buy Mortgage Backed Securities (MBSs) to reduce the damage done to European banks by the American sub-prime mortgage swindle.
We must understand that what we do matters. Fraud committed in Texas can hurt people across America and around the world.
You cannot be a competent leader if you are unethical. Ethics is a core competence.
We are in a Leadership Crisis. We desperately need better leaders, ethical leaders.
Robert
On February 23, 2008, three British bankers were convicted of fraud in connection to their work dealings with Enron. Yes, because David Bermingham, Gary Mulgrew and Giles Darby worked with the Texas company Enron, they are now going to jail.
I want to emphasize that when Texans are involved with swindles, we can can hurt people around the world.
We had bank fraud committed right here in Plano, Texas some years ago and I'm guessing the perpetrators thought, "so what, it's just numbers in a ledger." But we have to think along the lines of Emmanual Kant's catagorical imperative: what if every body cheated?
Our Texan President permitted the bankers here to commit massive fraud with sub-prime mortgages. Our country is now in a recession. The Federal Reserve Bank is bailing out investment bankers. And the disease of Mortgage Backed Securities is rocking banks around the world.
On February 19, 2008, Julia Werdigier wrote, "Brown Defends Takeover of Ailing British Banker," in the New York Times. The Northern Rock Bank in England was failing because they believed American bankers were honest and responsible. The government had to nationalize it to keep it open.
That was February. On March 23, 2008, the Financial Times of London reported that the central banks of Europe might have to buy Mortgage Backed Securities (MBSs) to reduce the damage done to European banks by the American sub-prime mortgage swindle.
We must understand that what we do matters. Fraud committed in Texas can hurt people across America and around the world.
You cannot be a competent leader if you are unethical. Ethics is a core competence.
We are in a Leadership Crisis. We desperately need better leaders, ethical leaders.
Robert
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Obama and Confucianism
Barack Obama gave a speech in Philadelphia on March 18, 2008 in response to repeated airing on news broadcasts of Jeremiah Wright's inflammatory damnation of America. The speech is 37 minutes long. You ought to read it or hear it. You can do both at this link to the New York Times, although I suggest you look for a website that allows you to download the speech in its entirety so you can listen to in uninterrupted by data stream buffering.
When he says that he cannot break his relationship with Jeremiah Wright because, "he is like family to me," he is expressing a Confucian quality.
Chang Yun-Shik, in "Mutual Help and Democracy in Korea," says (p. 99):
... a social bond once established is not supposed to be terminated.
Within the uiri network of interpersonal relationships, emphasis on the person is likely to override impersonal concerns of the wider world... should there be a conflict between the two. Shifting loyalty from the person to nonpersonal concerns does not take place easily.
When Barack Obama said he disagrees with Wright on some issues, but cannot disown him because he is like family, he means there is a personal social bond that is not to be broken, as described by Chang in his article about Korean Confucianism.
A lot of Confucian ideas are rooted in our humanity, making them international in nature and applicable to American culture.
By the way, there is a higher density of Confucians in Indonesia than America and Obama spent part of his youth in Indonesia.
Robert
The article mentioned is from Confucianism for the Modern World, Edited by Daniel A. Bell and Hahm Chaibong, Cambridge, 2003.
When he says that he cannot break his relationship with Jeremiah Wright because, "he is like family to me," he is expressing a Confucian quality.
Chang Yun-Shik, in "Mutual Help and Democracy in Korea," says (p. 99):
... a social bond once established is not supposed to be terminated.
Within the uiri network of interpersonal relationships, emphasis on the person is likely to override impersonal concerns of the wider world... should there be a conflict between the two. Shifting loyalty from the person to nonpersonal concerns does not take place easily.
When Barack Obama said he disagrees with Wright on some issues, but cannot disown him because he is like family, he means there is a personal social bond that is not to be broken, as described by Chang in his article about Korean Confucianism.
A lot of Confucian ideas are rooted in our humanity, making them international in nature and applicable to American culture.
By the way, there is a higher density of Confucians in Indonesia than America and Obama spent part of his youth in Indonesia.
Robert
The article mentioned is from Confucianism for the Modern World, Edited by Daniel A. Bell and Hahm Chaibong, Cambridge, 2003.
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Leadership Crisis in America: February, Part 2, Killer Leaders
Adrianne Jones, a 16 year old Texan girl was murdered in 1995 by a boy, David Graham, from the Air Force Academy and a girl, Diane Zamora, from the Naval Academy. The Dallas Morning News in "David Graham full of remorse" by Debra Dennis, Feb. 10, 2008, reported that Zamora bragged to class mates that her boyfriend murdered a girl for her. One of her classmates turned her in. Now Graham and Zamora are serving life sentences in prison.
But what if her classmates had said, "cool," instead of turning her in? That day could come. Already we have had murderers enrolled in two service academies. What if there are students now in the academies who will kill to get ahead? I do mean literally murder someone for personal advancement.
We have so many kids in America going nuts and killing other kids that it is simply a matter of time before we have kids with this kind of killer mentality in the academies again, or in the boardroom in a Fortune 500 company, or in a Washington agency.
Oliver Stone in the movie JFK suggested the CIA might have been involved in the murder of John Kennedy. It might be true.
Vincent Foster died under suspicious circumstances in the Clinton White House. It is a fact that "the White House and Hillary Clinton in particular handled Foster's files and documents immediately after his death [and] became an issue of much investigation itself."
Germany was an educated, cultured nation when Adolph Hitler and his band of murderers got into power. Something like this could happen in America. This is why we have films out now like Michael Clayton, about a corporate executive committing murder, and Absolute Power, about a US President committing murder.
You might have heard me say "morality is the root of education." If you do not pay attention to morality, then you will be like Harvard, accepting Jeff Skilling and giving him the opportunity to commit massive fraud.
Simple fraud that destroys a couple of companies and ruins the lives of thousands of people pales in comparison to complex fraud, like the sub-prime mortgage swindle, that can push the entire nation into recession.
And all this financial swindling pales in comparison to the threat of having murderers in high positions of power. It might have already happened, but can we survive as a democracy if it happens again?
Killer leaders might be in our future if we continue to promote people without regard to their character.
Robert
But what if her classmates had said, "cool," instead of turning her in? That day could come. Already we have had murderers enrolled in two service academies. What if there are students now in the academies who will kill to get ahead? I do mean literally murder someone for personal advancement.
We have so many kids in America going nuts and killing other kids that it is simply a matter of time before we have kids with this kind of killer mentality in the academies again, or in the boardroom in a Fortune 500 company, or in a Washington agency.
Oliver Stone in the movie JFK suggested the CIA might have been involved in the murder of John Kennedy. It might be true.
Vincent Foster died under suspicious circumstances in the Clinton White House. It is a fact that "the White House and Hillary Clinton in particular handled Foster's files and documents immediately after his death [and] became an issue of much investigation itself."
Germany was an educated, cultured nation when Adolph Hitler and his band of murderers got into power. Something like this could happen in America. This is why we have films out now like Michael Clayton, about a corporate executive committing murder, and Absolute Power, about a US President committing murder.
You might have heard me say "morality is the root of education." If you do not pay attention to morality, then you will be like Harvard, accepting Jeff Skilling and giving him the opportunity to commit massive fraud.
Simple fraud that destroys a couple of companies and ruins the lives of thousands of people pales in comparison to complex fraud, like the sub-prime mortgage swindle, that can push the entire nation into recession.
And all this financial swindling pales in comparison to the threat of having murderers in high positions of power. It might have already happened, but can we survive as a democracy if it happens again?
Killer leaders might be in our future if we continue to promote people without regard to their character.
Robert
Saturday, March 01, 2008
Leadership Crisis in America: February, Part 1, American Failures
So much happened in February that I will make a 3 part posting on the Leadership Crisis. This installment will touch briefly on American failures. The purpose of this post is to emphasize the seriousness of the Leadership Crisis. We have weekly, almost daily reminders of the depth of the problem. If you are not already convinced we are in a Leadership Crisis, then I hope you will believe after these posts.
I want to move beyond preaching how we are in a Leadership Crisis and start considering how we got into this mess and how we might get out of it.
The New York Times, Wed. Feb. 6, 2008, "Papers Show Wachovia Knew of Thefts" by Charles Duhigg reported that Wachovia Bank was a knowing participant in theft from the accounts of Wachovia customers. Yes, Wachovia helped crooks rob Wachovia customers because Wachovia found a way to profit from the theft. What a betrayal of their customers. And not just a few, but thousands of their customers.
Forbes, Yahoo Finance, and the Wall Street Journal (Sat. Feb. 23, 2008) said Bank of America, which purchased Countrywide Financial Corp., made David Sambol would head its combined consumer mortgage operations. Sambol, Countrywide's President, drove Countrywide into the jaws of bankruptcy. Sambol ruined Countrywide so BoA could purchase it cheaply and he gets rewarded for failure.
Remember I said we should consider how we got into this Leadership Crisis? Promoting proven failures is one of many reasons we are in this Leadership Crisis.
The New York Times on Tue. Feb. 26, 2008 published "Guilty Verdict for 5 in A.I.G. Case" by Lynnley Browning. Among the five newly convicted business persons are Ronald Ferguson, CEO of Gen Re, Elizabeth Monrad, Gen Re CFO, and Robert Graham, Sr. VP and Asst. General Counsel: convicted on 16 counts of fraud and conspiracy to manipulate financial statements. (Gen Re means General Reinsurance.)
Imagine the number of business leaders who belong in jail numbering in the hundreds, maybe in the thousands. This is a sad situation.
Also consider the unspoken premise for all this fraud: thousands of American business leaders do not know how to grow their business, which is why they resort to fraud, so they can fake success.
Why are we in a Leadership Crisis? Perhaps too many business persons have been promoted to leadership positions by faking success. Lying about schedules, budget, and performance to the CEO is not a crime. But when a faker is promoted to CEO or CFO and fakes financial statements, then yesterday's fibs become today's crimes.
Robert
I want to move beyond preaching how we are in a Leadership Crisis and start considering how we got into this mess and how we might get out of it.
The New York Times, Wed. Feb. 6, 2008, "Papers Show Wachovia Knew of Thefts" by Charles Duhigg reported that Wachovia Bank was a knowing participant in theft from the accounts of Wachovia customers. Yes, Wachovia helped crooks rob Wachovia customers because Wachovia found a way to profit from the theft. What a betrayal of their customers. And not just a few, but thousands of their customers.
Forbes, Yahoo Finance, and the Wall Street Journal (Sat. Feb. 23, 2008) said Bank of America, which purchased Countrywide Financial Corp., made David Sambol would head its combined consumer mortgage operations. Sambol, Countrywide's President, drove Countrywide into the jaws of bankruptcy. Sambol ruined Countrywide so BoA could purchase it cheaply and he gets rewarded for failure.
Remember I said we should consider how we got into this Leadership Crisis? Promoting proven failures is one of many reasons we are in this Leadership Crisis.
The New York Times on Tue. Feb. 26, 2008 published "Guilty Verdict for 5 in A.I.G. Case" by Lynnley Browning. Among the five newly convicted business persons are Ronald Ferguson, CEO of Gen Re, Elizabeth Monrad, Gen Re CFO, and Robert Graham, Sr. VP and Asst. General Counsel: convicted on 16 counts of fraud and conspiracy to manipulate financial statements. (Gen Re means General Reinsurance.)
Imagine the number of business leaders who belong in jail numbering in the hundreds, maybe in the thousands. This is a sad situation.
Also consider the unspoken premise for all this fraud: thousands of American business leaders do not know how to grow their business, which is why they resort to fraud, so they can fake success.
Why are we in a Leadership Crisis? Perhaps too many business persons have been promoted to leadership positions by faking success. Lying about schedules, budget, and performance to the CEO is not a crime. But when a faker is promoted to CEO or CFO and fakes financial statements, then yesterday's fibs become today's crimes.
Robert
Monday, February 11, 2008
Competence and Ethics
The January 25, 2008 issue of the New York Times had an article, "Fraud Costs Bank $7.1 Billion," by David Jolly. This article describes how a bank employee, Jerome Kerviel, lost billions of dollars in unauthorized trading. The police are making a case against him.
I believe Stan O'Neal at Merrill Lynch and Charles Prince at Citigroup each lost more than $7 Billion for their companies, but they got big bonuses to go away.
Sending some people to jail for losing billions while you reward others for losing billions is crazy. This is part of the Leadership Crisis facing the whole world, not just America.
I say that ethics is a core competence. An unethical businessman is an incompetent businessman.
We need better ethics if we are to avoid another world wide financial depression. The world economy is quickly becoming a house of cards that will collapse precipitously from the right kind of scandalous financial disaster.
Robert Canright
I believe Stan O'Neal at Merrill Lynch and Charles Prince at Citigroup each lost more than $7 Billion for their companies, but they got big bonuses to go away.
Sending some people to jail for losing billions while you reward others for losing billions is crazy. This is part of the Leadership Crisis facing the whole world, not just America.
I say that ethics is a core competence. An unethical businessman is an incompetent businessman.
We need better ethics if we are to avoid another world wide financial depression. The world economy is quickly becoming a house of cards that will collapse precipitously from the right kind of scandalous financial disaster.
Robert Canright
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Culture and Family
Culture (Wen) and family are very important in Confucianism. I thought about the importance of these when I read this quote in the New York Times from the author Tom Perrotta (an old article, not a recent one):
Perrotta: "Speaking as a former teenage guy, the fact that you might someday get lucky was like the only thing getting you through those years. If you take that away I don't know what's left. It was the basic narrative of male adolescence."
Perrotta was expressing surprise that some teenagers today make an effort to be chaste.
A well educated and cultured young person has many sources of inspiration. The base life described by Perrotta is the result of a lack of culture. Culture enriches our lives. Fine music, poetry, good books, stimulating philosophy, and stimulating
conversation enlarge our humanity and expand our vistas.
A strong, loving family grounds a young person emotionally so he or she is not desperately seeking love and becoming misled by sexual passion.
I try hard to be a good parent and I believe the lessons of Kongzi and his students help me be a better father.
I see many applications of Kongzi's lessons in contemporary American life.
Robert
The article was "A writer's search for the sex in abstinence"
by Motoko Rich, Sunday Oct. 14, 2007, the Arts & Leisure section.
Perrotta: "Speaking as a former teenage guy, the fact that you might someday get lucky was like the only thing getting you through those years. If you take that away I don't know what's left. It was the basic narrative of male adolescence."
Perrotta was expressing surprise that some teenagers today make an effort to be chaste.
A well educated and cultured young person has many sources of inspiration. The base life described by Perrotta is the result of a lack of culture. Culture enriches our lives. Fine music, poetry, good books, stimulating philosophy, and stimulating
conversation enlarge our humanity and expand our vistas.
A strong, loving family grounds a young person emotionally so he or she is not desperately seeking love and becoming misled by sexual passion.
I try hard to be a good parent and I believe the lessons of Kongzi and his students help me be a better father.
I see many applications of Kongzi's lessons in contemporary American life.
Robert
The article was "A writer's search for the sex in abstinence"
by Motoko Rich, Sunday Oct. 14, 2007, the Arts & Leisure section.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Wang Yangming's Community Compact
Bill Cosby in his book "Come on People" offered no new ideas for helping communities struggling with poor education, drugs, and poverty. I have started studying Confucian community compacts to look for ideas to help struggling communities.
If an American community wanted to write a compact, the following text from Wang Yangming would be a great preamble.
"The responsibility for all this should be shared by...government officials and all of you, old and young.
Alas! Nothing can be done to change what has already gone by, but something can still be done in the future. Therefore a community compact is now specially prepared to unite and harmonize all of you. From now on, all of you who enter into this compact should be filial to your parents and respectful to your elders, teach your children, live in harmony with your fellow villagers, help one another when there is death in the family and assist one another in times of difficulty, encourage one another to do good and warn one another not to do evil, stop litigations and rivalry, cultivate faithfulness and promote harmony, and be sure to be good citizens so that together you may establish the custom of humanity and kindness....
All of you, both old and young, do not remember the former evil deeds of the new citizens and ignore their good deeds. As long as they have a single thought to do good, they are already good people. Do not be proud that you are good citizens and neglect to cultivate your personal life. As long as you have a single thought to do evil, you are already evil people. Whether people are good or evil depends on a single instant of thought. You should think over my words carefully. Don't forget...."
Wang Yangming, 1472-1529
This is a brilliant exposition of the right attitude to have going into a community compact. I am too humbled by Wang's brilliance to try to add anything to what he said. I will only mention American historical context: during his lifetime Columbus discovered the New World (1492) and the Jamestown colony was started in Virginia (1508).
Robert
If an American community wanted to write a compact, the following text from Wang Yangming would be a great preamble.
"The responsibility for all this should be shared by...government officials and all of you, old and young.
Alas! Nothing can be done to change what has already gone by, but something can still be done in the future. Therefore a community compact is now specially prepared to unite and harmonize all of you. From now on, all of you who enter into this compact should be filial to your parents and respectful to your elders, teach your children, live in harmony with your fellow villagers, help one another when there is death in the family and assist one another in times of difficulty, encourage one another to do good and warn one another not to do evil, stop litigations and rivalry, cultivate faithfulness and promote harmony, and be sure to be good citizens so that together you may establish the custom of humanity and kindness....
All of you, both old and young, do not remember the former evil deeds of the new citizens and ignore their good deeds. As long as they have a single thought to do good, they are already good people. Do not be proud that you are good citizens and neglect to cultivate your personal life. As long as you have a single thought to do evil, you are already evil people. Whether people are good or evil depends on a single instant of thought. You should think over my words carefully. Don't forget...."
Wang Yangming, 1472-1529
This is a brilliant exposition of the right attitude to have going into a community compact. I am too humbled by Wang's brilliance to try to add anything to what he said. I will only mention American historical context: during his lifetime Columbus discovered the New World (1492) and the Jamestown colony was started in Virginia (1508).
Robert
Saturday, January 19, 2008
Chess or Sports as Ritual
Ritual is a big deal in Confucianism, but what rituals so we really have in America?
The New York Times, Sunday Jan. 12, 2008, had an article: "The Ritual of Chess, a Decoder of Life" by Dorothy Spears
There is this interesting sentence in the article:
"...the sense of chess as ritual. With continued focus and awareness, chess seductively suggests, we can decipher our chaotic landscape."
There are certain ritualistic aspects of chess, but ritual is supposed to bind a community together. High school football games are more effective at that than chess.
Our high school football team went pretty far in the state championship cycle this year. Not that I'm a football fan, but because I wanted to be a supportive member of the community, I went to all the playoff games, even traveling hours out of town.
The parents and alumni were very supportive and enthusiastic. I truly felt a part of something when I joined in with their ritualistic cheers. It was a very good experience.
We do have rituals in America, we just do not think of them that way.
And sports like football or baseball are more effective as community rituals than chess, which is very individualistic.
Robert
The New York Times, Sunday Jan. 12, 2008, had an article: "The Ritual of Chess, a Decoder of Life" by Dorothy Spears
There is this interesting sentence in the article:
"...the sense of chess as ritual. With continued focus and awareness, chess seductively suggests, we can decipher our chaotic landscape."
There are certain ritualistic aspects of chess, but ritual is supposed to bind a community together. High school football games are more effective at that than chess.
Our high school football team went pretty far in the state championship cycle this year. Not that I'm a football fan, but because I wanted to be a supportive member of the community, I went to all the playoff games, even traveling hours out of town.
The parents and alumni were very supportive and enthusiastic. I truly felt a part of something when I joined in with their ritualistic cheers. It was a very good experience.
We do have rituals in America, we just do not think of them that way.
And sports like football or baseball are more effective as community rituals than chess, which is very individualistic.
Robert
Friday, January 18, 2008
More on Economics and Confucianism
I've been thinking more about the application of Confucianism to economics.
Here's what the Confucian scholar Yan Yuan (a.k.a. Yan Xizhai, 1635 - 1704) wrote:
"...culture is not just the Odes, History, and the Six Arts; an impressive personal presence, clear speech, the military, farming, hydraulics, the use of fire, finance, grain, labor, and risk -- anything that can refine who I am and embellish
the fundamental forces in the universe -- all are part of culture."
Finance, labor, and risk are part of economics!
There is definitely a connection between economics and Confucianism.
Robert
The quote is from page 79, "Confucian Moral Self Cultivation,
2nd Ed." by Philip J. Ivanhoe (2000)
Here's what the Confucian scholar Yan Yuan (a.k.a. Yan Xizhai, 1635 - 1704) wrote:
"...culture is not just the Odes, History, and the Six Arts; an impressive personal presence, clear speech, the military, farming, hydraulics, the use of fire, finance, grain, labor, and risk -- anything that can refine who I am and embellish
the fundamental forces in the universe -- all are part of culture."
Finance, labor, and risk are part of economics!
There is definitely a connection between economics and Confucianism.
Robert
The quote is from page 79, "Confucian Moral Self Cultivation,
2nd Ed." by Philip J. Ivanhoe (2000)
Tuesday, December 25, 2007
Long Term Planning, Space Colonization, and the Ru Jia
John Tierney wrote, "A Survival Imperative for Space Colonization", in the Tuesday July 17, 2007 issue of the New York Times (Science Section).
Tierney raised two key points, explaining the mathematical reasoning for these points. One point was that the there is a 95% probability that the human race will last at least 5,100 more years, but no more than 7.8 million years.
We only have 3,000 years of recorded history, and we might be extinct only 5,100 years from now. That is something to think about.
Then Tierney postulated that if the likelihood of human survival is heightened by establishing a human presence on another planet, like Mars, then we have a problem because there is a fifty percent (50%) probability that we will lose the ability to travel through outer space during the next 46 years.
No one has walked on the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. We have lost two satellites and two space shuttles due to incompetent leadership. We really could lose the ability to put people on other planets, just like we can no longer build battleships.
I have long term plans, or hopes, for Confucianism in America. I hope we can start a Confucian Universiy with specialties in Education, Economics, Law, and Philosophy. Maybe this university should have a department focusing on the long term survival of the human race.
Confucianism has been slow to catch on in America. The poet Ezra Pound wrote his first translation of the Analects in 1937, 70 years ago. He promoted Confucianism in some of his writings, but World War II ended his efforts. My efforts to promote Confucianism might take as long as 15 to 25 years to bear fruit. If there is a chance we can lose space flight in 46 years, then an active Confucian community would have only 46-25=21 years to save our space flight capability.
We want to see individuals fulfill their humanity, to see leaders exhibit moral leadership, and to work for world peace (The Doctrine of the Mean). Maybe we need to add "working for the survival of humanity" to our Confucian goals!
The Ru Jia, the School of Scholars, is durable. We study works that are thousands of years old. We've already been on a mission to improve the lives of people for 2,500 years. Who else is better suited to ponder the long term survival of humanity?
Robert
Tierney raised two key points, explaining the mathematical reasoning for these points. One point was that the there is a 95% probability that the human race will last at least 5,100 more years, but no more than 7.8 million years.
We only have 3,000 years of recorded history, and we might be extinct only 5,100 years from now. That is something to think about.
Then Tierney postulated that if the likelihood of human survival is heightened by establishing a human presence on another planet, like Mars, then we have a problem because there is a fifty percent (50%) probability that we will lose the ability to travel through outer space during the next 46 years.
No one has walked on the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. We have lost two satellites and two space shuttles due to incompetent leadership. We really could lose the ability to put people on other planets, just like we can no longer build battleships.
I have long term plans, or hopes, for Confucianism in America. I hope we can start a Confucian Universiy with specialties in Education, Economics, Law, and Philosophy. Maybe this university should have a department focusing on the long term survival of the human race.
Confucianism has been slow to catch on in America. The poet Ezra Pound wrote his first translation of the Analects in 1937, 70 years ago. He promoted Confucianism in some of his writings, but World War II ended his efforts. My efforts to promote Confucianism might take as long as 15 to 25 years to bear fruit. If there is a chance we can lose space flight in 46 years, then an active Confucian community would have only 46-25=21 years to save our space flight capability.
We want to see individuals fulfill their humanity, to see leaders exhibit moral leadership, and to work for world peace (The Doctrine of the Mean). Maybe we need to add "working for the survival of humanity" to our Confucian goals!
The Ru Jia, the School of Scholars, is durable. We study works that are thousands of years old. We've already been on a mission to improve the lives of people for 2,500 years. Who else is better suited to ponder the long term survival of humanity?
Robert
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Confucianism and Economics
I believe America can benefit greatly from Confucianism. I am thinking more and more that Americans interested in Confucianism should want to see Confucian ethics make inroads on Wall Street.
American finance has suffered many shocks from unethical business. How many shocks can the economy absorb before the harm becomes irreparable?
A few years back we suffered a crisis in the savings and loan industry and many savings and loan banks were driven essentially into bankruptcy. Then World Com created a bubble in the internet business with a false report about projected internet usage. Now we have the sub-prime mortgage scandal. Dishonest businessmen have probably inflicted more financial losses upon America than the Al Qaeda attack of 9/11.
In the Dec. 23, 2007 issue of the Sunday New York Times, Ben Stein wrote in his "Everybody's Business" column an article entitled: "Tattered Standard of Duty on Wall Street."
Here is his concluding paragraph:
"... are we a nation if there is no meaningful restraint on what people can do with an offering statement and a computer screen inside our borders? We surely cannot remain a republic under law if there is no law except the axiom from "Richard II" that "they well deserve to have, that know the strong'st and surest way to get."
His point is that businessmen at reputable companies are violating their fiduciary duty and getting away with it.
Confucianism cares about the prosperity of the people and about moral leadership. The salt and iron debates and Mencius's discussion of the Well-Field system prove that Confucians have historically cared about economics and taxes when the people's prosperity was threatened.
The people's prosperity is threatened today. Confucians can and should work to restore fairness and ethics to Wall Street.
Robert
American finance has suffered many shocks from unethical business. How many shocks can the economy absorb before the harm becomes irreparable?
A few years back we suffered a crisis in the savings and loan industry and many savings and loan banks were driven essentially into bankruptcy. Then World Com created a bubble in the internet business with a false report about projected internet usage. Now we have the sub-prime mortgage scandal. Dishonest businessmen have probably inflicted more financial losses upon America than the Al Qaeda attack of 9/11.
In the Dec. 23, 2007 issue of the Sunday New York Times, Ben Stein wrote in his "Everybody's Business" column an article entitled: "Tattered Standard of Duty on Wall Street."
Here is his concluding paragraph:
"... are we a nation if there is no meaningful restraint on what people can do with an offering statement and a computer screen inside our borders? We surely cannot remain a republic under law if there is no law except the axiom from "Richard II" that "they well deserve to have, that know the strong'st and surest way to get."
His point is that businessmen at reputable companies are violating their fiduciary duty and getting away with it.
Confucianism cares about the prosperity of the people and about moral leadership. The salt and iron debates and Mencius's discussion of the Well-Field system prove that Confucians have historically cared about economics and taxes when the people's prosperity was threatened.
The people's prosperity is threatened today. Confucians can and should work to restore fairness and ethics to Wall Street.
Robert
Tuesday, December 04, 2007
American Leadership Crisis in Finance and Investments
Here is an article from the New York Times, "A Lurid Aftermath to a Hedge Fund Manager's Fast Life" by Andrew Ross Sorkin. The article is in the Tuesday Dec. 4, 2007 issue. It describes how Seth Tobias, who ran a $300 million hedge fund, chased after gay strippers, did cocaine, and died under questionable circumstances.
Seth Tobias sounded more like a mafioso than a businessman. Or is there really much difference between Wall Street and organized crime? There is a serious leadership crisis on Wall Street. Part of the problem is that Wall Street does not understand that simple morality is a part of competence: if you are immoral in finance, you are incompetent in finance.
Seth Tobias is not the only questionable character on Wall Street. Citigroup just recently sacked Charles Prince, their CEO. Prince participated in the sub-prime mortgage scam and cost Citigroup billions. Citigroup has been plagued by poor performance and financial scandals for years, in Japan and in Europe for example.
Confucius said you cannot hold onto ill gotten gains. The message of Confucius is that there is power in virtue. On the flip side: there is weakness in immorality, and there is way too much immoral behavior on Wall Street.
Robert
Seth Tobias sounded more like a mafioso than a businessman. Or is there really much difference between Wall Street and organized crime? There is a serious leadership crisis on Wall Street. Part of the problem is that Wall Street does not understand that simple morality is a part of competence: if you are immoral in finance, you are incompetent in finance.
Seth Tobias is not the only questionable character on Wall Street. Citigroup just recently sacked Charles Prince, their CEO. Prince participated in the sub-prime mortgage scam and cost Citigroup billions. Citigroup has been plagued by poor performance and financial scandals for years, in Japan and in Europe for example.
Confucius said you cannot hold onto ill gotten gains. The message of Confucius is that there is power in virtue. On the flip side: there is weakness in immorality, and there is way too much immoral behavior on Wall Street.
Robert
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Is America Slipping into the Third World?
I have mentioned elsewhere that Carlos Slim is the world's richest man. He lives in Mexico, a Third World country. The Nov. 24, 2007 issue of the Wall Street Journal had an article about the Anil and Mukesh Ambani brothers being worth almost $100 billion together. They live in India. We can see there is great wealth in the Third World, but it is concentrated in the hands of very few people while the Middle Class is very small.
The same is happening to America as more wealth is concentrated in fewer hands while the Middle Class is being squeezed out of existence. Is America sliding into the Third World? It might be.
The answer is Confucianism, which teaches that the wealth of the entire community is important.
Robert
The Wall Street Journal article is "All in the Family: $100 Billion" by Eric Bellman.
The same is happening to America as more wealth is concentrated in fewer hands while the Middle Class is being squeezed out of existence. Is America sliding into the Third World? It might be.
The answer is Confucianism, which teaches that the wealth of the entire community is important.
Robert
The Wall Street Journal article is "All in the Family: $100 Billion" by Eric Bellman.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Ben Stein and the Leadership Crisis
You've heard me talk frequently here about our leadership crisis. On Sunday Nov. 11, 2007 Ben Stein's column, Everybody's Business, in the New York Times had an article entitled It's Time to Act Like Grown Ups. You should read the whole article, but look at this near the end:
"But it certainly hurts to spend day after day, as I did this fall, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center — where the incredibly brave wounded soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan learn about walking and eating without their natural legs and arms — and to realize that the America for which they’re fighting is led in so many arenas, especially the money one, by such weak, disappointing specimens."
The "weak, disappointing specimens" he refers to are our leaders. After reading Mr. Stein's article I got fired up and gave this short speech: Better Leaders for a Better Future. Boy, do we need better leadership.
Here's an article about how our leaders killed an expensive spy satellite. Here's an article on how the Dept. of Education lost the results of a reading exam because no one proofread the test. What incompetence!
Just last week I was thinking how I almost went to Vietnam and my kids were almost old enough to go to the Iraq war. I resolved that my grand children should not be caught up in a poorly thought out foreign war. Then today's Dallas Morning News (11/25/07) had an article about some guy whose brother died in Vietnam and his son died in Iraq. It was on the front page: Family Endures War's Deadly Echo.
Better leadership is a matter of life and death. We must start developing a new generation of leaders, and we must start as soon as possible.
Robert
"But it certainly hurts to spend day after day, as I did this fall, at Walter Reed Army Medical Center — where the incredibly brave wounded soldiers from Iraq and Afghanistan learn about walking and eating without their natural legs and arms — and to realize that the America for which they’re fighting is led in so many arenas, especially the money one, by such weak, disappointing specimens."
The "weak, disappointing specimens" he refers to are our leaders. After reading Mr. Stein's article I got fired up and gave this short speech: Better Leaders for a Better Future. Boy, do we need better leadership.
Here's an article about how our leaders killed an expensive spy satellite. Here's an article on how the Dept. of Education lost the results of a reading exam because no one proofread the test. What incompetence!
Just last week I was thinking how I almost went to Vietnam and my kids were almost old enough to go to the Iraq war. I resolved that my grand children should not be caught up in a poorly thought out foreign war. Then today's Dallas Morning News (11/25/07) had an article about some guy whose brother died in Vietnam and his son died in Iraq. It was on the front page: Family Endures War's Deadly Echo.
Better leadership is a matter of life and death. We must start developing a new generation of leaders, and we must start as soon as possible.
Robert
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
People Make History
Some might think that history is the confluence of many factors. The swirl of current events that becomes history might seem so complicated as to be beyond the influence of any individual. Yet Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "...there is ... no history, only biography."
People do make a difference. In these critical times, we need the best leaders we can get, yet we have a scarcity of good leadership. We are in a leadership crisis.
Confucianism can raise up a new generation of great leaders. America needs Confucianism to survive the tumultuous current events leading to a dangerous future.
We must use the principles of Confucianism to prepare our children to become tomorrow's leaders -- effective leaders!
Robert
People do make a difference. In these critical times, we need the best leaders we can get, yet we have a scarcity of good leadership. We are in a leadership crisis.
Confucianism can raise up a new generation of great leaders. America needs Confucianism to survive the tumultuous current events leading to a dangerous future.
We must use the principles of Confucianism to prepare our children to become tomorrow's leaders -- effective leaders!
Robert
Sunday, August 19, 2007
Confucianism and Hope
The Bible says we should always be prepared to give an answer for the hope we have in Christ.
If a Confucian were asked what he hopes in, maybe it would be that moral leaders would lead the people into prosperity and harmony. Everyone should follow the way and live a life of self-transformation, but there is a lot of emphasis in Confucianism on providing advice to the ruler and a heavy reliance on the ruler to affect change.
One person in Michael Moore's movie, Sicko, said that people who have lost hope are easier to control.
Confucianism can give us better leaders.
Confucianism can revive our hope.
Robert Canright
If a Confucian were asked what he hopes in, maybe it would be that moral leaders would lead the people into prosperity and harmony. Everyone should follow the way and live a life of self-transformation, but there is a lot of emphasis in Confucianism on providing advice to the ruler and a heavy reliance on the ruler to affect change.
One person in Michael Moore's movie, Sicko, said that people who have lost hope are easier to control.
Confucianism can give us better leaders.
Confucianism can revive our hope.
Robert Canright
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