OK, maybe it seems a bit perverse to suggest Bill Clinton is a Confucian gentleman, but that thought came to my mind tonight as I watched his speech to the Democratic Party Convention. This line, in particular, struck me (transcript here):
Most important, Barack Obama knows that America cannot be strong abroad unless we are strong at home. People the world over have always been more impressed by the power of our example than by the example of our power.
There is a resonance there with one of the most famous statements of Confucian exemplary leadership in Analects 12.19:
Asking Confucius about governing,
Lord Chi K'ang said: "What if I secure those who abide in the Way by
killing those who ignore the Way - will that work?"
"How can you
govern by killing?" replied Confucius. "Just set your heart on what is
virtuous and benevolent, and the people will be virtuous and
benevolent. The noble-minded have the Integrity of wind, and little
people the Integrity of grass. When the wind sweeps over grass, it
bends."
Now, if we can just get Obama elected President we might be able to rid ourselves of the brutish Republicans who have done so much to damage America's place in the world....
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