It's A Jesus!

The Gospel According To St. Matthew Chapters 1-10

Everyone begat ten others. Those ten others begat other twenty, and it all starts with Abraham. After many generations of begating more and more people to this overpopulated world, finally came Jesus. "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost." (1:18) Having the son of the most powerful being according to the Bible, must be very special. Simply knowing that God has chosen you to deal with this, its just too much. There is Mary, an extremely normal woman, whose life will change as soon as an angel comes and tell her she has the Messiah in her womb.

It must be so confusing, but also exciting. Telling this great news to Joseph was really hard. I think that in the beginning he thought "Is this woman insane?" or "What have you been drinking?" I guess it is simply too hard to believe. Anyways, it took another angel to get down there and convince Joseph of Mary's insanity. "But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost."(1:20) Finally after generations of begating more and more people, at least someone wasn't worthless.

I guess everything was fine until they came. "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem," (2:1) These "wise" men just came along to the currently King of the Jews "Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him."(2:2) Could not they be wiser? They just endangered the child and made thousands of others die in his place. It wasn't wise at all. Thanks to them, now Joseph and Mary had to become outlaws. Well done.

As Jesus grows int o an adult, he must start his quest. As God's son, he needs friends to bring home. "And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power againstunclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease." (10:1)is friends followed him, but Jesus was not that popular at all. Anyways, I still find very interesting how Jesus encouraged them to enter his group. "But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; 18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. 19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. If they follow him, they will all be persecuted, or maybe tortured and killed, but they should not be afraid. No wonder why Jesus didn't have so many friends.

We Foolish Idiotic Killers!

The Gospel According To St. Mark Chapters 12-16

The story of the vineyard made me think about society today. A humble man who grows a vineyard. He is doing pretty well, but the husbandmen are jealous and kill all the servants the lord of the vineyard would send. "And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard."(12:2)Humans have been very violent and stupid. Not mentioning that many kill themselves during wars trying to be at "peace", they just get killed, leaving us int he same situation we are today.

There will never be peace, just hatred. I guess it is natural for humans to feel hatred, but they are evil. We think we are superior to animals since we have the so called wits and a fat thumb. The thumb was the doom for everyone, humanity, nature and earth. According to the Bible it wasn't actually the thumb (we should not be against the thumb) but Adam and Eve, and the Tree of Knowledge. They are the doom of everyone. Yeah, God made a little mistake, so he sends a lot of people to change the world, including Jesus. Seriously, they failed. All of them. "And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?" (12:26)They keep on mentioning Moses, which is mentioned in John's Gospel too. Apparently, he was important. Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Supposedly the followers of God that would change humankind. Sorry, but no change was made.

God, in such desperation, sends his own son, Jesus. What do humans do? Kill him. He was salvation, the only door for freedom. What do we do? Shut it close, persecute him and kill him. "Thou art not far from the kingdom of God"(12:34)Jesus was crazy! Everyone is way back form getting to the kingdom of God. I guess God didn't realized there was no hope, and decided to take his Son back to him. At least it could have been less painful.

Jesus's Got Talent

The Gospel According To St. Mark Chapters 7-11

The Pharisees, such delicate people who are not satisfied with anything. There comes Jesus, seen as an ordinary man, and with five loaves of bread, and simply two fish, he gives food for thousands of people. But, no, they are not satisfied. They just continue seeing Jesus as an ordinary man, no, a scam which only happens to cure the sick and feed the poor. What do they say? " Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?" (7:5)

Jesus would've been the solution to world hunger, but the idiots of that time decided to kill him. There is no good in humanity. Every time they see something good, they tend to destroy it. Jesus, a great example, famous, talented people. Michael Phelps, for instance. He is not even human! How could that guy win eight Olympic gold medals? He is a freak! But obviously, the pressure, society, made him do one of the worst things an athlete could do. And media helps to spread the word killing his career, his passion and his life. Tiger Woods. A great golf player. People wanted him to fail. He was ratted out by his prostitutes. Killed his life, his career and his dignity. It is obvious, nobody can take goodness. Everybody is waiting in the back, waiting for you to fail, and enjoying each moment.

It Was A Miracle

The Gospel According to St. Mark Chapters 1-6

We start as Jesus already an adult. To my surprise, John, my dear John appears Baptizing Jesus. "And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan." (1:9)It turned out to be St. John was a great St. Baptizing Jesus doesnt happen everyday. Even so, it is Mark here who should be the protagonist, since actually this is the Gospel According to St. Mark, not Jhon.

When Jesus was near some fisherman, he said: "And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men." (1:17)How to fish men instead of fish. By that time, I would simply continue fishing my fish, since everybody likes food, needs food, and demands food. Fishing men...what can you actually do with men? Work? I guess fishing for followers is a better reason.

Mark tells us about Jesus great miracles. "And as soon as he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed." (1:42) Cleaning a leprose, resurrecting a girl, and multiplying bread and fish to thousands of people. He just did miracles like any day routine. He would just say "I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; in so much that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion." (2:11-12) It turns out to be that miracles are the new fashion now.

Leaving my bad knowldege of my own religion aside, I still couldnt beleive that Jesus could only get faith through people by just miracles. His apostles did not understand what Jesus would say, until he made another miracle. When Jesus suddenly came walking on the water towards them, they finally realized that this dude was powerful.

A Crown Of Thorns

The Gospel According to St. John Chapters 14-21

Death can never be taken easy, and the one who does, is just weird. Every time I think of death, I can never imagine how it really is. As many books describe, first they feel lots of pain (usually they are killed) and suddenly inner peace. But how is an author supposed to know how death feels like? You can only live once.

Knowing you have to die is obvious, everybody dies, but no one knows when. Jesus, predicts his own death since he predicts Judas betrayal. Before, Jesus had said " Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?" (6:71)It turned out to be that the devil was Judas. "Judas then, having received a band of menand officers from the chief priests and Pharisees, cometh thither with lanterns and torches and weapons." (18:3) His betrayal was Jesus's ticket to death. Even though Jesus knew, I guess he must have been scared, especially knowing what was waiting for him.

Pilate's decision was very hard. "What is truth? And when he had said this, he went out again unto the Jews, and saith unto them, I find in him no fault at all". (18:38)After he decided he wouldn't choose, he let the people choose over Barabbas, an evil maniac murder and robber. "Then cried they all again, saying, Not this man, but Barabbas. Now Barabbas was a robber." (18:40) I guess people prefer having a robber in their houses than a man who hasn't sinned at all.

Right in this part, where Pilate was thinking of Jesus fate was were I first saw the Passion of Christ. Through the movie, we could see Jesus suffering, and we also suffered with him. It was terrible, how the soldiers treated him, and how the people would believe in doing this. I still cant believe that such people could do such evil. Then, we saw Da Vinci's Code. The angel who had saved a monk once would kill, and then he would torture himself with the whips that also tortured Jesus.

What most freaks me out is the Christ's many people usually have. Why do they always have to put suffering? There it is, Jesus, with a crown full of thorns, his hands bleeding with needles, and his whole body whipped and weak. I cant believe people can sleep with that scene on their heads or in front of them.

Lord Of The Platforms

The Gospel According to St. John Chapters 6-13

After many miracles like turning water into wine and things like that, Jesus continues his quest, I guess the quest of the people finding love for God.He may have done miracles, but he also created enemies. The Jews, they were furious with him. Claiming he was the son of God, and that he himself was the Holly Word.

No matter how many miracles Jesus would make, the Jew would think it was a scam. He was even being persecuted by the Jews. "After these things Jesus walked in Galilee: for he would not walk in Jewry, because the Jews sought to kill him." (7:1)I think that by that time many people would think it is weird. Is like a guy walking around saying he is the son of God and King of the Jews. In this time, everyone would see it as a joke, or as a loon who is trying find and answer. It is like an episode in Dr. House were a fifteen year old kid claimed he was God's messenger. He was an orator and was trying to purify himself by only drinking water. He also came singing creepy sounds through the hallway while he had seizures. He also cured a woman with cancer, or at least the tumor had gotten smaller. Anyways, the boy turned out to be lying. He was actually purifying himself since he had herpes.

In this case, Jesus could be that guy, instead, he did make real miracles like walking over water, resurect Lazarus and curing a blind guy. "When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay, 7 And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing". (9:6-7)After these great miracles, the Jews should notice that Jesus is not crazy or a scam. I also saw a program of Magic's Secrets Finally Revealed, were the magician would walk over water. It turned out to be that the trick was based on some transparent platforms in which he walked and some swimmers would swim beneath it. Cheater. Even so, in this case, I guess Jesus didn't have any assistant's, or transparent platforms.

Baptized For The First Time

The Gospel According to St. John Chapters 1-5

St. John, baptized people in the river. Suddenly, he heard that Jesus also was baptizing. It sounded like competition, but instead, St. John went with Jesus. Somehow he knew Jesus was the Holly Word. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God". (1:1) John knew everything about Jesus, his birth and miracles. Not mentioning he actually baptized Jesus. "After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea; and there he tarried with them, and baptized".(3:22)

While they mentioned baptism, I immediately remember a picture which came in our first bible right on the moment when Jesus was being baptized. I recalled that in that exact moment, I wasn't baptized at all. I was baptized one week before our first Communion. Irresponsible parents, but actually, it wasn't their fault.

When we were about to be born, my grandfather's brother who was the priest who would baptize us, died. So my parents actually forgot we were never baptized through that period of time. We continued our lives being catholic, but not actually being catholic. I remembered I felt like an outcast in religion class since everybody had already been baptized. I was about eight years old, and I had no idea what they talked about. I also remembered our religion teacher always saying that we should get baptized. I was on third grade, and we were doing the preparation for the first Communion, without being baptized. One week before, my parents finally got the chance, and we went to the church and have water spilled in our heads. "And John also was baptizing in Aenon near to Salim, because there was much water there: and they came, and were baptized".(3:23) I thought it would be more exciting.
My god-parents never came. The great encouraging words of my grandfather was about his brother's death before our birth, and the small celebration we had in our grandfather's house. That week was holly:

Monday: Baptized (finally)
Wednesday: Ceremony of Light
Saturday: First Communion

I must be very special since I can actually remember my baptize. Not mentioning Jesus was also baptized when he was an adult.

Knock Out

Tao Te Ching Chapter 48-83

K.O for Confucius. After a long fight between better ideas (and some boxing and fighting meanwhile) with his last source of energy, Tao makes a quick move, avoiding Confucius direct blow. Tao ducks and with all his might, he punches Confucius right on the face. Stumbling backwards the opponent goes. And there he goes directly to the floor. 10,9,8...5,4,3,2,1 Knock Out! We have a new winner, Tao.

Even so, Tao and Confucius had some similar key words. For example, VIRTUE, is the source of everything. " This is known as the Virtue of not striving". (74 pg.76) Many other words were referred such as Filial, and Goodness. Apparently, being a good son and having a good father-son relationship is of extreme importance.

Tao' teaching's really impacted me. They were clearer, and in some way, I liked it best. I think Tao focuses more on the realistic world. What it says is real, it happens and I see it all the time each day. "Happiness is rooted in misery. Misery lurks beneath happiness. Who knows what the future holds? There is no honesty. Honesty becomes dishonest. Goodness becomes witchcraft. Man's bewitchment lasts for a long time". (58 pg.60) There is no real honesty. No one can say they are an honest person. There is no such thing as that! Everyone, EVERYONE lies. Nobody says the truth. Our world is a huge hole of misery. No one will ever be happy, never. It is a cycle, someone is sad, someone tries to cheer it up, then they end up sad, or say some kind of lies to cheer the person up. Anyways, it doesn't work. Us, humans are evil! EVIL,EVIL. Evil is backwards to LIVE. We LIVE by EVIL.

A Perfect World

Tao Te Ching Chapters 29-47

Throughout this reading, I have realized that Tao, shows the world as it is. It doesn't show us any hope of such and impossible thing like doing something or being something. " Do you think you can take over the universe and improve it? I do not believe it can be done". (29 pg.30). It is impossible to change society. Thousands of different ways of thinking, and which is right? Nothing is right, we don't even know what is right. The only reason we know this is because some so called wise man thought he knew how to change the world. He supposedly knew what is the difference form good and evil.

Now, all of us have this different perspective of everything,and we think we know it all. In the end, everybody ends up dead. " The universe is sacred. You cannot improve it. If your try to change it, you will ruin it. If you try to hold it, you will lose it". (29 pg.30) It is impossible to change. How hard is it just to teach people how to recycle, or to save water? People don't even notice that their fate is int heir hands. Even so, no one can change it.

Mankind is greedy, selfish and arrogant, such as Tao says. It is never enough for anybody, no exceptions! Everyone will always feel jealousy, anger or desire. There is no greater sin than desire, No greater curse than discontent, No greater misfortune than wanting something. Therefore he knows that enough is enough will always have enough". (46pg.48) Supposedly this is what makes us humans. Our greatness for feeling. Imagine how the world would be like if we would all be perfect? Well, duh! No one would know what is a perfect world since we will never live on it. It could be good, or bad. It may be much cooler. I question myself, why is there always a " Happily Ever After"? Isn't that a perfect ending? Wouldn't people want this happily ever after?

Tao Vs. Confucius Round 1

Tao Te Ching Chapters 13-28

I definitely like best Tao than Confucius. If I would have to choose between those two, I would definitely choose Tao. His teachings are more clear. He even responds with enthusiasm and clarity. Not like the arrogant tone of Confucius. " Is it not understanding?" (Analects 15:24) That simply says: Are you stupid? It is as simple as this. Well, no one is a wise man chosen from the heavens. Duh.

" Accept disgrace willingly. Accept misfortune as the human condition". (13 pg.15) I like this quote since it basically says, relax, chill, everything will be fine, if you learn to accept it. Even so, the great difference between Tao and Confucius, is that at least Tao explains when he asked. " What do you mean by 'Accept disgrace willingly"? Accept being unimportant. Do not be concerned with loss or gain. This is called"accepting disgrace willingly".

A hard blow on the face to Confucius. Not only did Tao explain so well, but he also made a great point. Many people have the desire to be something. Make a difference to the world. Everyone says we may be little, but we make a huge difference. That is a bunch of lies. We should all land straight to the ground. Nobody cares of such a person, and no own will ever be somebody. Just a few, but that is because they are really but really good. This quote made me feel great, since instead of trying, it only landed me back to the ground, and not worrying on trying.

Even though if I try, I wont have high expectations since I know how to fail. " Misfortune comes from having a body. Without a body, how could there be misfortune? Surrender yourself humbly; then you can be trusted to care for all things. Love the world as your own self: then you can truly care for all things". (13 pg.15) Another great explanation from Tao. Fortunately for me, I realize I wont have to bother caring for others.

Another Point Of View

Tao Te Ching Chapters 1-12

The Tao is very different to Confucianism. If you compare, they are totally different. Obviously they have some similarities like respect, but in other ways, it differs.

I realized I like more the teachings from Tao. It impacted me just at the beginning. " The Tao that can be told is not an eternal Tao". (1 pg.3)It doesn't show any superiority or such an arrogant way of teaching such as Confucianism. Confucius, thinks he is right ans he will always be right. He also thinks he says the soul truth and knows the meaning of "Goodness". In this case, Tao, is not superficial or arrogant at all. It says that Tao has infinite teachings, but he doesn't, see people in a lower way. " The wise are impartial; the see people as straw dogs".(5 pg.7)

Confucius feel himself superior to everyone, since he was chosen by the heavens. Even so, Tao says "Heaven and earth last forever. Why do heaven and earth last forever? They are unborn. So ever living. The sage stays behind, thus his is ahead. He is detached, thus at one with all. Trough selfless actions, he attains fulfillment".(7 pg.9) He says that sages are good, but not as Confucius who doesn't show any detachment at all. Until now, I think he is nor gallant nor great. I think he is just a show-off who turns out to be that know it all.

In Tao, women is respected. She is even considered important. " Opening and closing the gates of heaven. Can you play the role of woman?". (10 pg.12) Instead, Confucius don't even give her rights. He even compares her to servants! He feels women are especially inferior than him, and they are only able to raise babies. Instead, the female part in Tao is also sacred. " The valley spirit never dies; I is the woman, primal mother. Her gateway is the root of heaven and earth. It is like a veil barely seen. Use it: it will never fail." (6 pg.8)

If It Works For Brady, It Doesnt Work For Me

The Scopes Trial claimed that B.T Cates, a public school teacher was arrested for teaching Darwin.

In the small town were this teacher lived, was extremely faithful in God. According to Darwin, we came from the Homo sapiens, or as many others thought, monkeys. According to The Bible in the Genesis " And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth". (Gen.1:26)

In this case, Darwin shows that man is not superior or the image of God, it is just an animal, an ordinary living thing. It is an extreme offense to humans, and Mr. Cates is spreading it to young students. But how are we supposed to know the truth? According to our presidential candidate, Matthew Brady, the Bible is everything. We all need faith in it, in the church and in God. Even so, who says Brady is God's messenger? Who says Brady has the power to choose whether to teach Darwin or not? Does God whisper his ideas to Brady? Through his campaigns, many posters would say
"Brady is the Man of God". Who chose him anyway?

I am defending the Mr. Cates, since he didn't commit any serious crime. It is true he was teaching Darwin's Theory of Evolution. Even so, if he can’t teach Darwin, couldn't he teach Copernicus too?

How can’t we believe Darwin and we can believe the Bible? If supposedly what the Bible says is the soul truth, then we will all be able to live thousands of years, and most of the human race should not exist. "And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died. And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.(Gen5:31:32)It is impossible that a man of 500 years old may have three more child, and much more".

The Bible doesn’t have any meaning in time. Where does it say that a day was of twenty-four hours? If these Bible saints lived thousands of years, then each day may last one hour. Ironically, time was invented by Arabs, not God. God doesn’t even have notion of time. We just know that we have seven days. "And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made". (Gen.2:3). Instead, Darwin does have proof of his theory. Fossils of past humans have been found in Africa, such as the earliest man, Lucy (actually female).

The Bible shows many miracles, such as the flood in Noah's Arch (which was really a curse).

It is actually impossible that a great flood had occurred on earth, and that one single man, could get a pair of living things that crept on earth, and fit them all in an arch for forty-days, and forty nights.
"Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee.
And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female". (Gen6.14-19) No man can ever take care of thousands of animals. By the way, they are animals, and they live by their instinct. A hungry lion easily has its prey on board, with no escape at all.

With no evolution, no one would have been able to write the Bible. We just didn’t pop up and appear from nowhere. "And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch". (Gen4.17). Where did this wife come from? According to the Bible, Adam and Eve were the only human beings on earth. They had only two sons at the beginning, Cain and Abel. Suddenly, Cain's wife appears. Where did she come from? If there had been more people, the Bible should have said so. At least it could say that she was Adam and Eve's daughter, but she just appeared from nowhere.

Another important point where the Bible is defective is in reproduction. Supposedly it is a sin, but how are we supposed to procreate? Even God said: "And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it..." (Gen1:28). It is contradicted by itself.

Instead, what really separates us from monkeys and animals is our thumb which eventually led to our capability of our advance. Our human mind made us do all this.
We have invented cars, radios, phones. If none of this has been mentioned in the Bible, will this be an act of the Devil? Where does it say that we can’t evolve? If we’ve been extremely faithful to the Bible, we would continue living in tents with no electricity at all.

Darwin’s theories never affected anyone. It was not an act of the devil, or a sinful act. The students never experienced any damage, just knowledge. Separating religion with school may be a great way to continue progressing. Anything that the church will find disapproving may be a great source of learning. Who says that the church can do what they want. It doesn’t say specifically that teachers should not teach Darwin’s theory since Darwin is the devil. In a way, we should abandon our faith in order to progress. We have advanced in such a fast way, that Bible teachings are now being left behind. It is not being against God, but we can’t base our studies in stories. The Bible is a book, but it is not our history.

Very Wise And Stupid

Confucius Essential Analects Book 15, 17, 18

While Confucius and Yan Hui were in the battlefield it reminded me of Krishna and Arjuna, while Krishna taught Arjuna into making the right decision. What still makes me question everyone is, how do they know if it right or not? If Arjuna went into the battle he would kill thousands, and only his honor will live. What difference will it make to Yan Hui? Why do they like Confucius so much?

" A child is completely dependent upon the care of his parents for the first three years of life ". ( Book 17 17.21) I thought children are dependent until they are seven. At least for me, I only have memories when I was seven. I even started with my own personality when I was seven, but below that number, I don't remember anything.

" Women and servants are particularly hard to manage: if you are too familiar with them, they grow insolent, but if you are too distant with them, they grow resentful". (Book17 17.25) I agree with this quote even though it insults women. I know it is true, since I am a woman myself, and this kinds of familiarizing and distant does have a same reaction. But I cant connect it with servants.

"Only the very wise and the very stupid do not change". (Book 17 17.3) This quote doesn't make sense, since until now, I see Confucius as the great, as the wisest and greatest. By the way he compares wisdom with stupidity, I guess it is not a very good comparison. it means he would be mocking himself, since he would never change. I guess it is to change to new ideas. In this case, his ideas.

Nothing But The Truth

Confucius Essential Analects Books 7,8,11

I continue reading with a great pain in the neck (since the book is backwards) I continue thinking about Confucius as an ordinary person. What makes him superior from us? From anyone? What makes him think that what he says is the soul truth and a holly word? " It is Heaven itself that has endowed me with virtue. What have I to fear from the likes of Huan Tui?" (Book7 7.23)

This guy reminds me of my 94 year-old grandfather. Not mentioning he is an elder, he is also THE MAN. Everything, everything he says is a holy word. It may be the stupidest thing ever said in history. For example, before we were to go to a swimming tournament, were we had to swim 400m freestyle. We had lunch in their house since they lived near the pool. Anyways, he came with the brilliant idea that " Alexander the Great drowned in a pool after eating too much lunch". We had shortly studied Alexander, so we new, that no one knew exactly how he died. We thought it was a joke at first, but it came out he was firm with his answer, no matter how stupid it was.

First: No one actually knew what happened to him, he could have food poisoning which made more sense, or murdered.

Second: Were there any pool back then? But for my grandfather, it is the soul truth, and we shall all be overwhelmed by his wisdom and knowledge.

No matter how many theories of Alexander's death we said, he never changed his mind, and he will never do. So I compare him to Confucius, since both think they are superior and know EVERYTHING, and there is no one on the whole earth that my prove them wrong. "The common people can be made to follow it, but they cannot be made to understand it." (Book 8 8.9)

What Is Goodness?

Confucius Essential Analaects Books 4,5,6.

What is Goodness? I ask, throughout my reading. What is the truth of Goodness? What does Confucius think he is saying what is right or wrong? What is Good? What lacks Goodness?

After reading the Bible's teaching, I started comparing many things while reading the Analects. What I see is that the Confucius is based more on morality. Respect in our society and what is supposedly Good. " To live in the neighborhood of the Good is fine. If one does not choose to dwell among those who are Good. how will one obtain wisdom?" (Book4 4.1) How do we know what is Good? What is the true meaning of Good? We can live in a place filled with "Good" people. But that is what they think they are. They could actually be terrible, dreadful, but since we stay in that "neighborhood", then, it is Good for us?

I think the meaning of Good has been formatted by society. Now and then, the "Good" people are the ones who do social work, and do things to help society. That is being a "Good" person now.

Everyone says that we should be Good. Good in our school, in life and with people. But what is the real meaning? I am so lost! Right now we just follow what society thinks that is "Good", is it? "Wealth and social eminence are things that all people desire, and yet they are acquired in the proper way I will not abide them. Poverty and disgrace are things that people hate, and yet unless they are avoided in the proper way I will not despise them." (Book4 4.5)If people that have everything are "good"? Would it mean that poverty is bad? Why do people want wealth so much? To have a "Good" life. With poverty and disgrace you suffer and live no "Good". What is so ironic also is that people say " Happiness is not about how much money or things you have". Until now, I just see a thirst for wealth. Not only wealth referring to money, but wealth of wisdom, of spirit and mind. Everyone wants to be a star. Everyone wants to be perfect.

According to Confucius "The wise take joy in river, while Good take joy in mountains. The wise are active, while the Good are still. The wise are joyful while the Good are long-living." (Book6 6.23) What I understand form this teaching is that Good, is superior to wisdom. While wisdom is in a river, down below, the Good is on top, in a mountain. Not mentioning that the rivers come from mountains. Then it could mean that wisdom comes from Goodness.

Anyways, I dont think there is a true meaning for Goodness. Even so, Confucius has his strict way of thinking. According to him, we should all think just like him, and there will be a better world. Right now, I think Goodness is as anyone thinks or has been taught as it is.