What_Makes_a_Leader_

What is required of a political leader in order to obtain a position of power' What steps must he take' Leaders of a society undertake a very large responsibility and its citizens have the collective duty to choose those they deem capable of directing a nation. There are many expectations that come with the candidacy of a prospective official. Certain knowledge and skills are required of all candidates for ultimate success in the political arena. Other areas such as background, training, and belief systems may be very different depending on the candidate or the party. Similar to today’s society, both Ancient China and Ancient Greece, held certain expectations and educational requirements for the higher classes and leaders of society. In “The Analects”, Confucius explored the Chinese ‘gentleman’, and Plato examined the Greek ‘guardian’ in his work, “The Republic.” Confucius was an ancient Chinese philosopher whose teachings were put together to form a religion called Confucianism. The Analects were philosophical bits of wisdom, which explained how people should live life and how a society should be run. He gave his opinion on what should be considered good virtues and advice about how people could live happy and peaceful lives. One of the main themes in the Analects is benevolence. Benevolence according to Confucius is one’s attitude or will to do good. It is when people do the right thing for the right reason. Confucius said: “If a man sets his heart on benevolence, he will be free from evil” (Analects 4.4). These acts of benevolence are one of the things that define a gentleman. The Analects described goodness as a goal for the ruling class of China, which in turn brought benevolent effects on society as a whole. The ‘gentleman’ is the ideal person that everyone should strive to become. A gentleman according to Confucius is someone who is respectful and well mannered. His gestures towards others are reflective of his true character. True gentlemen know how to treat others properly and make the best out of all situations. Gentlemen only act morally, ethically and justly, as they master ‘benevolence’. In Confucius’ teachings he states that, “If the gentleman forsakes benevolence, in what way can he make a name for himself' The gentleman never deserts benevolence, not even for as long as it takes to eat a meal. If he hurries and stumbles one may be sure that it is in benevolence that he does so.” (Analects 4.5) The gentleman is expected to act with benevolence at every given moment of his lifetime. It is the gentlemen who will guide the lower classes, or the ‘small men’. They will behave for the good of the people and be masters of finesse. The gentleman is more cultivated than the common people. Confucius compares the gentleman with the common people several times in his Analects, pointing out difference between the two. One example is “While the gentleman cherishes benign rule, the small man cherishes his native land.” (Analects 4.11) There is a social class element involved with becoming a gentleman, as he comes from a class of leaders. Confucius’ gentleman is also defined as being impartial and unbiased; “… not invariably for or against anything; he is on the side of what is moral.” (Analects 4.10) He is educated to see both sides of an issue, and based on his knowledge, judge which is more moral. He works towards what is good and harmonious for the people. Confucius explicitly states that there are nine things that a gentleman should turn his thoughts to. They are: “seeing clearly when he uses his eyes, hearing acutely when he uses his ears, looking cordial when it comes to his countenance, appearing respectful when it comes to his demeanor, being conscientious when he speaks, being reverent when he performs his duties, seeking advice when he is in doubt, the consequences when he is enraged, and what is right at the sight of gain.” (Analects 16.10) After reading the Analects, I think I grasped the ideas of who a gentleman really is and what is expected of him. However, I don’t believe that it is easy for an individual to achieve this. Confucius taught that there are also educational requirements that one must complete to become a gentleman. An individual must gain moral and intellectual harmony to become a gentleman. Confucius makes a comparison between the different types of knowledge and learning. “Those who are born with knowledge are the highest. Next come those who attain knowledge through study. Next again come those who turn to study after having been vexed by difficulties. The common people, in so far as they make no effort to study even after having been vexed by difficulties, are the lowest.” (Analects 16.9) We see a clear distinction between the common people and everyone else, specifically the gentleman who attains a high level of knowledge. According to Confucius, education should begin with the study of poetry and music. A gentleman must read and memorize the ‘Odes’, a large set of poems and songs. Confucius believed that learning poetry and music has a beneficial effect on the young mind. Poetry teaches the young how to control their inner feelings and how to bring themselves into harmony with other people. After a person masters the harmonies of music and poetry, the next thing to do is to focus on moral education. They have to develop a harmonious character and gain a moral understanding of the world so that they can establish benevolent relationships with everyone around them. Once a gentleman achieves both inner and outer harmony, they can be trusted with the responsibilities of the state. Confucius believed that the gentleman could bring the entire state into harmony if he himself lived a life of benevolence. In “The Republic”, Plato tries explore what the true meaning of justice is. In order to understand what it really means, Plato believed that one must view justice on a societal level first, and only then would he be able to understand it on an individual level. He begins by explaining what makes up a society and how it should run. Society is a merge of specializations. Instead of each individual using their talents and skills to benefit themselves alone, they are combined to benefit all, therefore forming a fully functional society. However, this leads to envy, jealousy and the need to protect ones property. According to Plato, higher authority is necessary in order to look over the needs of the people, and ultimately avoid chaos. He explained that in an ideal society there would be a ruling class trained to provide justice and order in their communities. This class would be known as the ‘guardians’. The guardian class is the ruling class or aristocracy of society. It is the group from which the ultimate leader will be chosen. The guardian class has several tasks. In times of war and turmoil, they serve as the army and fight for their people; therefore, requiring military training. However, in times of peace and serenity, they serve as the executive branch of government. They would act as the police forces or hall monitors, always keeping their eyes on the people. According to Plato, the ruling class needs to be trained in the pursuit of goodness and truth with the ultimate goal of it being so ingrained that it becomes second nature. Plato ended off part two of the Republic with the following statement: “And so our properly good Guardian will have the following characteristics: a philosophical disposition, high spirits, speed, and strength.” (Republic 66) Just as in Confucianism, the gentleman must meet certain education requirements, so too in Platonism the guardian must be educated in a particular way. The education of the guardians begins with music, including poetry and literature. Music and poetry are a means by which the soul is brought to harmony; and only then can one begin physical training. Part of the Guardian’s educational system includes the tailoring and censoring of stories. They cannot learn all types of poetry and literature; only what is associated with good things. Anything that is ugly, violent, or evil cannot be associated with their education in any way. They cannot study anything that portrays the gods or heroes as evil or bad figures. It is for this reason that Plato critiques a lot of Homer’s works and says, “We must ask Homer and the other poets to excuse us if we delete all passages of this kind.” (Republic 78) The only way to learn about good things is to study good pieces of music, poetry and literature; works that teach honesty, nobility and goodness. The next step in the education of a guardian is physical education. They must go through a very rigorous military training, which includes enduring coarse food and physical hardship. Plato mentions that they must balance their physical and musical education. The reason is because too much musical education can cause them to be too soft and calm and too much physical education can cause them to become too harsh and too much of a savage. The perfect balance between them leads to a well-proportioned and harmonious guardian, who can in turn serve as a perfect leader of the state. After musical and physical education, the guardians must be trained intellectually. They must learn arithmetic, geometry and astronomy. These three sciences will broaden their way of thinking and prepare them for the learning of dialectic and pure reasoning. This phase of education was expected to be completed by the age of twenty. By the age of thirty, they were expected to have a ‘comprehensive mind’ and be able to think purely and with reason. The guardians who survive this meticulous process will then study by giving up their senses and utilize truth to attain their absolute being. This is done for five years and then they hold positions in the military and as guardians of society. The final step of this process is when they reach the age of fifty, when they see the absolute truth through dialectic and pure reasoning. Only then, after this rigorous philosophical education, are the guardians ready to lead their own lives and the lives of the people. The expectations and job requirements of the ‘gentleman’ and ‘guardian’ hold several similarities. After a rigorous education, both will end up as the ruling class of society. Both, the gentleman and guardian will utilize the concept of ‘benevolence’ to its fullest, only acting for the good and well being of the people. They are both expected to act morally and ethically. However, there are a few differences in their jobs. While the guardians also serve as the military and police forces, a gentleman would never be required to do so. They are not trained in such a way and their job only entails acting as a philosophical leader for their people. Both, Plato and Confucius, want to educate their ruling classes to acquire inner and outer harmony. Confucius focuses more on moral harmony, unlike Plato who regards intellectual harmony with great importance. Plato also requires his guardians to endure a long period of painstaking physical education. Confucius does not mention this at all. They both utilize the study of music and poetry and believe in its importance to the developing mind. Although they both require the study of poetry and music, their motives are quite different. Confucius believes that poetry and music teach the young how to regulate their feelings and bring themselves to harmony with others. Plato, on the other hand, feels that poetry and music bestows the beauty of harmony into ones mind. Another major difference between their educational systems is that Plato set a specific timetable in which he expects his guardians to complete the respective phases of education. Confucius did not do so although he did speak about his own spiritual progress. “At fifteen I set my heart on learning; at thirty I took my stand; at forty I came to be free from doubts; at fifty I understood the Decree of Heaven; at sixty my ear was attuned; at seventy I followed my heart’s desire without overstepping the line.” (Analects 2.4) He did not specify whether he wanted this timetable to apply to the education of the gentleman or not. Two ancient philosophers, Confucius and Plato, explored the concept of a ruling class of society and what the expectations and education of a leader should be. Confucius called his a ‘gentleman’ and Plato called his a ‘guardian’. They had many similarities in regards to their expectations of leading society in a moral and just way. They both believed that one’s education should begin with the study of music, poetry and the arts and continue to develop inner and outer harmony; their education ending only when they attain absolute knowledge ultimately being able to apply all of what they learned to rule a perfect state. In today’s society, when it is time to elect a new political leader, we all have the hope that he possesses the proper characteristics to rule a better state than the previous leader.