Confucianism is not religion, but rather, a social ritual. It manages human relations between government and family based on the principle of ren, or benevolence, or human heartedness. Ren is exemplified by an adult’s natural feeling to protect children. Ren was regarded by confucius as the highest of all virtues; however, what it is was never truly defined. Watts says, “Human nature is a fundamentally good arrangement. To try to be wholly righteous is to go beyond humanity, to be something that isn’t human.” The Confucian approach to life is a “queer humor, a boys-will-be-boys attitude, which is nevertheless a mature way of handling human problems.” It is my understanding that Confucianism acknowledges the existence of human flaw, but only as long as it is within your place to be flawed. A boy may forget to do his homework, but it is not right for a man to forget to do their work. Confucianism is about the natural order of things, and how each person plays their part. Confucius explained this as a social harmony, when “the prince is prince, and the minister is minister; when the father is father, and the son is son.” harmony is achieved.

 

Tao philosophy acts as a counter-balance because of Confucianism's limitation. confucianism prescribes many formal relationships: musical, ceremonial, linguistic, in etiquette, and in all the spheres of morality. For this reason, it has always been criticized by taoists for being unnatural, as we clearly see in the Tao of Pooh. The Confucian way of life, in simple terms, is meant for people involved in the world, while the Taoist way of life is meant for people who are disentangled. Let’s use life in the United States as an example, instead of going through school, and college, and getting a job, and having two kids, and two cars, you instead diverge from that pattern to seek something beyond it. Those that go with the pattern are confucian, those that don’t are more akin to Taoists.

 

Watts explains that it is because that Taoists are disentangled from society that they are most commonly old men who have already gone through society’s movements and are now ready to explore something more. However, this doesn’t disallow young people from being taoists, it’s just less common since young people more or less lack direction so they cling to society’s structure due to a lack of their own. Elders, however, have already experienced structure and have contributed to society. They have assumed their role in social life, and now are asking themselves, “what is it all about besides my outside personality?” The latter half of life is the perfect time for studying the Tao. The Tao plays that role of a kind of valve to let off steam as compared to the more strict way of life confucianism prescribes. A common Taoist archetype is the Old Rogue, an intellectual bum among scholars who is admired very much. He has an enormous influence on the ideals of zen buddhist life, and goes with nature rather than against it.

 

Watts says, “the Tao that can be spoken is not the eternal tao.” You couldn’t possibly speak or write all the meanings that the Tao represents. Tao means the way, or course of nature, or of everything; but it also can be translated as “to speak.” The opening of the Tao te ching reads, “The way which can be travelled is not the eternal way.”  There can’t be given instructions, if you have to ask you won’t be able to understand. You must observe the expressions and attitudes of those that follow the way. The Tao is written for many purposes, it is a manual of guidance for a ruler. Rule by not ruling, don’t laud it over the people. The great Tao flows everywhere when good things are accomplished, but does not ask for thanks because it loves obscurity. Tao is not equivalent to any western or hindu idea of god because god is always associated to being a lord. Tao is the way that everything behaves: nature, us. The universe is an organism of interconnected beings that survive through interaction. Alan Watt’s stance on Confucianism and Taoism seems to relate that one cannot exist without the other. Both take stances on life that give life different yet not opposite meanings.