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Confucius Lives Next Door

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Confucius Lives Next Door
Confucius Lives Next Door The term “Confucianism” is often regarded as a complex mechanism of social, political, moral as well as religious beliefs that have considerable influence especially upon the civilizations belonging to the East Asian countries such as China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, North Korea, South Korea along with Singapore and Vietnam. With reference to the observation made by Reid (1999), it can be viewed that a clear depiction about different principles and beliefs exists within the sphere of “Confucianism”. Therefore, the major purpose of this report is to briefly review of T. R. Reid’s book “Confucius Lives Next Door: What Leaving In The East Teaches Us About Living In the West” through concisely unfolding the experience of Reid’s family concerning the Confucian ethos. Moreover, the report would also reveal the influence of Confucian ethos within the modern Japanese culture and identify the lesson which might contribute to a better social experience within the Western culture (Reid 29-66). CONFUCIANISM AS PER REID’S EXPERIENCE

The perception of ‘Confucianism’ can be duly considered as one of the widely accepted religions in the East Asian region. The concept can be termed as a religious belief which tends to incorporate adequate measures of ethical and philosophical method that has been cultivated by the teaching of the past Chinese sage ‘Confucius’. At the time when various religions seek to merge the gap between God and human being, the aspect of “Confucianism” tends to find the actual path of accomplishing peace and coherence. According to the observation of Reid, the fundamental principles of “Confucianism” generally involve humanism and broadly incorporate the principles concerning that human belief and perceptions are teachable as well as improvable by emphasizing different communal endeavors. In this regard, the continuous practice of self-cultivating and self-creating plays a decisive part for each individual to improve his/her innate



Cited: Reid, T. R. Confucius Lives Next Door: What Leaving In The East Teaches Us About Living In the West. United States: Random House Publishing Group, 1999. Print.

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