The Ideal Person Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The Ideal Person - Essay Example An ideal person is truthful to others and is honest in his deeds. He never fails or gives up his efforts of self-cultivation. He gives little importance to earthly gains. In The Analects of Confucius, translated by Charles Muller, Confucius states that, â€Å"The Gentleman has nothing to compete for. But if he must compete, he does it in an archery match, wherein he ascends to his position, bowing in deference. Descending, he drinks the ritual cup. This is the competition of the Gentleman† (as cited in Muller, 2010, 3:7). So, we see that a true Confucius gentleman does not waste his time in planning for worldly gains like prizes, awards, and property; rather, he is a man of standards thinking high above the earthly possessions. He is a well-determined person and a good sport in himself. He places morals and virtues above everything else. He stays composed in hard times and is an inspiration for others around him. This makes him an important part of the society. This is the principle according to which an ideal person inculcates in him a sense of modesty and self-control. An ideal person is well-mannered and respects his elders. He acts honorably and is not self-centered. It is good for him to be ambitious but those ambitions should not be achieved through unjust means. Social etiquettes and mannerism matter a lot. According to this principle, a person should develop love for his family and then for the whole society. When parents love their children and vice versa, this strengthens the family bond and the whole society benefits in the

How active a role did the laity play in the affairs of the Essay

How active a role did the laity play in the affairs of the pre-Reformation parish - Essay Example On the other side of the dramatic plot is the Protestant circle, which included Thomas Cromwell, Archbishop Cranmer, Anne Boleyn and her family. Anne’s outspoken support for protestant reform and her open desire for a break with Rome to legitimize the annulment of Henry’s marriage to Catherine cast her in the center of a bitter contest between those who traditionally held power and those who craved to wrest it. Had Anne born Henry a son and heir the outcome may have been different; however, the deformed son was premature and stillborn, Anne was convicted of high treason and subsequently executed, and Jane Seymour became the new queen. However, though an effort was made, Henry had not been able to make amends with the French, was excommunicated by Rome, and faced the threat of invasion by the combined might of the new alliance between France and the Holy Roman Empire As a result of Henry’s excommunication, the pope absolved all Catholics from obedience to him. Henry thus faced at home a divided populace with the apparent legitimate right to disobey him, as well as threat from outside British shores. Realizing this, Cromwell moved into action. He formed alliances with the protestant German princes, and promoted Protestantism at home, with apparent force and cruelty, by the dissolution of monasteries and by the issuance of injunctions for regulating individual parish churches.1 The laity, thus caught the crux of a religious and political paradigm shift that was to have profound repercussions on the daily lives of ordinary citizens. This discussion seeks to describe the role of the laity before and on the eve of the Reformation, in order to gain a more enlightened understanding of the implications of the day’s political upheavals in the life of the common man. During the period preceding the Reformation, community life, particularly parish