Confucianism is a philosophical, political and ethical system that originated with a Chinese scholar named Confucius.\u00a0 Why am I talking about a Chinese scholar on a Korean blog?\u00a0 Well, since ancient times Confucius values have influenced Korea in several ways.\u00a0 Some of its values still remain in Korean society today.<\/p>\n
For example, Confucius ideology places great emphasis on heirarchical relationships; an idea that may seem opposite to Western notions of egalitarianism.\u00a0 The scholar Confucius advocated the observance of filial piety called hyodo (\ud6a8\ub3c4<\/strong>) in Korean.\u00a0 Filial piety is respect for one’s parents, the elderly, and one’s ancestors.\u00a0 “Respect” for one’s parents, that seems like a familiar concept in American society, right?\u00a0 Well, it’s a little more complicated than that.\u00a0 Hyodo (\ud6a8\ub3c4<\/strong>) means that an offspring has a duty to fulfill his\/her obligations to his\/her parents.\u00a0 Why is there an innate obligation for a child to “serve” his\/her parents?\u00a0 Well, it’s thought that a child should be greatful to his\/her parents\u00a0because\u00a0without its parents\u00a0a child would\u00a0not have been\u00a0able to exist in this world.<\/p>\n Under Confucius’s order of heirarchical relationships, children are always inferior in status.\u00a0 When a parent strikes a child’s face, the child must accept it, because the parent is always considered right.\u00a0 In American culture, this would be viewed as child abuse but Confucius would label it as “discipline.”\u00a0 In Korean society as well, teachers are considered superior in status to their students.\u00a0 Therefore a teacher’s “discipline” can range from\u00a0hitting\u00a0\u00a0a student with a ruler or to any kind of social or verbal humiliation like making a child kneel on top of his\/her desk with both arms raised.\u00a0 While teachers are respected and paid well in South Korea, they no longer hold the sort of power that they used to hold.\u00a0 Nowadays, South Korean parents are all too willing to sue teachers.\u00a0 As a result, teachers are using less physical means of controlling their students.<\/p>\n However, one Confucian value that is still practiced today is a ritual called jesa (\uc81c\uc0ac<\/strong>).\u00a0 Jesa (\uc81c\uc0ac<\/strong>) is a customary practice where one pays one’s respect to his\/her dead ancestors.\u00a0 The customary practice of jesa (\uc81c\uc0ac<\/strong>) consists of various foods placed on a table, which are given as offerings to the ancestors.\u00a0 The food is set on the table in strict accordance of rules.\u00a0 For example, fruits must be peeled at least partly, so as to help the ancestor consume the food much easier.\u00a0 Also, chopsticks are placed inside the rice bowl so that the ancestor will be able to eat it easier.\u00a0 It may not make much sense to Westerners, but it’s just a nice gesture or a way to show that one is thinking of the ancestor’s needs.\u00a0 Also, South Koreans will often perform a jol (\uc808<\/strong>) or a deep bow where one’s head touches the ground and the body lays prostrate in a kneeling position towards the ancestor’s grave.\u00a0<\/p>\n In many ways, whether for good or for bad,\u00a0Korea is changing.\u00a0 While Korea goes through this transition, some Confucius values may be dropped.\u00a0 While others like jesa (\uc81c\uc0ac<\/strong>) continue to be popular.<\/p>\n \ufffd<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Confucianism is a philosophical, political and ethical system that originated with a Chinese scholar named Confucius.\u00a0 Why am I talking about a Chinese scholar on a Korean blog?\u00a0 Well, since ancient times Confucius values have influenced Korea in several ways.\u00a0 Some of its values still remain in Korean society today. For example, Confucius ideology places…<\/p>\n