This is the era of the Three Principles of the People and also the time of Confucius.
Several years ago, the Chinese Communists attempted to denigrate Confucius and throw him out of Chinese culture. They failed completely.
This is because Confucianism is at the very heart of Chineseness—a humanitarian system addressed not only to the way of life but also to the manner of government.
So it is Confucianism as well as the philosophy of Dr. Sun Yat-sen expressed in the Three Principles of the People that will destroy Chinese Communism.
On September 28, Chinese everywhere—not excluding the Chinese mainland—will observe the 2531st birthday of Confucius, an occasion which is also dedicated to teachers because the Sage was himself the greatest of teachers.
In all the world, no other personality has retained his influence for so long. Some may say this is because Confucius was a moral exemplar. Others may mention his love of learning and great humanity. Yet when all is said and done, Confucius recognized that political science was the ultimate determiner of life and society. He was the first and greatest political scientist and traveled from state to state looking for the opportunity to mold the perfect state. How was this to be done? Confucius summed it with beautiful simplicity: "To govern is to set things right. If you begin by setting yourself right, who will dare to deviate from the right? "
Confucius lived in the time of kings, princes and dukes. He knew nothing of democracy. The concept of rule by the people had not been born. Yet Confucius knew all about rule for the people and expressed it thus: "Lead the people by laws and regulate them by penalties, and the people will try to keep out of jail, but will have no sense of shame. Lead the people by virtue and restrain them by the rules of decorum, and the people will have a sense of shame, and moreover will become good."
The Sage was opposed to the tyrant. His perfect ruler was the philosopher-king, the good man, the gentleman, the wise man who ruled by example and not by fiat. Confucius said: "Why should it be necessary to employ capital punishment in your government? Just so you genuinely desire the good, the people will be good. The virtue of the gentleman may be compared to the wind and that of the ordinary man to the weeds. The weeds under the force of the wind cannot but bend."
What is good government? Confucius described good government as that which makes the people happy and attracts others. People flee the Chinese Communists. They are drawn to the government of the Three People's Principles and Confucianism in the Republic of China.
Inherent in all of Confucius' writings on the science of politics is the people's right of revolution against an unjust ruler. This can be inferred from his many demands for good government to serve the people. In overt terms, it remained for Mencius to specify the revolutionary principle. Confucius would have had no use for Communism as a manifestation of totalitarianism lacking the mandate of the people.
The time of Confucius must inevitably direct attention to the thoughts of the Sage about government, the ruler and the role of the people. In the Doctrine of the Mean, Confucius is quoted as saying: "When the ruler pays attention to cultivating his personal conduct, the Way will prevail. When the ruler honors worthy men, he will not fall into a state of perplexity. When the ruler cherishes affection for his kindred, there will be no disaffection among the members of his family. When the ruler shows respect to the high ministers of state, he will not make mistakes. When the ruler identifies himself with the interests and welfare of the body of public officers, there will be a strong spirit of loyalty among the gentlemen of the country. When the ruler becomes a father to the common people, they will exert themselves for the good of the state. When the ruler attracts all artisans, there will be a sufficiency of wealth and revenue in the country. When the ruler shows tenderness to the strangers from far countries, people from all quarters of the world will flock to the country. When the ruler takes interest in the condition and welfare of the feudal lords of the empire, he will inspire awe and respect for his authority throughout the world."
If these tests are applied to the Chinese Communists, it is easy to measure the magnitude of their failure. They have identified themselves only with the interests and power structure of the party. They have attracted no artisans and there is no wealth. Even today, after they opened the gates to strangers, those who came are quickly departing. They have found that promises are unkept and that they cannot even make friends among the people. Businessmen are fleeced. Government officials are penned up in their compounds. The body of public officers lives in endless fear of power struggle and purge. What would Confucius have made of the "great proletarian revolution?" Almost certainly, he would have regarded it as a retrogression to barbarism.
To be a true king, Confucius said, the essentials may be summed up as blamelessness of life. The king cannot depend on the excellence of past times but must follow the Way of the Ruler on a basis of his own exertions. He must set an example for the world. As Confucius knew so well, not many princes qualified, but he never cheapened his example.
In the Analects, Confucius made these observations about political science, government and the problems of administering to the needs of society and keeping the peace:
—To rule a great country, there should be respectful attention to business and sincerity, economy in expenditure and love for the people. All of these are present in the Republic of China and absent on the Chinese mainland under Communism. To cite just one example, as of mid-1981 the Republic of China on Taiwan had foreign exchange reserves of more than US$8 billion. Those of the Chinese Communists were only a little more than US$2 billion. Free China is solvent and the people's life is good. Red China is broke and the people are impoverished; the regime has no hope of modernization.
—Loyalty of the people may be commanded by treating them with dignity. They then will respect the government. If parents and the young are honored, the people will be loyal. If the able are advanced and the less able are educated, the people will work hard.
—When a ruler is dedicated to virtue, he can keep his subjects within his domain. If he is fond of meting out punishments, his subjects will leave for another country where the ruler is generous. How many people have fled the Chinese Communists in the last 31 years? Something like 2 million came to Taiwan. As many as 3 million or more made their way to Hongkong. Others are found all over the world. They escaped to other lands where government and living are better. Only those who can reach South China have a chance to get away. If the gates of the rest of the mainland were opened and there was any place to go, hundreds of millions would leave.
—Confucius laid down five good principles and four bad principles of government. The good principles are: (1) Benefits for the people without wasting the resources of the country. (2) Encouragement of hard work without giving cause for complaint. (3) Enjoyment of life but without covetousness. (4) Dignity without superciliousness. (5) Inspiration without being severe. He elaborated: "In work, select those who are most able to bear it and who will have no cause for complaint. If one seeks and obtains moral well-being, how can one be accused of covetousness? A gentleman, whether dealing with a few people or many, with great matters or small, is never presumptuous and never regards anything as beneath his notice or as unworthy of serious and careful attention; he is dignified without being supercilious. To inspire awe without being severe, it is necessary to watch over every small detail of daily life so as to command public respect." The four bad principles are: (1) Cruelty—punishment without first educating the ignorant. (2) Tyranny of the kind which renders people liable to punishment for offenses without first giving clear public notice. (3) Heartlessness, which means to leave orders in abeyance and uncertainty and suddenly to enforce their performance by punishment. (4) Meanness, that is, to deal uncompromisingly with men in matters of receipt and disbursement.
Cruelty and tyranny pervade the Communist system on the mainland. Although the "cultural revolution" is supposedly over, executions have been resumed on a wide scale. The courts are silent; the masses are manipulated into becoming the executioner. Those who do not execute may themselves be put to death. What would Confucius have thought of rulers who enforce their will through a system of block-by-block cells reporting on the thoughts and actions of the people? Confucius said: "If a ruler himself is upright, all will go well without orders. But if he himself is not upright, even though he gives orders they will not be obeyed."
The Chinese Communist rulers have no sense of responsibility and obligation. Confucius said a member of the ruling group cultivates himself carefully so as to bring comfort to the people and recalled that the Sage Kings had been dissatisfied with themselves on this score. When the people have grown numerous, Confucius said, they should be enriched and after that they should be educated. The 1 billion people of the Chinese mainland make up the must numerous population on earth. They are also the poorest among those in large lands of many people. They are the most poorly educated. Modernization cannot proceed because there is no money and because there are no educated people to implement the necessary measures.
Confucius said the essentials of governing include food, troops and the confidence of the people. If one has to be sacrificed, let it be the troops. If two must be given up, let the second be food. "Death has been the lot of all men for all time," Confucius said, "but a people without faith cannot survive." The mainland of today has no faith. That is why Communism will collapse to make way for the return of faith and the people's government of the Republic of China.
Dr. Sun Yat-sen put Confucianism together with modern science and the Lincolnian concept of government of the people, by the people and for the people in his Three Principles of the People. He wrote of China's love of harmony and peace, saying: "The intense love of peace which the Chinese have had these thousands of years has been a natural disposition. In individual relation ships great stress has been laid upon humility and deference; in government the old saying was 'He who delights not in killing a man can unify all men.' This special characteristic is the spirit of our nation and we must not only cherish it but cause it to shine with greater luster."
The Founding Father of the Republic turned to Confucianism again when he said: "Among the human theories of the state, China's political philosophy holds a high place. It is found in the Great Learning: 'Search into the nature of things, extend the boundaries of knowledge, make the purpose sincere, regulate the mind, cultivate personal virtue, rule the family, govern the state, pacify the world.' This calls upon man to develop from within outward, to begin with his inner nature and not cease until the world is at peace."
Confucius and Sun Yat-sen are men of our times. Their age of right rule, good government and peace in the world awaits the triumph of the Chinese Classics and the Three Principles of the People.