Confucius- inequality is fundamental to humanity

Relationships of inequality
Parent-child
Elder-younger
Husband-wife
Ruler-minister
Friend-friend

Philoso­phy known as Ren

Household (Jia)
-patriarchal
-patrilineal
-having sons was the most important thing
-ancestor worship-having sons was essential for carrying on the family name and therefore honoring the ancestors
-partible inheritance- each son would inherit equal shares of the family wealth

Sage emperors –Yao, Shun, Yu- each passed on rule to the best man instead of their son
-Yu was the first emperor to form a dynasty with his son Xia after being asked by the people to do so, this is followed by the Shang and eventually by the Zhou dynasty
-all of this is essentially myth and the only thing that is actually known is that the Zhou dynasty existed.

Zhou Dynasty (1050-250 BCE)

Qin-Han (221 BCE- 220 CE)

Sui-Tang (587-907)

Command economy

Society order of rank-

-scholar-most valuable because they bring knowledge and order
-peasant-are higher than artisans because they actually create rather than manipulate
-artisan-higher than merchant because they at least contribute skilled work and goods
-merchant-the lowest rank because they only sell goods and do not contribute anything to society.



Three teachings

Confucism  

Daoism-a system created by a small group of elites in china. Accepted a kind a view of getting along in the world by essentially rolling with the punches. Became a sort of religion based on the texts of Laozi

Buddhism

Sui Dynasty (589-618)

Tang Dynasty  (618-907)

-Up until the tang dynasty nobody owned land besides the emperor. This changed after the tang dynasty was weakened. During this period salt became the new revenue stream for the empire. This allowed merchants to control certain areas of the market and become very wealthy.

Song Dynasty (960-1276)

Yaun Dynasty- Mongol dynasty- did not run china in a chinese way

Ming dynasty- return of chinese order, second peasant emperor Zhu yaunzhen, he distrusted the gentry and the bureaucracy as well as his revolutionary allies, he punished and executed many previously noble families inadvertently making room for many new families to gain prominence.

-boom in population and wealth lead to many families having the ability to educate their sons and participate in the examination system. The quotas however went unchanged which lead to a general dissatisfaction with the system.

-global climate change lead to high frequency of crop failure leading to famine and strife.

Wanli 1572-1619- had a long rule, which is known as the beginning of the decline of the Ming. During his reign china becomes more and more wealthy and with wealth comes decadence. When he dies he is followed by his son who dies soon after and then his grandson who has little interest in ruling and allows Wei ZhonXian, a ******, become the defacto ruler.  Meanwhile crops begin to fail around the country and epidemics soon follow. By the mid 1640’s things are falling apart for the Ming.

li Zicheng- Rebel leader, started as rider in the royal postal service, was fired and turned into a bandit eventually becoming a rebel leader and taking the city of Beijing and declaring himself as the head of a new dynasty.

-At the same time the Manchus are also beginning to take over militarily northeast of the great wall. They ally with one of the few remaining Chinese generals and take Beijing from Li Zicheng. This begins the Qing dynasty.

Love wins?
No, man.
Love IS.

draw a line
divide until you can't no more
realize
its all one big
firmament of a world

but we have to fight
survive
it's fitting
and kind
to do so, they say
so they say
they say so many different ways
so that we don't catch on
speak only hearsay
until the day
we die
and our estate
is taxed back
to Washington
rolling in pennies and lying,
with ******* and dimes

"Oh you're mad,
you cute little Jesus you,
go get your whip
let's see what you can do.

Jesus didn't DO
anything
he lived and died
and metaphorized
his life
in a way
we could recognize
because we only live
in a land of metaphor
totally divorced
from the times

Get with it, kid.

And Siddhartha
and Allah
and all the other pristine figurines
said

"Y'all are doing it wrong"

Of course we are,
spinal tapped out the moment we left
so far east of Eden,
we're chasing the sunset

It'll come
we'll blast off to ride chariots towards all the fun
maybe philosophize with Aristotle
on Kepler 281
-c

So stop with the pain,
stop pushing the wheel
stop teasing your souls
with vengeance and zeal

just be,
be free,
be unshackled of soul
let yourself go,
that's all Buddha told

and Christ,
and Allah,
and Laozi
more

You hate it here?
Grab a gun.
Blow out the floor

Or the roof of your mouth,
End it quick, without pain
watch from the heavens
as your crimson life drains

I've seen it once,
I've seen it a thousand times before
And it just keeps rolling,
Keeps moving onward

A drop in a bucket,
a drip in a sink
swirling and *******
a vortex of dreams

deep down the end
that swirling stream of
tunnel

Where do we go?
Why spare the trouble?

Perhaps something
amazing
toiled and fizzled
for 13.8 billion years
to hear you whine and drivel!

It's okay.
Breathe in, out, back in
if I have to,
I'd recommend
you read this again.

“Become totally empty.
Quiet the restlessness of the mind.
Only then will you witness everything
unfolding from emptiness. "  

Laozi

The Bukit Timah 1st Divisional Channel empties of water,
but it reviews the massive displacement of water during a storm.

The green flat field along old Holland road empties of building,
but it reviews our breathable space.

The broad skyline quiets
the restlessness of our minds,
as we walk.

Prayers for Matthew Shadle
Laozi, David Tracy, Whoa!
Leaving the University
Wisdom as you go

Quietly alone
Cometh NCAA
How I wish 1 minute!
Basketball to play

Tired, trouble sleeping
Anxiety attacks
Napolean Blown Apart
George W. destroyed Iraq

Animated movies
Bangkok 2049
Delicious noodle soup
I hope you treat me kind

       Seek. Meek. Find.