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Essay / Classroom Assessment - 781
These days, being a civilized human seems pretty simple until you start to really think about the idea of what a civilized human actually is. In my eyes, a civilized human is one who follows the spoken and unspoken rules of his society. Oral rules are much easier to follow because they are common knowledge, like kindness to other human beings. Unspoken rules are much harder to follow because you have to learn them from the experience of others on earth. Honoring yourself and knowing how to act in the right situations can be a little more difficult than simply being kind to others. An essential part of being what we consider a “civilized human” is being kind to others, because being a civilized human requires interacting with other people. If we aren't nice to other humans, we won't have any human interaction, which can drive you crazy. It is said in “Confucius on Behavior” that “Confucius said that gossiping and spreading rumors is abandoning virtue” (Confucius on Behavior). When you gossip and spread rumors, you are being extremely rude and not only are you abandoning virtue, but you are abandoning any respect you have for the people you are talking about. Respecting people around is also vital to being a civilized human being because if you disrespect others, you will not get any respect, which can lead to you not being appreciated by your entire community. Another thought of Confucius was: "A gentleman should be slow to speak." and quick to act. I think being a civilized human is important because you can talk about what you plan to do to be a kinder and kinder person to others, but if you act instead of talking it will bring you closer to the picture perfect of what we think about. ...... middle of paper ...... both following the unspoken rules rather than just following the oral rules, these are easily found. The unspoken rules are taught to you and they are harder to obtain. The main unwritten rule that I find important is knowing when to act in the right situation, because if you don't you can easily be taken for a joke. Make it your first priority to know when to do the right thing, then be kind, then take the honor of being a civilized human! " Internet History Sourcebooks. Ed. Paul Halsall. Fordham University, August 2000. Web. September 10, 2013. THE NEW CONFUSIANISM IN CHINA: Bell, Daniel. The New Chinese Confucianism. Princeton University Press. 2007. Print.In-text: (Bell, #)ANALECTS OF CONFUCIUS:The Analects of ConfuciusIn-text: (Analects of Confucius, #)