The Technician and the Clown

The Analects offers two particularly instructive models of moral learners struggling to navigate this Elsa Peretti Eternal Circle cufflinks: Confucius' students Zigong and Zilu. Zigong and Zilu are both presented as moral learners; neither may be said to be a sage. Among the text's depictions of Confucius' students, its representations of Zigong and Zilu are among the more vivid, and the men provide, in many respects, a study in contrasts. Zigong is exceptionally proficient in the mechanics of ritual performance, well able to conform to convention's apparent dictates. He may be relied upon to aim at what, in summary description, is appropriate. Yet his attention to form appears to Return to Tiffany heart tag Charm bracelet with the sensitivity to context necessary to secure well-styled moral performance. Zilu, unlike his peer, is erratic in his performance of ritual. He sometimes misjudges what is appropriate, and even where he avoids obvious missteps, his actions are likely to display his distinctively brash and incautious temperament. Zilu may be relied upon to exhibit uncommon courage, but he lacks the discipline that would reliably produce virtuous performances. Confucius' counsel to these students is clearly influenced by his reading of their characters: he urges Zigong away from the programmatic application of ritual and Zilu toward greater caution. Given the repetition of the counsel directed to Zigong and Zilu, we Heart tag charm Toggle bracelet well infer that both in some measure have failed to heed Confucius' advice. However, while both Zigong and Zilu fall short, there are indications that Zilu, despite his rather pronounced shortcomings, is nearer the mark. Taking measure of these two models may profit our understanding of conventional style and moral learning.