Decisions often stand in the way of life. Maybe not decisions themselves, but the act of deciding. Sometimes, I feel, we take too long to decide what we already know we should do. This kind of instinctive ethic, or group of morals is bread into us from the beginning of life. In the west, we often base our decision-making process on Christian ethics, or Western philosophies. In the East, however, there exist other options. In China, in particular, Taoism and Confucianism offer two options. First, I will summarize a Taoist view and then a Confucian view. Then I will compare the two. .
Taoism teaches that a person must live naturally, in the "way". People are to follow the natural flow of events and not go against them. A person should not strive to act in one certain way. They should just live. The Taoist has no ambitions, so he cannot fail. And to not fail means to succeed. And if he succeeds, he is powerful. Also, Taoism is not led or governed by a hierarchy but by a concept. If one teaches the way (Tao) he is not in the way. The objective is not to interfere with others" lives and place goals, words or force upon them.
Confucianism teaches good conduct, realistic wisdom and appropriate social relationships. The key of Confucian ethics is ren, or love, goodness and kindness. One must be faithful to oneself and others. Other virtues are: piety, integrity, and righteousness. Possessing all of these virtues in turn provides one with the opportunity to become a qunzi or perfect man. In politics, Confucianism advocates a government in which the subjects are respectful and obedient. Leaders should set examples for the people and cultivate moral perfection. .
The two philosophies differ greatly as the Taoist would say that it is wrong for someone to strive to be "good" when "good" is an objective established by another person. To try to live up to another's expectation is wrong or not natural. The idea of a qunzi, in the Taoist eyes is ridiculous.