Chapter 186 - 48: Telling Stories with Morals_2

Words : 928 Updated : Oct 1st, 2025

Chapter 186: Chapter 48: Telling Stories with Morals_2The rulers of Hua Country are Emperors, and Emperors of course wish to be supreme, so there needs to be a kind of ideology to control the people. Qin Shi Huang chose the Legalist thought to prescribe the Emperor’s supremacy with laws, and evidently, he failed. Thus, the Han Dynasty learned from this experience and chose Confucianism, the so-called "ruler be ruler, minister be minister, father be father, son be son," linking loyalty and filial piety together, morally elevating the Emperor to the highest throne. An Emperor, of course, hopes that his position will be unthreatened, so Confucianism is the best. Meanwhile, the "do nothing and everything will be done" of Taoism, and the "universal love and non-aggression" of the School of Mohism, don’t meet the Emperor’s requirements and naturally became unnecessary—conceptually beautiful as they might be, how could a mighty Emperor accept being on the same level as the common folk? Why does Confucianism link loyalty and filial piety? Because by advocating loyalty, you can gain the support of the ruler; by advocating filial piety, you can win over the heads of families. With the support of both, Confucianism naturally becomes highly respected. It can be said that the success of Confucianism might appear accidental, but in reality, it is inevitable. Whenever a centralizing dynasty emerges, Confucianism must become the most honored school of thought, for it aligns best with those in power. Perhaps Kongzi saw this clearly when he founded Confucianism: he was very clear about the role it would play as a ruling ideology in the future. In Europe, however, the situation changed. Europe didn’t have a centralized monarchy, nor a supreme Emperor, but rather a multitude of kings and lords, who were probably similar to the warlords of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period, lacking any sort of legitimacy or sanctity. Hence, the early rule of these kings was highly unstable, and kingdoms could easily be overthrown. They desperately needed an ideology to justify their sanctity and legitimacy. Thus, the Christian Church found its opportunity—the so-called "divine right of kings." God granted power to the kings, adding a modicum of sanctity to their crowns. Kings were coronated in ceremonies officiated by the Church, who thus endorsed the kings’ power in the name of God. In this way, their rule naturally became more stable. As repayment, the kings ceded some economic and social rights to the Church. For instance, take the tithe of the Church. Why do you think those kings would hand over the right to tax to priests? They cared not for God but for firm control of power. Kings and the Church had a transactional relationship of cooperation, jointly suppressing the lower class’s rebellion. Priests provided ideological cages; kings provided military might. They used each other to their advantage. This dynamic changed a bit in East Europe, which had Emperors, like the Byzantine Empire—though those emperors can’t compare to those of China, they were still considered more sacred than those kings, and thus, they exerted greater control over the Church. To adapt to these power structure changes, Eastern Orthodox Christianity emerged. The major difference between Eastern Orthodox and Catholic is that the Emperor’s secular power is greater than the Church’s religious authority. Plainly put, it’s all about bargaining: the more power you hold, the more capital you have, and the larger the share you’ll naturally claim. When looking at India, the situation changed again. India’s rulers were not a sole Emperor or a group of kings, but a whole ethnicity—the Aryans—naturally, the ideology they adopted would also differ. This culture had to benefit the entire ethnicity. And so, a group of people, to maintain their ethnicity’s rule, composed the sacred texts of Brahmanism. They adopted Brahmanism and the caste system not because they were foolish, but precisely because they were astute in preserving their ethnic interest. So, do you understand now? All the ancient traditional cultures and sacred religious legacies we adhere to in our world are, in essence, choices made by ancient rulers for their self-interest, fabricated and deeply intertwined with the state’s civilization, passed down from generation to generation. Frankly speaking, they’re merely tools. But for those under rule, these ideas must be constantly instilled. Since most humans are fools, if told to believe in God, they’ll believe in God; told to believe in Buddha, they’ll believe in Buddha; told to follow filial piety, they’ll follow filial piety. Therefore, every civilized person takes pride in their cultural traditions, but frankly, most of them are fools, enslaved by the ideas instilled in them since childhood. Intellectuals might see the problems within but fail to understand the true purpose of these traditions, vainly opposing superficial cultural flaws. Opportunists, on the other hand, don’t care about these traditional cultures at all—they either pretend to believe or outright use them for personal gain. Only a true Great Wisdom can comprehend the real meaning of these cultures and guide and drive them... Xiao Jie was momentarily lost in thought; Chen Tianwen’s words were indeed shocking and unconventional, yet they seemed to make sense. Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he smiled, "No, I don’t think that’s the case. Our Confucian filial piety is different." "Heh, tell me, what’s different?" Xiao Jie smiled faintly, "Filial piety is based on reason. Leaving aside whether this reason is perfect or has bugs, it’s still a reason. As for the others, be it the caste system or faith in God, they’re all about telling stories. That’s the fundamental difference."

Chapter 186 - 48: Telling Stories with Morals_2

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