One important idea that I wanted to remember comes from the moral system of Confucianism. In Confucianism there is a key aspect called Junxi (Chung tzu) which is the Confucian ideal of what he thinks the "perfect man" should include. Confucius' idea of a perfect man is a person who can combine the qualities of a saint, a scholar, and a gentleman. It is through Junxi that the person will com endowed with a good character and a divine virtue.
Another important idea, set of idea would be the Five precepts that are included in the moral system of Buddhism. The Five precepts are as follows:
1. Do not kill
2. Do not steal
3. Do not indulge in sexual misconduct
4. Do not make false speech
5. Do not take intoxicants
I think that these are important because they show us that there are similarities between these moral systems. We these precepts, or there ideas of right conduct in the Ten Commandments of Judaism and Christianity, as well as the key terms and virtues of Confucianism. This similarity shows that the central idea of all of these moral system is based on human behavior towards each other.
Another important group of ideas comes from the moral system of Islam which is key to the Muslim's faith are the Five Pillars of Faith. The Pillars of Islam are as follows:
1. There is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet.
2. Pray to Allah Five times a day, always facing Mecca.
3. Give alms to the poor.
4. Fast from sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan.
5. Make at least one pilgrimage to mecca during your lifetime.
I found this important because it showed me how lax I am with my own religion and that to be a true Muslim must take a lot of dedication and faith and makes me wonder if to be a true Catholic, you must follow strict rules as in Islam.
After studying all the different components of moral systems, is Catholicism really the one that I would want to pursue, or would I feel more comfortable and satisfied in a different moral system or religion?
I think that main thing that I should try to do is that now that I have somewhat an understanding of Confucianism I should strive for their highest virtue Jen. Jen means benevolence towards each other and for yourself, which I feel is a key ideal virtue. If I strive to be more benevolent than My overall human nature will become better.