“Zigong as voicing his opinion of others. The Master said, how wise Zigong is! I’m afraid I don’t have time for that sort of thing.”
I read this passage as Confucius saying he does not have time for Wisdom, not that he does not have time for voicing his opinion of others. When I imagine this interaction, I do not see the Master as sarcastic, but genuinely impressed with Zigong’s cognitive-ability. Cognitive ability is a blanket term that can refer to many things. In this instance I am using it to refer to the capacity to draw patterns from information using a coherent train of reasoning. I view this capacity as a sword that every person wields. Due to the wide variety of environments that encompass the world, some swords may develop sharper, harder, and longer then others. Furthermore, the values an individual cultivates can lead them to all but abandon their sword, or to hone their skills to lethal perfection. Zigong is a case of the later. For whatever reason, he found a sense of self-worth and autonomy through his cognitive-abilities, and thus eagerly developed them. He trained his sword to the point where Confucius watching the swiftness of his blade could not but help to be impressed with how crisply he cut down other people’s realities.
From my experience Zigong's mentality is one that is held by many college students, especially those who study western philosophy and syllogisms. However, perhaps I should not make such a distinction here. After all, the pursuit of high education is in itself (if done correctly) the sharpening of a sword, and the honing of one's ability to wield it. By taking a major, the student is given a specific lens to view the world through, as well as various techniques of argumentation, and war-chests of potent facts. These things used in combination create the form and strokes of the analytic blade they wield to effectively carve their reality into other people's minds. I do not mean to demonize logic or its use. To the contrary, I think it is vital to proper human development. But sticking with the sword analogy, its purpose is to cut. Therefore, just as with a real sword, I believe we must be careful when we draw our blade, and learn to limit the strength of our thrusts. Confucius suggests one step further. Upon witnessing Zigong's swordsmanship, the Master states "I’m afraid I don’t have time for that sort of thing.” Implying that while impressive, logic does not lead to humanness.
What is the point of logic? For a long time I believed that through the capacity of my own reasoning I could not only see the world, but mold it into whatever I envisioned. Logic for me was a tool for amassing power. I am sure you have met this type of person in your life. They cut at the cracks in what you say, instead of trying to see the larger picture. They wrap their meaning in specialized words and knowledge that cannot be deciphered without their own translation. They communicate not to communicate, but to make you feel small, and themselves feel big. To this type of person, conversation is synonymous with debate. And when it comes down to it, although it has been restricted to the use of symbols, debate is in the end just another form of waging war. It has taken me a long time to understand this, and in truth, I still struggle with putting it into practice. It is hard not to draw one's sword, especially after having devoted so much to its development. But this is a part of becoming humane.
If you are trying to be better then someone, you are missing the point.
