Analects of Confucius

Confucius was born on September 28, 551 BC and died in 479 BC and was a teacher, political, philosophy, and editor who lived during the time of the Tang Dynasty. His father, who was a high-ranking commandant of the local garrison, died when he was three years old and was subsequently raised by his mother in poverty. Confucius was born in the class of shi, which was that strata of society that rested between the aristocracy and the common people, though he received his education at the local school attended mostly by commoners. During his early twenties he held a number of odd jobs within the government such as a bookkeeper and as a caretaker of sheep and horses. His mother died when he was 23 and he used the money he had saved from these jobs to give her a proper burial. In 501 BC, Confucius was appointed to a minor position of governor of a town in the countryside due to his reputation of his teachings, which families came to view as being based on the values of correct and moral behavior towards elders and one’s peers. During his time as a governor, Confucius had the desire to overthrow the current authority of the state of Lu. However, due to the fact that he only possessed diplomatic skills as opposed to military and strategic knowledge,  However in 500 BC, the Meng and Shu families waged a revolt against the local governor, which set the stage for Confucius and his students to convince aristocratic families to dismantle the fortifications of their cities. Despite the favorable turn of events, Confucius would eventually leave his hometown (497 BC) and live in self-imposed exile given the fact that his attempts at overthrowing the governing authorities to implement his own philosophy had garnered as many supporters as enemies along the way. However, Confucius was able to return to his hometown when he was in his late 60’s and the Analects depict the period of his life between the ages of 72 to 77.