Let’s continue with selections from “Mencius,” translated into English by James Legge, in which the Venerated Enlightened Philosopher Mencius expounds on the importance of leaders uniting their people through peace, allowing them to have livelihoods that provide stability for their families.
Mencius Chapter 2 Conversation with King Hsüan of Ch’î
“Mencius said, ‘By weighing, we know what things are light, and what heavy. By measuring, we know what things are long, and what short. The relations of all things may be thus determined, and it is of the greatest importance to estimate the motions of the mind. I beg Your Majesty to measure it. You collect your equipments of war, endanger your soldiers and officers, and excite the resentment of the other princes; do these things cause You pleasure in Your mind?’ The King replied, ‘No. How should I derive pleasure from these things? My object in them is to seek for what I greatly desire.’
Mencius said, ‘May I hear from you what it is that You greatly desire?’ The King laughed and did not speak. Mencius resumed, ‘Are You led to desire it, because You have not enough of rich and sweet food for Your mouth? Or because You have not enough of light and warm clothing for Your body? Or because You have not enough of beautifully colored objects to delight Your eyes? Or because You have not voices and tones enough to please Your ears? Or because You have not enough of attendants and favorites to stand before You and receive Your orders? Your Majesty’s various officers are sufficient to supply You with those things. How can Your Majesty be led to entertain such a desire on account of them?’ ‘No,’ said the King; ‘my desire is not on account of them.’ Mencius added, ‘Then, what Your Majesty greatly desires may be known. You wish to enlarge Your territories, to have Ch’in and Ch’û wait at Your court, to rule the Middle Kingdom, and to attract to You the barbarous tribes that surround it. […]’
The King said, ‘Is it so bad as that?’ ‘It is even worse,’ was the reply. […] Doing what You do to seek for what You desire, doing it moreover with all Your heart, You will assuredly afterwards meet with calamities.’ The King asked, ‘May I hear from You the proof of that?’ Mencius said, ‘If the people of Tsâu should fight with the people of Ch'û, which of them does Your Majesty think would conquer?’ ‘The people of Ch'û would conquer.’ ‘Yes; and so it is certain that a small country cannot contend with a great, that few cannot contend with many, that the weak cannot contend with the strong. The territory within the four seas embraces nine divisions, each of a thousand lî square. All Ch’î together is but one of them. If with one part You try to subdue the other eight, what is the difference between that and Tsâu's contending with Ch’û? For, with such a desire, You must turn back to the proper course for its attainment.
Now if Your Majesty will institute a government whose action shall be benevolent, this will cause all the officers in the kingdom to wish to stand in Your Majesty’s court, and all the farmers to wish to plough in Your Majesty’s fields, and all the merchants, both travelling and stationary, to wish to store their goods in your Majesty’s market-places, and all travelling strangers to wish to make their tours on your Majesty’s roads, and all throughout the kingdom who feel aggrieved by their rulers to wish to come and complain to Your Majesty. And when they are so bent, who will be able to keep them back?’ The King said, ‘I am stupid, and not able to advance to this. I wish You, my Master, to assist my intentions. Teach me clearly; although I am deficient in intelligence and vigor, I will essay and try to carry Your instructions into effect.’
Mencius replied, ‘[…] An intelligent ruler will regulate the livelihood of the people, so as to make sure that, for those above them, they shall have sufficient wherewith to serve their parents, and, for those below them, sufficient wherewith to support their wives and children; that in good years they shall always be abundantly satisfied, and that in bad years they shall escape the danger of perishing. After this he may urge them, and they will proceed to what is good, for in this case the people will follow after it with ease.
Now, the livelihood of the people is so regulated, that, above, they have not sufficient wherewith to serve their parents, and, below, they have not sufficient wherewith to support their wives and children. Notwithstanding good years, their lives are continually embittered, and, in bad years, they do not escape perishing. In such circumstances they only try to save themselves from death, and are afraid they will not succeed. What leisure have they to cultivate propriety and righteousness?
If your Majesty wishes to effect this regulation of the livelihood of the people, why not turn to that which is the essential step to it? […] Let there not be taken away the time that is proper for the cultivation of the farm with its hundred mâu, and the family of eight mouths that is supported by it shall not suffer from hunger. Let careful attention be paid to education in schools, the inculcation in it especially of the filial and fraternal duties, and grey-haired men will not be seen upon the roads, carrying burdens on their backs or on their heads. It never has been that the ruler of a State where such results were seen, the old wearing [nice clothes …] and the black-haired people suffering neither from hunger nor cold, did not attain to the royal dignity.’”
