A kinder and gentler approach
Confucius calls for a kinder and gentler approach to governance in the state of Chu when Lord She, a high-ranking minister at the court, seeks his counsel in Chapter 16 of Book 13 of the Analects. The exchange is captured in this succinct passage:
Lord She asked about governance. Confucius said: “If you make the people near to you happy, others will come to you from afar.”
葉公問政。子曰：「近者說，遠者來。」
Lord She was a close confidante of Duke Zhao, the ruler of Chu, who was notorious for his harsh internal policies and aggressive external campaigns. Duke Zhao’s rule was characterized by strict legalist measures to control the populace and relentless military actions against smaller neighboring states such as Cai, Wu, and Chen to extend his power and influence.
With his response, Confucius was hoping to persuade Lord She to intervene with Duke Zhao to mitigate the widespread suffering caused by his harsh governance both within and beyond Chu’s borders.
Confucius’s advice appears to have resonated with Lord She and, by extension, Duke Zhao. Historical records indicate that the duke subsequently shifted from coercive rule to a more humane and conciliatory approach. He ceased military aggression against neighboring states and introduced policies to bolster agricultural productivity, including the construction of new irrigation systems.
This transformation in the duke’s approach to governance bore fruit in precisely the manner Confucius had predicted. The state of Chu not only experienced increased prosperity within its borders but also fostered more harmonious and mutually beneficial relationships with neighboring territories, demonstrating that a kinder and gentler approach could indeed make a state both strong and attractive to others.
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The Analects of Confucius Book 13 New English Translation
