(Tokyo Railroads)ANCIENT CHINESE PHILOSOPHY - The River's Request "Wash" -
Last night, a late-night TV news program in Japan picked up that cover page of The New Yorker, presenting the Obamas as the enemy of America in the Middle East fashion, since the online site of The New Yorker still puts it on the upper right corner of the screen.
http://www.newyorker.com/
Indeed, the emergence of Mr. Barack Obama on the stage of the general election for US Presidency is a big event since the Civil War from a racial point of view.
But, from outside the U.S., it also looks like indicating that the European-American racial group cannot offer any candidates from their group who can handle the present national problems and international issues as US President. In short, European-Americans must have difficulty in finding suitable personnel, which resembles the last days of the Roman Empire, in my humble view.
It is well known that the Roman Empire was full of Germanic soldiers and officers in its military in its final days.
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Why was he named “Arou,” the notable Japanese translator of the French novel “The Little Prince?”
Arou Naito (1883 – 1977) had the father who, when he was young, namely 140 years ago, followed the then most prestigious samurai scholar of the Chinese classics Shonan Yokoi. So, it is natural that the father named his son based on his knowledge about the Chinese classics.
The name “Arou” is actually from an expression used in an ancient Chinese book called "Mencius."
(However, Mencius is also a name of a notable disciple of Confucius living around 350 B.C.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mencius )
In the book Mencius (called “Mou-shi” in Japanese), there is a story that tells an origin of the name “Arou.”
One day when Confucius (551 B.C. – 479 B.C.) and his disciples were walking along a river, they heard little children singing, "Let’s wash our feet when the river is full of murky waters! Let’s wash the string of a crown when the river is full of clean and clear water!"
The great ancient scholar Confucius said to his disciples, "It is the river itself that is requesting the feet or the string of a crown to be washed, according to its own will."
This short story was interpreted as teaching a need to live a life in accordance with state of the society. Live actively when the world is full of goodness; but retreat from the front line when the public mind is full of vice.
The moral lesson derived from this story is simply expressed in four Kanji letters: "Taku-ei Taku-soku" where "Taku" means “wash” ("Ei" meaning a string; "Soku" a foot).
The Japanese word "Arou" is a literary expression of “Arau” meaning "wash."
( http://plaza.rakuten.co.jp/kikimimiyasan/diary/200807010000/ )
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This concept is part of the philosophy of ancient China, since its origin is linked with saint Confucius.
However more deeply we should ponder over the teaching of Confucius.
As he found truth in Children’s singing, it really matches the teaching of Jesus Christ: the holy meaning of things and events was hidden from smart adults but revealed to children.
All the words of Confucius can be interpreted as teaching excellent art of living well; but they do not stop there.
A fake saint whose largest desire is worldly success, even in the religious business, cannot spontaneously say, "It is the river itself that is requesting the feet or a crown to be washed, according to its own will," when he heard children singing, "Let’s wash our feet when the river is full of murky waters! Let’s wash the string of a crown when the river is full of clean and clear water!"
For example, you can regard a river as history and a foot or a crown as a greedy politician or a hero.
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If history is God Himself, it truly can request a foot or a crown, namely a greedy politician or a hero for reasons mankind cannot fully comprehend.
From this point of view, you can understand why this era needs Mr. Barack Hussein Obama as a major candidate for the 2008 US Presidential Election.
Indeed, this era needs an African-American Presidential candidate after the era of Mr. George W. Bush who is a European American born rich and predisposed by his non-academic nature.
Yet, once the era needed Mr. George W. Bush after the era of Mr. Bill Clinton who was born commonly or mysteriously but cultivated his forward-looking personality to be elected as President together with academically intellectual Mr. Al Gore as Vice President.
Similarly, once the era needed Mr. Bill Clinton after the era of Mr. George H. W. Bush who was born rich and built his career through the oil business, US Congress, CIA, and the Vice President office as one of power elites through the Vietnam War and the Cold War.
Similarly, once the era needed Mr. George H. W. Bush after the era of Ronald Reagan who was born commonly but cultivated his lucky-bastard personality in the show business and a political community in California aiming at a shining house on a hill after the too confusing and somber eras of Richard Nixon and Mr. Jimmy Carter.
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But, this era has been so much contaminated by money or precisely big money.
The US subprime loan problem is really laughing at the so-called material American Dream.
This era requests a change in the paradigm related to the American Dream. It must be spiritual rather than material.
US democracy should be respected from a spiritual point of view but not from a material point of view.
The violent torrent of huge money driven by material desire of 300 million US citizens must be controlled, regulated, and suppressed, since 100 million US consumers can default on $300,000 each, thus accumulating $30 trillion debts in total in theory.
However, this is beyond and over a financial scale that the U.S. Government or the US President alone can sufficiently or effectively handle to save the global economy.
The history or this era, or otherwise the river must request now politicians or heroes like The Little Prince, since Le Petit Prince respects truth and value so intangible or hidden from the eye of greedy politicians and smart power elites.
So, please refer to a timely piece of ABC news: "Hundreds of Super Rich Under Investigation"
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Hundreds of rich Americans whose names and secret foreign bank account information were turned over to US tax authorities could face criminal prosecution. A Senate committee is scheduled to convene tomorrow and among those called to testify are foreign bank account holders, including one of the wealthiest men in Los Angeles.
http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/Story?id=5389687&page=1
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It is time for you to study Chinese ancient philosophy but no more modern ideologies or conspiracy theories, if not the Gospel, a crown jewel of human civilization and history.
(http://www.fukuchan.ac/music/j-folk0/oyomenioide.html )
Revelation 22:1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.