One of the great tenets of social cohesion is slated to adorn a drain pipe, or line gutter, near me. The Golden Rule “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” was voted in by residents of a neighbourhood in the Dutch capital. Five proverbs attributed to the Chinese sage Confucius were in the running.
While many do credit Confucius, others say the author was Epictetus, the Greek philosopher who may have played a larger role in passing on the idea in Western culture. Whether he did or not, it makes a great story: Epictetus, born a slave in 55 A.D., self-taught, freed from slavery by Nero and later thrown out of Rome by Domitian. Lame, sickly, and he never actually wrote anything, but his teachings were written down by his students and eventually influenced Marcus Aurelius - the Roman emperor who noted his thoughts in Greek during the Golden Age of the Roman Empire.
Epictetus was one of the later Stoics, who advocated harmony with nature and kindness towards all children of Zeus. As a child, I was taught that Jesus came up with the Golden Rule, but it’s advice extended by most world religions and thought systems. One of the earliest versions indeed comes from Confucius, whose name was given to Amsterdam’s “Confucius Square” (Dutch: Confuciusplein) in the western reaches of the city. The Square is being revamped, and in honor of the Sage, a drain pipe or gutter to be fixed in the ground at the edge of the new terrain will be inscribed with the Dutch-language version of the proverb. The photo is already available, thanks to Grijsen Park & Straatdesign (see post from May 2, 2009 “English as Accessory”).
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Epictetus - 1st century AD, like Jezus. Epictetus might have heard about this person Jezus and his teachings, from travelling disciples (St John, St Peter himself seems to have been in Rome) for example or from St Paul.
Confucius - 5th century BC, like Boeddha.
Religious trends in the Middle east were, around the beginning of our era but probably earlier, under strong influence of eastern religions such as Buddhisme, but probably also Confucianism. Think about the use of incense, small lights, the hand posture while praying, kneeling, and the concept of love instead of brutal power in the relationship between men and gods.
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