Confudence (Confucian-confidence)

Tzu-kung asked about government.  Confucius said, “Sufficient food, sufficient armament, and sufficient confidence of the people.”  Tzu-kung said, “Forced to give up one of these, which would you abandon first?”  Confucius said, “I would abandon armament.”  Tzu-kung said, “Forced to give up one of the remaining two, which would you abandon first?”  Confucius said, “I would abandon food.  There have been deaths from time immemorial, but no state can exist without the confidence of the people.”  [Analects 12:7]

In such Analect, we can see that the idea of "confidence" must be instilled to that of the people. Such confidence depicts a satisfaction and contentment of the people to that of the ruler. Well, somehow, it is the trust the people give to their ruler, and such trust is mentioned as the highest considerations in one's state, overlapping the sustenance of necessity and security of the people. As what it have referred, a state can still exist even if it is unsecured and unsupported. But with no confidence of the people, one state can be badly crippled because of the fact that it is not of the ruler which is the real power of the state; for such power is of the people.

Nevertheless, since the trust of the people to the ruler is most to be considered, how can then one (ruler) achieve such? Through consistency and stability, indeed, then is the answer. Consistency of the ruler to be able to implement his principles constantly, without any sign of reluctance or fear. Stability then in the sense, that since the ruler is consistent, his image then, as a ruler can be considered as stable and straight enough to be relied on. In this way, one is indeed effective in being the ruler.