We know that one needs to enrich first his own self before that of the others. As what it was said by Ralph Waldo Emerson: "You cannot pour on others the perfume without getting a few drops for yourself first" [1]. Thus, the philosophy that is then demonstrated in Ancient Chinese Philosophy by Confucius in the way he lays out the steps of self-cultivation is the idea that one's own self-development is the vital key to the betterment of the whole society which includes one's relationship with others.
In order to cultivate oneself, one must first start with the rectification of one's own mind. The mind must be set to a form that it could respond effectively to the very dealings of an individual; from learning, to the very application of such knowledge. The mind must therefore be stable and efficient enough to be the very foundation of one’s self development; it must be ‘healthy’ enough to handle such great responsibility, for it is the very root of one’s being. If an individual has a “dirty mind”, it makes him a filthy person. That is why, in order to do this rectification effectively, one must use the values as the basis. If a person has a virtuous mind, it will make him a person of values and not of any sort of personal desires. As what the Master said, "A person who loves learning does not seek appetite nor comfort"[1].
Now, since the mind is already perfected through values, a person is now ready to learn. The said idea somehow triggers the element of edification; the very education itself. This is the primal pace after having a competent mind for it symbolizes the ignition of the fire that will lead to one's development. Yes, it is the beginning where one can be able to realize the importance of gaining knowledge. Gaining knowledge then is the sense of encountering new things or newness in familiar things that will somehow help in adding up more contents to his cognitive aspect as human being. It loads him information that will allow him to unwrap the very things of things; the essence of things indeed. But somehow, it was mentioned by Confucius that, aside from knowing things, one must also be able to think of it[2]. It was what is mentioned in The Great Learning (Chap. 5) as the act of “perfecting one’s knowledge”[3]. To think or somehow reflect to one's gained knowledge allows one to know whether such are really to be considered as perfectly true knowledge or not. Aside from that, the act of thinking out one's learning enables him to grasp not only the learning's solitary value, but also it's relation to other aspects of knowledge, which could somehow justify things up and will enable one to see things more clearly. Thinking here then is the act of examining carefully the things we put in our minds; the very act of self-inspection about our learnings. Such inspection enables one to know whether what he knows is true or is just something that could have been brought up of falsehood. As suggested there are 2 ways of inspecting one’s own knowledge. First[4], is to know that there is a need to discover and find out things; every nukes and crannies must be unearthed to be able to illustrate the whole. It is acknowledging the importance of the act of dealing deeper to that of a certain thing, leaving no piece or fragment untouched, for such ‘going deeper’ then will unravel the mystery of a thing's entirety. But aside from that, one must also remember that he cannot just discover all of the things; he must set up a boundary for he cannot just include everything to such[5]. Just like in reading a book, inspection is done in order for one to know whether such idea needs to be elaborated and somehow dealt further with or not. Such is needed in order to guide one not to be lost or be in danger for having been sophisticated and complex inappropriately. By investigating rightly then, allows one to develop his self in terms of being sensible enough to consider all matters and suitable enough to consider only what is perfectly appropriate.
Now finally, after rectifying the mind, learning, and perfecting one’s learning, consistency of such things must then be observed. Such consistency can then be justified through the correspondence of one’s words and actions: which is then what Confucius referred as the “act of making the will sincere”. Sincerity, as it was associated with consistency, talks about the accurateness and at the same time, the preciseness of one's motives; no speck of refutation or contradiction, just pure confirmation to one's own cause and intention [6]. From that of the mind, to gaining actual knowledge, to correcting such knowledge, one must then continue such and reveal it through one’s deeds. Through such revelation, one will now deal a new realm of living out life which is outside of his own self-cage and that is the consciousness to that of the others.
Thus, the idea that one's own development to the betterment of the whole society, which again includes one's relationship with others, is the very precept of the Master in his context of self-cultivation. This is for once one is able to nurture and foster one's self as guided by having a good mind, learning things up, perfecting such learning, and sticking to it which, it will then later on give him an avenue to the holistic development of the society he is living in; as well as his relations to that of his fellows.
1.) The Great Learning, Chap. 6
2.) http://philosiblog.com/2012/04/27/happiness-is-a-perfume-you-cannot-pour-on-others-without-getting-a-few-drops-on-yourself/
3.) The Great Learning, Chap. 5
4.) Analects 2:15
5.) Ge
6.) Wu
7.) Analects 1:14
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