Desires and vices

Every human being has desires, whether such desires are good or bad, acceptable to society or not is to be determined by the individual. Some of these desires if acted upon can be deemed undesirable; otherwise it merely remains a thought. But if we cease to think about undesirable desires and think only about the good, then perhaps we may not act on them. For acting on objectionable desires out of habit can turn them into vices. Therefore the ancients invariably exhort to hold to the right thoughts and proper conduct.

If we decide to cultivate Dao or to emulate a Junzi (superior man) then perhaps we also need to learn how to prevent ourselves from falling into the temptation of vices. Some vices which we have to guard against in our youth, manhood and old age are lust, contention, and greed, respectively. If they sound familiar or wise, then you are probably right; as only the ancients could possess that deep insight. The example is drawn from the Analects (Book 16 Chapter 7) where:

Confucius said, “There are three things which the Junzi guards against. In youth, when the physical powers are not yet settled, he guards against lust. When he is strong, and the physical powers are full of vigour, he guards against quarrelsomeness. When he is old, and the animal powers are decayed, he guards against covetousness”. [Legge]

One came across these cautions in my late teens and more than thirty years on, one on occasions can still be susceptible to these vices. Learning from antiquity and putting it into practice therefore cannot be said to be easy.

As in my youth (and before marriage), one knew many girlfriends from various cultures, countries and races. In manhood, there were many occasions for contention (and yet not get into physical fights). Now getting old, one hopes not to get too greedy by taking too much risk (in order not to lose one’s entire possessions).

The ancient sages were indeed wise in their in-depth knowledge of humanity. So where you want to go from here is entirely up to you.