"Ceremony"
is central to Confucian philosophy on cultivating virtue in individuals
and in society. The following extract from Wikipedia is illustrative –

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"The Confucian theory of ethics as exemplified in Lǐ (禮) is based on
three important conceptual aspects of life: ceremonies associated with
sacrifice to ancestors and deities of various types, social and
political institutions, and the etiquette of
daily behavior. It was believed by some that lǐ originated from the
heavens, but Confucius stressed the development of lǐ through the
actions of sage leaders in human history. His discussions of lǐ seem to
redefine the term to refer to all actions committed by a person to build
the ideal society, rather than those simply conforming with canonical
standards of ceremony".

"In the early Confucian tradition, lǐ
was doing the proper thing at the proper time, balancing between
maintaining existing norms to perpetuate an ethical social fabric, and
violating them in order to accomplish ethical good. Training in the lǐ
of past sages cultivates in people virtues that include ethical judgment
about when lǐ must be adapted in light of situational contexts".

"In Confucianism, the concept of li is closely related to yì (義), which
is based upon the idea of reciprocity. Yì can be translated as
righteousness, though it may simply mean what is ethically best to do in
a certain context. The term contrasts with action done out of
self-interest. While pursuing one's own self-interest is not necessarily
bad, one would be a better, more righteous person if one's life was
based upon following a path designed to enhance the greater good. Thus
an outcome of yì is doing the right thing for the right reason."
.

"Just as action according to Lǐ should be adapted to conform to the
aspiration of adhering to yì, so yì is linked to the core value of rén
(仁).Rén consists of 5 basic virtues: seriousness, generosity, sincerity,
diligence and kindness.Rén is the virtue of perfectly fulfilling one's
responsibilities toward others, most often translated as "benevolence"
or "humaneness"; translator Arthur Waley calls it "Goodness" (with a
capital G), and other translations that have been put forth include
"authoritativeness" and "selflessness."

"Confucius's moral
system was based upon empathy and understanding others, rather than
divinely ordained rules. To develop one's spontaneous responses of rén
so that these could guide action intuitively was even better than living
by the rules of yì. Confucius asserts that virtue is a means between
extremes. For example, the properly generous person gives the right
amount—not too much and not too little".

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It is therefore evident that Ceremony extends beyond Art or Culture in
Confucian thought and is meant as a cornerstone of building virtue in
the individual and in the society – doing the right thing for the right
reason, doing the right thing at the right time and being generous for
the right reason and to the right extent.

In the aftermath of
the financial crisis, Stephen Green, former HSBC Chairman and long-time
ordained priest during his bank chairmanship, wrote "Good Value:
Reflections on Money, Morality and an Uncertain World" (Atlantic Monthly
Press, February 2010).

There is also much to think about how
societies and individuals continue to behave in perpetuating systems and
rewards that benefit the few at the expense of the many. Nomi Princs,
ex-Goldman Sachs, wrote "It Takes a Pillage – An Epic Tale of Power,
Deceit an Untold Trillions" (John Wiley and Sons, 2011) to show how the
1% still keeps on milking the 99%.

Daron Acemoglu and James
Roberson wrote "Why Nations Fail" (Profile Books 2012) to show how
"extractive" elites and institutions harness the system for their
private gains. Althought Acemoglu refers to history and the developing
world to support his arguments, Ron Unz, publisher of The American
Conservative, asks, as between the U.S. and China, "Which superpower is
more threatened by its “extractive elites”? (American Conservative, May
2012). Click here

Therefore, Ceremony in Confucian thought extends well beyond Art and Culture, and beyond the confines of ancient times. Modern-day East and the
West have much to learn how Confucian Ceremony can
help build the right mindset and behaviour in individuals and societies.