Superrior man vs Inferior man?

[donjuan]

Hi all,

I often see the phrases "Inferior Man" and "Superior Man". Does this apply to rank, business level (boss/subordinate) or to the ethical and moral stature of a person and/or their actions? Or could it be the age of the persons? What it you are asking about your own actions, could it then mean more about the honourable, vs dishonourable path to take?

Thoughts?

Thanks in advance,

Don.

 

[dobro p]

A combination of ethical/moral stature, level of understanding and aliveness of heart, I'd say. Spiritually evolved as well, if you talk that language.

 

[jte]

"Does this apply to rank, business level (boss/subordinate)"

"Or could it be the age of the persons? "

My take on these would be no, in the "it's what's inside that counts" vein.

- Jeff

 

[bradford_h]

Inferior man and superor man are only inferior English translations of Xiao Ren (common person) and Jun Zi (noble young person). There is also a term Fei Ren, negative, anti- or non-person, but this is not used very often.

 

[hilary]

I think it could be any of the possibilities Don mentioned. When lines offer you a choice between the way of the great or small person, it's not just a question of 'will you do the right thing or not?' It can also be 'how much energy, how much imagination, how much power to change things do you have in this situation, right now?'

 

[yly2pg1]

What it you are asking about your own actions, could it then mean more about the honourable, vs dishonourable path to take?

In charting your course in life, we have a choice between a path of Xiao Ren or Jun Zi. As yin-yang implies a constant changing flux of energy with respect to time and space, the same applies to the meaning of Xiao Ren and Jun Zi.

How much power to change things do you have and the WHOLE person you are, are perhaps fews of the pre-requisites that will dictate the preferred choice of actions you could resort to in a situation.

 

[heylise]

Once, in an answer, the small man represented the body: ways to improve health and vigor. Da ren, the big man, was the mind or spirit: ways to go after spiritual goals. In this case they were both ok, but a choice had to be made of what was most necessary.

LiSe

 

[heylise]

oww - mistake, that was about the child and the grown-up man of hex.17...

LiSe

 

[dobro p]

Interesting all the same.

But do you think that yourself? Do you think that the body is less important than the mind or spirit? I'm starting to think it's not less important than mind or body. I'm starting to think that its temporariness is just more evident and quicker than mind or spirit.

 

[heylise]

I guess I was not clear: to me it meant that the small was not necessarily less than the big or great. Each in its own time and place.
Sometimes it is good to be small, other times ask for big.

There are many of them, Xiao Ren and Da Ren (small and great person), Jun Zi and Fei Ren (noble and no-good), Xiao Zi and Zhang Fu (boy and man 17.2), Lao Fu and Qi Zi (the old man and wife of 28)..mm, guess I better make a list and start a new thread...

LiSe