The Favored Children of God

The idea that Jewish people consider themselves to be the "chosen" people of the Lord does not come out of the blue. There are textual writings in the Tanakh (Jewish Bible) that imply a favoritism of the Jewish race amongst all other races. This is primarily evident in the sacred text of the Torah Nevi’im and Ketuvim, which incorporate scriptural writings of Jewish transcendentalists. One of the many stories that sustain the idea of the Jewish people being the “chosen” ones is the story of Moses. The sacred text of the Torah explains how God used Moses, a common shepherd, to aid him in the liberation of his people the Israelites from the inhuman bondage of the Egyptian empire. Before this time God made a pact with the fore fathers of the Israelites promising to take care of the Jewish people and watch over them as long as they maintained their glorification of the one and only Lord. This covenant had not been kept by the Jewish people nevertheless, the Lord was optimistic. He would once again reestablish his name amongst the Israelites and would take advantage of this time of suffering to prove his power and once again instill their belief in God as their one and only all powerful Lord. This covenant is an indication of God’s special relationship with the Israelites and his strong devotion in steering them towards a righteous path. The covenant God made with the Israelites after their liberation from Egypt, was the third covenant God made with these people. This demonstrates God’s persistence and most importantly unwillingness to give up on the Israelites.  This leads many Jewish people to believe that they indeed are the “chosen” people of God because why else would the all mighty Lord devote so much effort in people who consistently defied Him.          

Confucianism VS Taoism



Confucianism and Taoism are composed of the belief that heaven and earth both coexist on the same playing field. That such an ultimate existence does not necessarily lye in a place, but rather within humanity itself. Confucius’ purpose was primarily to instill order within his neighboring states and ultimately the whole world. He believed that if human beings acknowledged the fact that one should act in a proper fashion despite ones natural instincts, it would be possible to create a habit of proper conduct. Confucius believed that an efficient way of instilling such etiquette would be to pass down old traditions carried out from an era in which selfish acts were never of concern. That through traditional teachings from one generation to the next, proper values can be used as the foundation for cultivating a civilized society. Ultimately Confucianism consisted of reforming an uncivilized society as a whole and noticing how each individual has an important impact on how society is reformed. Taoism on the other hand worked on a more independent level. Taoists focused on developing oneself and allowing nature to take its course. It emphasized that through natural action the truest form of humanity could be achieved. Taoist believed that through natural action things would naturally rectify themselves. This does make sense if one were to examine the fact that when problems exist it is in human nature to want to find a solution towards correcting the problem.  Through this idea came the Taoist’s incorporation of the Ying and the Yang symbol. This symbol would represent natures desire to create balance despite the cause of the imbalance.        

Yang and Yang
Natural Balance