Monday, 7 January 2013

Facts about Confucianism



  • Foundation of Confucianism: 6th-5th cent. BC
  • Place of foundation: China
  • Founder of Confucianism: Confucius (551-479 BC)  
Confucianism is an ancient Chinese ethical & philosophical method originally developed from the teachings of the early Chinese philosopher Confucius. There are many facts about Confucianism which are still prevalent and being followed.
Confucianism does not really begin with Confucius. Confucius has strong desire to understand why certain rituals, such as the ancestral cult, reverence for Heaven, and mourning ceremonies, had still survived for centuries.
It is one of the facts about Confucianism that Confucian ethics have had the strongest influence on the moral values of Chinese society. There was a revival of Confucian thought in the 11th century known as Neo-Confucianism.
Confucius was the pioneer of a new line of thought in the east. However it is a fact about Confucianism that it was years after his death that people realized the soundness of his thoughts and he got recognition for his vision.
One of the facts about Confucianism is that it focuses on human morality & nice deeds.
Confucianism is based on the idea of 'love' and 'compassion' as two prime virtues in life.
Confucianism is a complex method of moral, social, political, philosophical, & quasi-religious thought that has had tremendous influence on the culture & history of East Asia.
The cultures most strongly influenced by Confucianism include those of China, Korea, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore, & Vietnam, as well as various territories settled predominantly by Chinese people.
Some interesting facts about Confucianism are that they are laid on some fundamental principles. According to Confucianism if a person follows these principles, he is considered to be ideal man or perfect man. These are:

Li: It is the principle of self-restraint and sense of propriety which a person should develop. A person should always give honor and respect to others.
 
Hsiao: Hsiao is love for the immediate family and then society. The family members should love each other, be it any relation. He believes that only if family is united then society will prosper. 

Yi: It is the principle of Confucianism which states righteousness. It says that you should sacrifice anything even yourself for what is right.

Xin: It is related to honesty in life. You should be honest with yourself and people around you.

Jen: It is the most important within all principles. It teaches to be kind and humane to your fellow beings. This principle of Confucianism promotes sharing and understanding of each other feelings.

Chung: Chung is the principle of loyalty. It says you should be loyal to one's family and to one's country. Loyalty binds a country strongly together.

Confucius was a lover of music and also played some instruments.

There are other interesting facts about Confucianism also. It includes five classics and five books.
The Five Classics of Confucianism are:
  1. Shu Ching - collection of documents and speeches dating from the Later Han Dynasty (23-220 CE)
  2. Shih Ching - collection of 300 poems and songs from the early Chou Dynasty (1027-402 BC)
  3. I Ching -collection of texts on divination based on a set of 64 hexagrams.
  4. Ch'un Ching - extracts from the history of the state of Lu 722-484, said to be compiled by Confucius
  5. Li Ching - consists of three books on the Li (Rites of Propriety)
And the Four Books of Confucianism are:
  1. Lun Yu (Analects) of Confucius
  2. Chung Yung (Doctrine of the Mean)
  3. Ta Hsueh (Great Learning)
  4. Meng Tzu (Mencius)

Facts about Statue of Liberty



It is a well-known fact that any monument acts as the face of nation. For the past 126 years, “Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World” popularly known as Statue of Liberty is the face of America. As the Statue of Liberty is very old so are the associated facts about statue of liberty. It is situated on Liberty Island in New York Harbor. The Statue of Liberty is designed by Frederic Bartholdi and was dedicated on 28 Oct’ 1886.
There are many facts about Statue of Liberty. The symbolic facts associated with its constructional facts about Statue of Liberty are:
  • ·         Torch: Being the strongest symbol and it reflects the facts about Statue of Liberty of its true meaning: “Liberty Enlightening the World”. The torch, the statue bears has golden flame. During the day time it shines in the sunshine and during night the glitter by itself comes by reflection from the flood lights. There are other facts about statue of liberty too which have been introduced into the statue with time. While the restoration process was carried out in 1986, the new torch was fully covered with micro sheets of 24k gold.
  • ·         Crown: The statue of Liberty wears a crown. It has seven spikes. The spikes indicate 7 seas and 7 continents of the world.
  • ·         Tablet: The tablet indicates one of the important facts about Statue of Liberty. The Statue holds a book in her left hand which symbolizes the nation based on law. The writing on the tablet indicated the America’s Independence Day’s date (July IV MDCCLXXVI). It is a symbol of bondage between the two independent nations.
  • ·         Windows of the crown: The facts about Statue of Liberty include the windows in the crown. The windows on the crown indicate the heaven’s rays of light shining over the 7 seas and 7 continents of the world. The windows are 25 in number which symbolizes the 25 precious gem stones present on earth.
  • ·         Shape of the Tablet: The shape is that of a keystone which keeps others together. The shape of the tablet reflects the facts about Statue of Liberty that the nation is based on law.
  • ·         Sandals: The Statue of Liberty wears sandals. The foot of the statue are moving forward. It reflects the facts about Statue of Liberty that it is lighting the path to freedom through peace.
  • ·         Robe: The facts about Statue of Liberty wearing a free-flowing robe or stola, indicates the Roman influence of goddess “Libertas”.
  • ·         Broken Chains: Facts about Statue of Liberty’s feet has broken chains symbolizes the freedom of the Lady Liberty. It reflects that the Statue is free any slavery and bondage.
  • ·         Shields: There are facts about statue of liberty shields too. The shields on each side of the pedestal symbolize the states in the Union.
  • ·         Granite Brick: The 13 layers of granite comprise the body of the pedestal. The 13 colonies formed in America in the year 1776 are the facts about statue of liberty as indicated by these 13 layers.
  • The statue of liberty stands tall as the universal symbol of freedom and liberty. It indicates the facts about statue of liberty that it welcomes the people who had fled from their native place and are seeking shelter to escape from injustice from their home state.
  • The facts about Statue of Liberty as it faces to the New York harbor are to offer the travelers and immigrants a welcome sight. 

Facts about Big Bang



The Big bang theory describes the origin and development of the universe some 15 billion years ago. The big bang is the first model that scientists used to describe the creation of our universe. This theory claims that the universe was created in a violent event with a bang.
1. The Big Bang theory is the cosmological theory which explains the formation of the universe.

2. It states that universe is 13.7 billion years old.
 
3. The Big Bang was an expansion from something infinitesimally small to the current size of the universe today and the expansion has taken with a bang.
 
4. The Big Bang theory says that the universe was once very hot and concentrated in the distant past. But after the big bang and expansion the space has been stretching and cooling.
 
5. The Big Bang theory is related to the origin of the universe. This theory was first introduced in year 1927. At that time it was named as the 'Hypothesis of the Primeval Atom' by Mr. Georges Lemaitre.
 
6. The credit for the coining of the term Big Bang goes to Fred Hoyle, an English astronomer, in the year 1949.
 
7. In the beginning the universe was very hot. At that time, all the four fundamental interactions of nature i.e. gravitation, electromagnetism, nuclear strong force and weak force were one single force.
 
8. Big bang theory states that the space of universe is constantly expanding.
 
9. According to Big bang theory, the universe is constantly expanding and one day the expansion will spread the galaxies as much far that we will not be able to see them. This will be due to the light which will be leaving them constantly and creating a new space in its front.
 
10. The Big Bang theory is one of the most strongly supported theories of the formation of universe in all of science.
 
11. The big bang theory is supported by astronomers as they see galaxies moving apart from one another. This movement clearly explains that the space in the universe is stretching.
 
12. Due to the Big Bang the Universe is still expanding even now.

13. Before the Big bang happened, the universe used to be very close and very dense.

14. Before the big bang, the universe used to be a uniform cloud of energy/mass. After the big bang, the universe has become clumpy and the galaxies are the clumps.
 

15. As the expansion is still going on, the matter is constantly pushed apart gradually.