One ‘Way’
Confucius may have said it better, but Pasadena still does it best when it comes to being a great place to live, learn, work and play
By John Sollenberger 09/28/2006
For readers new to the Pasadena area, this issue will, among other things, give you tips on the best places to dine, shop, learn, be entertained and find spiritual fulfillment. Diversity and choice are hallmarks of this place we call home. The beauty of the city lies in the fact that there’s really something here for everyone.
We’ve chosen the wisdom of Confucius as this year’s theme, and in many ways, his ancient teachings remain relevant to the Pasadena Way. First, a little review of what this great Chinese thinker was all about.
Confucius lived about 2,500 years ago. At that time, China was not united, and various warring factions vied for control. Disorder abounded, and the people longed for order amidst the chaos. Everyone had their own ideas on how to achieve it — among them Confucius. He introduced a radical new idea: Everyone should try to become the best person possible. If everyone adhered to the idea of achieving a high moral character, order must surely come to society at large.
Basically, Confucius was about doing the right thing.
Out of all the competing ideas, his stuck — and still influence Eastern life today.
In a way, Pasadena grew and prospered based on a radical idea of its own: City founders decided to hold a parade (and eventually a major sporting event) in the typically balmy January weather of Southern California, got it in newspapers all over the country and hoped that people would want to come here, buy land and stay. The idea launched the Rose Parade and the Rose Bowl game, scoring a public relations touchdown that, like Confucian teaching, reverberates to this day.
Confucius had an appropriate thought that applies to our annual post-holiday party: “Is it not a joy to have friends come from afar?” The city estimates that roughly 1 million visitors drop in every year for the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl Game, boosting the local economy and establishing the events as charter members of the Pasadena Way.
Doing the right thing is also a big part of the Pasadena Way. Pasadena is home to a number of charities that serve our most vulnerable citizens.
Among them are Five Acres, the area’s oldest nonsectarian center for treatment of abused and neglected children, and Hillsides, offering education, therapy and advocacy for at-risk kids. Confucius stressed the idea of heartfelt good works like these.
For example, he said, “What you do not wish done to yourself, do not do to others” and “A heart set on love will do nothing wrong.” He also said, “Good is no hermit. It has ever neighbors.”
The Pasadena Way is to salute city officials and private citizens who have made an impact on the community.
Confucius had plenty to say that could apply well to those who hold or seek power. For example, he said, “To govern is to correct. If you set an example by being correct, who would dare to remain incorrect,” and “Make it your guiding principle to do your best for others and be trustworthy in what you say.”
Of course, to those officials who sometimes run afoul of the public good, he also said this: “Wealth and rank are what people desire, but unless they be obtained in the right way, they may not be possessed.”
For those simply trying to make a difference in their community, he offered this advice: “Simply by being a good son and friendly to his brothers a man can exert an influence upon government.” Drop the gender specificity and he could’ve been talking about this year’s Best Citizen.
The quest for higher learning forms a big part of the Pasadena Way. Pasadena’s world-class institutions, like Caltech and Pasadena City College, help shine the light of knowledge on the world. Confucius might have been talking about the search for higher education when he said, “Do not wish for quick results, do not look for small advantages. If you seek quick results, you will not attain the ultimate goal. If you are led astray by small advantages, you will never accomplish great things.” And consider this pearl: “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.”
Of course, he also said, “By three methods may we learn wisdom: first, by reflection, which is the noblest; second, by imitation, which is the easiest; and third, by experience, which is the bitterest.”
With his powerful words in mind, read on, enjoy and be inspired. As Confucius said, “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
Hey, it’s the Pasadena Way!
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