Relating the selections from The Analects to modern politics

             I chose the passage from Book III. 16 saying, “The Master said, “The gentleman understands what is moral, the small man understands what is profitable.” I chose this passage because it has a message that is clearly relatable to current and past modern politics. I think that this passage has great significance because what it is trying to convey is that respectable men make decisions and act according to their morals and doing what is right, while selfish and ignorant men act on things based on personal gain. All of the past government officials who were put into office in the United States were put there for a reason, because the majority of the American people confided in their politics and believed that they could trust these officials with successfully completing their duties to the country and citizens. Trust is the basis of our government, and if any one person’s mind is corrupted with notions that are concerned with anything other than what’s best for the country, there is a serious problem. Officials should never make decisions based on what they think would be most beneficiary to people like them, but instead should regard all different perspectives on this issue and do what’s morally right in the situation. For example, wealthy government officials who are better off than most middle-class Americans should not alter taxation laws so that they pay the same as someone with a much lower income, they should make the policy fair so that people who are better off contribute more than those who genuinely cannot afford to be paying the same amount as people who make more than double their annual salary.

            When I read this passage, an epic moment in U.S. history immediately was triggered within my thoughts. Instantly, I thought of the Watergate scandal revolving around our former President, Richard Nixon. This incident occurred in the 1970’s when five of Nixon-associated men were caught breaking into the Democratic National Committee headquarters as a way to gather information in an attempt to re-elect Nixon as president. After proven guilty, it becomes obvious that Nixon was blinded by his own selfishness and greed to maintain the presidency so he lost all sense of right and wrong. He participated in an event that broke the law and was morally unjust because he thought that it would be profitable to him by helping win the election. This passage clearly dictates that, “a small man understands what is profitable,” which is exactly what Nixon proves to be. This scandal relates to this quote and I think that in modern-day politics, every official and President Obama need to decipher between their own needs and that of a country in order to gain the respect of the citizens and successfully run this country by become more selfless and focused on nationalism.