Moral and Ethical Issues of the Chinese Sword

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Main body
Conclusion
References

Introduction

China is discovering the beauty of the Chinese sword crafted in an art form by Smith. The Chinese sword has brought about a world where new things are discovered day by day. A sword blade of superior quality was crafted from marriage of form and function raised by the beautiful patterns that are beginning to be seen.

There are several forms of the Chinese sword one of them being Jian sword. The Chinese culture has treated the jian sword with a lot of respect because to them, it is a pure, sacred and a great sign. The Chinese have considered the jian sword not only as a martial weapon but also as a tool of deliberation and a sign of moral decency and attainment. The jian sword is considered by the Chinese to be of more importance when used as a tool as a sign of moral decency than when used as a weapon.

The jian weapon has contributed to moral uprightness because those who practice it under restriction that they must have a sense of internal composure, rightness and that the movement of the person practicing must be good (Fingarette, 1998, pp. 25-27).

Main body

The jian sword is the most commonly used and most commonly practiced sword in the martial arts of the Chinese tradition not just as a weapon but as a symbol to their culture. The jian sword has come to articulate the most intensely held Chinese values and moral aspects thus embodying the spirit of the Chinese people. The jian sword is envied by the Chinese fort having contributed in improving several moral aspects. For example those who practice jian sword improve their health, they enhance their fighting skills, and also have their character and personality developed.

The jian sword has also shaped the morality of the Chinese in a way that they cannot cause anger to their rival even in real fighting. Fighters using this weapon are discourage from being rude in their language, difficult in their activities or rough in their movements and behavior meaning that they must be morally upright. In addition the fighters are advised to use their skills with proficiency and their movements be led by their minds, spirits and essential energy.

For the sake of their success they are recommended to second their skills with their physical ability. The jian sword goes ahead to expect fair treatment of the rival by the fighters in case they win the fight. This they should do by ensuring that the rival does not show anger or bitterness toward them but rather show a sense of friendship, respect and admiration.

The jian sword also helped in modifying peoples attitudes. The jian users were expected to work willingly. For this reason only people who could adjust to this were to use the jian for it is to known to shape peoples characters as it is held by the Chinese that the better your jian skills are the advanced your character must be (Ames & David, 2003, p. 125).

Apart from its use in fighting and as cultural symbol, the jian has also been used in religious settings for banishing wickedness, and has been memorialized in songs, myths and poems. The jian is viewed as a tool for justice, a pillar of integrity, a sign of dignity, purity, loyalty, kindness and wisdom.

The jian through its practice improves the physical well being of individuals, it improves the moral integrity, emotional compassion and nobility of the mind of the people using in real fight making it to be qualified as a character builder.

The Chinese swords developed into an ethical code and swords being fatal instruments, the Chinese community had to cleanse them before using them and had to give them a careful and a respectful care. They developed safe manners for handling the swords. The Chinese warriors believed in love, honesty, benevolence and sincerity when using their swords. For one to use the Chinese sword it was required that he or she must be loyal to his her superiors, must be respectful and self disciplined and in addition show the overall ethical behavior.

The development of the swords in the Chinese society, a part from contributing to the above moral and ethical practices was a source of entertainment and leisure for t7hose who practiced the use of the swords. For example there was the invention of the Chinese sword fighting movie which occupied a significant place in the cultural life of many Chinese citizens. Many Chinese citizens envied this movie because it gave them a better understanding of their culture thus has remained a cultural memory in the minds of many Chinese citizens.

Following the above ethical and moral issues the Chinese society developed the making of the swords and increased their popularity by publishing books covering the principles of these swords. This led to the change in the sword use and their importance and especially the jian sword. Jian was then categorized in another level and was only carried and use by government officials and officers who ha to carry it when going to work. Jian sword was in different types and the type carried by a government officer reflected his or her position in the government

The use of jian as a fighting weapon was replaced by Dao broadswords which became the soldiers’ weapon of choice. It was respected as a holy object and was used to people from danger and disentangle people from evils, and therefore used in official rites and in sacrificial religious functions indicating people’s position and abilities (Zhongguo, 2002, p.70).

As the use of the jian changed, transformation was evident on its shape, adjusting it to a long narrow instrument. As the transformation occurred the whole Chinese society was manipulated by the jian practice. As the practice of the jian came to be regarded as essential and valuable by the all Chinese citizens, it was extensively believed that its practice worked with nobility and honesty towards building a person’s life.

Through the years the Chinese have learned that weapons are of less significance following the several years of raids, wars, blood shading and other instances of man to man attack experienced. For example a certain player killed a fellow player with a claim that the player had stolen his sword which he considered his property (Zhaoguang, 1998, p. 234). The jien sword and the Dao broadsword and their importance to the Chinese society were not tampered with. The two weapons are said to have been invented from gold and that they had gods attributed to them.

Due to the above killing the Chinese was faced with a task of defining what property is. The Chinese came up with a number of theories to define what property is one of them being that property is a way of regulating social relations. Property gives the right to claim that one cannot touch another person’s thing. Property is nothing to do with physical, but has to with social order for example the human organs cannot be considered property. People have different ideas about what property is. These ideas get implemented when people consider property as being physical and tangible, for instance one can say that this is my pen and take and go away with it. But it is alarming when the government demolishes ones castle to expand the roadway.

There has been a transfer from the tangible manual economy to the trade of virtual commodities. In tangible manual economy people could do labor, get money and purchase valuable commodities, but this seems to disappear as more things are becoming intangible.

Conclusion

The invention of sword in the Chinese society indeed boosted the Chinese cultural values especially the jian sword which was the most popular sword in Chinese traditional society (Fung, 1966, p. 93). The jian sword is accorded by the Chinese society as one which contributed most to its moral and ethical uprightness, thus shaping individual’s character. The swords though brought some negative effects, they did not ignore their existence.

References

Ames, R.T. & David L.H. (2003). Making life significant. Philosophical translation. New York: Ballantine Books.

Fingarette, H. (1998). Confucius, the Secular and Sacred. Prospect Heights: Waveland Press, Inc.

Fung, Y. (1966). A Brief History of Chinese Philosophy. New York: The Free Press.

Zhaoguang, Z. (1998). The World of Knowledge. Thought and Belief before the Seventh Century in China.

Zhongguo, S. (2002). A History of Chinese Thinking. Fudan University Press. Ling Beijing University Press.

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Moral and Ethical Issues of the Chinese Sword

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