The philosopher Zeng said, “I daily examine myself on three points:
whether, in transacting business for others, I may have been not faithful;
whether, in intercourse with friends, I may have been not sincere;
whether I may have not mastered and practiced the instructions of my teacher.”
— Chapter 4, Book 1, The Analects of Confucius
Zeng is a student of Confucius during his late years and is one of the most esteemed Confucius scholars. The daily three reflections are his famous remarks. Although they sound easy or common sense, it’s easier said than done. I doubt anyone can practice those reflections daily without conscious effort. But if you do, there will be immense benefits.
Whether, in transacting business for others, I may have been not faithful.
Humans are social animals. We all play multiple roles in society, and we all transact business for others, for example, employees transacting business for employers, business advisors such as lawyers like me transacting business for clients, and government officers transacting business for the general public.
When you are entrusted with a job or a mission on fair terms, you do it faithfully and loyally. This is the hallmark of successful and trustworthy people. When we hire new people, we try to look for such qualities of doing the job respectfully and faithfully, more than the immediate qualifications or degrees.
Whether, in intercourse with friends, I may have been not sincere.
It goes without saying that you cannot make true friends if you are not honest and sincere with each other. In today’s increasingly shallow connections in a predominantly “strangers” society, most of the relationships are more transactional in nature. Consequently, it is even more precious to have in-depth and long-lasting friendships. I think I may have no more than 5 such “true” friends with whom I can totally trust, so I ensure I am always sincere with them.
Whether I may have not mastered and practiced the instructions of my teacher.
Practice makes perfect. For everything we learned, we cannot remember it if we don’t repeat often, and we cannot master it if we don’t put it into practice.
There is a later Confucian scholar called Wang Yangming in the Qing Dynasty (around 1,500 CE). He emphasized that learning is to “apply what you learned to real things, and wonder and ponder”. If you simply memorize the teachings without experiencing them in real life, then you have not mastered and practiced what you have learned.
This echoes another Confucius saying, and my related article on this topic.
The Master said, “Is it not pleasant to learn with constant perseverance and application?”
You have got the concept of daily three reflections, but you will not benefit from it unless you practice it. We, writers, have an advantage here. The easiest and simplest step toward daily reflections would be to keep a journal or diary and write down your thoughts or reflections no matter how basic or common they are. You will benefit immensely over time.
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