The Chinese philosopher Confucius believed that if people were to follow his set of values, then they would live a moral life. His values focus on on the importance of daily and special rituals, goodness or humanity, and respect for one’s parents. For anyone following these Confucianism ideals, goodness and ritual values are not taught separately, but are, however, taught unconsciously throughout one’s childhood where they learn to respect one’s parents.

By attaining admiration for one’s parents, Confucius’ other ideals are also taught. Parents teach everything to their children, and “everything we do in life is a ritual” (1332). From brushing one’s teeth in the morning to actually celebrating a holiday, these are all special observances that allow social interactions and learning between people to occur. Children learn to respect their parents first and then as they grow, that honor extends to other figures in their life, like older siblings, teachers, adults, and seniors. If a parent does not establish this relationship with their child, their adult relationships may suffer because they would never have learned how to interact with one another appropriately. Respect for others stems from parent-child relationships and without it, the child cannot successfully learn.

Looking-up to one’s parents and therefore other adults, gives a child the necessary tools to achieve success when socially interacting. These tools establish social dos, taboos, and instill those ideals as second nature within them. Sons and daughters grow up watching their parents and learning from what they do. When the child leaves, their aspirations model what they learned (1335). Without parent-child relationships, the moral ways of life would not be taught, so the child would have no boundaries or no rules, no education, and therefore no respect. No respect does hinder a child’s social relationships for life and still does today.