The Master said, He who sets to work upon a different strand destroys the whole fabric.
So far in the Analects, Confucius has emphasized the necessity of obeying tradition. As we read in the Introduction, Confucius was concerned that his own society had lost its moral center and had strayed from the path of the Ancients. For Confucius, his society could only return to glory by imitating the Ancients and following traditions. He scoffs at the idea of breaking away, for these individuals, in his own view, are the ones who have weakened his society. At what point, however, does obeying tradition rob innovation? It is true that societies with weak moral character often fail, but don't societies also fail where there is stagnant innovation and freedom of thought?
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