Current Event: Restore Subsidies for Graduate Student Loans!

The recent graduate student petition reminded me of the below quote. 

"The Dao of great learning lies 

in making bright virtue brilliant, 

in making the people new, 

in dwelling at the limit of the good."

The below link is a petition to restore subsidies for graduate student loans.
https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions/%21/petition/restore-subsidies-graduate-student-loans/TtNGQfHG?utm_source=wh.gov&utm_medium=shorturl&utm_campaign=shorturl

I normally don't promote any kind of petitions.

However, as this is a very important topic regarding education, which is at the heart of Confucius's thoughts and emphasis, I believe this petition would belong here in my blog. 

I believe that if Confucius was alive in Stockton today, he would support this petition, as would many Confucians or Neo-Confucians.  The reason why education is so important is because it is only through education may Confucius's vision of how humans should be can be manifested: the creation of "gentlemen" or "morally cultivated individuals." However, education is not free and are very expensive. This is why I believe we should support the petition for the numerous graduate students out there who are trying so hard to become better individuals to society and contribute to the overall health of the society. 

Finally, I would like to leave you with passages from The Great Learning's The Eight Stages to demonstrate why it is so important that the future generations must have funding for education and must get education. 

In ancient times, those who wished to make bright virtue brilliant in the world

first ordered their states.

Those who wished to order their states

first aligned their households.

Those who wished to align their households

first refined their persons.

Those who wished to refine their persons

first balanced their minds.

Those who wished to balance their minds

first perfected the genuineness of their intentions.

Those who wished to perfect the genuineness of their intentions

first extended their understanding.

Extending one’s understanding lies in straightening out affairs.

Only after affairs have been straightened out

may one’s understanding be fully extended.

Only after one’s understanding is fully extended

may one’s intentions be perfectly genuine.

Only after one’s intentions are perfectly genuine

may one’s mind be balanced.

Only after one’s mind is balanced

may one’s person be refined.

Only after one’s person is refined

may one’s household be aligned.

Only after one’s household is aligned

may one’s state be ordered.

Only after one’s state is ordered

may the world be set at peace.

From the Son of Heaven to the common person

for all alike

refining the person is the root.

That roots should be disordered yet branches ordered is not possible.

That what should be thickened is thin yet what is thin becomes thick:

this has never yet been so.

This is called “knowing the root.”