Confucius' View on Ming (destiny)

Last week we talked about the concept of tian, or heaven, which Confucius saw in two ways, and another concept, ming (destiny), which Confucius also understood in two aspects.

Confucius seldom talked about ming (destiny), either. His comments regarding ming can also be divided into two types: one is that he believed ming not to be an uncontrollable, mystic, dominant power locked somewhere in the boundless universe, but an objective law of nature which humankind could grasp. The other is where ming becomes a mysterious power that determines everything. When it came to ming (destiny), what was remarkable with Confucius was that he dared to wage a struggle against it, and keep striving forward despite confronting difficulties.