A Cure for Chaos

C.C. Tsai is one of Asia’s most popular cartoonists, whose graphic editions of the Chinese Classics have sold more than 40 million copies. Mencius was known as the second sage to Confucius, and in this book of cartoon episodes, his philosophy is brought to life, with its underpinning morality and kindness. He sees humans as innately good, but this requires self-cultivation and ethical behaviour if we are to grow into a noble person within a web of social relationships; and we are all also connected to the whole cosmos as well as each other. He admonishes a monarch for focusing on benefit as the basis of government when, in his view, it should be kindness and morality – enabling people to cooperate for the common good. The message in each episode is often summed up in the final panel – ‘If you know that what you’re doing isn’t right, you should stop immediately. Why wait?’ Mencius also advises us to pay attention to signs, and to have an overall attitude of contentment. A gem of practical wisdom.