Do you think hate is a stronger emotion than love? How can I forget my
problems? In China, they say that the first bird out of the tree gets
shot. "Tea with Kong Zi (Confucius)" is a work of historical fiction
based on the great teacher's Analects in the form of a collection of
dialogues between modern-day manager Pete (the book's author) and Con
(Confucius) on topics such as character, loyalty, integrity, success,
and greed. Peter Alatsas, an experienced international manager and
consummate traveller, has written a simple and pleasant "value guide".
"My inspiration was corruption and lack of ethical moral character in
leadership," he says. He also mentions that Confucius would never have
engaged in active dialogue, unlike the Socratic way, because in Chinese
culture the master is always above his students. This is one big
difference between China and the West. For Confucius, questioning was
the role of the teacher. Having studied the Analects and the literature
that Confucius based his knowledge on, Alatsas tries to be practical and
to the point being of Spartan origin brevity is the philosophy. In the
end, Confucianism was more of a pragmatic wisdom than a philosophy.
Among the dialogue, the reader can find creative cartoon images that
bring the author's ideas to life.
