兒童故事中的「誠信」之美

Integrity (cheng) (誠) is often discussed in Confucian classics in two levels. On an ethical level, “cheng” represents a personal endeavor as well as aspiration to highest virtue for individuals. On a metaphysical level, “cheng” is the ultimate value or key principle of the universe “Tien” (天). The beauty of “cheng” lies in its being the source of life in nature and the foundation of nurture for “sustainable development” as well. Some traditional Chinese stories which adopt a threatening approach to present the idea of “cheng” may not be suitable for children when compared with those focusing on a positive perspective to deliver the message. Facts about the animal kingdom can provide a lot of interesting and positive stories for children to learn about human virtues. For example, the male penguins take a lot of pain in looking after their young offspring. Their story is an excellent illustration of responsibility and commitment. Even imaginative stories are stimulating to children. The story Hot Hippo talks about why the hippo often opens its mouth wide when playing in the water. It is because he has promised God that he will not harm even a little fish. These stories provide a positive role model to children of what constitutes good behaviors. They do not aim at scaring them away by depicting the cruel consequences of immoral behaviors. The true purpose of moral education is to provide facts and different stories to children so that they know how beautiful virtues are, and to encourage them to make virtues their personal aspiration and live out the virtues in their lives. Eventually they can establish their own value system. Copyright © 2005 Center for Child Development, Hong Kong Baptist College.