Ursula Franklin Speaks by Franklin Ursula Martius;Freeman Sarah Jane;

Author:Franklin, Ursula Martius;Freeman, Sarah Jane;
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press

13

Developing a Li of Massey

(Acceptance speech, Massey College’s 40th Anniversary Awards, University of Toronto, 2004)

It is a great privilege for me to speak on behalf of my fellow award winners and to thank all who have been part of conceiving of this honour. Probably the first reaction for each of us, when learning of this honour, was the question “Why me?” Certainly I can think of many within the Massey community who could rightfully stand in my place tonight, and my fellow award recipients assure me their response has been just the same.

We are thus here, not as much as “Exhibit A,” but as a delegation that happened to be in town and that belongs to a much larger contingent. Members of such a contingent might be recognized, not so much by what they do, but how they do it: it is their conduct that would identify those who could stand in our place.

The term conduct is used here in the sense of the Chinese notion of Li. John Fraser and I share an interest in and respect for the philosophy of ancient China, and I would like to highlight a few elements of the very complex concept of Li so as to indicate the outline of a “Li of Massey.” From its Confucian roots, Li draws on respect for tradition, an understanding of the importance of ritual, of doing things properly, as well as a conviction of the centrality of music and beauty in public life. But there are other roots of Li. From its Mohist tradition comes the knowledge that appropriate conduct is not a matter of prescription or of following meticulously a set of given rules; the right conduct is a matter of discernment – a process of ongoing weighing and assessment.

“Be aware” is a central and recurring dictum in the teachings, and being aware does not mean constantly looking out for mad dogs or terrorists. It means be aware of what is going on around you and respond to it with what the texts call “the standards of mutual concern.” In today’s parlance one would say, “Be forever mindful of the wider context within which you are called to live and work. Respond to it with knowledge, compassion and integrity.”

The Chinese texts also speak of “mutual concern.” This awareness of an essential reciprocity is vitally important in terms of proper conduct. Those who try to educate must be prepared to be educated; those who attempt to help have to accept help equally willingly. That is not easy for the likes of us, yet it is part of an emerging Li.

Vincent Del Buono reminded me of the title of Vincent Massey’s autobiography What’s Past Is Prologue. What a phrase! I do not know how Mr Massey would have responded to the question “Prologue to what?” but in terms of our experience at this, the fortieth anniversary of the College, the past is the prologue to the unforeseen, or even more so – to the unforeseeable.

This is where

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