Conversations of the Taoist Master Fu Hsiang

Men Chow: You are right, it is depressing to contemplate it. Most people are not interested in the virtuous life. Even our intelligentsia is obsessed with self-promotion.

Tsia Tung: That's right. When I was at university I could see that the professors were not interested in the students. All they wanted to do was publish as many papers as possible, so as to advance in their careers. Money and position were their twin concerns and whatever they did was aimed at their own advantage. So many of those papers were repetitious, but as long as they made up the numbers it did not matter. These professors were not true scholars, because for them their profession was only a means of advancing their interests which are about money and recognition. They are just more intelligent versions of Homer.

Men Chow: But not everybody is like that. Many of my Buddhist friends devote many hours of their spare time to helping people. They visit the sick and give time and money to good works. I remember that some of my professors devoted a lot of time to their students.