The superior man seeks what is right; the inferior one, what is profitable. Confucius
Today it is very rare to find a person who will think about what is right instead of what is “best” for him personally. As I have discussed, the warrior should be a superior man, a man of excellence. Confucius tells us that the superior man will seek what is right, not what is profitable.
This doesn’t mean that the warrior never seeks what is profitable for himself and his family. What it does mean is that the warrior will not seek what is profitable while at the same time disregarding what is right.
The warrior thinks first about what is right, what is justified, and then what is profitable. You should always seek to do what is right. Sometimes this may not be the most profitable path for you to take.
It is easy to profit if you have low standards. Drug dealers profit every day. In fact they make huge profits because they are only concerned with making money, not doing what is right.
The warrior on the other hand is restrained by his ethics and character. He is not free to seek profit by any means available. He answers to his code of ethics.
If he feels that an action is not right, he will not act, no matter how profitable that action may be for him. He always puts what is right first; it comes before everything else, even making money. Put what is right before what is profitable; be a superior man.
