We treat code as truth. If it compiles, it is valid. But code is just the law of the machine. It lacks Ren (Humaneness).
Confucius was not interested in “innovation.” He was interested in Order. He lived in a time of chaos (the Warring States period). His solution was not more weapons (technology); it was Li (Ritual) and Yi (Righteousness).
Today, the tech ecosystem is our Warring States. We have speed, but we lack direction. We have disruption, but we lack stability.
If Confucius were a CTO, he wouldn’t talk about “User-Centric Design.” He would talk about The Mandate of Heaven.
1. The Ruler (The Founder) Must Be Still – Confucius said, “The ruler governs by the Pole Star; it stays in its place while all other stars bow towards it.” If the Founder is chaotic, the code will be spaghetti. If the Founder is principled, the architecture will be clean.
2. The Ritual (The Process) is not Bureaucracy – We hate meetings. We hate documentation. But Confucius argued that Li (Ritual) is what holds society together. A git commit message is a ritual. A code review is a ritual. When you strip away ritual in the name of “speed,” you do not get efficiency. You get barbarism.
3. The Rectification of Names – “If names be not correct, language is not in accordance with the truth of things.” In tech, we call this Domain Driven Design. If you call a “User” a “Lead” in one database and a “Prospect” in another, you have created chaos. Accuracy in naming is the first step of wisdom.
The Lesson: Technology amplifies the intent of its creator. If the kernel is corrupt, the OS will crash. If the character is flawed, the unicorn will fall.
#DhandheKaFunda: Fast growth cannot fix a broken foundation. Order your mind before you order your bits.