Stories from Ancient China: Be Generous and Forgiving

Wei Ba, a high ranking official during the Eastern Han Dynasty of ancient China and came from a place called Juyang. He was born into a family that was well educated and knew right from wrong. For generations, there were many high ranking officials in his family. In dealing with people, Wei Ba followed one simply principle: Be generous and forgiving.

When Wei Ba was little, both of his parents died and he lived with his brothers. All of them lived harmoniously together and they were the envy of the neighbourhood. Wei Ba was praised as having a good character and being uncorrupted early in his career. Later he was promoted to be a governor. During his term, when his subordinates made mistakes, he talked to them first and advised them to correct their mistakes. Only those who were so stubborn that they refused to change would be dismissed. Sometimes, when he heard critical remarks about others, he always pointed out the strength of the one being criticised. In this way, the fault-finder would be embarrassed and behave differently. As a result, officials around him admired him and respected him.

Later, he was appointed as a general and was in charge of building a palace. It was a harsh winter, so the construction was delayed. Officials from the palace often punished the lower ranking officials because of that. Wei Ba never reproached his subordinates but only comforted them. He said, "It's all my fault that everyone is taking the blame." His subordinates were very grateful for his kindness, so they worked extra hard and, thus, the construction of the palace moved many fold faster than expected.

Every one of us has shortcomings. If one uses one's position to suppress others, one can only make others agreeable on the surface. Only when one is generous and forgiving can one truly change others' hearts. Wei Ba paid attention to cultivating his own character, was generous and forgiving, and thought of others first. Consequently, he won the trust, cooperation, and respect from people around him.