Believing China had once witnessed a time of peace and abundance when people had lived in harmony, Confucius advocated a return to tradition and family values. In order to achieve collective well-being, these morals were instilled in the population through every aspect of life much the same way Communism was later to be pounded into the hearts and minds of the Chinese. The emperor was considered the embodiment of Confucian wisdom and virtue, total respect was due to him. Along the same lines, children respect parents, wives their husbands and the young the old. The concept of family is central to Confucianism, generating a high standard for family interaction through mutual respect, love and consideration for the needs of others.
Much respect is paid to ancestors and the elderly, as they retain the most wisdom.
Today new Confucianism has been adopted in Singapore, and is often quoted in mainland China. Buddhism was founded in India in the sixth century B.C. by Siddhartha Gautama. Siddhartha was born in 563 B.C. to a royal family in the foothills of the Himalayas, in present-day Nepal. Before his birth, his parents had a premonition their son would grow up to be either a king or become the Enlightened One. Preferring the first option, Siddhartha's parents kept him inside the walls of their kingdom, sheltered from the real world.