Tea with Kong Zi

Do you think hate is a stronger emotion than love? How can I forget my problems? In China, they say that the first bird out of the tree gets shot. “Tea with Kong Zi (Confucius)” is a work of historical fiction based on the great teacher’s Analects in the form of a collection of dialogues between modern-day manager Pete (the book’s author) and Con (Confucius) on topics such as character, loyalty, integrity, success, and greed. Peter Alatsas, an experienced international manager and consummate traveller, has written a simple and pleasant “value guide”. “My inspiration was corruption and lack of ethical moral character in leadership,” he says. He also mentions that Confucius would never have engaged in active dialogue, unlike the Socratic way, because in Chinese culture the master is always above his students. This is one big difference between China and the West. For Confucius, questioning was the role of the teacher. Having studied the Analects and the literature that Confucius based his knowledge on, Alatsas tries to be practical and to the point being of Spartan origin brevity is the philosophy. In the end, Confucianism was more of a pragmatic wisdom than a philosophy. Among the dialogue, the reader can find creative cartoon images that bring the author’s ideas to life.

Globetrotter Peter Alatsas is a Canadian of Greek origin. He holds BA and MBA degrees in management and consultancy from Ryerson University Canada and Sheffield Hallam University, UK. He has lectured at the Swiss Alpine College in Athens and serves on the school’s international advisory board. Thanks to his life’s work, managing luxury hotels, Alatsas has lived all over the world from Jeddah to Japan, Thailand, Brunei, Indonesia, Singapore, Greece, France, Australia, China, the USA, UAE, and Canada. During his travels to some of the most exotic locations, he delved into world philosophies and world culture, intertwining his unique world perspectives with philosophical and management theories.