Although both philosophies demonstrate self-awareness, education, and mutual interaction, their goals for the future remain markedly different, as their methods for achieving them are opposite in nature. In studying both philosophies it seems logical that the society in which China was created must be characterized by fluidity and constant understanding in order to possess the traits of each philosophy. The virtues expounded by both philosophies have undoubtedly shaped a society capable of withstanding much criticism, both internal and external. In America's future, full of successes and failures, one can only hope that we will be able to endure just as much to create a cultural legacy of our own