Chapter 25 Chapter 5 The Way of Survival

It is said that Laozi also has a teacher. Lao Tzu's teacher is Shang Rong. When Shang Rong was seriously ill, I went to see him. Lao Tzu said: Sir, do you have any last words to teach your students? Shang Rong asked: Do you understand that when you pass by your hometown, you have to get off the bus? Lao Tzu said: Don't forget your roots? Shangrong asked again, "you have to walk after the big tree, do you understand?" Lao Tzu said: Should we respect the elderly? Shang Rong opened his mouth again and said: Do you see that my tongue is still there? Lao Tzu said: Yes. Ask again: Are the teeth still there?

Lao Tzu said: no more. Shangrong asked again: Do you understand? Laozi Dawu: Is it "just dead but weak"? That's right.The hard perish, but the weak live.Natural selection and competition, the weak survive.Shang Rong has this point of view, and so does Lao Tzu. But is this story true? We don't know, just as we don't know who the author of "Lao Tzu" is.Li Er?Old Dan (read like a single)?Taishi Dan (read as single)?Lao Laizi?Or Lao Tzu in this story?Probably, more likely not. There are various indications that the book "Laozi" should be completed after Confucius, before Zhuangzi, and later than Yang Zhu.Yang Zhu, Laozi and Zhuangzi respectively represent the three stages of pre-Qin Taoism.It's just that Laozi's identity is unknown, and it may even be several people or a team.Under the banner of Li Er or Lao Dan and others, it is for "backdoor listing".

Let's just call him "Lao Tzu". The thoughts that run through the book "Lao Tzu" are indeed just dead and weak.Think about it, what is the weakest thing in the world?water.What is the most powerful thing?Still water.No matter how strong the city is, the flood will come and disappear.No matter how hard the stone is, water can drip through it without stopping. This is called "the weak overcomes the strong, and the soft overcomes the strong". So, why can the weak overcome the strong, and why can the soft overcome the strong? Indisputable. For example, water, with whom to fight?Not only do not fight, but also let.Water always flows to the lower places, giving up the higher places to others.It also always stays in places that people don't want to go and look down on, which is called "being evil to everyone";

So I said—— Goodness is like water. So, who is most like water? woman. Yes, women and water have at least four points in common: softness, weakness, passivity, and inferiority.For example, when making love, the most common thing is to be a woman, and the woman lies down and lets the man go.This is called "Because it is quiet, it should be the next". What was the outcome? The woman swallows the man, and the man is exhausted and drained.What's more, no matter how strong and energetic a man is, there will always be times when he can't do it, but women can't.Therefore, women are stronger than men and last longer than men.

So Lao Tzu said—— At the turn of the world, the female always wins the male with tranquility. Min (pronounced Rupin) means female or woman; Mu (pronounced Rumu) means male or man.Stop with stillness, control the top with the bottom, and win with women, this is the law of sexual relations in the world. From this it can be concluded that: Women are better than men, the bottom is better than the top, and it is better not to move than to move. Lao Tzu believes that this is the universal truth. So Lao Tzu said—— Those who are in a big state are also low-class, and they are the mother of the world.

Downstream is downstream.The meaning of this sentence is that a big country should be like the lower reaches of a river, becoming a woman or female in the world. How about downstream? it is good!That is the "Hundred Valley King". A hundred valleys are a hundred rivers, and a king is to go.The confluence of hundreds of rivers is the mouth of the river.All hope, that is the king. So why is all the water flowing into the rivers and seas?Of course, it is "to be good at it", that is, to be humble and self-confident, to be good at lowering one's figure and keeping a low profile.This is called "because it does not compete, the world cannot compete with it."

Perhaps, this is Lao Tzu's kingly way. It is of course the way to survive. whose survival? the weak. This is not surprising.After all, Lao Tzu's political ideal is "a small country with few people", and "the sound of chickens and dogs is heard, and the people do not communicate with each other until old age and death".So, when did such a society come about?The latest is also the early state era, even as far back as the tribe and clan era.In the Warring States period, are there still clans, tribes and Fangguo (tribal countries)?It's gone long ago, so I can only pay tribute to it.

Therefore, the natural selection and the survival of the weak have become the kingly way. Therefore, Lao Tzu took the trouble to say that a big country and a king must "remove extremes, extravagance, and Thailand", that is, don't be greedy, extravagant, and domineering.On the contrary, as a strong person, one must be compassionate, two must be frugal, and three must not dare to be the first in the world, and it is best to be able to "be inferior".Only by living in the lower realm can one be close to the Tao and be able to endure. In other words, even if a big country wants to merge, please keep a low profile, be gentle, slow down, and don't be overbearing, okay?

Hehe, this is of course the kingly way. The strange thing is that it is often regarded as the way of war in real life. Notes: .