Chapter 34 4. Godless world

We are the opposite of the West. Yes, the Chinese nation also has rationality, but it is not "scientific rationality", but "moral rationality" or "ethical rationality".This rationality holds that human beings are naturally "group beings."The group is prior to the individual, but also higher than the individual.Without a group, there is no individual.The value, meaning and task of individual existence is to find one's own position in the group, abide by one's duty and make contributions.Therefore, when facing others, one must restrain oneself, which is called "restraining oneself and returning to the courtesy"; when facing oneself, one must integrate into the group, which is called "family happiness".

It is clear that our worries and joys are group and group.That's right, think that the world originally belonged to the Holy One, and its rise and fall are nothing to do with me?It is only because once our country falls, we will lose the "foundation to live and live", and we will be like a bereaved dog, and we will be in constant panic. This is life and death. In fact, whether you care about everything or everyone is responsible, the most worrying thing is "the disintegration of the group."Therefore, the worry of the Chinese people is not "worrying about the sky", but "worrying about their rulers and their people".At the same time, I am also optimistic, believing that "the sky will not fall", and it cannot fall.The sky is the "parent of man", if it collapses, what will happen to the common people?

God has eyes, of course it is a kind of "self-deception", and it is "conscious self-deception", but it is also "necessary self-deception".Without this self-deception, the heart would break down.What's more, everyone knows that it is only psychological comfort and spiritual support.The peace of the world and the stability of society depend on scholars, farmers, businessmen, soldiers and civilians, etc., and everyone "thinks in one mind."God is actually unreliable, and religion and gods are even more unreliable. Must be "people-oriented".The first spirit of Chinese civilization was born.

This is the "human spirit". Does Chinese civilization also have a "humanistic spirit"?Yes, but different from the West.The West was "human-oriented" in ancient Greece, but it became "god-oriented" in the Middle Ages, which is why the "Renaissance" is needed.Our humanistic spirit is relative to business.Shang "god-oriented", Zhou "human-oriented", that's all. But more importantly, "people" are different. Westerners are individual, independent, and free, while Chinese are group, family, and ethical.Groups are held together by the patriarchal system, rites and music, and blood ties.We believe that all people are "raised by their parents", and all people "have not dared to forget their country".Therefore, nothing is more important than filial piety, nothing is more noble than loyalty, nothing is more sad than death, and nothing is more chaotic than committing crimes.Stability prevails at all times.

However, the world is always changing, and the only constant is "change".This is what the "Book of Changes" said, and it cannot be denied.What's more, the long wings are originally for flying, so how can they not move?If you want to move and be steady, you can only "circle".If you want to change without chaos, you can only become a "Tai Chi Diagram". What is Taijitu?The "internal circulation" of yin and yang, or "fighting in the nest".They can rotate, ebb and flow, rise and fall, and be interchanged, but they cannot go out of circle.As for the "two poles", they can be ritual and music, Confucianism and Taoism, officials and people, exit and entry, and so on.But in short, it is man, not God.

For this reason, rituals and music are required, not religion. Ritual and music evolved from witchcraft.The second volume of Chinese history, "The State", said that after entering the era of the state, the witchcraft and totems of the primitive era had to change.Witchcraft became religion in India, science in Greece, and philosophy in both cases.Totems became gods in Egypt, dharma in Rome, and ancestors in China, but they went through the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties and took a detour.Simply put, Xia turned totems into ancestors, Shang turned ancestors into gods, and Zhou turned gods into saints.

God becomes holy, and religion is impossible. Yes, not possible.Because the sage is a man, not a god.Worship of saints is "worship of people", not "worship of gods".What's more, the reason why you want to be holy is because you don't want God.Therefore, it is impossible for us to have a true religion, even if man and God coexist, or what is God’s God, and Caesar’s is Caesar’s. Chinese civilization is doomed to be a "godless world".