Chapter 17 Five, the way of reading the world

When it comes to value, human beings are valuable, why?Because value comes from selection and evaluation.Human beings have the ability to think and choose, and they can make something have value because of people's choices.For example, I have been teaching for decades, and I often meet young students asking me, teacher, what is beauty?Beauty is a kind of value.When I see young students, I will say that youth is beauty; when I meet some middle-aged friends in society, I say health is beauty; some old people also ask me what is beauty?I answer that nature is beauty.So you see, before there were no beauty contests, youth, health, and nature were all beauty, and anyone alive had a certain sense of beauty that was worth appreciating.But when the beauty pageant came, it was troublesome, and beauty seemed to have a standard.It seems that one must conform to such a height, body shape, and proportion to be called beautiful.Then, if you look around, everyone you see seems to be not up to the standard, and of course you are far from the requirements, isn't that beautiful?of course not.Laozi believes that beauty is a relative value, and any value judgment in the world is relative; on the one hand, there is no ugliness without beauty; on the other hand, there is more beauty above beauty, and even uglier below ugliness.

Everyone in the world knows that the beautiful is beautiful, and this is evil; everyone knows that what is good is good, and this is not good.Therefore, existence and non-existence are mutually generated, difficult and easy are mutually complementary, long and short are mutually related, high and low are mutually incline, sounds and sounds are in harmony with each other, and front and rear follow each other.It is the sage who does nothing and teaches without saying anything. ("Lao Tzu Chapter Two") Everyone in the world knows what is beautiful, so there is ugliness; everyone knows what is good, so there is bad.Therefore, existence and non-being produce each other; difficult and easy form each other; long and short complement each other; high and low depend on each other; sound and sound cooperate with each other; front and back follow each other. Teach without speaking.

"Everyone in the world knows that beauty is beautiful, but it is evil." In ancient times, the word "evil" was often used as "ugly". "Beauty is beauty" is the standard of beauty, and what is not up to the standard is not beautiful; but if there is no such standard, there will be no question of whether it is beautiful or not.Just like a beauty pageant, everyone knows that it is called "beautiful", and the relative "ugly" also appears.The same is true of goodness.You set the standard for goodness, then badness arises.For example, if someone donates one million yuan to an orphanage every year, everyone says he is a good person and he is doing good deeds.In this way, those who do not donate money or donate without money become unkind.Why?Because if you prescribe kindness to certain things, then those who cannot do it will naturally become unkind.

In other words, where there is beauty and goodness, there is ugliness and badness.If beauty and goodness are fixed and standardized, and everyone is made to take this as the standard, goodness and beauty will become a kind of external value, and the value of a person must be based on the inner.But this is not to ignore the exterior completely.For example, if I think I am a good person, am I a good person?Without external behavior, how to judge?There are two kinds of behavior, one is for others to see, everyone is watching, I deliberately do good deeds;The latter is the true value of goodness.The same is true for beauty. Beauty is actually four words: worthy of appreciation.When we say that we appreciate a person, it means that that person has beauty that deserves your appreciation.As long as you have good friends and lovers to appreciate you, you are naturally beautiful. Why do you need to compare your appearance with others?Compared with the appearance, who can compare with the challenge of age?No matter how beautiful handsome men and women are, when they reach a certain age, don't talk about "beauty".Why?Time is not forgiving.Some people also refer to beauty as "love in the heart". I don't object to these words, but don't try to define beauty and kindness too deliberately.Because the value of beauty and goodness should not be externalized, turned into a certain term or a certain condition.

Then Lao Tzu talked about six comparisons: existence and non-existence, difficulty and ease, long and short, high and low, sound and sound, and front and back.All six are talking about the relativity of value.For example, when I see a flower, it was "nothing" when there was no flower, but now it is "from nothing to existence" when there is a flower. After a few days, the flower withers and the existence becomes nothingness.In other words, "existence and non-existence regenerate together" is to understand that the state of life change is relative.Everything we see today was originally non-existent. Now "nothing becomes existence", and in the future "existence becomes non-existence", all things are in the process of changing.For another example, students in the first grade of elementary school think that the math problems are difficult, but when they are in the third grade, they feel that the previous problems are easy, so the difficulty is also relative.For another example, I said that this person is very tall, but when he met Yao Ming, he became short, and when he met another very short person, he became tall again.What is it called?relative value.

In the face of relative value, what should the sage do?He wants to live in the world with an attitude of inaction.Taoism's "inaction" does not mean doing nothing, but "doing without intention", not deliberately doing anything, because if you do it deliberately, there will be situations of achievement and failure, and there will be pressure.For example, the pressure of modern people often does not come from the work itself, but from excessive demands on the work, what performance needs to be achieved, what results, and instead, they lose the joy of enjoying work.How did the sage educate the people?Teach in a "non-speaking" way.Anyone who is a teacher knows that teaching by example is more important than teaching by words.If you can't do it yourself, and desperately ask students to do it, the students will see that the teacher hasn't done it yet, why should we do it, and the educational effect will not be achieved.The sage understood this truth, so he did nothing, kept silent, and let everything develop naturally.

In short, all values ​​and judgments, such as beauty and ugliness, superiority, length, difficulty, presence or absence, are relative.Everything we see in this world is relative not only in terms of senses, but also in terms of cognition and judgment.The purpose of Lao Tzu’s emphasis on relative value is to let us know that everything is originally a whole. Don’t blindly make value judgments and insist on what is good and what is not. If it is not good, it will become good if it is not good.In short, everything comes from "Tao" and finally returns to "Tao". Everything will change from one side to another, because it is opposite and complementary.

"Misfortunes and blessings come together" is what Lao Tzu said, and there are often such examples in daily life.The most vivid example in ancient times is that "if you lose your horse, you will never know it is a blessing".There lived an old man on the plateau. One day his horse disappeared, and he ran away and never came back.When the neighbors heard about it, they all came to comfort him.The old man said, how do you know that the disappearance of the horse is not a good thing?After a few days, it was really a good thing, because the horse came back with a group of wild horses, and the old man made a fortune.The neighbor came to congratulate me, and the old man said, our family has earned a herd of wild horses, how do you know that this is not a bad thing?The neighbor was taken aback when he heard this, and thought that those who had such thoughts were really different from others.As a result, after a while, the old man's son broke a leg while riding a wild horse.The neighbor came to comfort him again.Everyone can guess what the old man will say.He said how do you know that my son breaking his leg is not a good thing?Not long after, a war broke out, and all healthy young people went to fight. Many people were injured and some died.Because the old man's son is lame, he doesn't have to fight, but the father and son can live a peaceful life.Who are those neighbors in this story?We ordinary people are.I only look at the surface, and when I see others getting rich, I feel gratified and envious; when I see others suffering, I feel unfortunate and want to comfort him; but this kind of thinking sometimes fails.Who is that old man?Lao Tzu.Only Lao Tzu has the wisdom to see the wholeness of things and see that misfortune and good fortune are interdependent.

Its government is boring, its people are honest and honest; its government is inspected, and its people are lacking.When misfortune comes, fortune rests on it; when fortune comes, misfortune rests.Who knows the extreme: it is not correct. ("Laozi Fifty-Eight Chapters") If the ruler is careless, the people will be honest; if the ruler is harsh, the people will be cunning.Calamity, happiness is next to it; happiness, disaster is hidden under it.Who knows what's going on?Misfortune is not certain. The first two sentences talk about the politicians.If the politicians are generous and careless, the people will be more honest; on the contrary, if the politicians care about everything and think they are smart, the people will hide and hide.It is a good thing for politicians to look naive.I am most afraid of being harsh in politics, and being harsh will hurt people's hearts. Try to be more lenient and don't be too demanding.But what Laozi is talking about here is not a policy of ignoring the people, but emphasizes the relationship between people. If you treat a person well, his kind side will naturally be brought out, and vice versa.

Lao Tzu went on to say the principle of "good fortune and misfortune come together".When a person encounters a disaster, if he has withstood the test, he may cherish what he has now even more after the pain. Once he cherishes it, happiness will come.A person who has everything on the surface is afraid that disasters are hidden underneath.For example, a public opinion survey conducted in the United States found that children from rich families are particularly likely to feel that life is boring after middle age.Because he has what he wants at home since he was a child, everything is given by his parents, and everything can be easily obtained, but after middle age, he feels that life is meaningless.Children from poor families work part-time since they were young, and they have to earn everything through their own hard work. On the contrary, they feel that these things are related to my inner life and are more worth cherishing.Therefore, the blessings and misfortunes of life are difficult to say clearly.Suffering when you are young may be a kind of tempering, and you will have better development in the future; when you are young, you are going well in all aspects, and you may not know what to do when you encounter trials in the future.

"Han Fei·Jie Lao" explained the relationship between blessing and misfortune, saying: "When a person encounters disaster, he will be afraid, if he is afraid, he will act straight, if he acts straight, he will be thoughtful, and if he is mature, he will be sensible." Fear, fear of doing wrong things, thinking wrong things, fear of one's behavior violating norms, fear of ignoring other people's concerns, fear of ghosts and gods, behavior is naturally dignified and upright, straight behavior means more mature thinking, That is, you can understand the truth.On the contrary, "If a person is blessed, he will be rich and honored, and if he is rich and honored, he will have good food and clothing. If he has good food and clothing, he will be arrogant, and if he is arrogant, he will act evil and abandon reason." , all of them were proud of themselves.But how can the distinction between upper class and lower class be measured by money?In fact, many people make money by illegal means, and after they have money, they suddenly become high-class people, and this kind of people is the worst!Does the so-called upper class refer to how many clothes are there, or what brand of clothes are they?This is a complete objectification of oneself, and it is not at all a human spiritual level. Lao Tzu said, "If you are rich and proud, you will blame yourself." If you are rich and proud, you will invite disaster.Among them, cause and effect are obtained from observation and experience, and there are few exceptions in the world.Therefore, when living in the world, people should always keep vigilant, "the old is new", and often let themselves be in an unsatisfactory state, so that they will demand themselves and continue to grow and develop.And whether you encounter bad things or good things, you have to look at the long-term.When things are going well, remind yourself to be prepared for danger in times of peace; when things are going wrong, don't be discouraged.You know, no one will be successful all their lives, and no one will be unlucky all their lives.There is a proverb in the West: "God will not give a person the suffering he cannot bear." What does it mean?If you are suffering today, you have to think that the suffering God gave me will not be unbearable for me. Not only am I able to bear it, but I should also try to grow myself, develop my potential, and move forward from the suffering.The way of life is in your own hands. Start cautiously, start cautiously.The so-called "a good start is half the battle", if the foundation is laid well, the future development will be easy.For example, I never did well in mathematics because I didn't have a good foundation at the beginning, and later I learned geometry and trigonometry, and the more I studied, the harder it became.Be careful in the end, and be careful in the end.The poem goes: "A person who travels a hundred miles is half ninety." If you have to walk a hundred miles, you can only count half of it when you walk ninety miles, not ninety percent.Why?Because the last ten miles is the real test. It’s like building a house. If you don’t add a roof at the end, you won’t be able to live in it.There is a "well hexagram", which talks about using a bottle to draw water from a well, and when it hits the mouth of the well when it is pulled up, the bottle is broken, the water runs out, and the success is on the verge of failure. Regarding "be cautious at the beginning and end carefully", there is a passage in "Laozi", which is very complete and vivid. It's safe and easy to hold, it's easy to seek after warning; it's fragile and easy to pan, and it's light and easy to disperse.Do it for the unexisted, control it for the unchaotic. ... The people's work is often defeated after a few successes.Be as cautious as the beginning, and nothing will fail. ("Laozi Sixty-Four Chapters") It is easy to grasp when the situation is stable; it is easy to plot when there is no sign of the situation; it is easy to dissolve when things are fragile; it is easy to dissipate when things are subtle.We must deal with things well before they happen, and control disasters before they appear... People often fail when they are about to succeed in doing things.If you are as cautious when facing the end as you were when you started, you will not fail. The previous few sentences are telling you that you must do everything well from the beginning.The sixth day of the hexagram of Kun said: "When you walk on the frost, the ice will come." When you step on the frost, you will know that the ice is coming.Because the yin qi of frost begins to condense, and if it develops according to the law, hard ice will appear.This shows that you must have a far-sighted view when looking at things, and you must be able to understand its subtle changes. When you see leaves falling, you know that autumn is coming.The so-called "people without long-term considerations must have near-term worries", without long-term considerations, there will be imminent worries, and when suffering comes, they will be caught off guard.For example, plan ahead for the next year at the end of the year.Only with long-term consideration can you know when you will be very busy, what things should be avoided, and how to adjust.If these can be mastered, then even if you are busy and busy, you will know why you are willing to accept it, because you have been mentally prepared after thinking and designing in advance.However, I am most afraid of promising too many things, being too busy and ruining my body.People need to know how much they are capable of, and don't exceed that range. Next, the sentence "The people's work is often defeated after a few successes" is too profound.Why do things fail when they are about to succeed?Because of getting carried away. What is the truth of "a sad soldier must win"?Be cautious, and only those who dare not be careless until the last step can maintain their advantage.That's why Lao Tzu said that if you can be cautious about the beginning and end, you will not suffer failure.I stayed in Germany for a while and found that Germans are very honest and don't take tricks.For example, on the sidewalks on the street, the floor tiles are laid evenly one by one, and every place is well paved.Unlike many sidewalks in Taiwan, the first section is well paved, but the back is rough. After it rains, step on it and splash your feet.This shows that the people who do things lack a kind of training, too much neglect the sanctity of their own work, leaving many sequelae.I admire some grassroots workers, who can do everything at hand solidly and thoroughly.For example, when repairing a water pipe, you must repair it perfectly, just like repairing your own water pipe.For such a person, no matter how much money he wants, you are willing to give it.The West talks about business management, emphasizing that details determine quality. Only after every detail is done well can the overall work achieve a kind of perfection. So did Confucius.Once Zilu asked him, if the teacher commanded the three armies, which student would he take?Zilu must have thought that the teacher would take him, because he was the bravest.But Confucius said, people like you are reckless, and I don't want to take you there.He described Zilu as "Feng He, the violent tiger, died without regret".Zilu would fight a tiger empty-handed, cross a river on foot, die without regrets, he is indeed extremely brave.But the purpose of combat is to succeed, to win, not to say that I am a death squad, and it is over when I die.That's why Confucius said that he should bring people who are "fearful when things happen, and plan to make things happen". When encountering things, they are very vigilant and cautious, and plan well until they are done; Ready to plan. In fact, most people can only be "cautious at the beginning", but it is not easy to be "cautious in the end".For example, some politicians are not safe at the end of their lives. They have been in politics for decades and are still clean, but when they are about to retire, they start to embezzle.Their results can be imagined. Instead of enjoying their old age comfortably, they have to spend the rest of their lives in prison, sometimes even losing their lives.For us ordinary people, "cautious at the beginning and the end" is a process of sticking to the end.For example, when school starts, primary school students or college students work hard in the first and second weeks of school, but after the midterm exams, many students relax.I have experience as a teacher. Most of the students skip classes from the middle of the semester. At this time, it is decided to see who can persevere until the end. "Forcible people have ambitions". Only by persisting to the end can they succeed; just like running a marathon Similarly, if you can't run to the finish line, it's useless to run faster.Therefore, in doing anything, end it with the same care as you began it, so that it can be completed satisfactorily.We should demand this of ourselves. "Retire after success" is the operating law of the "Tao of Heaven", and no one can escape this law.But since ancient times, there have been very few people who can do this. "The meritorious official retires" comes from "Laozi". Hold and profit, not as good as it is; If you try to sharpen it, you can't keep it for a long time. The hall is full of gold and jade, and nothing can keep it; Wealthy and proud, blame yourself. Retire after success, the way of heaven. ("Lao Tzu Chapter Nine") Accumulated to the overflow, it is better to stop in time. Hardened to a sharp point, it cannot be maintained for long. Gold and jade are piled up at home, and no one can keep them. Wealth and honor are combined with pride, which brings disaster upon oneself. If you succeed, you will retreat. This is in line with the way of heaven. "Holding and gaining is not as good as it is already", "holding" refers to accumulation, without accumulation, there will be no fullness. "Already" means to stop and self-restrain.For example, if money has accumulated to overflowing, what should we do with it?On the contrary, it is worrying, it is better to stop in time.Do not bring money with you when you are born, and do not take it with you when you die. It is a social and economic cycle. When it is your turn, keep some money at home and live a more comfortable life.But is it good to be comfortable?All kinds of problems may come, just like many people suffer from affluence or insecurity.After understanding this truth, if you have money, you should give it to the society and give others a good image. "Sharpening and sharpening, you can't keep it forever", this is the principle of "harmony with light and dust" as Lao Tzu said.Young people are sometimes very aggressive, and they must learn to restrain themselves.For example, when Ma Ying-jeou was teaching at a university, because there were too many students, and some people came to harass or pursue him, he had to change classrooms every week, and he was nervous before every class.He is handsome and unrestrained, and because of his dazzling appearance, he attracts the attention of others everywhere, like a sword that cannot be wrapped in a sack, and will definitely be pierced. "A house full of gold and jade, nothing can keep it", it's like the saying "A box full of gold and silver, a box full of silver, in a blink of an eye beggars will be slandered", why?Mo Zhi can keep it.The family is full of gold and jade, and there are so many treasures piled up. Maybe this generation has kept it well, and it may be defeated by the second or third generation, or it may be burnt out due to an accidental fire.The so-called "wealth does not last for three generations" is the truth.But many people are only satisfied with striving for temporary wealth, without considering the long-term future generations. This is the problem. "If you are rich and proud, you will blame yourself." From ancient times to the present, rich people are the easiest to be proud of, and should also be the most avoidable.Zigong once asked Confucius: "How about being poor without flattery, and being rich without arrogance?" Confucius thought that this was not good enough.Many people say that there is no "Tao" if you are poor. In fact, if you understand the "Tao", it really doesn't matter whether you are poor or poor.I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to study philosophy. Philosophy is called loving wisdom, and there is also "Tao" in it, so I don't think it is necessary to take many extravagant demands of life into my heart.When I have free time, I can read books and experience life from books. I can know many things and understand many truths, which is a lot of fun in itself. As for "retiring after success", it is too difficult. Since ancient times, only a few people have been able to do it.After Fan Li defeated the State of Wu in the State of Yue, he took Xi Shi to live in seclusion.From Li Siguan to the prime minister, he was rich and wealthy but refused to come down. After Qin Shihuang's death, his life was in jeopardy. "Historical Records Biography of Li Si" contains: "In July of the second year of the second generation, Si was sentenced to five punishments, and the city of Xianyang was cut in half. When Si was released from prison, he was with his nephew. , all come out of Shangcai Dongmen, chasing cunning rabbits, how can I get it!'" This is called great enlightenment before death.It was the same in Liu Bang's time. How many heroes are still willing to retire after their success?Everyone wants to be crowned king, and all will die in the end.There are also famous generals such as Xu Da and Chang Yuchun, the founders of the Ming Dynasty, who helped the Zhu family lay down the great Ming Dynasty. We live in this world, if we cannot avoid the fate of being a tool, we must understand the principle of retirement after success, why?Because this is the "way of heaven" and the operating rules of nature, no one can escape from the universe. What are the characteristics of "Tao of Heaven"?First of all, "the way of heaven is to win without fighting". When winter comes, the climate becomes colder;Therefore, retiring after success is also a kind of "indisputable" cultivation.Secondly, "The way of heaven, is it like drawing a bow? The high one suppresses it, the low one lifts it up, the surplus damages it, and the deficiencies make up for it." The laws of nature are like pulling the string of a bow. According to the height of the archery target, the The position of the bow is adjusted to a proper position.If the angle is too high, lower it, and if the angle is too low, raise it; check whether the target is far or near, reduce it if it is too full, and make up if it is full.Therefore, the purpose of retiring after success is to maintain the overall balance and harmony.Again, "the way of heaven is beneficial but not harmful", the law of nature is to benefit all things without harming them, so that all things can continue to operate and move, forming, living, and destroying emptiness. "Cheng live bad space" is a Buddhist term. "Cheng" means completion and appearance, "living" means maintaining for a period of time, "bad" means starting to deteriorate, and "empty" means disappearing.Everything is from complete to empty, just like people's birth, old age, sickness and death.People have birth, old age, sickness and death, things have success, dwelling and emptiness, seasons have spring, summer, autumn and winter, and countries have prosperity and decline.When we understand this principle, our attitude towards life will be modest, give in, and stop when enough is enough, and then we will retire when we are successful and safe for a long time. All of this is to leave room for others. Both Confucianism and Taoism highly respect water.Confucianism emphasizes morality, and Mencius said: "The goodness of human nature is like water flowing down." Human nature is good, and there is no other way except to do good and avoid evil.Lao Zhuang would not teach people to do good and avoid evil, because when it comes to doing good and avoiding evil, one must accept ready-made norms, and these norms are often set by people.For example, "Those who steal the hook will be punished, and those who steal the country will be marquis." "Hook" is an ornament on a man's clothes in ancient times. It is very valuable and represents status.If you steal a hook, you will be punished, but if you steal a country, you will become a prince. No matter what means you use to become a leader, many people will be loyal.There are such stories all over the world.So how to judge?Therefore, compared with morality, Taoism emphasizes wisdom more, and believes that water is related to wisdom and "Tao". Goodness is like water.Water is good for all things without fighting, and it is evil for everyone, so it is more than Tao.Live in a good place, have a good heart, be kind and benevolent, speak good faith, be good at governance, do good things and do good things at the right time.Husband only does not fight, so there is no preference. ("Lao Tzu Chapter 28") The highest good is like water.Water is good at helping all things and not competing with all things. It stays in places that everyone hates, so it is very close to "Tao".Good at dwelling in a humble place, good at thinking deeply, good at giving and loving, good at proving evidence in speech, good at governing in politics, good at taking effect in dealing with things, and good at timing with actions.Just because it doesn't compete with everything, it doesn't attract blame. "Up" means the highest.In Lao Tzu's opinion, if you want to find one thing in the world to describe "Tao", the most suitable thing should be water.Confucius also praised water, such as "the benevolent enjoys mountains, the wise enjoys water".Smart people appreciate water, because water is lively, flowing, and can change with the topography. Putting it in a round cup will make it round, and putting it in a square cup will make it square.A wise man is like water, he can adapt to the challenges of the environment and adjust his strategy at any time.Lao Tzu uses water to describe a kind of wisdom. This kind of wisdom appears to be inaction, but in fact there is nothing that cannot be done. "Water is good for all things without fighting, and is what everyone hates, so it is closer to Tao." "Ji" means close, and water is close to "Tao", but it is not equal to "Tao".The Greek philosopher Thales was the first western philosopher who proposed that the origin of the universe is water.The reason is: All living things need moisture. Without water, plants cannot grow; without plants, animals cannot survive.But Laozi believes that "Tao" is the origin of the universe. Without "Tao", no matter where things can exist, water will not exist.For example, water always lives in a humble place, but "Tao" has no tolerance for all things, there is no distinction between high and low, and there is no question of likes and dislikes.So water is close to "Tao" but not equal to "Tao", the reason is here. "To live in a good place, to have a good heart, to be kind and benevolent, to speak good faith, to be good at governance, to do good things and be able to do good things, and to be good at times" are the "seven good things" of water summarized by Lao Tzu. Su Zhe's comment on this is: first, avoid high Going down, it's not a bit of a reversal, it's a good place.Water always flows downward, and this principle will not change.Second, emptiness and loneliness, unfathomable, good abyss.A pool, calm on the surface, but unfathomable inside. "Xin Shanyuan" means peace of mind, not expressing one's intentions.Third, to benefit all things, to give without expecting anything in return, is to be benevolent.From the beginning of the rain, the water benefits all things without asking for anything in return, and loves many lives.Fourth, a circle must be rotated, a square must be broken, a block must be stopped, and a must must flow, good faith. "Faith" is a testimony, and water can prove it. When it enters a circle, it will rotate, and when it enters a square, it will turn. If it blocks the water source, the flow will stop and so on.Fifth, to cleanse the filth of the masses, to level the Huai River, and to be good at governance.Water can clean all the dirty things, city dust and dirty air, after a heavy rain, everything will be like new again.The level can be divided into high and low, and the reflection of the mountain can be seen clearly on the water.Sixth, form things when they meet them, instead of remaining in one, they are kind and capable.The ancients did not have a mirror, so they used water instead, and everything would show its shape on the water surface. When an ox came, it would reflect the head of the ox, when a horse came, it would reflect the face of the horse, and when a person came, it would reflect the face of a human.Water does not choose, but it is very adaptable, and it can change in any way.Seventh, winter condenses and spring ice, dry and overflowing without losing integrity, is also a good time.Water freezes in winter and freezes in spring, so when it should be short of water, it will be short of water, and it will be full when it should be full. It can match the solar terms and seize the opportunity. From seven angles, Su Zhe explained the state that water is good for all things without dispute.It is very appropriate to compare life with water. Every movement, every stillness, every word, and every action can be in line with these seven kinds of goodness, and you can reach the realm of all benefits.In the end, "Those who are good but not free from wrongs should compete with them", and those who have merits but are not free from criticism from others are because they compete with others. "Water is the only thing that doesn't compete, so it has the seven good things and is not special." Will not get into trouble.This characteristic of water is very philosophical. The world we live in is full of natural disasters and man-made disasters, and the ups and downs are changeable.How to treat these phenomena?Laozi did not give an answer, nor did he directly describe the disaster, but said a word: the world is not benevolent, and everything is a humble dog. The sage is not benevolent, and treats the common people as straw dogs. ("Laozi Five Chapters") Heaven and earth have no preference, treat all things as straw dogs, and let them rise and fall by themselves.The sage has no preference, treats the common people as straw dogs, and lets them rise and fall on their own. "Ren" refers to favoritism, and "inhumanity" means no partiality at all, and treats everyone equally. According to Zhuangzi, "straw dog" refers to a dog made of grass.In ancient times, when people offered sacrifices to their ancestors, they put some straw dogs on the sacrificial table, which was equivalent to being with the ancestors; On the ground, people trampled on it, and even picked it up and burned it as firewood. Lao Tzu is a sober observer.He saw that there is heaven above and earth below, and all things in between are like ordinary people, with their own ups and downs, ups and downs; when a certain season comes, they grow and prosper; when a certain time comes, they wither and die;In the process from birth to death, heaven and earth have no preference.A flower blooms in spring and withers in summer; or it blooms in autumn and withers in winter.It cannot say, no, I have to be open in all seasons.What about other flowers?The natural world operates according to its own rules, without any emotional color.When you are on the stage during the prosperous season, you are very proud and at ease; once the season is over, you must step down and bow, accepting the arrangement of fate.Therefore, when people encounter many natural disasters, try not to have too complicated emotions. Don’t keep thinking about whether I did something wrong or God treats me badly. Sometimes the problems in nature are that no one can think through of. The sage imitates the heaven and the earth, so for the human world, let them rise and fall by themselves.There are four stages of prosperity and decline in ancient empires. God does not need to take special care of anyone, and he will follow the trend, and will not intervene in it and have a preference.Because once there is an eccentricity, the east wall must be moved to make up for the west wall. In the end, the left and right are overwhelmed, which is troublesome.This is the so-called "heaven and earth are not benevolent" and "sages are not benevolent". People live in the "unkind" world, is there any pain?Of course there is.How to look at these pains, Lao Tzu also said a word: I have a big patient because I have a body; and I have no body, why do I suffer? ("Laozi Thirteen Chapters") The reason why I have great troubles is because I have this body. If I don't have this body, what troubles will I have? This sentence is not easy to understand. How can a person live without a body?How can the body be the source of great trouble? "As long as I don't have a body, what trouble do I have?" People have a body, and there are various conditions that come with having a body, such as endless desires, demands for various material enjoyments, and fame and power in the world.However, the gains and losses of these things are often subject to external conditions, thus causing endless distress to oneself.That's why Lao Tzu said that people live such a hard life and are bound by others everywhere. They must endure humiliation and work hard to support this body. If you don't have this body, why do you need to do these things?Another example is that the body may be sick, and the sickness will feel painful.Furthermore, if you have a body, you will have face, and if you have an image, you will start to compete with others for fame and fortune.Fame and privacy both come from the body.If there is no body, there will be no troubles. Of course, Lao Tzu is not asking people to give up this body, as if I don’t want to live, I won’t have disasters and troubles.Some people say that I committed suicide because I saw it through.In fact, you killed yourself because you were wrong.You think that you can resolve the predicament of life in this way, but you don’t know that it is not resolution, but escaping and giving up, which completely violates the requirements of life.What Lao Tzu means is, people should not be too concerned about their own body, what I will eat, what I will drink, and what kind of fame and fortune I will get; I just want to make myself full of food and drink, rich and prosperous, but is this the real meaning of life?Taoism believes that people live to realize the "Tao", not to satisfy the desires of the body, and not to let the body become a burden.Lao Tzu's suggestion is that instead of waiting for catastrophe to strike, it is better to adjust one's concept of the body: the body should be valued and loved, the purpose is to remind and vigilant against oneself not to fall into catastrophe.If you really cherish your body, you must keep it from getting into trouble, which contains a very high expectation of self-cultivation.But Laozi also mentioned that overemphasis on maintenance will bring disaster to the body, because it violates the rules of health.Nowadays, many people suffer from the disease of wealth and wealth, and it is all related to this. The characteristic of Taoism is to look at the universe and life from the perspective of "Tao". "Tao" is the whole. Looking at it as a whole, one should not be too attached to all kinds of encounters in the world, whether it is natural disasters or personal tribulations.Because the pain in life comes from "ego attachment", thinking that I must be better than others, I must achieve a certain goal, or I must not encounter any difficulties.Try to go with the flow of life, don't care too much about the enjoyment of the body, don't be self-centered, and care about others as much as possible.At this time, your mind will open up, and your pain and troubles will naturally decrease.