Text/Coriander
The brave are fearless, the words we can often hear, and it is a kind of praise for the brave people. Confucius said that "the brave are not afraid", and also said that "a gentleman is afraid". The two seem to have contradictions, but in fact, they are a kind of human realm advocated by Confucius.
Brave people are not actually not afraid, but beyond fear, because he knows that fear is useless, only by overcoming fear can things be done successfully.
But beyond fear, it is not to ignore everything, just to bury your head forward. If so, it is impossible to get things done. For there are some things that need to be feared; there are some people and things that cannot be offended.
Therefore, Confucius had the ideological theory of "a gentleman is afraid". Among them, "a gentleman has three fears: fear of the Mandate of Heaven, fear of adults, and fear of the words of saints." At the top of the "three fears" is the "fear of the Mandate of Heaven." What is the Mandate of Heaven? The Mandate of Heaven is the will of Heaven, the law of nature.
Man cannot compete with nature, because man's power is limited after all. The old people on our side always say a word, called "heaven is long and life is short", in fact, it means that people are only a momentary existence between a long heaven and earth, and they cannot be opposed to god.
I remember when I was a child, I liked a poem "Qin Shi Mingyue Han Shi Guan". The bright moon during the Qin Dynasty was still that round of bright moon in the Han Dynasty, and to this day, what hangs high in the air is still that round of bright moon! Between heaven and earth, there will be no change because of the change of dynasties.
Therefore, there are lyrics such as "the heavens and the earth are leisurely, and the passers-by are in a hurry". Therefore, people know that they can't resist the sky. If you can forcibly oppose the laws of nature, you will eventually fail.
Therefore, the brave have no fear, no fear, under the premise of not deviating from the laws of nature, not violating human beliefs, and not forgetting the good thoughts of the world. Only fearlessness under these conditions is truly courageous behavior.
For example, in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Guan Yu rides alone for thousands of miles, escorts Liu Bei's two wives to meet Liu Bei, and passes through five levels and beheads six generals. Guan Yu can be regarded as a true brave, because he follows the faith and righteousness in the "Taoyuan Three Knots of Righteousness".
Cao Cao admired Guan Yu and repeatedly wanted to keep him for his own use. However, Guan Yu was concerned about Liu Bei and did not forget the feeling of righteousness, so he was unwilling to serve Cao Cao. According to the situation at that time, it was definitely much easier to become an official in Cao Cao's office than to follow Liu Bei. However, Guan Yu is not greedy for glory and wealth, what he believes in is brotherhood and the will to make a righteousness.
There is also Zhao Yun, who saved Ah Dou among the ten thousand armies and fought in blood, just to repay Liu Bei's kindness. His courage is not reckless, nor unscrupulous, but based on loyalty. Therefore, the names of "Changsheng General Zhao Zilong" and "Changshan Zhao Zilong" can make the enemy feel frightened.
The reason why these two brave people can go down in history is because they are both brave and "gentlemen". They have nothing to fear, but at the same time they are "afraid", they follow their hearts' wishes, they follow the promise of faithfulness, righteousness, and faith.
In reality, how many people can achieve "the brave without fear", and at the same time can achieve "gentleman is afraid"? Businessmen are profit-heavy, and interests are the primary consideration in everything; the "drama" is ruthless, and how many marriage and divorce dramas are performed by the entertainment industry every day; family affection is priceless? How many brothers and sisters fight for a little bit of property to break the net!
Therefore, there is reverence in the heart, and there are beliefs and morals that can restrain oneself, in order to achieve their own value on the road of life.
If I only talk about braves, I want to call those who bravely climb Everest brave, and no one should object. However, in my heart, those who can't reach the top of Mount Everest, but pick up "garbage" in the middle of the mountain, are the real braves.
Similarly, when I walk on other famous mountains and encounter the "sanitation workers" who are tied around their waists and walk on the cliffs, my heart is always saluting them.
The brave have no fear, and the gentleman has fear. Confucius had this kind of enlightenment more than 2,000 years ago, but today, more than 2,000 years later, how much enlightenment do we have?
In fact, in everyone's heart, there should be some "fear". Because there is "fear", only "courage" can be justified.