The friends we make and the environment we live in have a subtle impact on us

[Depending on one's relatives, the rich see what they are with, the rich see what they do, the poor see what they do not do, and the poor see what they do not take, the five are enough to determine it. This passage is from the Qunshu Zhizhi, volume 11, "History".

This passage comes from an allusion. Once, Wei Wenhou said to Li Ke (also called Li Wu in a place, he implemented a change of law in the State of Wei to make the State of Wei strong): "Sir once taught the widow that if the family is poor, you must think of a virtuous wife, and if the country is in turmoil, you must think of a virtuous wife. Now it is necessary to arrange the prime minister, and the candidate for the prime minister is either a son or Zhai Huang, how do you see these two people? ”

Without a direct answer, Li Ke said these words: "'Depend on his relatives,' usually look at who he is close to; 'rich depend on what he is with', and when he is rich, he looks at who he associates with or gives; 'when he is rich, he looks at who he associates with or gives; 'when he looks at what he does', when he is manifest, he looks at who he is promoting; 'Poor sees what he doesn't do', and when he is poor, he looks at what he does not want to do; 'Poor sees what he does not take', and when he is poor, he sees whether he does not take it." These five points are enough to determine the candidate for the prime minister. After Wei Wenhou listened, he said, "Sir, please come back, the candidate for the prime minister has already been decided." ”

Li Ke walked out quickly and visited Zhai Huang's house. Zhai Huang asked, "Today I heard that the monarch summoned Mr. To choose the prime minister, who became the prime minister?" Li Ke said, "Wei Chengzi has become prime minister." Zhai Huang changed his face in anger as soon as he heard it, and he said, "Which point am I worse than Wei Chengzi?" He also gave a few examples below, "The defender of Xihe was recommended by me; the monarch was most worried about the internal situation was Yi County, and I recommended Ximen Leopard; the monarch mainly planned to attack the Zhongshan Kingdom, and I recommended LeYang; after the zhongshan attack, no one could be sent to the town to defend, and I recommended Mr.; the monarch's son had no master, so I recommended Qu Houyu." Which point am I worse than Wei Chengzi? ”

After hearing this, Li Ke said, "Is your purpose in recommending me to the monarch in order to form a party for personal gain and seek to become a high official?" When the monarch asked about arranging the chancellor, he said, 'Either chengzi or Zhai Huang, how are these two people?' I replied, 'This is because you are not paying attention to the investigation.' Usually look at who he is close to, look at who he recommends when he is noble, see what he does not do when he is unhappy, see what he does not want to do when he is poor, and see what he does not want when he is poor. With these five points, it is enough to decide, why ask me Li Ke? Therefore, I knew that Wei Chengzi was going to be the prime minister. How can you compare with Wei Chengzi? Wei Chengzi had a thousand bells of Feng Lu, but nine-tenths of them were used outside, and only one-tenth was used in his own home, and he hired Bu Zixia, Tian Zifang, and Duan Ganmu from the east, all three of whom the monarch regarded as teachers. And the five people you recommend, the monarch makes them vassals. How can you compare with Wei Chengzi? ”

Zhai Huang was also a reasonable person, and after hesitating, he prayed again and said, "I Zhai Huang is a shallow person who speaks very inappropriately, and I am willing to be your disciple for life." Li Ke told Wei Wenhou that these five criteria to determine the candidate for the prime minister were indeed not selfish and convincing people with reason.

"Live according to his relatives", usually look at the people he is close to. What kind of people are close to, and why is it so important? In the "Lü's Spring and Autumn", it is recorded that there is a person in the Chu state who is good at looking at faces, and he has seen many people, and none of them is wrong. King Zhuang of Chu asked him about the mystery. He said, "I'm not going to show people, I'm just good at observing what kind of friends this person makes." If this person is a commoner, the friends he has made can honor his parents, love his brothers, respect his elders, be kind and kind, behave cautiously, and fear the law, such a person, his family will live better and better day by day, and his body and mind will become more and more stable day by day, and such a person will be called a Jiren. If this person is a courtier who serves the monarch, and the friends he makes are honest and trustworthy, who likes character and virtue, such a person will serve the monarch better and better every day, and his official position will rise higher and higher day by day, and such a courtier will be called a jichen. If this person is a monarch, his courtiers are all virtuous men, and the people who serve left and right can be loyal and dedicated, and once he commits a mistake, these courtiers can make a mistake and correct him, such a monarch, his country will become more and more stable day by day, he himself will be more and more respected day by day, and the people of the world will be more and more satisfied and convinced day by day, and such a monarch will be called the lord of ji. So, I don't look at people, I just look at the friends this person makes. ”

The person who looks at the picture can determine his future and destiny just by observing the friends he has interacted with. This shows that which people we usually associate closely with is not a small problem, but a big problem related to our own future and destiny, and we cannot but be cautious.

In the "Qunshu Zhizhi Mozi", it is explained that the truth of "near Zhu is red, and near ink is black". After Mozi saw the process of dyeing silk, he sighed and said: "The white silk is put into the cyan pigment for washing and dyeing, and it becomes cyan; put it into the yellow dye to wash and dye, and take it out to become yellow." If the paint is put in changes, the color of the washed silk will also change. White silk is put into five different colors of pigment, and it becomes five different colors. Therefore, we cannot be careless about the people, things, and material environments that we are impregnated with. ”

This story is very vivid, Mozi through the process of seeing the silk to give people inspiration, tell us that the friends we have made, as well as the environment in which we are located, have a subtle and unconscious impact on a person, reminding us to "kiss gentlemen, far from small people", to make friends who are helpful to the improvement of their own virtue.