Follow the grass and read more classic poems
I once saw the old man of Bingxin inscribing a motto for others: "Contentment is insufficient, there is something to do and there is no action." "Concise and informative. Two short close-up essays with a little interpretation. Let's start with contentment and inadequacy.
First, contentment
There is an old Chinese saying: "Contentment is always happy." "Obey for all. What is "contentment"? Let's look up the dictionary first.
The Modern Chinese Dictionary says: "Contentment: Contentment with what has been obtained (referring to life, wishes, etc.). "If everyone can be satisfied with what has been obtained, then society will be stable, and the world will be peaceful, and this truth is obvious."
However, there will always be some people in society who are restless and keep to themselves, and toads want to eat swan meat. Such people often have to plant big heels. For them, the phrase "contentment" becomes a panacea. However, contentment or dissatisfaction also depends on the occasion.
In the old society, the poor ate grass root bark, and the broad people ate bird's nest shark fin. On such occasions, can you persuade the poor to be satisfied? On the contrary, they should be encouraged not to be satisfied and to rise up and fight. Such dissatisfaction is justified and of great significance, it can uphold social justice and promote the progress of human society.
In addition to the occasion, contentment also has a problem of fèn. What is a score? In a nutshell, it is the appropriate limit. People often say "an divide", "non-points", etc., refers to the limit.
This limit is also extremely difficult to grasp, and it varies from person to person and from place to place. If you can barely find a standard, it is "convention". I think that the reason why the old man of Bingxin wrote this sentence is only to persuade people to think less.
Second, insufficient knowledge
As for the lack of knowledge, although it is literally the same in Chinese, its meaning is different. The so-called "deficiency" here refers to "deficiency", "imperfect place". This phrase is associated with "self-knowledge".
Since ancient times, there is an old saying in China: "People are valuable and have self-knowledge." This sentence implies to us that it is not easy to be self-aware, otherwise this sentence would not need to be said. And indeed it is. For example, most of the people I see feel good about themselves.
Speaking of academic circles, some people have not read a few books, but they do not know the sky is high, they think of themselves as geniuses, and they rely on their own little wisdom - can this be regarded as smart? ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Such people often have nothing to show.
Because, there is an old Chinese saying: "Learning is like sailing against the current, if you don't advance, you will retreat." There is also an old Chinese saying: "There is no end to learning the sea." "All that is said is the truth. But in the eyes of these people, they have exhausted the source of learning from the sea, there is no way forward, and progress is not necessary. What else can they do besides self-appreciation?
The ancient Greeks also thought that self-knowledge was precious, so they said in a serious tone, "Know yourself"!
China and Greece are thousands of miles apart, but they have said almost exactly the same things, which shows that these words are universal truths. The history of ideas and science at home and abroad for thousands of years has also proved the fact that only those who do not know enough can contribute to human culture.
Third, there is a way
"For" means "to do". What should be done, must be done, this is "promising". What should not be done must not be done, which is "there is no action". Here, the key is the word "should".
What is "should"? This is a bit like the word "righteousness" of benevolence. Han Yu's definition of the word "righteousness" is "righteousness that is appropriate for doing". "Righteousness" means "appropriate", and "appropriate" means "appropriate", that is, "should", but the problem is still not solved.
If you want to clarify this problem philosophically and ethically, I am afraid that you will have to write a long paper, or even a big book. I don't have the ability to do that, and I don't think it's necessary at all.
I think that as long as we appeal to the conscience and conscience that ordinary people can have, we can distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil, and we can know what should be done and what should not be done.
The ancient Chinese said, "Do not act with kindness and smallness, and do not act with evil." ”
It can be seen that there is a difference between good and evil, and there should be a difference in size, and it is not all on the same level.
What is big and what is small? There is no need for tedious arguments here, just a brain, open your eyes and look at society, which is enough.
Small evils and small goodness can be seen at any time in daily life, for example, giving up seats to the elderly and patients on the bus can be regarded as small good; if you can't let it, you can only be regarded as a small evil, which is not enough to rebel against the law. However, from those who immediately pretend to be closed-eyed and recuperate as soon as they see an elderly person or a sick person get on the bus, can't we also see the level of social morality from small to large?
Fourth, there is no action
As for the great good and the great evil, it can also be seen in the current society, but it is seen more clearly in history.
For example, Wen Tianxiang of the Song Dynasty, he was captured by the Yuan army, if he wanted to live, he could just bend his knees and surrender to the enemy, not only could he live, but he could also have a big official to do it, at most he was listed in the "Biography of the Second Minister" behind him, "Who is not in charge behind him", why do so much. However, he gave "The Song of Righteousness" a lofty title, calmly fulfilled his righteousness, and left behind a british name and an ancient legend, which still inspires the patriotic enthusiasm of the people of our country.
By giving the example of a small evil and a great good given above, we can probably get a general idea of the great and small good and the big and small evil.
Anything that is beneficial to the country, to the people, and to the future of human development is a great good, and vice versa is a great evil. Anything that is beneficial to the handling of interpersonal relations and to the maintenance of social stability and unity can be called small good, and vice versa is a small evil.
Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between sizes, it's just a general outline.
Small good and big evil are sometimes linked. As the saying goes: The of a thousand miles collapses in the ant nest. ”
In terms of the embezzlement that is often mentioned in front of us, it is often to embezzle a small amount of property first, and there is still a little drumming in the heart.
However, once it succeeded, tasted the sweetness, and was not discovered, so the boldness grew, the number of corruption also increased, and finally it was out of control, and finally it was punished by the law, and it was too late to regret it.
There are also a few people who know the times, who are lost and know how to return, that is, the so-called prodigal son who returns, but it is difficult!
My hope is simple, I hope that everyone can do something and not do something. Once the "for" is wrong, it is resolutely turned back.