Secondly, Confucius also proposed "self-denial and retribution for benevolence". Restraining one's desires is the first and most crucial step in practicing benevolence.
Because in society, no matter what class of people, there are all kinds of desires, and it is these desires that cause the chaos and darkness of society.
Is it a fish or a bear's paw?The reason is very clear, but when it comes to making a decision, it may not be really understood. Therefore, it is common for us to see some profit-hungry people who do not hesitate to take risks in order to grab ill-gotten gains, or are imprisoned, and some even lose their lives.
Therefore, Confucius proposed that the first thing is to restrain one's desires. Marx once described human greed when he said: "With ten percent profit, capital is ready to move."With two hundred percent profits, capital gets carried away;And with a 300 percent profit, then the gallows are done. "Marx is talking about capital here, but how can it not be human greed?
Of course, this is not enough, and the second step is to reciprocate. Of course, this "rite" refers to the various moral norms put forward in the book "Zhou Li", and in a nutshell, this "rite" refers to public morality. This proposes that we should use public morality to restrain and regulate our own behavior.
If we have achieved "do not do unto others as you would have them do unto you" and "self-denial and repentance", then we have the character of benevolence.
However, it is still very arduous and arduous to truly and comprehensively promote benevolence, righteousness and morality, so Zeng Zi said: "Scholars cannot fail to carry out Hongyi, and there is a long way to go." Benevolence is one's own responsibility, and it is not also importantDeath is gone, isn't it far away?Zeng Tzu used "there is a long way to go" and "after death" to illustrate the difficulty and burdensomeness of implementing benevolence, righteousness and morality.
This quote from Zengzi can really be used as our motto, and reading it every day will stimulate our will and shake our spirits.
People need to have a little spirit.