There was a farce last night. A father cheated on his son's girlfriend, and his wife found out, so the four of them scuffled together on the street. Many onlookers exclaimed: The world has finally turned upside down into what I dare not imagine.
Actually, this is not the top of the world. The day before yesterday, there was also a news that a man named Blinken famously said: between countries, if you are not sitting at the table, you are on the menu.
I don't know who Blinken is, but I know that this quote from him is circulating online. This famous quote is a metaphor, if it is more like a human word, it means that the relationship between countries in this world is that of appropriation and appropriation. Either embezzle others, or be embezzled by others, simple and vivid.
But at first glance, this logic does not stand up to scrutiny. Now there are about 200 countries in the world, and if they are all divided into these two, then the encroached will be swallowed by the encroachers. In this way, there will be fewer and fewer countries. Eventually, those who are swallowed will be swallowed up. And among the remaining countries that have swallowed their pot, they will evolve into two poles, that is, the predators and the embezzlers. If this cycle continues, there will be only one country left in the world.
While we are talking about state-to-state relations, it is clear that Blinken's words also apply to people-to-people relationships. So when there is only one country left, people in the country will also encroach on each other. In the end, there is only one left, and there is no youth object? So the world will eventually perish.
Not only Chinese, but many people in many countries around the world do not believe in this theory. All think this statement is ridiculous. However, what few people know is that this theory has existed since ancient times, and it contributed to the advent of Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching.
The Tao Te Ching says: If you are not virtuous, you will not fight the people; Inexpensive and rare goods, so that the people will not be thieves; If you don't see what you want, the people's hearts will not be disturbed.
If we reverse these words, Lao Tzu means that the reason why the people fight is because the society respects the sages. People steal because society values valuables. The reason why people's hearts are confused is because there are too many desires.
Therefore, the Tao Te Ching proposes: Absolute sainthood and abandonment of wisdom, the people benefit a hundred times; Absolute benevolence and abandonment of righteousness, and the people restore filial piety; There are no thieves who abandon profit.
This is a solution to the chaos in the world. Of course, he proposed more than this one, and the famous idea of small countries and widows is also one of the methods. Let the country be as few as possible, let the people be as few as possible. Why? Because the relationship between nations is one of fighting with each other, and the relationship between people is one of overwhelming each other. If the country is as small as possible, there will be no struggle, and if the people are as few as possible, they will not be able to oppress each other.
Therefore, the theoretical basis behind the Tao Te Ching is the relationship between people and people who encroach on each other. Of course, it is also a relationship of encroachment between countries. However, the meaning of the kingdom at that time was not the same as that of today, and the kingdom at that time referred to the vassal states, ** the tribes in ancient times. Vassals are not sovereigns, Blinken is talking about sovereigns. Although the meaning is different, the theory behind it is the same. Whether it is a vassal state or a sovereign state, it is a specific interest group.
The environment in which Lao Tzu lived was the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. At that time, the Spring and Autumn Period competed for hegemony, the Warring States fought for power, and they fought each other, so it prompted Lao Tzu to think deeply. So there was the formation of the Tao Te Ching.
In fact, whether it is Blinken or Lao Tzu, their ideological foundation is not wrong. There is only one earth in the world, more than 200 countries, and there is indeed competition between countries. The goal of competition is access to the earth's resources. The relationship between people and people is essentially the same. Whether it is competition in the stadium, competition between enterprises, or even cooperation between peers, it is ultimately a competition for the earth's resources.
With that out of mind, let's look at the thoughts of Blinken and Lao Tzu. Because the relationship of competition cannot be changed, the relationship of mutual encroachment cannot be changed. Therefore, the birth and development of human beings in this matter will also be destroyed in this matter.
It's hopeless. Don't be too busy despairing, because more than 2,000 years ago, another school of thought gave us a solution. This is the "Great Dai Li Ji" proposed that "the road is also the world for the public".
The Dao here has the same meaning as the Tao of Xuanzhi and Xuanzhi that Lao Tzu talked about, both of which refer to the logic of the world itself. The competitive relationship between people and between countries is also one of the logics of the world itself. But this is social logic, not natural logic. The sermon here speaks of the logic of nature, that is, the law of natural development. Human beings are subject to nature, so natural logic is higher than social logic.
Regularity forms rules. Rules form ideas. When people understand the laws of natural development and act according to them, the relationship between the people of the world will no longer be a competitive one, but one in which they will jointly maintain civilization. This is the world for the public. This is the ultimate Confucian ideal.
This looks idealistic. However, when science and technology develop to a certain height, thus promoting people's understanding of this universe to a certain height, people will eventually realize that competition brings destruction, and public spirit brings eternity. So although Blinken and Lao Tzu's thinking is logical, this logic will change.
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