A famous quote that is misunderstood
Lao Tzu said in the "Tao Te Ching" that "heaven and earth are unkind, and all things are used as dogs", which has been misread for thousands of years!
Lao Tzu lived in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, which was an era of war.
He saw the decline of the Zhou royal family and the hardships of the people, and his heart was worried. So when he left the Zhou royal family and went to Hangu Pass, he was invited by Guan Ling Yin Xi to write the "Tao Te Ching", a masterpiece of the world.
In the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu describes the greatness and tolerance of heaven and earth, and he believes that heaven and earth do not have a benevolent heart, but look at all things in the world with a natural and inaction-inaction attitude.
The "benevolence" here is not the spirit of benevolence advocated by Confucianism, but a spirit of selfless dedication.
Lao Tzu believes that heaven and earth treat all things like dogs during sacrifices, although dogs are valued at the time of sacrifice, but they are discarded after the sacrifice, and heaven and earth treat all things in the same way, and all things are equal in the eyes of heaven and earth.
Lao Tzu contrasted this view with the current state of society at the time.
At that time, it was widely believed that a saint should have a loving heart and care for the lives of the people.
Lao Tzu believed that if the sage treated the people like heaven and earth, that is, did not interfere with the lives of the people with a heart of benevolence, then the people could live a free and easy life. This concept is in stark contrast to the Confucian idea of benevolence and governance.
Lao Tzu also used a vivid metaphor to describe the relationship between heaven and earth and all things. He likened heaven and earth to a giant bellows that, although empty inside, was capable of generating endless energy.
This parable tells us that although heaven and earth seem to be indifferent, they are actually silently influencing the growth and development of all things.
Lao Tzu also warned people that too much rhetoric and ostentation would lead to failure. He advocated that people should maintain inner tranquility and peace, and conform to the laws of natural development. This concept still has a strong enlightening significance for people in modern society.
Later generations have misunderstood this view of Lao Tzu, thinking that the ideas of "going with the flow" and "ruling by doing nothing" advocated by him are too negative, and even misunderstand it as a kind of strategy.
In fact, these views of Lao Tzu were indeed not very suitable in the social context of the time, because at that time, people urgently needed to establish a completely new ruling order, and Lao Tzu's ideas obviously could not meet this need.
Author: Wang Gongjian.