Lao Tzu, as a representative of Taoist philosophy, emphasizes the principles of "rule by doing nothing", "conforming to nature", and "indisputable". In the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu advocates a state of nature that transcends conventional moral concepts, and he does not particularly emphasize sacrificing one's life for the sake of a certain moral concept. Lao Tzu believed that people should conform to the way of heaven and pursue inner peace and harmony with nature, rather than overemphasizing social obligations or moral norms.
The concept of "sacrificing one's life for righteousness" was first published in Mencius, and it is an important proposition of Mencius, that is, when justice and life cannot be both, one should choose to sacrifice one's life for righteousness. Mencius emphasized here the importance of moral ideals, arguing that some moral values are even higher than life itself.
As for "helping others," this is a common concept in Confucianism and other moral systems, emphasizing that helping others is a virtue. Although Lao Tzu does not directly mention this concept, in the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu does mention the idea that "good deeds have no traces", emphasizing that good deeds should come naturally and without revealing traces, which is to some extent in common with the spirit of helping others.
To sum up, Lao Tzu's thought focuses more on the relationship between the individual and nature, rather than on moral sacrifice or social obligation in the traditional sense. His ideological system is different from Mencius's "sacrificing one's life for righteousness", but to a certain extent, it can be considered that his "non-action" and "good deeds without traces" are a manifestation of extremely high moral cultivation.
In my opinion, when an individual's virtue is perfected, good deeds are naturally integrated into daily life, and there is no need to deliberately show the act of helping othersIf 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, so that your heart is not disturbed。This is the foundation of social harmony!
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