Following the previous three stories, the fourth chapter of Zhuangzi's inner chapter, "The World", begins to use trees as an example, which is about "useless use".

The first example is that a useless tree survived because it was useless and achieved its "tree life." Not only was it not cut down, but it was worshiped as a tree god by the people around him because of his longevity.

That's uselessness!

Not only did he save his life uselessly, but he also became a tree god because of his longevity, is it worth pondering?

The second example is of another big tree, which is also a useless tree. But! It avoids felling because it is large.

Attention! In the first case, the big tree lived a long life because it was useless, and it became a tree god and was worshipped by people because of its longevity. And in the second case, the big tree survived because it was useless and big. One survived because of uselessness and longevity, becoming a tree god. One survived because of the increase in uselessness. If they were useless, they would have been cut down.

Attention! What is the metaphor of these two examples?

Values!

Did we notice? Values!

What criteria do we use to measure the value of things?

These two big trees, from a woody point of view, are useless trees. Because their wood is not good, it is a useless wood.

In other words, from a woody point of view, these two trees are worthless. But! If we look at it from another angle, that is, if we talk about it from a different value, they have value.

For example! The first tree! From a wooden point of view, it is useless wood. But from another point of view, it's valuable. This tree was not cut down because it was useless, and thus became the tree of longevity, became the god of trees, and was worshipped by the world.

Why do people worship the tree of longevity?

Because! In troubled times, people see the hope of longevity from the tree of longevity, and see the hope of life. I hope that I and my family can live as long as this tree, thus giving the world spiritual sustenance.

From this point of view! The tree is valuable, it is useful.

The other tree, from a woody point of view, is useless. But from another point of view, it's valuable. Because it is tall, you can enjoy the shade under the big trees. So! It went from being a useless tree to a useful tree.

Do we see the problem in these two cases?

Isn't it? As long as we look at the problem from a different angle, there will be different results. If you look at the problem with a different set of values, the result will be different, and the useless will become useful.

Therefore! We extend this to the human body. May I ask? Are we a useful person? Or is it a useless person?

The same way! Let's put it another way, maybe? We are a useful person. Maybe? We are a useless person.

Therefore! Let's take it a step further? Both Confucianism and the world criticize Taoism as passivity, non-action, escapism, etc., so? Is it true? Or is it a family word?

Let alone! In fact, this is not the case, Taoist thought is not negative, but has been misunderstood and misunderstood by academic spies and the world.

Whether Confucianism and the world are misunderstood or misunderstood, from the perspective of Confucianism itself, Taoism is passive and inactive, etc., just like the world looks at the two useless trees, from the perspective of wood. And if we look at it from a different angle, maybe! It's not "useless". But! Great use!

Therefore! We can see that there is a difference between Confucianism and Taoism in terms of cognition and values. So! The result is different.

Just like it is rare to be confused, sometimes, being confused will open the sky. That being the case! What's so bad about being confused? Sometimes! If you are confused, you can face the things that are difficult to deal with in front of you, so what's the bad about being confused?

In fact! It's rare to be confused, and it's never just the examples given above. In life, there are often cases of confusion.

If there is a benefit to being confused and can solve the problem in front of us, why should we be blindly smart?

Back to business! Since there are different values and different angles of looking at problems, the results are different, and there is no such thing as "useless" and "useful". From this point of view, values are considered useless, and from that point of view, values are considered useful, so! There is no need to dwell on what is useful and useless, how it is conducive to our survival, how we can live!

When usefulness is conducive to our survival, we become a useful person. When uselessness is conducive to our survival, let's be a useless person!

Later in The World, Zhuangzi gives another specific example to illustrate what is useful and what is useless.

There was a man named Fragmented, whose chin was hidden under his navel, his shoulders were higher than the top of his head, the hair under the back of his head was in a bun pointing to the sky, the outlets of his facial features were all upward, and his two thighs and ribs were born together.

It should be a dead end, right?

But that's not the case!

He sewed clothes and washed clothes for people, enough to make ends meet; He also sifted chaff and dustpan for others, enough to feed ten people. When the monarch was conscripting, everyone else hid, and the ghosts cried and the wolves howled. But the detachment is not, he walks around in front of the conscripts with his sleeves and arms raised, the conscription officials do not hang him at all, and no one wants him to be a soldier; The king had a great servant coming, and he was exempted from servitude because of his disability; The monarch gave rice and millet to the disabled, and received three bells of grain and ten bundles of firewood and grass when they were estranged.

A person who is as physically crippled as he is is enough to support himself and live out his old age. And how much more about us? Can't we, as able-bodied people, find a way to survive in this society?

Other than that! Zhuangzi also gave an example of the opposite, that is, the uselessness of being useful in life.

Compared to fragmentation, Confucius was a useful person, right? He was known as a saint by later generations. But he? But he traveled around the world and lived in trouble. Our saints, in the face of life, are not even as disabled as a disabled person.

Therefore? What else do we need to use to deceive others, to judge "useful" and "useless"?

Zhuangzi said in "The World on Earth":

When Confucius was in the state of Chu, the hermit of the state of Chu came to the door of Confucius and said, "O phoenix, O phoenix bird!" How did you end up in this decaying country?

No matter how beautiful the world will be in the future, we don't know if we can wait until that day. The days of the past, no matter how painful they were, are over.

The world is governed because there are kings of sages. The world is chaotic, and the sages have to only care about themselves and survive.

In this day and age, it is better to think about what you can do to avoid torture and humiliation. Happiness is lighter than a feather, and you don't know how to achieve it; The calamity is heavier than the earth, and I don't know what to dodge it.

Forget it, forget it! Don't declare your virtue before men. Dangerous! Dangerous! Artificially carve a path for people to follow, tie the hands of the world. Do not hinder my walking, O thorns everywhere! Don't hurt my feet, O winding road! I want to be free! I want the freedom of human nature! ”

The trees on the mountain are cut down because of their useful material, and the candles lit by grease are fed and frozen. The bark of the laurel tree was fragrant and edible, so it was cut down, and the lacquer was cut by knives and axes because it could be used to coat wood. People know what is useful, but they don't know what is more useful than what is useless.

When usefulness is conducive to our survival, we become a useful person. When uselessness is conducive to our survival, let's be a useless person!