Now that we've talked about "morality", let's talk about "virtue"; I won't talk about the meaning of the so-called "virtue", but I want to ask, do you know the difference between humans and animals? I asked.

At this time, Liu Xie couldn't help but say: "I know this, people are polite, righteous and honest, but animals don't." ”

I shook my head and said, "No, beasts also have good manners and shame, but people don't know it. ”

"Huh? What do you mean by that? Liu Xie asked puzzled. At this time, the Empress Dowager He on the side was also a little puzzled.

I said, "I can use the wolf as an example; In my hometown, there was a survey of wolves, and in each group of wolves there would be a leader, and all the people in the tribe would obey the leader's orders on their own, which can be described as "etiquette"; And when the tribe is attacked by foreign predators, all the tribesmen will come forward to fight the predator to the death, which can be described as "righteousness"; When the group goes out together to catch prey, the leader will share the prey with all the tribesmen to eat, so as to ensure the normal development and growth of the group, which can be described as "cheap"; And whenever a subordinate violates the authority of the chief, after the leader has taught him a lesson, he will not easily disobey it, which can be described as "shame". Therefore, animals and animals are as polite and honest as humans. ”

"Oh, I see." The two of them couldn't help but nod their heads in relief, and then Liu Xie asked again: "What is the difference between a man and a beast?" ”

I replied, "The most fundamental difference between man and beast is that man has "morality", while beast does not; If one day the beast also has "morality", then the beast will no longer be a "beast"; On the other hand, if people lose their morality, then they are likely to be inferior to animals. ”

Empress Dowager He couldn't help but nod and said, "In this way, it does make sense; As the saying goes, tiger poison does not eat children, but some people are - alas! ”

She sighed as she spoke, looking very sad. Suddenly, I couldn't help but think that maybe in the eyes of others, she was the ruthless and tough Empress Dowager He, but I could see that she had another sentimental side. Maybe no matter how bad people in this world are, there is a good side, but most people are often not good at discovering it. I believe that no one wants to be a bad person, just because people often have a lot of helplessness in reality, and they have to do something they shouldn't do. But if you want to break the shackles that reality imposes on you, then you have to reverse your thinking and change your thinking.

I smiled slightly, and then said: "Actually, in the world of beasts, there is often only survival and profit, and there is no morality at all; But people are different, usually a virtuous person even if you treat him badly, he will also repay his grievances with virtue; Therefore, I understand "virtue" as "state of mind", that is, "the attitude of one's heart in the face of changes in external things". ”

"There is a saying in my hometown that "mentality is the first", and there is also a saying in the "Plain Book" called "Don't precede the cultivation of virtue"; This shows that the ancients realized the importance of "mentality" a long time ago, so they had the view that "self-cultivation first cultivates the mind"; So what is the cultivation of the mind? It is the word "virtue" that is cultivated. ”

Liu Xie couldn't help but sigh with relief: "Oh, no wonder Sage Kong wants to advocate that people should first have "virtue" before they can be called people. ”

I nodded and said, "That's right; Speaking of which, Confucius's comprehension of the truth is still relatively correct, but he cannot express it more accurately and colloquially in words and words, so that in the eyes of some people, it is just some superficial truth. ”

"Oh." Liu Xie nodded, and then asked, "Then how to "cultivate virtue"? ”

I replied, "If you want to cultivate virtue, you must first understand what are the properties of virtue? Virtue is mainly divided into two situations - virtue and pseudo-virtue; The so-called "virtue" refers to "the good deeds without any purpose", and the so-called "false virtue" refers to "the good deeds mixed with personal selfishness". As an inquisitive and progressive person, we should know how to distinguish between what kind of behavior is virtue and what kind of behavior is false virtue with our own "view of right and wrong", so that we will not be confused between right and wrong. ”

Empress Dowager He couldn't help but nod and said, "Well, hearing you say this, the mourning family suddenly became enlightened. ”

Liu Xie couldn't help but say: "Yes, since ancient times, there has never been a person who can say the great avenue of the world so clearly, as if as long as he is human, he can understand it. ”

I smiled and said, "The truth is meant to make people understand more and more when they listen to it." ”

The two nodded, and Empress Dowager He couldn't help but ask again: "Then what is "benevolence"? ”

I replied: "Back then, Confucius not only advocated the word "virtue", but also promoted the word "benevolence"; The so-called "benevolent love others" is still true, but not everyone can do it; Because human hearts have their own selfish side, Confucius only understood "benevolence" simply as "loving others", which seems to be a bit wishful thinking; Qu Yuan once said, "The road is long, I will go up and down and seek"; That's why I understand "benevolence" as "cultivation." ”

The so-called "cultivation" means "cultivation and self-cultivation"; Its extended meaning is "in order to keep oneself from harming others, and constantly cultivating one's self-cultivation, that is, a person who is willing to change himself in order to be kind to others is a benevolent person"; To put it bluntly, if you can not hurt others, then you are considered a "good person", and if you can take the initiative to treat others kindly, then you are a "benevolent person". ”

"I see." The two nodded in understanding.

By "righteousness," I understand it as "character." Presumably, some people can understand the truth that all those who are righteous are upright in their conduct; The word "righteousness" not only contains the character of the unashamed, but also contains the noble personality; For example, what you often say about loyalty, filial piety, and love for others is actually a manifestation of "righteousness"; Think about it, if you are not righteous to the king, will you be loyal to him? If you are not righteous to your parents, will you be filial to them? Will you love your children if you are unrighteous to them? Apparently not. ”

Why, then, do people need the attribute of righteousness? For if the world is unrighteous, then the way of the world will be in turmoil; Just because the unrighteous people are usually selfish people, and the selfish people will always fight with others for their own interests; Therefore, once the number of unrighteous people increases, the world will be chaotic. ”

"So how does it count as "righteousness"? Liu Xie couldn't help but ask curiously.

I smiled and replied, "It's very simple, a person with a sense of self-motivation, responsibility, and responsibility is a "righteous person". ”

"Oh, I see." Liu Xie nodded with relief. Empress Dowager He on the side also nodded in agreement.

I looked at the two of them, and then continued, "Finally, let's talk about the meaning of the word "li"; The so-called "etiquette" is understood by "quality", which is embodied in "respect for others", that is, "not easily imposing one's will on others"; Just as Confucius once said, "Do not do unto others as you would have them do unto you", which is such a truth; And these people to be respected also include their parents, partners, and children. ”

In fact, you can also imagine that if everyone in this world can do their duty as a human being, everyone does not have to force others to do what they do not want to do, and everyone can unite and love and help each other, then our country and nation will become more and more civilized and richer? Obviously, that's for sure; However, to use a saying in my hometown, "the ideal is full, the reality is skinny", this beautiful wish is just an illusion. ”

Empress Dowager He couldn't help but smile and said, "You are really funny when you speak; Actually, fantasy or not, that's just the beginning; The mourners believe that one day, you will be able to achieve what you want. ”

Liu Xie couldn't help but nod and said: "The Queen Mother is right, a wise and talented person like Min Changshi, my Han family can get your assistance, it's really a blessing!" It's a pity that the royal brother ran to play and couldn't listen to Min Changshi's teachings here. ”

At this time, Empress Dowager He looked at Liu Xie with a smile and said, "It's okay, it doesn't matter if you're there, as long as you're there." ”

"Why?" Liu Xie was puzzled.

She replied, "You'll know later." ”

"Oh." Liu Xie couldn't help but scratch his head, it was really a little unclear.

In life, you should dare to think, dare to act, and dare to be, so as to live up to what you have in this world. If you don't do anything, then your life is worthless. You may be limited in what you can do to do something useful, but the value of your existence will be infinite.

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