"Alas! You man! The shopkeeper sighed: "It's really hard to talk to your teachers and students. You're fighting me again, aren't you? Alas! ”

Seeing that Confucius's thinking pattern was similar to Min Ziqian's, the shopkeeper shook his head. Seeing that Confucius was still looking at him with a bewildered expression, the shopkeeper was all laughed at by him.

said: "What I am talking about, you still haven't made it clear!" I'm really convinced! I'm talking about theoretically, we can just do it without affecting the lives and survival of others. And in real life, how can you do it? Isn't it?

In real life, it is difficult for us not to affect the lives and survival of others, not because we can't do it ourselves, but! Forced by life and environment, forced to do so! We can do it without affecting other people's lives, but! If we are not careful, our lives will be affected by others. Outcome! In order to survive, we have to influence the lives and survival of others. There is no way! That's life! That's the reality!

Theoretically speaking, are Taoist rules simple? Isn't it? Taoism sums it up in a simple sentence, isn't it? Taoists say! As long as we don't affect the lives and survival of others, our way of life is right! Isn't it? How simple?

And you! Dogma with me again, don't you? I'm talking about complexity, that's the application in life! Our theory is very simple, but! Applied to life, life is complicated!

The living environment is complex, so it becomes complicated. It's not that the theory is complicated, you don't want to be dogmatic with me, but it's complicated to apply and deal with.

If we want to be so unaffected and not affected by others in real life, we must be flexible, flexibly respond to the real environment, and make adaptations! So! It's complicated.

It is not that the theory is complicated, but that it is complicated to flexibly respond to the situation and situation in reality on the basis of not violating the theory. ”

Confucius interrupted: "So! We need to set out rules and regulations to restrain and restrain the behavior of the world. So! We must abide by the weekly etiquette, the weekly system, and self-denial! ……”

The shopkeeper interrupted: "The point is! In troubled times, who will enforce and administer justice? Who will punish those who do not obey the law? Don't be dogmatic with me, you are the king and the son of heaven, and the officials at all levels are yourself! Don't be dogmatic!

In real life, with the Zhou rites, the Zhou system, and the rules and regulations you mentioned, it ultimately did not bind or constrain the Son of Heaven, kings, and hereditary aristocratic officials. And quite the opposite! It has restrained and restrained the broad masses of the people.

The reason why the world is chaotic! It is because the Son of Heaven did not fulfill the responsibility of the Son of Heaven. Don't talk to me about dogma, saying how the Son of Heaven is, the Son of Heaven has been hollowed out, and he does not have the ability to control the princes and kings below. Don't? Isn't the Son of Heaven wrong? If he has not fulfilled the duty of the Son of Heaven, he should not sit in the position of the Son of Heaven, for there is no Son of Heaven in the world, only princes and kings.

The Son of Heaven can't do his job, what else can he do? Sitting in the position of the Son of Heaven is not the same as mortals, in order to live, in order to live a life that is superior to the common people and luxurious. Not yet? So! The Son of Heaven is derelict in his duty!

Next, it's the princes and kings. Isn't it? If I say that the princes and kings have not fulfilled their responsibilities, you must find reasons for the princes and kings to say that they are also in trouble. Most of them were incapable of being kings, and they were constrained by hereditary aristocratic officials and the like.

The princes and kings only inherited the position of king, and were often constrained by the hereditary nobility and other ministers in the management of affairs. So! There is a reason why they could not fulfill their duties as kings.

But? They can't do the duties of a king, so why should they sit in that position? Obviously! They are like mortals, in order to live, to live a life of superiority and luxury over the common people. Not yet? So! The princes and kings are also derelict in their duties!

And then! And you speak of the hereditary nobility and the ministers who are in power, and find them reasons for not performing their duties! Anyway! You can find out why they can't do their job, and they're not at fault anyway. Isn't it?

And then what! They are not able to perform their duties, and the laws that were made before, that is, the rules and regulations that bind the world, still exist, and do not help the world to live a free life and a happy life, but they bind the hands and feet of the world. You said? What's the use of those rules and regulations that you have to make?

Don't stress it to me! Say how you can manage this society well, self-denial and revenge, and let the Son of Heaven be the real Son of Heaven, not the Son of Heaven in the air; Let the princes and kings be real kings, not empty kings; Let the ministers be real ministers, not empty ministers. Can you do it?

Kongqiu! Do you understand? If you say you can do it, then! What do you mean by falling three? Are you trying to rebel? You want to use the country of Lu as a base, and then win the world and become the Son of Heaven, from this! You're here to save the world?

Don't be afraid! Since you escaped from Lu Country by luck, you don't want to go back, and the Ji clan won't kill you! Lu Gong will not kill you, and on the surface, what you do is beneficial to him. The Ji clan will not come abroad to kill you, but you have to guard against him, don't be deceived by him. If you go back to Lu, the possibility of being killed is very high! Got it?

Far from it! Where did you just go? Speaking of rules! You think that by making laws and rules, you can bind the world. I can tell you! The facts have already been told to you! That's impossible!

You can restrain the world, bind the world, but! You are forever bound to those who have no power. And the Son of Heaven, the king, the ministers, and the hereditary aristocracy, they are always above all this. They use the laws and regulations you have made to bind others and make exceptions for themselves. What can you say? Formulating rules and regulations can save the world. Opposite! And this situation can never be broken! Got it?

So! Taoism believes that as long as our life and way of living do not affect the life and survival of others, we can live any way, and it is all right! But! In today's social environment, we may not be able to do it! So! We have to find ways not to let other people's lives and ways of living affect our lives and survival.

This someone else! Including kings, emperors and ministers, hereditary nobles! They affect our lives and survival, so we have to find a way to deal with it! There are policies and countermeasures, and that's how it came about. They have not affected our life and survival, and we must support them! Do you understand what I mean? Kongqiu? ”

When Confucius saw that he was asked by the shopkeeper, he had to agree: "I heard clearly!" ”

"Do you understand?"

"Me?" Confucius stood up.

Got it? Confucius in this period should not have understood.

(End of chapter)