"If humans were no different from animals, they would naturally live in caves, eat their hair and drink their blood, for thousands of years. But humans have learned to drill wood to make fire, tame livestock, farm, and transform wild animals into millet, rice, and wheat. Humans have also learned how to make fire. They cut down trees for living, weave flax and silk, and burn earth to make ceramics. All these seem to come from the wisdom of humans over animals, but behind this wisdom is desire, wanting to avoid hunger, thirst, cold, disease, wild beasts, natural disasters, etc. Threats, ** who want a better life.¡±
Speaking of this, Li Si made a small aside and joked: "Before humans were free from beasts, there might be cynics among the beasts. They would refer to this desire as greed. They would say, we beasts have lived for millions of years. It's all come this way. As long as the beasts live, it's enough. Why do you have to show off your tricks and indulge in luxuriant desires? You want to abandon the beasts Chapter 1020: Civilization and Orthodoxy! Get out! That¡¯s how humans came to be, and those beasts that insist on orthodoxy are still monkeys, baboons and the like.¡±
The children giggled loudly, Li Kezai¡¯s eyes were dazzled, and he said to himself, ¡°Father, your topic has flown out of the solar system and gone straight to the vast Milky Way.¡±
Li Si also realized that the topic was too far off topic, and turned back to the subject: "Why is selfishness subconsciously classified as evil? It's because selfishness and greed are often confused. The ancients said that everyone competes to be greedy, and they are not tired of it. After searching, Western Catholicism also lists greed as the original sin. According to common theory, greed means wanting more than what is needed, so where is the boundary of this 'need'? If we can only survive on food and clothing, how will we be different? Compared to the beasts, there is no even human existence.¡±
"Based on our doctrine of the golden mean, selfishness is not a problem. When desire exceeds the boundary of need, selfishness turns into greed, and the problem lies on this boundary."
"Everyone is competing to advance with greed Pay attention to the word 'competition' in this sentence. You have also read Dante's "Divine Comedy", which says that the essence of greed is the pursuit of transcendence through money or power. Others' sense of superiority. In other words, the essence of greed is to 'be better than others', so the boundary of this need is not fixed, but the difference between strength and weakness. Chapter 1020: Civilization is a matter of time. It changes. Even if they are all living like hair and drinking blood, people will pick and choose and distinguish the good from the bad. Even if they are all well-dressed and well-fed, each of them will seek elegance and luxury in order to be better than others."
"Greed is just one side of the 'desire to win', and the other side is jealousy, both of which can be summed up by the word 'competition'. This is also part of selfishness, and is even the reason why selfishness drives the continuous evolution of the world."
"In the world of the three generations and the ancient world, people were not close to the sky, and east and west each lived in a corner. Let's not care about it for the moment. The reason why the ancient world can enter the present world is that things are close to each other, and people no longer live in separate corners. Why can things be close to each other? It is because of the west People have a desire to conquer others, and are driven by greed and envy to seek the wealth of the East.¡±
"Spices, silk, porcelain, tea, are these what people need? They are all luxury goods. Relying on the desire for luxury goods, the Westerners completed the great voyage, discovered America, and found gold and silver mines. Come to the East in exchange for these luxury goods. With gold and silver, especially silver, the Lion of Silver Money became aware in China and turned the original luxury goods into real wealth, thus promoting the flow of more and more goods. People also gradually have the roots of self-reliance.¡±
"We attribute selfishness to evil because selfishness brings greed, but greed is not purely evil. Even in terms of changes in the world, we should praise greed. So what is the reason that makes us subconsciously regard greed as evil? Greed is classified as evil, and from this, selfishness is also classified as evil?"
"The reason is not selfishness and greed itself, but the fact that they lead people's hearts to the side of harming others and benefiting others. Just now we said that people use everything in the world for external benefits. The reason why people can become adults, and even the world continues to evolve, is because they can use it to benefit others. Wisdom uses power to approach the way of heaven, and constantly expands this external benefit. But people are always divided into strong and weak, so within the human group, there is a pattern in which the strong take the benefits of the weak for their own use."
"If the whole of human beings is regarded as a summary that includes man and heaven, earth and all things as one, then the strong are just like people, and the weak are regarded as the exploiters of heaven, earth and all things. The way of heaven should be followed by people, or in other words, the unity of heaven and man, in this matter You can see it too.¡±
Speaking of this, Li Si finally returned the topic from selfishness to human nature, and then back to the human world: "Why is human nature complicated? It is because it cannot be measured in one dimension, selfishness and selflessness, internal benefit and external benefit, heaven and earth People, people, have left and right extremes in every dimension. The human world formed by such human nature is a group that is constantly turbulent among many extremes."
"In this turmoil, we cannot fully understand the changes in the world. We cannot come up with an unchanging truth that can perfectly interpret history and lead the world towards a clear and equally perfect goal. We can only try To find a roughly similar context and then summarize it in the most concise words, this is our righteousness."
"The righteousness of heaven and man is not a dream, it just tells the world a direction."Title: "This book talks about the rise and fall of the country and even the world. People in the country know that I will know it three hundred years later. If I don't leave something behind, how can I be worthy of the name of this half-immortal."
Seeing Li Kezai's eyes widening, as if he thought he was going to come up with something great like "revealing secrets", Li Si smiled again and said: "My book is not a work of craftsmanship. Just follow it and you will be able to do it." Yes, even after you understand it, you can't change too many things. I just hope you can be a wise man and see the tide of the times clearly. When he ascends the throne, he is still an emperor with real power. Only by seeing the current situation clearly can he wake up. You decide how to use your power."
Li Kezai was awe-inspiring and knelt down like a child. This was to teach and teach. Although the world has changed greatly, in important matters, he still has to observe ancient etiquette towards his parents and teachers.
Li Si said: "My book is called "On Civilization". The word civilization has many meanings. "Book of Changes" says, "When you see a dragon in the field, the world is civilized." ', in modern times, it is more understood as civilized education, as opposed to military strategy. I add benevolence, law, virtue, wisdom in the world and prosperity of human power. Including all kinds of things in the world, when it is attached to the meaning, there is Chinese civilization , the division of European civilization can also be summarized as the whole of human beings, and when they are independent, they are opposite to the barbarians"
Li Si said the word "civilization", and thinking of the fragments just mentioned, human nature, selfishness, selflessness, public interests, private interests, countries, ethnic groups, and even the turmoil, Li Kezai's heart was shaken, this is the way of heaven.
In Taihu Lake, at the foot of Dongshan Mountain, a small heavenly temple stood. Li Wei walked out of the temple on crutches as usual, and came to a small forest behind the temple. The sparse forest was well-proportioned and very quiet. There was a tree under each tree. The small grave mound is built with white jade. It doesn't look gloomy, but only feels solemn.
This is the public tomb of Tianmiao Cuisine, also known as the Gongdelin. Li Wei cleaned up the burned incense candles, withered flowers, and sacrificial ashes in the brazier in the cemetery. When they came to a cemetery in the corner, their movements became gentler, and there was a deep sadness in their eyes, mixed with a trace of confusion. The inconspicuous dark black marble tombstone is engraved with the words "Tomb of Ai Yinzhen".
"This is it!"
"Mr. Ai's tomb is here, it's really hard to find!"
"It's so simpleno, it's just shabby!"
"Shabby!? Gorgeous is an insult to Mr. Ai. Mr. Ai is enough to stay in history forever!"
Just after sorting it out, a young voice sounded, and then a group of teenagers rushed to the grave and started chattering. These teenagers were only fifteen or sixteen years old, and should be students in middle schools. They were all full of life, wearing net turbans and Confucian shirts.
There was already a layer of anger on Li Wei's face, but when he heard the words behind him, the anger dissipated, and he scolded softly: "This is the Forest of Merit, no noise!"
The students immediately silenced themselves, first bowed to Li Wei, and then bowed to everyone around them, apologizing to the souls they had disturbed.
Li Wei was a little surprised when he saw the students preparing for the memorial ceremony. After Yinzhen's death, there was an endless stream of people coming to pay homage. Apart from Manchu relatives and friends, and some people from the press, he rarely saw the young people in the school. The accent is not Manchu either.
He couldn't help but ask: "Why do you want to pay homage to Mr. Ai?" Baidu search, hand typing, provides download of this book.
The students all shook their heads, thinking that Li Wei's question was too stupid. He was guarding Mr. Ai's tomb, but he didn't know who Mr. Ai was. ! ! !