Zhuangzi: Do Not Assume the World of Others Based on Your Own Understanding

Zhuangzi: Do not guess the world of others with your own cognition.

Don't advise others to be good based on your own experience.

In this world, there is never truly empathy, only cold and warmth known by oneself; a knife plunged into someone's body will only make them feel pain.

What others see are only surfaces, they will never feel the inner emotions, so there is no real experience of another's life, you should never attempt to accuse or judge others.

The biggest problem in human nature is that many people always stand from their own perspective, consider themselves moral standards, with a mysterious sense of superiority, fantasize about judging and criticizing others, even indulging in self-satisfaction, believing they are saints.

Never forget, the more people who accuse others, the more foolish and ignorant they are. You have no right to judge.

'Zhuangzi' contains such a dialogue, which clearly illustrates this problem.

Zhuangzi and Hui Shi were playing by the river dike. Zhuangzi said, 'The white carp swims freely, this is the carp's happiness.'

Hui Shi said, 'You are not a fish, how can you know the carp's happiness?'

Zhuangzi said, 'You are not me, how can you know my happiness?'

Hui Shi said, 'I am not you, therefore I cannot know your happiness; you are not a fish, so you cannot know the carp's happiness, it is undeniable.'

Zhuangzi said, 'So, when I first said 'you don't know how I know the carp's happiness,' it shows you already know I know the carp's happiness, then you ask me, I know it by the river dike.'

This is Zhuangzi's famous 'Zhuangzi is not a fish, how can he know the carp's joy' story, Zhuangzi and Hui Shi's '' story, illustrates the principle that 'things and I are one'.

In life, many tragedies are caused by human nature's foolishness. Too many people stand from their own perspective, constantly accusing others, always considering themselves saints, but ignoring the emotional changes within the situation.

The most critical thing is that these 'saints' never realized that their accusations and comments were the greatest harm to the person involved.

Language is an invisible weapon that harms others. When you use language to hurt others, you might never feel the pain yourself, but it can become a pain that haunts someone's life.

A person can only truly understand the inner contradictions and complex emotions of someone after they have personally experienced something. No one except the person involved is qualified to judge right or wrong.

'Cai Gen Tan' says: Those who discuss matters should understand the feelings involved in the situation.

Those who discuss matters should themselves understand the full truth and falsehood of the situation.

Some people think that when a person is in the midst of a situation, it is difficult to see the true circumstances, but we should not forget that even if there are 'observers are clear, the parties are lost' states, a person can only truly understand the emotions of someone when they personally participate and experience these things.

Therefore, participation and understanding the actual situation are necessary to have the right to speak. Whether an event is right or wrong is not determined by subjective standards, but by understanding the full truth and falsehood.

Moreover, it is only when the person involved has experienced these emotions and taken corresponding actions that they can truly understand. Even if outsiders understand these things, they may not be able to empathize.

As we face the underlying weaknesses of human nature, we can avoid causing problems with our words by not judging excessively.

Don't consider yourself a saint, learn to respect every person's life, don't speak too much without a necessary reason.

If you really need to mediate, try to understand the truth and falsehood, don't just listen to one side, and don't make judgments based on snippets of information, to avoid causing harm to others due to the foolishness of human nature.

Written by: National Studies Bookstore

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