Water is the source of life. Without water, there is no life. Life depends on water, and existence determines consciousness. Consciousness is a process in which human beings try to reflect the world around them, which promotes the formation of philosophy. The following is the relevant information I have carefully sorted out, hoping to help you!

abstract:

Based on Laozi's Taoist thought of "being kind as water", this paper analyzes the modesty, kindness and softness of water, and combines the quality of water with real life and study, highlighting the necessity of being a "chivalrous" person as clear, tenacious and indisputable as water.

Keywords:: Laozi, good as water, life

Philosophy is a theoretical and systematic world outlook formed by people's generalization and summary of knowledge of nature and social knowledge. Water is the source of life. Without water, there is no life. Life depends on water, and existence determines consciousness. Consciousness is a process in which human beings try to reflect the world around them, which promotes the formation of philosophy.

In China's early philosophical thoughts, many philosophical sages regarded water as a philosophical metaphor. By thinking and meditating on the water or rainwater in irrigation ditches around rivers, streams and farmland, they found an understanding of the basic principles of life and social ethical values. The philosophical significance of water not only affects the ancient times, but also the knowledge contained in water culture and its enlightenment are of great significance to our modern people and society, which also provides a convenient way for us to correctly understand and grasp the true meaning of China's philosophy. In reality, only water is "a little more than Tao", which has the characteristics of "doing good". In life, it is common sense for people to go high, but water is quite different from its interest and flows downwards. Water not only wants to live under it, but also follows things, keeps pace with the times, enjoys things, and has no desire and no self. It accepts hundreds of rivers without effort, gathers small streams without abandoning them, is profound and silent, and is open-minded. "Knowing its male and guarding its female", "Flexion is complete, waste is straight, depression is full, we are new, less is gained, inexhaustible, and we have nothing to ask for." "Take advantage of everything", "So you can be the king of all the valleys", "If you don't fight with it, the world can't fight with it". It can "know what it can't do, see what it can't do, and do what it can't do", so it can best embody the spirit of Tao. Therefore, it is Laozi's attitude towards life and his philosophy of life.

First, the meaning of being good as water in life

Water is the source of life and exists in different stages of our daily life. Water, colorless and tasteless, is square and legal, round and legal, and has no stagnation. It exists in nature in various forms, and nothing goes against nature. Laozi said: "goodness is like water, and water is the goodness of all things." This is the virtue of modesty. " Therefore, Jiang Hai can be the king of all the valleys. If he is good at it, he can be the king of all the valleys. The water in the world is not weak, and the strong can't win. This is a gentle virtue; Therefore, softness wins, and weakness wins. Because it has nothing, it can enter nothing, which shows that the teaching without words is also beneficial to inaction. "

According to Taoist theory, water is dense and pervasive, micro is silent, and giant is turbulent. Good for everything, but forbearing tenacity, extreme change, femininity highlights masculinity, inclusiveness does not compete with others. The way of life is nothing more than that "Nature is as good as water" is the attitude and philosophy of life advocated by Laozi.

Second, water is good for everything, which is the virtue of modesty.

Water benefits and nourishes everything, but it does not compete with everything. This is the most modest virtue. When I say "indisputable", I mean striving for fame and fortune. Laozi's character of "benefiting all things without contending" teaches people to emulate the indisputable spirit of water and achieve "doing without contending". Laozi educated people with water, saying that being a man should be like water. As an unknown and selfless person, although he has done a lot of good things, he can still maintain the virtue of "modesty".

This character reminds me of a "gentleman". What is a gentleman? Zhou Dunyi said: "Lotus, the gentleman of flowers, does not touch mud, but is clear and not demon." No matter how bad and turbid the external environment is, we can still maintain the quality of "non-stick" and "non-demon", still be able to firm our goals, firmly believe in our ideals and make unremitting efforts for them.

However, I recognize this sentence even more: Tian Jian, the gentleman strives for self-improvement, the land is rich, and the gentleman carries things with morality. The theory of heaven and earth has a certain distance from us. I feel that in today's real life, the spirit and morality of self-improvement and morality are worth our perseverance. A gentleman is like water. Although he can't really "benefit everything", he can help others within his power. I learned Lao Tzu's education and water Taoism for nothing.

Third, a hundred rivers are full of tolerance.

Laozi said, "So, Jiang Hai can be the king of all the valleys, and if you learn it, you can be the king of all the valleys."

Reese said: "Mount Tai can become great because it does not allow soil;" Rivers and seas do not choose small streams, so they can be deep. "Jianghai can become the home of all rivers because he is good at being in the downstream position, so he becomes the king of all valleys." Laozi believes that all powerful forces are gradually accumulated. Water does not resist external forces, but gradually absorbs external forces through "goodness" and constantly strengthens itself. One day, it will change from quantitative to qualitative. I think water quality is very precious. As the saying goes, "Man struggles upwards, and water flows downwards", it can be seen that most people behave in the opposite way to water, but they don't know that "the heights are too cold". It seems to be majestic, but in fact they are always trembling, suffering from cold and full of dangers. I think this kind of "goodness" of water is a way to retreat into the future, which highlights the principle of unity and cooperation. When small water droplets gather together, they can become the sea of Wang Yang.

The biggest and strongest thing since ancient times is mountains and seas. To be a man, like mountains and seas, has the mind and tolerance to accept hundreds of rivers and gather fine soil. Don't care about the shortcomings of others, be tolerant and United, and take the initiative to make a difference. Once people are open-minded, they can gather all rivers and become Wang Yang.

Fourth, weakness is better than strength.

Some people think that water does have noble qualities such as humility and kindness, but blindly "kindness", "humility" and forbearance will never turn over. But Lao Tzu said:

"The water in the world is not weak, and the strong can't win, so it's easy."

"The softest thing in the world is the strongest thing in the world."

It can be seen that the "softness" of water is only the surface of water, but its essence is softness and rigidity. Li Bai once wrote the eternal swan song, "Although the water flows, the sword is chopped, raising a glass to eliminate the sorrow is even more worrying." Imagine the boldness of "drawing a sword and cutting off water", but it is also exciting. Although this poem does not have Li Taibai's tangled feeling, it fully embodies the combination of rigidity and softness of water, and at the same time reveals the essence of softness. Water is a combination of softness, which is an important philosophy of life advocated by Laozi.

"Softness" is an important feature of Laozi's philosophy of life, and water is a combination of "softness", which highlights Laozi's thought of valuing softness. Water, to be soft, gold, to be just; Water can be a hole, but gold is harmful and water is harmless. It is a strong attack, better than a weak attack. There is nothing weaker than water in the whole world. If it attacks something powerful, nothing can defeat it. The so-called "dripping water wears away the stone" and "since the water is still flowing, even though we use the sword to cut it" all illustrate this point!

Softness is the nature of water and human beings. Laozi said, "People are born weak and die strong", so "the strong die and the weak live", the weak win the strong and the soft win the strong. Laozi's so-called "weakness" here does not refer to the usual weakness, but contains incomparable perseverance.

"Softness" is a kind of toughness embodied in human nature. Only those who are resilient can be flexible. Life takes a step back, so it is flexibility that shows the real strength in personality.

Water is the best, soft and invisible; No matter how the external force changes, the water will always drift with the tide and will not fight, but the law of everything is too long to leave. Once the external force weakens, the water will be unstoppable and surging. In Lao Tzu's view, the weakness of water is only the surface. It detours when it meets a stone, stops when it meets a dike, and enters the canal smoothly. It always flows humbly to a lower place, as if it doesn't know how to perform and rebel. However, it is not incompetent, and it is not willing to be pushed around. It just accumulates strength in silence. When its load exceeds the limit, you will see that it will release amazing power fearlessly. It can burst its banks and destroy them in an instant, raze mountains and rivers to the ground, and can also wade through rocks with its weak body and firm perseverance. It is omnipotent, even if nothing powerful can stop its power from erupting. Life is like water, we should be modest, humble, tenacious and flexible. But these are still not enough. Retreating blindly is not a long-term solution. You must look for your opponent's weakness to fight back, and the so-called softness is the same.

In fact, the modesty, kindness and gentleness of water are not contrary to Laozi's quietism. Serenity did not go with the flow, let nature take its course, everything was in his destiny, and he did not struggle. Laozi's inaction is actually good, and it is to find a reasonable way to make a difference.

It can be seen that conforming to the nature of all things without violating them, knowing how to advance and retreat according to the way of nature, has made some achievements, and achieving "inaction" through "inaction" is the best method and the main purpose of Laozi's advocacy of "inaction". Laozi's "inaction" completely emphasizes that we should be good at doing things, that is, we should be good at doing things through inaction, and inaction is only the best means for people who are good at doing things to achieve the ultimate goal of getting everything ready.

Five, good as water, like water life.

Water absorbs the tolerance of all rivers. That is, to nourish all things instead of diluting each other, to water the earth with depth, to feed all beings with greatness, and to grow into greatness without choosing trickle. Therefore, people should be kind to others, tolerate their own strengths instead of being jealous of their talents, and accept their own abilities instead of being narrow-minded and extreme. Water masks the tenacity of dripping water through the stone. That is, thousands of times turn around, dripping water wears stone carvings, and swinging stones to cast wonders. Therefore, chivalrous men must be prosperous without arrogance, trouble without rashness, risk without fear, and never abandon in adversity. I remember Guo Jing said to Yang Guo in Master Kim Dae's The Legend of the Condor Heroes: "For the country and the people, chivalrous people are the biggest, but if you want to live in the world, you should be a pawn. As long as you have a heart to serve the country and the people, you are a real hero, a real hero. " I don't know anything about national affairs, but these words are also suitable for describing water. Especially for the country and people, water has been dedicated all its life without stopping. No matter rich or poor, as long as you are willing to do something for the society, you can call it a "chivalrous man".

Confucius once said: the state-owned road remains unchanged, and the strong must correct it; The country has no choice but to die, and the strong will correct it. This sentence is very reasonable, and it will summarize the image of people with lofty ideals from ancient times to the present. All kinds of people in the world, some pursue fame and fortune and spend their lives in power; Some people are quiet and indifferent, indulging in rural life in Shan Ye. The deeds of Fan Li and Wen Zhong deserve people's eternal debate. Some people say that Dr. Fan is certainly smart and chose to retire quietly, so that he can treat diseases in all corners of the country. Others think that it is even more valuable to have the integrity of "going to die" like a literary genre.

Water has various advantages. Water is the foundation of all things and the source of life. Without water, nothing in the world can grow. However, it is natural and unknown, never boasting, and does not need the gratitude of important people and everything. This is exactly the character of Laozi's Heaven that "everything is obtained by life without pains, and the merits are boundless, and clothes support everything without being the first". Laozi believes that water exists only for the benefit of all things. It benefits everything with its omnipotence and omnipotence. It is content to be in a humble position and always pay, never competing for any benefits with everything. The noblest character is like the most common running water.

I think Wen Zi insists on a life like water, but he knows that there is no good result with Gou Jian, but he still hopes to do something useful for the people through his own efforts. Isn't this a gentleman like water?

Although these are far away from us, there is no need for modern people to do such "impossible things", but this spirit of self-sacrifice deserves our admiration. As long as we always remember that "goodness is like water, like water life", we can also become a "chivalrous" person.

References:

1. Chen Guying: Translation and Evaluation of Laozi, Shanghai: Zhonghua Book Company, 1984, p. 33;

2. Wang Bi AD 226-249: Laozi's Note, Chapter 27, 16;

3. Zhu Xiaopeng: Meditation of the Wise: A Study of Laozi's Philosophical Thought, Hangzhou: Hangzhou University Press, 1999.

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