Should human nature be like a tree? ──The future of Hong Kong legend

There is no doubt that Fuxi’s wisdom is unparalleled in ancient times, and he has arrogant conditions and strength. But as far as the legendary deeds are concerned, we don’t seem to think that he is an arrogant person; even though Fuxi was the most popular among the people at that time. He and later generations have contributed so much value and immeasurably high creations, and they don’t seem to care much about whether they can be recognized. They are endlessly intoxicated with their work, as if this is the “free service” that the “Fuxi Observatory” promises to provide to customers. It seems to embody the very noble moral character implied in Chapter 77 of Laozi’s “Tao Te Ching” “It is to regard saints as people without relying on them, to neglect their achievements, and to not want to see virtuous people.” This is also the The first hexagram “Qian” in the “Book of Changes” hexagram “Yuan Henry is loyal; Tian Xingjian is a gentleman who constantly strives for self-improvement”, which embodies the implicit strength and magnanimity.

Another thing worth noting is that although Fuxi’s wisdom was thousands of miles higher than that of the people, he did not regard himself as superior and took it for granted that the people should be controlled by him. Learn to improve your life, stay healthy, and avoid natural disasters. From this perspective, Fuxi may be more like a servant to the people than their leader – this may be the realm of “servant leaders” mentioned in Chapter 20 of the Bible (Matthew), and it is also a virtue of Chinese culture. The expression of “modesty” and “benevolence”.

The great British thinker John Mill once made a similar criticism of the Ten Commandments (The Ten Commandments) issued by Moses according to the will of God. He said that it would be unavoidable to use “Thou shall not do” as a moral norm for the sons of God. Too biased toward the negative. The reason may be that Mill firmly believes that people are creative, and his mission in the world is not to fulfill any role or responsibility given by others, but to make good use of the talents given by God to realize his own ideals. ; and in the process, they will naturally benefit others – this is the belief of liberals.

In his masterpiece ” On Liberty “, Mill wrote this: “The essence of man is not a machine made from molds, whose sole purpose is to do exactly what the designer requires. Man. The nature of a human being should be like a tree, capable of growing and developing in all aspects according to their inner nature and orientation. This is why human nature is not a living entity of flesh and blood. machine to be built after a model, and set to do exactly the work prescribed for it, but a tree, which requires to grow and develop itself on all sides, according to the tendency of the inward forces which make it a living.)