道德经 第七章

天长地久

天地所以能长且久者
以其不自生
故能长生

是以圣人
后其身而身先
外其身而身存

非
以其无私邪
故能成其私

[译]

The world lasts forever.

Why can the world last forever? It is because it does not self-produce. Therefore, it can forever produce.

Therefore the Ancient Masters put their self-interest behind while they go forward. They expose their weaknesses while they are themselves.

Isn’t it because they are so selfish-less that they can fulfill themselves?


[注]

There is a saying in the western world that you can make money if you can make a lot of money for the others. The more you contribute to bigger causes, the more you can win rewards. Therefore the world can move forward in this way.

There are so many things in the world we call them natural resources. We use trees to build homes. But trees are there not for themselves. The petroleum is there not for itself. The coal is there not for itself. Water flowing in the river is not for itself.

Everything in the world exists for something else. Grass is growing for the buffalos. Buffalos are growing for the lions. All the natural resources are there for the human beings. Every human being has some goals other than itself. So the human societies have advanced from primitive living to the modern living.

Working for others or producing for others is the source for self-development. Chairman Mao works for the public so that he is remembered by the Chinese for centuries to come. Washington created the United States without claiming any crown status so that his name is forever associated with the country.