Living on Your Own Terms with Mencius' Wisdom
Endure harsh criticism. Sometimes, you may receive unexpected praise and honor, while at other times, you may try to uphold your integrity, but suffer from harsh slander and attacks. What should you do when you only hear criticism? Don't let other people's opinions or society's evaluations sway you, and live the way you want to. Living life on your own terms means following your heart and living with a free and passionate spirit. It means soaring like a free seagull in the sky, rather than living a life that feels like a prison due to others' evaluations. Living in this world essentially means coming and going back to yourself, and you must learn how to do it. You cannot stop the past, and moving forward is not just because someone ordered you to or someone blocked your path. As Mencius said, these situations are the will of Heaven. Once you decide on something, you must push forward and do it. There is always a reason behind it that you have no choice but to follow. Even when a task must be stopped, there are reasons and constraints that led to that decision. It is the result of a tangled tangle of inevitable clues. We must recognize the positive impact of individual efforts in our work, but we must also humbly accept that there are things that cannot be accomplished through human efforts.
Maintaining Momentum and Pushing Forward
If you can let go, you should know how to do it. If you can leave quickly, do so. Doing what your heart tells you to do without paying attention to what others say is the way to live a wonderful life with respect. Life can be much more enjoyable if you learn how to get away from it a little bit. No two people have the same character and virtue because they each have unique aspirations, qualities, and depths that cannot be compared to others. Even when they look back on their past honors and disgraces, understanding gains and losses, they may recognize their mistakes, but they never blame others or the heavens. People who live by repeating the same thing can never become great. If you don't want to do something, don't do it. This is a simple principle that everyone should know. How can you walk the right path after doing what you shouldn't do, clinging to things that will lead to obvious consequences, and doing immoral and despicable things that you shouldn't do as a human being? This is not only a matter of character, but also a matter of distinguishing good people from bad people, and measuring fundamental wisdom. A competent person must be able to handle situations by considering the circumstances. To achieve great results, you must maintain momentum and push forward until the end. If you can reduce your desires, losing some of the goodness of your original mind will not matter too much. We need a philosophy of subtraction. Think about what not to do before thinking about what to do. However, this can reduce the driving force, imagination, and adventurous spirit. The key to cultivating the mind is self-centeredness, emotional state, mental balance, and mental victory. There is no way to avoid it. If heaven sends a disaster, you may be able to handle it, but if you commit a sin on your own, there is no way to escape. One cannot persistently insist on going down a dead-end or wrong road in the face of any circumstances, as no one can stop them. In small things, observe a person's attitude, while in big things, their abilities. It is dangerous to believe that achieving good results in small tasks will guarantee success in larger tasks. We must be cautious and have insight into the overall trend, recognizing that we need to be different. Small tasks are useful for examining a person's attitude, while larger tasks are more suitable for testing a person's abilities. No one can please everyone, and no matter how far you look and how well you plan, you cannot satisfy everyone. However, it is enough to satisfy as many people as possible. Focusing on pleasing people will distract from the main purpose and eventually achieve nothing. If you try to satisfy everyone, you will only work tirelessly and ultimately fail to satisfy anyone.
The Importance of Enduring Harsh Criticism and Taking Oaths
As Mencius said, an oath is like a medicinal herb that is good for getting rid of all kinds of diseases. In modern society, where work collides with life, an oath is an indispensable medicine to endure life's challenges. Mencius taught us how to live without subservience, have the wisdom to confidently stand up to wrong authority, and keep our heart unshakable from this place of delusion. The beginning of trying to change the world is always within ourselves. No one can persuade us, and no one follows us. Enduring harsh criticism and overcoming obstacles is never easy, but it is necessary to live a fulfilling life. Living life on your own terms, doing what your heart tells you to do, and reducing your desires are essential for finding happiness and success. By being cautious and having insight into the overall trend, we can recognize the need for differentiation and appreciate individual efforts while humbly accepting the limitations of human capabilities. Through self-centeredness, emotional state, mental balance, and mental victory, we can cultivate a strong mindset and confidently navigate life's challenges.
