But the word "when" in this sentence gives the benefactor an obligation, that is, it should or must be repaid in a spring.
But the question is, what if you don't get a spring or even a drop of water in return for a while or even forever?
It is a cold and incisive wisdom of China people in the way of the world to show great kindness to others. It is the same at all times and all over the world.
In our opinion, small favors are commonplace. You invite me to dinner, I invite you to dinner. Those who give it are like spring breeze, and those who accept it are not indifferent, but they seem to be harmonious.
However, you are not there. The giver is condescending, and the receiver feels sad. Everyone knows that kindness is hard to repay, and it will become a burden on both sides for a long time. But friends come and go, who doesn't want to be respected? At least equal. Who wants to meet an old friend who is three points shorter than himself? The feeling of great kindness is generally like this. Avoiding the great benefactor is like avoiding the great enemy.
When people talk about "great kindness as enmity" on the Internet, they usually tell a story: Li Mian, a Commissioner of Lingnan in the Tang Dynasty, once let an assassin in prison go when he took office in Kaifeng. A few years later, Li Mian visited Hebei and met the prisoner of that year. Therefore, when the prisoner saw the rescuer of that year, he couldn't help saying that he would take Li Mian to his home for warm hospitality, and privately discussed with his wife: "How can I repay my kindness if I live here?" The wife said, "Can I repay a thousand horses?" So, the prisoner said, no, no, a thousand pieces of cloth is not enough to repay saving his life. The wife said, "How about two thousand horses?" So the prisoner still shook his head and said it was not enough. The wife said, "If so, you might as well kill it!" " Thanks to the servant's tip-off, Li Mian was saved from death.
Tell another modern story: After Yue Sheng ran from Shanghai to Hongkong, life became more and more difficult. Before he died, he personally burned a box of IOUs. This move surprised the Du family, whose financial situation was already very tight at that time, but Du said it was a lifesaver.
Du told his family earnestly: Some borrowers are wandering around the world, while others are uncertain. If you go to collect debts one by one after my death, these relationships and friendships I maintained during my lifetime will be ugly. These people may help you when you are in trouble, because I helped them at the beginning. However, if you go to collect debts, you may also be killed. This is the so-called great kindness. You should keep this truth in mind.
Both benefactors and benefactors should have a kind heart and a sense of justice.
Why did the prisoner saved by Li Mian kill him?
We might as well understand it this way: because when your kindness to a person is so great that the other person can't repay it, he has only two choices left.
First choice: I will work for you from now on. If you let him go through fire and water, he will die. Because if he can't do it, he will bear the stigma of ingratitude. At that time, your kindness became a burden to him. Remember, most people don't want to live like this.
Therefore, most people will make the second choice: that is to stay away from you, or even let you disappear into his world. Light is broken, heavy is murder.
Why is this? Because when he loses everything and can't repay your kindness, it shows that he is incompetent and a loser. In order to avoid feeling incompetent and failed in life, his best strategy is two words: "Don't report! Moreover, he will convince himself that everything he has now is earned through his own efforts, and he deserves it, which has nothing to do with you. This is human nature.