Don’t do to others what you don’t want others to do to you

What you don’t want others to do to you, don’t do to others." This sentence comes from "The Analects of Confucius: Yan Yuan Chapter" and is one of Confucius’ classic sayings , is also the essence of Confucian culture. The Analects of Confucius in China is like the Bible in the West. It is a summary and guidance of the culture of a nation or a region, among which the "Yan Yuan Chapter" is divided into twenty chapters. It mainly talks about Confucius' explanation of "benevolence" and "forgiveness".

"Don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you" means: don't impose on others what you don't want. What is emphasized is that people should treat others with forgiveness and should promote the way of "forgiveness". Only in this way can it be the expression of benevolence. "If you want to reach yourself, you will reach others." The benevolence explained by Confucius centers on "loving others", and the behavior of loving others certainly includes the aspect of treating others with forgiveness. "The Analects" mentioned: The way of the Master is only loyalty and forgiveness.

What this sentence reveals is an important principle in dealing with interpersonal relationships. What Confucius said is that people should treat others based on their own behavior. Don't be narrow-minded, but be magnanimous and forgiving to others. If you force others to do what you don't want, it will not only destroy the relationship with others, but also make things stalemate and get out of hand. Communication should indeed adhere to this principle. This is a reflection of respecting others and treating others equally. In addition to paying attention to your own existence in life, you must also pay attention to the existence of others. People are equal and must not do what you do not want others to do.

The "people" understood above are in a broad sense and refer to the masses. However, the definition of "people" in the era when "The Analects of Confucius" was born usually refers to a narrow sense, that is, scholars. The above people are relative to "people". "Don't do to others what you don't want others to do to you" is written before "Going out is like seeing a distinguished guest, and treating the people as if they are receiving a great sacrifice." This is in the same sentence. As described in , it is obvious that the "people" here refers to the exploited class, the working people. In today's language, "people" in the narrow sense refers to slave owners, that is, the exploiting class, and "people" refers to slaves, that is, slaves. The exploited class, so this sentence can of course be understood as the principle of interpersonal relationships of "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" applies to the exploiting class, but the relationship between the exploiting class and the exploited class may not be like this. Understanding is not nonsense, nor is it completely impossible. However, as we all know, Confucius is a person who strongly advocates "benevolence", and the "human" here should refer to what Confucius said in a broad sense. Such a sentence is not a universal theorem. If everything is based on this principle, many things will be stuck in the middle and it will be difficult to move forward. If two people confront each other with guns, their lives will be at stake. A is good and B is evil. At this time, if A adheres to the principle of "do not do to others what you don't want others to do to you", wouldn't it be miserable! Of course, A will not want to be killed, so why not kill B who does not want to be killed? It is only suitable under certain conditions and circumstances.

"Do not do to others what you would not like others to do to you" is the essence of Confucianism and a deep-rooted creed of the Chinese nation. However, in reality, many people They cannot abide by the creed of "Do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you." They focus on personal interests and only take into account their own feelings, while ignoring the feelings of others. Whether dealing with interpersonal relationships or political relations, we should not hesitate to recognize the importance of the enduring principle of interpersonal relationships: "Do not do to others what you would like others to do to you."