"No confusion at forty" comes from "The Analects of Confucius·Wei Zheng". The full sentence is: I am determined to learn when I am ten and fifty; I am established at thirty; I am not confused at forty; I know my destiny at fifty; at sixty But if your ears are attuned, at seventy you can follow your heart's desires without exceeding the rules.
This sentence is one of Confucius' classic sayings, which explains that people should "live until they are old and learn". Learning is directly proportional to the improvement of moral cultivation. As people continue to learn, their Moral cultivation will become more and more perfect, getting closer and closer to the standard of a "sage".
This sentence can also be seen as Confucius's summary and summary of his life.
The literal meaning of "Forty Not Confused" is: a person who lives to the age of 40 will live a more transparent life and will no longer be confused about everything.
Why not be confused? It is because people have gone through 40 years. With the increase of experience, the enrichment of experience, the advancement of knowledge, the maturity of thoughts, and the indifference of heart, one can see and think clearly about many things. He is no longer young and frivolous and will think about things. Take back all the anger, resentment and arrogance in your heart, face everything calmly, do anything down-to-earth, and don't care too much about the results of things. What you care about is the mentality and state of mind when doing things. Therefore, the confusion in your heart is Less.
If you elaborate on it, "forty years old" has three meanings.
First, understand the purpose, value and meaning of your life, become more open-minded, have stronger introspection, and no longer be confused about yourself.
People often use the term youthful and vigorous to describe young people. People are full of vigor when they are young, have lofty ideals and full fighting spirit. However, after all, young people have a certain understanding of themselves due to their superficial experience. Misunderstandings can easily breed an ambitious mentality.
When a young person does something with 100% enthusiasm, due to lack of experience, the result of the matter often does not progress according to his wishes, and the result may not be satisfactory.
At this time, young people are prone to confusion and strong self-doubt, thinking that they are worthless.
Second, you have an open-minded mind, see clearly the fact that "existence is reasonable", and no longer be confused about others.
It is not enough for a person to recognize himself. After all, people are social animals and have to deal with all kinds of people every day. The great wisdom in life is not to be confused and troubled when dealing with others.
Everyone in the world is a unique individual. There will be differences in personality, temperament, appearance, way of speaking, way of learning, way of dealing with others, etc. If there are differences, misunderstandings will occur if not communicated in time, because Misunderstandings can create confusion and annoyance.
When a person has an inclusive and open mind, correctly views the differences between people, is no longer blindly narcissistic about himself, and can accept and tolerate the shortcomings and mistakes of others, he can also If one can sincerely appreciate the strengths and talents of others, then he will see clearly the fact that "existence is reasonable" and enter a state where he is no longer confused about others. This is a great state of life.
If people want to better integrate into the crowd and into society while living in the world, understanding and tolerance are the best medicine. People who are comfortable in dealing with others are more likely to be successful and respected.
Third, with the vision of a philosopher, you can see the essence of everything through appearances and no longer be confused about the world.
It is still not enough to recognize oneself and tolerate others. If a person wants to live his true self, he must also see the world clearly and no longer be confused about the world.
To see clearly the various aspects of the world, only by constantly learning, accumulating knowledge in all aspects, and honing rich experience can one have a pair of discerning eyes. Look at the world with discerning eyes, and what you see is no longer appearances, but the truth.
When a person reaches the age of 40, because he has gone through many experiences and formed a unique outlook on life, values ??and ideas, a relatively complete set of ideas has been established deep in his heart. In the way of life, you will consider things more comprehensively. Your opinions will not be easily shaken by the world, and you will not be easily tempted by the outside world and do wrong things like you were when you were young.