“The heaven and the earth are unkind, and treat all things as straw dogs; the saints are unkind, and regard the common people as straw dogs.” This article focuses on talking about “rubber dogs.” The meaning of "捍狗" has been explained earlier. It is indeed an uncomfortable word. However, if you put aside your personal emotions and reflect calmly, you will find that I was actually right. In the vast universe and in the long river of history, the vast majority of people, ordinary people like you and me, are just "cow dogs" in the world. Many times, we are not as important as we think. Who doesn’t the earth turn around if we leave it?

But having said that, who doesn’t hope that he or she will be favored by God or be favored by fate? Isn’t this why we go to temples to burn incense and seek blessings from Bodhisattvas and gods? How many people pray to God and Buddha in order to pray for world peace and the unity of mankind? Isn't it just to satisfy your own little wish? But Lao Tzu said: The world is unkind, and treating all things as stupid dogs is simply a bucket of cold water. If I am nothing more than a mutt dog in the world, and God has no preference for me or others, then what is the meaning of life? What else is there to struggle and work hard for? In fact, the purpose of Lao Tzu's words is to make us rethink the value and meaning of life under such a premise.

If we can follow Lao Tzu’s logic and realize and admit that: in a universe that does not care about our own destiny, we are fundamentally lonely, and there is no one to solve the problems we face. Power beyond yourself. Perhaps at this time, we will give up the attempt to pray for God's special care, calm down, and look for the possibility of changing our destiny and obtaining happiness by adjusting ourselves and improving ourselves. Just like the setting and judgment of "good and evil", it is the business of human beings themselves; the value and meaning of life should also be confirmed by oneself alone, without relying on external factors. Understand this truth, maybe we can truly understand the meaningful poem written by the modern poet Mu Dan in "Meditation": All my efforts are just to complete an ordinary life.

Speaking of "ordinary life", I have always believed that the biggest problem in modern society is that it does not build and encourage happiness as an ordinary person, but blindly advocates an extraordinary life, as if you cannot have it. If you have wealth and fame that exceeds that of ordinary people, even if you live your life in vain! To say that today and ancient times are really the other way around. In ancient times, the upper class of society actually tried hard to suppress the desires of most people, so that everyone would stop thinking about things - cultivating your land well, having a wife and children who are warm on the bed, is the greatest happiness. Why? Because the total amount of resources and social wealth is limited! It can only allow a very small number of people to live a relatively superior material life. If everyone wants to live in a big house, have luxurious clothes and food, and have three wives and four concubines, then there will definitely be a fight. Looking at today, under the planning of capital and business organizations, as well as the promotion of modern media methods, many so-called propagandas, including various types of advertisements, are desperately trying to release human desires and even the depths of human nature. A sense of comparison. Why? Because you must first have desire, and then you want to possess it; because you want to possess it, you are willing to consume.

As we all know, the mainstream value in today’s society is: as long as you are willing to work hard and struggle! You can make more money, or have more privileges, and then what? Then you can have things that are difficult for others to have and live a better life than ordinary people. In this way, you will succeed and your life will be complete! I once encountered such a thing when I was doing journalism. A few years ago, a young girl who still had some money could afford a car costing more than 200,000 yuan. It was still pretty good at that time. But others don’t! I had to take out a loan, and finally bought a car costing four to five hundred thousand yuan. I thought it would make me look good when I went out to meet friends. Later, the girl drove drunk after having fun at a KTV at night and killed someone. Whether it was mental or material, her life suddenly fell into a desperate situation! I also met a young man who came out of the countryside to work in a small store. He could earn three to four thousand a month. He probably didn’t have much left over for various expenses every month, but he just wanted to use the latest and top-notch Apple. Mobile phone, even if it is to swipe a credit card or pay in installments. Why? Because only in this way can he feel the value and fun of life! French philosopher Descartes famously said: I think, therefore I am. In my opinion, modern people are not like this. Nowadays, I own many people, so I exist. That is: I have, therefore I am.

However, the problem is that although the development of industry and commerce, as well as the advancement of science and technology, the wealth of today's society has increased tens of millions of times compared with ancient times. But I really can't stand it. All the people on this earth are fanatically releasing their desires. Everyone wants to get ahead, everyone wants to be rich, and everyone is not willing to let themselves, let alone their children, become ordinary members of society. But at the same time, a cold reality is: In terms of the resources of our planet, and even all of today’s social wealth, including society’s need for division of labor, it is obvious that it still cannot support everyone to realize their wishes. So we can only compete desperately with others and ourselves, just to make ourselves appear more superior and extraordinary. To put it bluntly, most of the anxiety that many people have today is self-inflicted. Because desire has no end, there is no best, only better.

Some time ago, I was re-reading my college study notes and found a passage copied from somewhere. Reading this passage, I felt a lot of emotions in my heart: "That is a grass, withering and growing every year. In spring, it wilts and grows." , it will strive to be the first to pull out the buds; when the weather is warm, it will work hard to show its lushness, thinking that this humid season has no end; when the autumn wind comes, it will strive to make the last moments shine into a mature color; in winter, it will Submerged in the dust, no one knows that it was also beautiful..." Why? Why can't you believe: I am just a worm? A blade of grass? Why can't we admit and affirm that even an insect or a piece of grass has efforts and struggles worth being proud of, and has the dignity and happiness to treat everything equally? But having said that, human desires are like the plague hidden in Pandora's box. Once released, it will only get worse and worse. Where can it go back? So to be honest, I'm not optimistic.

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