1. Hello everyone, today we are going to study a sentence in chapter 36 of Lao Tzu: "Fish must not be separated from the abyss, and the sharp weapon of the kingdom must not be shown to man." ”
Recently, when we read Lao Tzu, have you found that Lao Tzu likes to use metaphors to extract profound truths from the natural world or some ordinary social phenomena.
For example, the sentence we want to say today, "The fish must not be separated from the abyss, and the sharp weapon of the country cannot be shown."
In the first half of the sentence, "Fish must not be separated from the abyss", this sentence is easy to understand, and children also know that fish will die when they leave the water. What does Lao Tzu mean when he says this here? Many people think that it is for metaphor or comparison.
The second half of the sentence, "The weapon of the state must not be shown to others," is considered to be a warning to us that in international exchanges, we must keep the secrets of the country's advanced weapons and not let foreigners know about it. It seems that it is a diplomatic idea or a survival strategy, and if you just understand it this way, it is too superficial, and it can only be said that it is the literal meaning of the first layer.
2. In fact, we can fully apply the truth implied in this sentence to our lives and careers.
Regarding "fish cannot be separated from the abyss", in life, you must maintain a certain low profile and caution, understand what the conditions and environment on which your survival is based, and easily cannot leave or give up, otherwise there will be survival problems and risks.
For example, you can't quit easily, you can't easily leave the field and place you are familiar with. Many people are easy to quit their jobs and start a business, and the result is immediately dead. Some friends think that I have been in a small county town for too long, and I am going to go north to Guangzhou, Guangzhou, and deep to break through, then you may be like the fish that Lao Tzu said, leaving the pool that nurtures you. If you are doing a certain industry for a long time, or you are an expert scholar, doing research in a certain field for a long time, suddenly one day you feel bored, to change to a new field, then you should also pay attention, you may also be like that fish, once you leave the field you are familiar with, your risk is increased.
3. Regarding "the weapon of the country cannot be shown", we do not talk about national and international issues here, let's say that we are in the management of the enterprise, what is the "unique weapon" of your enterprise or your unit.
You have mastered the patented technology, or have a certain information advantage, or occupy a certain natural resource, or you have a special network resources and market channels, these key things and channels, is the survival of your business, but also your "weapon", you have to learn to protect or keep secrets.
Here, of course, Lao Tzu actually spoke of a social and diplomatic strategy, which is appropriate weakness and secrecy. You can see that in today's international exchanges, China's diplomatic strategy is actually influenced by this strategic thinking, and generally does not display force. Unlike Russia or the United States, it is to display the most advanced weapons to deter foreign countries in order to achieve the goal of surrendering without a fight. Russia, in particular, sometimes even boasts of what it does not have, or a small number of weapons, or insufficient performance indicators. This may also show the different strategic thinking styles of China and the West.
4. It can be seen that the influence of Lao Tzu's thought on our nation is really too great. From personal life, to corporate and unit management, to the country's diplomatic and military strategic thinking, there are some subtle influences, which is one of the reasons why it is worth all of us to spend time reading and learning.
Original: Dragon Fly
Editor's proofreader of this issue: Ning Shiyu
Edit: Copper Acoustic Sinology
Copper Sound Guoxue