Exerting yourself to do a good job is a fine moral trait. But if you make yourself too miserable in the process, then your own ease of mind becomes impossible.
Indifference to wealth and power is a noble quality. But if you are a bit too passive, then you will not be able to assist people or to benefit society.
忧勤是美德，太苦则无以适性怡情；澹泊是高风，太枯是无以济人利物。
Notes
Virtue should nourish, not shackle
Traditional discourse often binds moral cultivation with asceticism, as if self-torture proves moral nobility. This passage from Cai Gen Tan (Tending the roots of wisdom), however, reveals authentic virtue must harmonize with human nature, granting practitioners tranquility and spiritual freedom – never suffering or repression.
Flexibility enables tangible good
Measuring the world by dogmatic standards or isolating oneself in impractical sanctimony, however well-intentioned, ultimately hinders true service to others or society.
To practice goodwill pragmatically:
- Hold fast to the purpose of ”benefiting others and society”;
- Embrace adaptable methods without compromising core values;
- Maintain inner principles while acknowledging real-world complexity.
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