Confucius criticizes petty officials obsessed with rank: they fret over gaining power first, then fear losing it, resorting to any wicked trick to hold their positions. Unlike principled gentlemen guided by righteousness, such profit-driven men lack moral boundaries and ruin governance.
Some men claim they are too late in discerning their selfish desires and lack the strength to conquer them.
The path of heavenly principles is wide. Once you set your foot on this path, it takes only a bit of hard thinking for you to become fully enlightened.