RPAGF Chapter 284 Universal Love
Chapter 284 Universal Love
Chapter 284 Universal Love
After hearing Chen Tianjian clean up the mess, Ye Ru took a deep breath, then looked at the horizon, thinking that this matter had finally come to an end.
"Chief Ye, are you alright?"
Chen Tianjian landed on the ground, looked at Ye Ru, and said with concern.
"I'm fine. First, reassure the soldiers. All those 'ghost scholars' in the Northern Army should have been eliminated. Now we just need to guard the Northern Border steadily."
Ye Ru shook his head, but his face was filled with fatigue. Clearly, the battles of Wenggu and Yixiantian, along with this cleanup operation, had taken their toll on him. If he didn't have enough talent to support him, he probably would have collapsed by now.
"I've already given the orders. Now you can go back to your tent and get some rest. Leave this to me."
Chen Tianjian said.
"Alright, then I'll have to trouble you, Lord Chen."
After Ye Ru finished speaking, he bowed to Ye Ru and returned to his military tent. When he saw a copy of "Mozi" on the desk in the tent, he picked up the brush next to him and began to think about "Mozi".
He knew that rest could restore his talent, but annotating the classics of the saints could also restore his talent and greatly improve his thinking.
The power of the Zen Mind in the Clouds and Water began to slowly manifest at this moment, and the strong heartbeat immediately put him into a meditative state.
The passage Ye Ru was reading was a famous chapter in the Mozi: "Universal Love." This was an ethical doctrine advocated by Mozi during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. It was also his response to the Confucian saying that "love has different levels," advocating that love should be without distinction of rank or degree, and without discrimination of favoritism or closeness.
"A sage's task is to govern the world; he must know the origins of chaos, otherwise how can he govern it..."
After reading the article, Ye Ru put down his pen and book, and couldn't help but sigh:
"The Mohist school in the pre-Qin period was also one of the prominent schools of thought. Unfortunately, its theoretical propositions were too idealistic, so its ideas were buried. However, the moral and ethical concepts in this book can be emulated by later generations."
Creating a utopian world is fundamentally impossible. Wang Mang's ideas in the Western Han Dynasty were ahead of those of previous dynasties by many years, and can almost be interpreted using modern concepts. After ascending the throne, he declared land nationalization, prohibited private sales, and reshuffled the land, which was no different from land reform, but ultimately ended in failure.
On the issue of love, Confucianism is more practical, making use of the selfishness that everyone has, expanding it layer by layer and extrapolating outwards, which is therefore more feasible. Mohism is more idealistic, believing that one should not play the selfish Confucian art in the matter of love, but their "universal love" is really difficult to implement, which is why Ye Ru sighed.
"However, the Mohist concept of universal love seems to be more inclusive and egalitarian, a breath of fresh air in the patriarchal and hereditary system of the time, while the Confucian concept of benevolence seems to serve the rulers more."
Ye Ru frowned, but felt something was wrong. Although Confucianism was adopted as the official doctrine by emperors throughout history, its original purpose was not to serve the rulers.
After pondering for several hours, Ye Ru wrote down his thoughts on universal love on the paper next to him:
"Universal love should mean loving others without distinction of kinship, social status, wealth, or personal relationships. It means extending love to those around us, and caring for each other among the superiors and inferiors, the young and the old. It means loving others as one loves oneself, being loyal to the ruler as one is loyal to oneself, and forgiving others as one forgives oneself. This is different from the Confucian concept of benevolence. However, universal love is not advisable. With the development of the patriarchal system, love has become universal, based on the blood relationship of 'kinship.' There are differences and distinctions between the father of another and one's own father, the mother of another and one's own mother, and the brother of another and one's own brother. This view ignores the inherent nature of human beings."
As Ye Ru wrote this, he felt that his talent had increased, but his thoughts were being consumed quite quickly.
But he didn't care; the more he consumed his thoughts, the more he gained.
Reciting the classics of the sages is the quickest way to enhance one's talent and literary prowess.
"Everything's packed up, Chief Ye. How are you? Did you rest well?"
After an unknown amount of time, the outside quieted down. Chen Tianjian walked in and saw Ye Ru reciting the classics of the sages. He smiled.
"Thank you for your concern, Lord Chen. I am now fully recovered. I have just finished reading about universal love in the Mohist school and have benefited greatly from it."
Upon seeing Chen Tianjian arrive, Ye Ru immediately closed his book, spoke to Chen Tianjian, and then stretched.
"So, what are your thoughts?"
Chen Tianjian said.
"I wouldn't presume to call it a profound insight, but I have gained some knowledge. The classic texts of the saints are obscure and difficult to understand. Oh, by the way, what time is it now?"
Ye Ru saw through the military tent that dawn had broken outside and suddenly asked.
"It's already dawn. This night has been filled with paranoia, with everyone fearing that the demons will come again."
Chen Tianjian said with a solemn expression:
“These demons have suffered such a great loss, they will definitely not let it go so easily. Moreover, you have thwarted their plans time and time again. If they could have ignored you a while ago, they have already decided to kill you since yesterday.”
"Would they just let it go if they didn't suffer a loss?"
Ye Ru blinked, seemingly lost in thought, which made Chen Tianjian burst into laughter:
"You are truly ignorant and fearless. I have been fighting with them for a long time. It was only because the Left Prime Minister was too arrogant some time ago that I returned to the court. Their ruthlessness is even greater than those demon bastards."
"We'll deal with whatever comes our way. This pass is actually a good place for us to hone our skills."
Ye Ru said.
"In a few days, I will send you to the Forbidden City to participate in the imperial examination."
Chen Tianjian pondered for a moment, then raised his head and said, "Ye Ru is now a key target of the demon race. We must protect him well. He is the future of the Yanhuang Kingdom and a powerful pillar to counter the Left Prime Minister in the future."
“I can study here, but perhaps I will have to go to the Holy Road before the imperial examination.”
Ye Ru suddenly remembered the bet he made with Yuzhang Academy, and thought that he might gain a lot there.
"Sacred Road... But under this premise, you still need to study hard and become a scholar, after all, the 100,000 heroic souls of Jin still need you to bring them back."
Chen Tianjian seemed to disagree with Ye Ru entering the Holy Path, tapping his fingers on the table as he pondered.
"Does Lord Chen have any concerns?"
Ye Ru frowned and said.
“It’s not a concern. This Sacred Path was discovered by Yuzhang Academy, and it’s located inside Yuzhang Academy. I’m afraid that after you enter there, there will be some unscrupulous people who will secretly eliminate you on the Sacred Path. After all, the Sacred Path is a place where opportunities and dangers coexist.”
Chen Tianjian said.
"That's not a problem, if they dare to come..."
A chilling smile crept across Ye Ru's lips:
"Then let them never return..."