Clear and Cunning

"Ancient and Modern Debate" Or it may be said: "The ancients were not stupid in ancient times, and the people today will still be the ancients a hundred years from now." This statement is very good and breaks the confusion of the customs of the times. When people in ancient times were in their infancy, they made rituals, made music, and observed the sky and the earth. How could their wisdom be inferior to that of today? Shen Nong tasted hundreds of herbs, Huang Di built boats and chariots, Duke Zhou instituted rituals and music, and Confucius and Mencius established benevolence and righteousness. At that time, there was no technology like today, but how could it be foolish to have such talent as enlightening the people, adapting to change, and gaining power? Nowadays, people are proud of the past with their machines. They are like those who ride a boat and laugh at the clumsiness of the boat builder. Isn't it absurd? However, people today will still be ancient people a hundred years from now. Today's high-rise flying bridges and electric and optical network communications may look like the ancient carts made of bamboo slips and oxcarts in the future. Time has changed, the utensils are old and new, but the Tao is not ancient or modern. Human beings are smart, capable of thinking and creating, capable of worrying and rejoicing, which is the same in ancient and modern times. If people today only rely on the effectiveness of their weapons, but their minds are blocked and their moral character is desolate, then a hundred years from now they will look at the present the same way they look at the past now. Isn't that "ancient and stupid"? Therefore, a wise man will not be confused between the past and the present. Those who study the ancients should learn from their spirit rather than imitate their shapes; those who live in the present should open up new realms and not lose their original intention. Suzi Zhanyun said: "If you look at what has changed, you will see that heaven and earth cannot last for a moment; if you look at what does not change, then things and I will be endless." Changes in ancient and modern times can also be seen in the same way. But if you keep a clear mind and practice benevolence and righteousness, you can learn from the past, practice today, and pass it on to future generations. In this way, today's people will live up to the ancients, and future generations will live up to today's people, and together they will form a long river of civilization that will never stop flowing. The article ends but the meaning is not exhausted, I hope readers will think about it.