第七章 天長地久
天長地久。天地所以能長且久者，以①其不自生，故能長生。是以聖人後其身而身先，外其身而身存。非以其無私邪②？故能成其私③。
名詞解釋：
以：因為
邪：同“耶”，疑問語氣詞。
私：這裡指個人利益
通篇解釋：
天地永遠都存在。天地之所以能長久，是因為它不是為了自己而生存，所以才能永遠存在。因此得道的人凡事把自己的切身利益置後，反而能成了人群的首領；凡事把自身的安危置之度外，反而保全了自己的身家性命。這不正是因為他不自私？所以可以更好地成就他自己。
引申擴展：
1、百姓如何效仿天道做到“以其不自生，故能長生”？
天道是不仁愛的，是不以自身生存為目標，才因而獲得永存的。那我們該如何效仿天道做到置自己利益於度外呢？
用普遍的二元論調解釋，就是做到不計個人得失，先滿足集體利益最大化時，個人自身利益就會相應隨之解決，進而昇華體現出個人的價值。以中國國策而言，我們也經常可以看見這類概念的運用，比如讓一部分人先富起來，然後帶動更多的人步入富裕的生活。
但具體落實到操作上，還是在一元目光中處理，更為高效便捷。用一元論解釋，這個外在的集體利益其實也是你的個人利益，每個人都掌控著屬於自己的世界，這個世界絕對對你服從，絕對是獨一無二的存在著的。所以其實並無集體利益和個人利益之分。兩者是融為一體，不可能清晰分割的。一旦你區分考慮集體和個人利益不同處時，那你所遇到的問題總是在不斷刷新你個人利益的承受底線，直到你發瘋，覺得自己被集體利益無情剝削到了極致。
比如，公司接了筆大訂單，你不得不加班加點。當你開始思考公司能從這筆大單中獲取多少利益，而自己最多隻獲得一點加班費或只能奢望老闆年終能多給你點獎金。那你一定會變得越來越加班無動力，活得越來越累。
正確的一元論想法中你應該考慮，在這個大單中你能獲得怎樣的資源即所謂的經驗。例如你知道了大公司的內部審核標準，你又突破了自己工作效率的瓶頸，你對領導、同事、客戶的定位度、關聯度等又有了更深刻的認知。當這個一元混合利益積累到達質變點時，你自然會遇到為你打開一片新天空的機遇，讓你厚積而薄發。
這個機遇的產生也絕對是有據可循的，因為我多次講解過當你自己一直處於這個精神喜悅的磁場環境中時，你的高頻會幻化吸引到與你同頻的好事發生。
所以學會凡事運用一元目光去思考，絕對是大勢所趨，無往不利。
2、政客如何效仿天道做到”以其不自生，故能長生“
政客除了處理日常生活和工作中，達到老子所言的聖人標準” 後其身而身先，外其身而身存“即類似范仲淹的” 先天下之憂而憂，後天下之樂而樂“觀點外。還應做到以下三點：
a.身處尊貴而不可驕傲；因為政客的今天，都是群眾選舉而來的。你對待他人高傲，那百姓自然不再與你親近。你就會被束之高閣而不自知，當基層的百姓鏈接完全脫離時，那也是你掉落的時刻。
b.位高責重而不可濫用；政客的一大法寶就是擁有國家級的職權力。當你開始肆意使用而不約束你的職權時，那賦予你權位的君主即當下的人民群眾就會討厭你，這又是你隕落的先兆。
c.俸祿優厚而不可貪圖；做人凡事都應要知足感恩，作為一名政客更應如此。否則禍患就會降臨到你頭上。
史書記載，春秋楚國名臣孫叔敖輔佐楚莊王治國安邦，政績斐然。在臨死前，他告誡兒子，死後楚王必定封你城邑，你屆時不要接受別人都爭奪的城邑，你申請楚越邊境的一個叫寢丘的小地方就行。那裡地勢低窪、土地貧瘠，歷來無人爭奪，但可保你未來衣食溫飽無憂。果然這塊封地一直傳了孫叔敖十幾代子嗣，一直沒被收回，而封別人的城邑不出兩代後被爭奪收回重新封賞了。後人稱其為“不爭肥缺而得長利”。
達到這三點的政客，自然活得受他人愛戴，並精神永存。
Chapter 7
Heaven is eternal, the Earth everlasting
How come they to be so? It is because they do not foster their own lives.
That is why they live so long.
Therefore the Sage
Puts himself benefit in the back; but is always to the fore.
Life remained outside; but is always alive.
Is it not just because he does not strive for any personal pursue?
That all his personal pursue are fulfilled.
Extension:
1、How does the common people follow the WAY to reach eternal state “not foster their own lives” ?
As we all known, the WAY is ruthless, it is not the goal of its own survival, that is why it obtain forever. So how do we follow the WAY track to put ourselves benefit outside?
In binary view theory, we should do regardless of personal gain and loss, to meet the collective interests, then individual interests can be solved accordingly, so promote your value of the individual. In case of Chinese national policy, we can also see this theory used, such as letting some people get rich first, and then driving more people into the rich life.
However, it is more efficient and convenient to carry out these problem in unary view.
In unary view theory, other’s collective benefit is equal with your personal benefit. Everyone holds the belongs to his own world. It is obedient to you and it is definitely unique. Both of benefit are integrated and can not be clearly separated. Once you start to distinguish them, your bottom line will be refreshed again and again until you go crazy to feel being exploited ruthlessly.
For example, the company took a big order and you had to work overtime. When you start to think about how much money the company can get from the big bill , you can only get a little overtime pay or you can only expect the boss to give you a bonus at the end of the year. Then you will become more and more unmotivated and more and more tired.
The correct thinking way is you should concern what can you lean from this big bill, that so-called experience. eg. You know the big company’s internal audit standards, you broke through the bottleneck of your work efficiency, you have a more in-depth understanding of the correlation between leadership, colleagues, clients, etc. When this kind of accumulation reach the point of qualitative change, you will naturally encounter the new opportunity to open up a new sky for you.
This opportunity happened is well documented from my previous articles. When you keep yourself in the joy spirit environment, the good things will be attracted by your high frequency.
Therefore, it is absolutely an irresistible trend to use unary view on all things thinking
2、How do politicians follow the WAY to reach eternal state “not foster their own lives” ?
Politicians are not only deal with daily life and work in the standard of the saint of the Laozi said, but also do below three things：
a.Being honorable but not proud;
All politicians are elected by the masses.When you are proud of others, the people will no longer be close to you. Then you will be put on the shelf without knowing it, and when the people from the lower-class are completely disconnected with you, that’s when you fall.
b.High responsibility but not abuse;
One of the great things about politicians is that they have national power. When you begin to use your authority freely without any restraining, the sovereign who gives you power will hate you and this is the beginning of your downfall.
c.Salary is good but not coveted;
Be grateful for everything especially as a politician. Otherwise the bad things wil happen to you.
The history books recorded that a famous minister of the Chu, assisted the king of Chu in running the country. Before he died, he warned his son that the king would raise your town, and that you would not accept the town which others were fighting for. You had better ask for a border town, this town land is low-lying and barren. There is no competition, but you can make a living enough in this town. As expected, this town is handed over to the minister’s son for more than a dozen generations, but other town land is been repossessed in two generations after rewarding. The latter called it “not fighting for but gaining rich”
The politician who achieves these three points will naturally live to be loved by others and will live forever.
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