2 Matching Annotations
  1. Oct 2023
    1. Act with unforced actions in harmony with the natural cycles of the universe. Trying to force something to happen will likely backfire. Rejects Confucian focus on ceremonies/rituals. Prefers spontaneity and play. Like how water (soft and yielding), can, over time, cut through rock.

      As a Chinese who learned a lot about Confucianism and Taoism, I have to admit that I like Taoism better. For me, the ethics frameworks of Confucianism seem too outdated and strict, I don't want to focus too much on messy patterns, instead, the idea of 顺其自然, which means go with the flow, should be the right way to live. I totally agree with the content "Trying to force something to happen will likely backfire." And there is another old saying from China that "船到桥头自然直", it means that as long as you do what you should do, everything will be good in the end. It's been tested by my own experience. Confucianism is meant to be the product of old times. its excessive rationale has gradually been abandoned by everyone.

    1. How do you think about the relationship between social media and “real life”?

      We have to admit that people nowadays cannot live without social media. Living in 2023, I believe that social media is no longer a tool to communicate, it is becoming more and more diverse and combines all kinds of functions such as a platform to show people "who they are". I know too many people who are social phobias but are a "stars" on social media. Back then, people like them would be judged as "people who don't live on the Internet", however, no one would tag them as "strange" anymore. Therefore, yes, social media has been included in real life and is making real life better and more diverse.