The wisdom of ancient sages from thousands of years ago

 The wisdom of ancient sages from thousands of years ago still holds true today, doesn't it?



Personally, I’ve always had a fondness for the teachings and stories of Chinese sages. As a child, I learned stories like "The Clear Stream and Myself" and "Begin with Myself" in school, and they’ve stuck with me ever since. They still guide me in many ways. Among the many episodes, none of them involve greedy individuals who were solely focused on their own gain achieving lasting success.

Sure, there are stories of short-term victories, but in the end, these people always meet unfortunate fates—whether they are defeated by enemies, betrayed by their subordinates, or undone by their own schemes.

In English, we might describe this mindset as one of "Give and Take," but the success stories of China's great historical figures almost always involve people who think in the long term, not just the short term.

Looking at the present, I wonder—are we too focused on short-term profits and on a mindset of "Take and Give"? Statements like: "If you give me something, then I'll give you something in return," or "I'll choose what's immediately beneficial," or "I want you to listen to me, even though I’m not willing to listen to you"—are these becoming more common?

If we look back at history, there are almost no examples of people who succeeded or found happiness with such thinking.

There’s a saying: Onko Chishin (温故知新)—"Learning from the past to create new insights." While new technologies and ideas are certainly valuable, the truly important things for leading a happy and fulfilling life have already been hinted at by the great sages and wise individuals of the world.

Ultimately, how we choose to live is up to each of us. We decide what kind of life we want to lead, and that choice is in our hands.

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