The path to Tranquility (summer)
82. Judging things with an objective and absolute standard
In life, we often need to evaluate and judge various things, which not only
involves work, study or interpersonal relationships, but also relates to
moral views and values. If we can master a set of objective and absolute
standards, then our evaluation and judgment of things will be more
reasonable and fair, and also more efficient.
From childhood, we are accustomed to some kinds of extreme opposition classification, such as good and bad, right and wrong, and so on. This classification allows us to maintain a simplified thinking mode, and is often used as a standard for evaluating and judging things. However, the effectiveness of this judgment standard often depends on individual subjective views and feelings, and is not stable. For example, for the same setback, some people feel it is a kind of tempering, so it is good, while others will feel it is a blow, it is bad. Another example is that what seems right now, we will think is wrong later.
Therefore, if we use good or bad, right or wrong as the standard, it will be difficult for us to make reasonable and fair judgments on things. Most of the time, we will not be in extreme situations. Even in the extreme situation of death, we cannot simply judge good and bad, right and wrong. If we use an extreme judgment mode, we will ignore many details, increase the chance of misjudgment, and may pay a heavy price for it.
Clearly, we should adopt a more comprehensive model of judgment. When evaluating a product, in addition to personal preferences, we should also consider multiple factors such as product performance, price, and quality. We can use critical thinking to distinguish the truth of information, or analyze and deconstruct things to see the essence of the phenomenon and then make the most beneficial judgment for life. In fact, evaluating and judging things is the most effective protection for life.
From the level of instinct or consciousness, we all hope that our lives will continue, so we hope that things are beneficial to us. Starting from this point, we can consider "beneficial to the body and mind" as an objective and absolute standard for judging things. Beneficial to the body and mind means that it can promote our physical health and psychological balance. For example, a balanced diet can promote physical health, and reading and thinking can promote our psychological balance.
As for how to determine whether a thing is beneficial to the body and mind, we can establish a reasonable belief: those things that are beneficial to the overall life must be beneficial to our body and mind. This is because, since nature has evolved life, life must have its importance to nature. Things that are beneficial to the continuation of life are things that conform to nature, so they are beneficial to our body and mind. We can be sure that only things that are beneficial to the body and mind are worth doing.
For many things in life, we can first judge the possible consequences according to the standard of whether it is beneficial to the body and mind, and then take action. For example, when running to exercise, we can first consider whether the body can bear it based on our weight and joint condition, and then consider time and psychological issues. If we can cope with it, it can be judged as beneficial to the body and mind. Another example is that when deciding whether to help an elder cross the road, we need to observe whether the elder really needs it. If the elder does not have mobility impairments and is not in immediate danger, we can decide not to provide assistance. This allows the elderly to maintain their autonomy and saves us time, which is beneficial to the body and mind.
We can also combine the standard of being beneficial to the body and mind with the standard of good and bad, right and wrong, to form a new concept: things that are beneficial to the body and mind are good things, and doing these things is right. In this way, we can more easily judge whether a thing is worth doing, and even use this standard to solve issues of morality and values. When we are not sure whether it is beneficial to the body and mind, we can think in reverse and judge whether it is harmful to the body and mind. For example, our efforts to accumulate wealth are essentially efforts to extend our lives, so if it in turn damages our physical and mental health, we should consider slowing down or adjusting the direction. In a vague situation, if it is unclear whether something is beneficial to the body or mind, or harmful to the body and mind, then we should consider giving up instead of insisting on doing it.
However, even with an objective absolute judgment standard, we still need to have a healthy and sufficient consciousness for this standard to be effective. We not only need to avoid distorting things due to our own habits, emotions or prejudices, but also need to put things in a larger environment, see the benefits of the overall life, and make more objective and fair evaluations and judgments. On social issues such as gender or racial discrimination, we need to transcend the limitations of personal and cultural backgrounds, and evaluate and judge related issues based on the principle of equality that is beneficial to everyone's body and mind.
In general, as long as we have sufficient knowledge and thinking ability, we can judge things with the objective and absolute standard of "beneficial to the body and mind". We can strengthen learning and thinking training, and always pay attention to our own life, and gradually master this standard in practice. This standard is also a comprehensive and effective standard. If we can follow this standard, we can constantly strive for physical and mental health.
In the process of implementing this standard, we will also encounter some difficulties. Sometimes we are influenced by emotions or habitual thinking, and forget what is beneficial to our body and mind. We need to maintain close connection with others so that others can promptly remind us to pay attention to our body and mind in order to overcome these difficulties. In addition, keeping in mind the standard of "beneficial to the body and mind" can also make it easier for us to get rid of negative emotions or inertial thinking. When we continue to raise our awareness and judge things objectively, we can better understand the world and be less likely to be deceived. In this way, we can protect life rationally.
81. Fully aware of the power of words
83. Listening brings us beautiful and fulfilling relationships
