There's a joke about a man trapped on a rooftop during a massive flood. Three rescuers came, but he refused each time because he believed in God and thought God wouldn't let him die. The floodwaters eventually submerged the roof. After he died, he met God and questioned why he hadn't been saved. God replied helplessly, "I sent three groups to save you, but you refused each time. I couldn't help it."
This story teaches us: If you don't save yourself, no one can save you. Even if fate extends a hand, it's futile if you don't reach out.
According to the British philosopher John Locke, God bestowed all the resources of the earth upon humankind, but God doesn't feed us. Each of us must acquire, develop, and utilize these resources through our own hard work.
*Tiangong Kaiwu* (The Exploitation of the Works of Nature) is an ancient Chinese encyclopedia of science and technology. Its author, Song Yingxing, expressed the view that "Heaven creates all things, and humans develop and utilize them," a view echoing that of John Locke.
Lao Tzu revealed the "Tao" of the universe; his five thousand words almost encompass the mysteries of heaven and earth, the wisdom of life, and the strategies of governance, yet they are not perfect. Especially when one's understanding is limited, readers may misinterpret or misunderstand.
Indeed, Heaven has its own arrangements, and humans should follow the laws of nature, refraining from reckless actions, and practicing non-action (wuwei).
However, non-action is not inaction; non-action is still a form of governance.
The primary audience for the *Tao Te Ching* is ancient rulers. The entire text mainly discusses the non-action of heaven and earth and the ruler, providing an environment for all things and the people to develop freely.
Under this premise, all things and the people can
freely develop, create, compete, and strive, thus forming a vibrant and diverse
world. This is Lao Tzu's ideal state.
A ruler practicing non-action responds to the people's requests without disturbing them unnecessarily, serving the people while minimizing their presence. This is the essence of non-action.
The citizens' active participation means building and maintaining an environment conducive to the ruler's inaction, allowing them to unleash and maximize their creativity.
It is two erroneous extremes—one that goes against the laws of nature and ignores objective reality, and the other that wants to lie back and wait passively—both are undesirable.
In short, the "Tao" must be put into practice through human effort; conforming to the objective laws of nature and giving full play to human initiative must be combined.
有一个笑话，说洪水滔天，有人被困在屋顶，先后有三批救援者前来，他都拒绝被救，因为他信上帝，认为上帝不会让他死，结果洪水将屋顶淹没了。他死后见到上帝，质问为什么不救他？上帝无奈地说，我派了三批人来救你，你都拒绝，我也没办法啊。
这个故事告诉我们：你不自救，没人能救你，命运都向你伸出了手，你还不伸出手也枉然。
据英国思想家约翰·洛克（John Locke）之见，上帝将整个地球的资源都赐予了人类，但上帝并不会把饭喂到你嘴里，我们每个人要通过自己的努力劳动，去获取、开发、运用上帝赐予的这些资源。
《天工开物》是中国古代科学技术的百科全书，作者宋应星通过书名表达了“天生万物，由人开发利用”的观点，与约翰·洛克之见异曲同工。
老子揭示了宇宙之“道”，五千言几乎道尽天地玄机、人生智慧、治国权谋，但并不完美。特别是了解不深时，读者可能出现误读误解。
固然，上天自有安排，人要遵循自然规律，不要逆天妄为，无为之治就好。
但无为不是什么都不做，无为之治依然是一种“治”。
《道德经》一书的读者对象主要是上古的君主，全文主要论述天地、君主的无为，给万物、百姓提供自由发展的环境。
在这一前提下，万物、百姓得以自由发展、创造、竞争、奋进，从而形成气象万千、生机盎然的世界。这是老子心目中的理想国。
无为的统治者是对民众有求必应、无事不扰，在为民做好服务之余就少刷存在感。这就是无为之为。
如老子所言“我无为而民自化”，统治者的无为，和公民们的有为，二者要结合起来，缺一不可偏废。
公民的有为，是要建设和维护一个统治者无为的环境，去释放和发挥自己最大的创造力。
一个人违背自然规律、不顾客观实际去瞎折腾，和想躺平了、坐在那里干等，是两个错误的极端，都不可取。
总之，“道”一定要通过人的努力去发挥作用，顺应自然界的客观规律和发挥人的主观能动性要结合起来。
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