There has been such a thing as letting mankind alone and tolerahere has never been such a thing as g mankind. Letting alone Springs from the fear lest mens natural dispositions be perverted and tolerance springs from the fear lest their character be corrupted. But if their natural dispositio perverted, nor their character corrupted, what need is there left fover?
Of old, when Yao goverhe empire, he made the people live happily; sequently the people struggled to be happy and became restless. When Chieh goverhe empire he made the people live miserably; sequently the people regarded life as a burden and were distented. Restlessness and distent are subversive of virtue; and without virtue there has never been such a thing as stability.
When man rejoices greatly, he gravitates towards yang (the positive pole). When he is i anger, he gravitates towards yin (the ive pole). If the equilibrium of positive aive is disturbed, the four seasons are upset, and the balance of heat and cold is destroyed, man himself suffers physically thereby. It causes men to rejoid sorrow inordinately, to live disorderly lives, to be vexed ihoughts, and to lose their baland form of duct. When that happens, then the whole world seethes with revolt and distent, and we have such men as Robber Cheh, Tseng, and Shih. Offer the entire world as rewards for the good or threaten the wicked with the dire punishments of the entire world, and it is still insuffit (to reform them). sequently, with the entire world, one ot furnish suffit is or deterrents to a. From the Three Dynasties downwards, the world has lived in a helter-skelter of promotions and punishments. What ce have the people left for living the even tenor of their lives?
Besides, love (over-refi) of vision leads to debauchery in color; love of hearing leads to debauchery in sound; love of charity leads to fusion in virtue; love of duty leads to perversion of principles; love of ceremonies (li) leads to a on fashion for teical skill; love of music leads to on lewdness of thought; love of wisdom leads to a fashion for the arts; and love of knowledge leads to a fashion for criticism If the people are allowed to live out the even tenor of their lives, the above eight may or may not be; it matters not. But if the people are not allowed to live out the even tenor of their lives, then these eight cause distent and tention and strife, and throw the world into chaos.
Yet the world worships and cherishes them. Indeed deep-seated is the mental chaos of the world. Is it merely a passing mistake that be simply removed? Yet they observe fasts before their discussion, bend down on their ko practise them, and sing ahe drum and dao celebrate them. What I do about it?
Therefore, when a gentleman is unavoidably pelled to take charge of the gover of the empire, there is nothier than ina (letting alone). By means of ina only he allow the people to live out the even tenor of their lives. Therefore he who values the world as his own self may therusted with the gover of the world and he who loves the world as his own self may therusted with the care of the world. {56} Therefore if the gentleman refrain from disturbing the internal ey of man, and from glorifying the powers of sight and hearing, he sit still like a corpse or spring into a like a dragon, be silent as the deep or talk with the voice of thuhe movements of his spirit calling forth the natural meism of Heaven. He remain calm and leisurely do