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Most people spend their lives conforming to what society values: having many friends, having a good job, starting a family, and being a useful member of society: "I'm a hard-working, god-fearing, freedom-loving American. And I'm proud of it!"
大多数人一生都在遵循社会价值观：拥有很多朋友、有一份好工作、组建家庭、成为对社会有用的人：“我是一个勤奋、敬畏上帝、热爱自由的美国人。我为此感到自豪！”
Of course, if you earned your rank in the game, there's no shame in looking down on those we didn't. But as Zhuangzi said, we can't judge right and wrong by the world's standards.
当然，如果你在游戏中赢得了自己的排名，那么看不起那些没有获得排名的人也没什么可耻的。但正如庄子所说，我们不能用世俗的标准来判断是非。
The majority may agree on something, but that doesn't mean it's a universal truth. Taoist sages generally love crushing conventional beliefs.
大多数人可能同意某件事，但这并不意味着它是普遍真理。道家圣人通常喜欢打破传统信仰。
For example, suppose everyone thinks that being ‘unambitious' is bad. As Zhuangzi might argue, because of this, people fret greatly about not being seen as unambitious.
例如，假设每个人都认为“没有野心”是不好的。正如庄子可能会说的那样，正因为如此，人们非常担心自己被视为没有野心。
So, they chase promotions, flaunt their career ambitions, and spend hours discussing their new roles and future plans—just to prove to others that they're driven and worthy of admiration.
因此，他们追逐晋升，炫耀自己的职业抱负，花几个小时讨论他们的新角色和未来计划——只是为了向别人证明他们有动力，值得钦佩。
People who lack such aspirations are generally frowned upon. And for many, that's frightening. But the Taoist sages challenge us to look beyond societal conditioning.
缺乏这种抱负的人通常会被人鄙视。对许多人来说，这是可怕的。但道家圣贤们建议我们超越社会制约。
In this case, we could ask ourselves: Is being unambitious truly bad? Is following your ambition really worth the daily stress?
在这种情况下，我们可以问问自己：没有野心真的不好吗？追求野心真的值得每天承受压力吗？
What if we choose not to be ambitious—or even refuse to be cogs in the machine?
如果我们选择不雄心勃勃，甚至拒绝成为机器上的齿轮，会怎么样？
How about we become like the elderly hermit, turning our backs on societal expectations? Would we be worse off or not?
我们不如像年长的隐士一样，背弃社会期望？我们会变得更糟吗？
What comes to mind is the story of the useless tree, one of the most profound parables that turns the world upside down in a Taoist fashion.
我想到的是无用之树的故事，这是以道家方式颠覆世界的最深刻的寓言之一。
Carpenter Shih and his apprentice once passed a massive oak standing by the village shrine. The oak's branches could easily shelter hundreds of oxen during rainfall.
木匠和他的徒弟曾经经过村神社旁边的一棵巨大橡树。橡树的树枝可以在下雨时轻松为数百头牛提供庇护。
Around the oak gathered dozens of people, amazed by its size and beauty.
橡树周围聚集了数十人，惊叹于它的粗大和美丽。
The apprentice said: "Wow, I've never seen such a beautiful tree. But you don't even care to look at it. Why is that?"
学徒说：“哇，我从来没见过这么漂亮的树。但你却连看都不想看。这是为什么呢？”
"Are you kidding me?" said the carpenter. "This tree is worthless! Can't you see how crooked it is? Make boats of it, and they'll sink; make closets or doors, and they'll rot instantly! It's useless!"
“你在跟我开玩笑吗？”木匠说。“这棵树一文不值！你看不出来它有多歪吗？用它做船，船会沉没；做衣柜或门，它们会立刻腐烂！它没用！”
That night, the carpenter dreamed the crooked tree spoke to him.
那天晚上，木匠梦见这棵歪歪扭扭的树跟他说话。
"Listen, buddy," the tree said. "I heard you talk. You think I'm worthless, not good for anything. And that's true to an extent. Just look at the apple and orange trees.
“听着，伙计，”树说。“我听见你说的话了。你认为我一文不值，一无是处。这在一定程度上是对的。看看苹果树和橘子树就知道了。
They're useful. They bring about fruits, which is why people love them. But look at their existence. They're being exploited.
它们很有用。它们结果，这就是人们喜欢它们的原因。但看看它们的存在。它们被剥削了。
When their fruits are ripe, they're subjected to abuse. Their big branches are broken off; they're pulled and jerked around.
当它们的果实成熟时，它们就会受到虐待。它们的大树枝被折断；它们被拉扯和猛拉。
And when they don't produce anymore, they're cut down. Do you see how their utility makes their lives miserable?
当它们不再结果时，就会被砍伐。你看到它们的效用如何使它们的生活变得悲惨了吗？
They can't even live out the full years Heaven intended for them. I, on the other hand, am of no use. And being useless turned out to be of great use to me. If I had been useful, would I've grown this big? I owe my long life to being useless."
他们甚至不能活到上天赋予他们的全部年华。另一方面，我毫无用处。而无用却对我大有裨益。如果我有用，我会长这么大吗？我的长寿归功于我的无用。”
As we see in the story, uselessness, which is generally seen as a bad trait (especially in our achievement society), was a benefit for the tree.
正如我们在故事中看到的，无用通常被视为一种坏特质（尤其是在我们的功绩社会中），但对树来说却是一种好处。
It reminds us of the old hermit whose unfortunate life, by societal standards, hid a blessing in disguise. There's always some gain in loss. The trick is to discover it.
这让我们想起了那位老隐士，他不幸的一生，按照社会标准，却隐藏着因祸得福。失去总是有好处的。关键在于发现它。
Pei-kung-tzu and Hsi-men-tzu, long-separated friends, met again one day. Pei-kung-tzu was astonished at how different their lives turned out.
北公子和西门子是久别重逢的朋友，有一天他们又见面了。北公子惊讶地发现他们的生活竟然如此不同。
His old friend became wealthy, successful, and respected, but he turned out very poor, and most people didn't like or trust him.
他的老朋友变得富有、成功、受人尊敬，而他自己却变得非常贫穷，大多数人都不喜欢或信任他。
Pei-kung-tzu complained, and I quote: "When we both took office in government, you were promoted, and I was dismissed.
北公子抱怨道：“当我们都担任政府职务时，你被提拔，而我被罢免。
When we both farmed, even the earth cooperated with you and not with me. When we traded together, you made profits and I lost. This is really unfair!" End quote.
当我们都种田时，甚至土地都与你合作，而不是与我合作。当我们一起交易时，你赚钱，我亏本。这真是不公平！”
He continued complaining about wearing old clothing, eating food usually given to pigs, living in a broken shack, and being unable to afford a cart.
他继续抱怨穿着旧衣服，吃通常喂猪的食物，住在破旧的棚屋里，买不起车。
In contrast, his old friend ate the best foods, lived in a giant mansion, and traveled in a luxury vehicle.
相比之下，他的老朋友吃着最好的食物，住着大宅，坐着豪华马车。
Didn't they both have the same background and education? Why did their fates deviate so much?
他们不是有着相同的背景和教育吗？为什么他们的命运会相差如此之大？
When Pei-kung-tzu confronted his old friend with this perceived unfairness, Hsi-men-tzu exploded, telling him that his success in life stems from being more virtuous and, therefore, more worthy in the eyes of others.
当北公子向他的老朋友直言不讳地表示这种不公平时，西门子勃然大怒，告诉他，他成功的人生源于更有德行，因此在别人眼中更有价值。
Of course, Pei-kung-tzu felt depressed after this slap in the face and sought consolation from the village sage.
当然，北公子在被打脸后感到沮丧，并向村里的圣人寻求安慰。
The sage asked why Hsi-men-tzu insulted his old friend, who explained that Pei-kung-tzu simply couldn't stand that he was less worthy than himself.
圣人问西门子为什么侮辱他的老朋友，西门子解释说，北公子根本无法忍受自己比我更不值钱。
But the sage corrected him, explaining that worthiness cannot be measured by social or political success. He had simply more luck in life.
但圣人纠正了他，解释说价值不能用社会或政治上的成功来衡量。他=西门子只是在生活中运气更好。
I quote: "You are successful in society not because you are particularly wise or virtuous but because you have luck in everything you do.
“你在社会上取得成功，不是因为你特别聪明或有德行，而是因为你在做每件事时都有好运。”
On the other hand, Pei-kung-tzu's failure to be recognized is not due to stupidity or lack of virtue. It's because he does not have luck in everything he does." End quote.
另一方面，北公子未能得到认可并非因为他愚昧或缺乏美德。这是因为他做每件事都没有运气。”
When Pei-kung-tzu heard what the sage said to his old friend, he felt OK with his situation. He no longer let his lack of luck be a reason for unhappiness.
当北公子听到圣人对他老朋友说的话时，他对自己的情况感到满意。他不再让运气不佳成为不快乐的原因。
The story shows us that embracing fate and finding contentment, whether rich or poor, successful or not, leads to inner peace.
这个故事告诉我们，接受命运并找到满足感，无论富有还是贫穷，成功与否，都会带来内心的平静。
We often can't do much about how things work out around us, but we can cultivate our attitudes toward these things.
我们常常无法改变周围事物的发展，但我们可以培养对这些事物的态度。
Usually, our best bet is to let things go their natural course and focus on how we navigate through them instead of trying to control them.
通常，我们最好的选择是让事情顺其自然，专注于我们如何应对它们，而不是试图控制它们。
Is there a more relaxing attitude in a fast-paced, stressful world than letting all these attachments and must-haves slide and take life however it comes?
在这个快节奏、充满压力的世界里，还有比让所有这些依恋和必需品随波逐流、随遇而安更轻松的态度吗？
Who's more successful? The wealthy person waking up dissatisfied every morning, always chasing more?
谁更成功？每天早上醒来都不满意、总是追求更多东西的富人？
Or the poor, waking up content, happy with whatever the Heavens give him? Thank you for watching.
还是醒来时心满意足、对上天赐予的一切感到高兴的穷人？谢谢你的观看。
