The most terrifying aspect of human nature isn’t just “forgetting morality in the face of profit,” but “forgetting harm in the face of profit.” It’s natural for humans to seek benefits and avoid harm, but as the saying goes: “Men die for wealth, birds die for food.” Some people are willing to risk their lives for a small gain, highlighting the greatest weakness of human nature: remembering to seek profit while forgetting to avoid harm.
Two factors that quickly lead to mistakes
- The temptation of profit: When faced with potential gains, most people instinctively set aside their moral principles and prioritize profit, a phenomenon known as sacrificing morality for profit, which often leads to harm.
- Loss of rationality: When you’re conflicted and unsure of what to do, you might choose to gamble. For instance, “blinded by profit” describes the confusion between prioritizing profit and morality. Most people select profit because it is immediate and within reach. People often say that forgetting morality in the face of profit leads to mistakes because they fail to see the risks when profit is at hand.
The tale of borrowing the road to destroy Zhou
During the spring and autumn period, the state of Jin wanted to attack the state of Chu. However, they needed to pass through the state of Zhou to deploy their troops fully. The King of Jin sent many beauties and treasures to the King of Zhou as a bribe. The ministers of Zhou quickly advised their king that Zhou would be next after Jin defeated Chu. However, the King of Zhou could not resist the temptation of beauty and wealth, allowing Jin’s army to pass through. Jin defeated Chu, gained territory, and learned about Zhou’s vulnerabilities.
Jin used the same strategy three years later, requesting passage through Zhou again. The greedy King of Zhou agreed once more. This time, Jin invaded Zhou directly, catching them unprepared and leading to Zhou’s downfall. The beauties and treasures the King of Zhou collected became Jin’s spoils. The King of Zhou betrayed his state and himself by seeking immediate profit, which directly led to harm.
The Art of War
It is often said that those who genuinely understand The Art of War can remain undefeated. The core principle of The Art of War is to consider the risks, costs, and benefits before taking action. The greatest taboo in life is forgetting harm in the face of profit.
No matter how well-read or morally upright a person is, in the presence of significant profit, they often become overwhelmed and fail to consider the potential risks, let alone their moral implications. This is why the tragedies of “men dying for wealth and birds dying for food” are so every day. We cannot expect everyone, including ourselves, to be paragons of virtue. However, if you remember to analyze and consider potential dangers when faced with profit, you can avoid 90 percent of mistakes.
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