The wise man plots for power, the capable plot for the situation, the mediocre plot for profit

Answer 1

In this concept:

** Mediocre Profits **:

Most mediocre people's thinking was limited by benefits. Wealth was indeed loved by people, but it was unwise for a person to only focus on the money in front of him and give up on long-term planning. For example, in the late Qing Dynasty, in the case of Weng Tonghe's loan, Cixi ignored the fate of the country because of the small interest of kickbacks. She was greedy for money at the moment of life and death of the country. This short-sightedness was one of the reasons for the defeat of the Qing Dynasty. Another example was Yuan Shao at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. Although he was powerful and had the opportunity to compete for the world, when Dong Zhuo was in power, he refused to rescue Cao Cao because he was worried about the loss of money and food (small profit). He lost the opportunity to defeat Dong Zhuo and finally lost. This type of person was short-sighted and only paid attention to trivial interests. When faced with slight fluctuations in interests or when they encountered major events, they would be in trouble and it would be difficult for them to achieve great achievements.

** The capable scheme **:

The capable have a long-term vision and a broad mind. They knew that the gains and losses of benefits depended on the strengths and weaknesses of the layout. They would think deeply, weigh the pros and cons, plan well, be able to observe the situation, clear the direction, and know when to advance or retreat. He would not be confused by temporary benefits, nor would he be hindered by temporary difficulties. For example, when Zhang Yong was the magistrate of Chongyang County in the Song Dynasty, he saw that the tea business was profitable but could not last long, so he arranged for the people to plant mulberry trees. Although it was misunderstood by the people at that time, when the tea leaves in other counties were not selling well two years later, the people of Chongyang County were rich because of mulberry trees raising silkworms and weaving silk. Zhang Yong also had outstanding achievements and was promoted. Just like chess, the capable could see the situation after many steps. They used wisdom to penetrate the fog and courage to overcome the obstacles. However, the capable were also limited by the situation. Once the situation changed drastically, it might be difficult to react quickly.

** Wise Man's Strategy **:

A wise man could have the world in his heart and observe the changing trends of everything in the world. They could foresee the future situation and take advantage of it. He wasn't limited by a single match, and he wasn't constrained by the small profits in front of him. They had a long-term vision and could plan ahead. They could use the power of the trend to obtain big results with small investments. For example, Jiang Taigong was fishing in the Wei River, not for fish, but for the general trend of the world. Zhuge Liang had already decided to divide the world into three parts before he left the thatched cottage. A wise man knew how to act actively when the trend came and hide when the trend passed. He would not be trapped by the trend, nor would he be subdued by external forces.

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