Take off the human body

    Selflessness is primary, selfishness is universal.

    Everything humanity does is for the sake of improving its own existence. Humans are selfish, and humanity itself is selfish.

    The rule of humanity is that small acts of selflessness lead to great selfishness.

    The rule of humanity is that individual selflessness leads to collective selfishness.

    The rule of humanity is that individual interests lead to collective interests.

    What is achieved is individual greatness and collective benefit, or individual sacrifice and collective success.

    From the perspective of the world's rules, it is merely the struggle for survival of a species that still exists; there is no greatness, no humility, only an objective cycle from existence to extinction.

    But from humanity's perspective, what is beneficial to survival, what makes life better, is great.

    Humanity is great, humanity is intelligent, humanity has wisdom, humanity is the master of the world, humanity is unique.

    Humanity has civilization, technology, and heritage. Humanity is united enough to overcome everything; humanity enjoys the flesh and blood of countless lives, but when the environment changes drastically, humanity will also perish.

    Humanity possesses the weapons to destroy the world, and at the same time, it will destroy itself.

    Strip away the human form, and humanity is just another biological species. Humans have prey, natural enemies, and even engage in internecine warfare.

    But humans are, after all, evolved into a higher form of life; after all, we must survive; after all, we are invincible in this world.

    So, unknowingly, we consider ourselves the masters of the world, gods to other species, never acknowledging that we are merely passersby.

    We only hope that in the end, it is the environment, not humanity itself, that destroys us.

    How resilient the little grass is! No matter how heavy the stone, it absorbs nutrients, rain, and sunlight, struggling to push aside the boulder and emerge from the earth.

    But it is selfish, isn't it? Did it obtain permission to absorb the nutrients, rain, and sunlight?

    Just like the vegetables, chickens, ducks, fish, birds, and beasts that humans eat—did they obtain permission?

    The law, initially, had a person who frequently committed evil, and those around him repeatedly suffered at his hands. Some people will think, "He's so terrifying, he'll eventually threaten me. For my survival, I must restrict his survival." Everyone who knows him shares this concern, leading to thoughts and actions to punish him. One leads to two, two to three, and eventually, a collective force is formed to combat evil. Humanity then extrapolates from this, ultimately establishing a mandatory rule to protect rights and interests and ensure safety—the law.

    From an individual perspective, combating evil is about ensuring personal safety; from a collective perspective, it's about protecting the collective's safety. Selfishness is a small act of selfishness; collective selfishness is a larger act of selfishness, ultimately aimed at survival without threat. Survival itself is simply about living, neither noble nor insignificant. The law is great because it stands from the perspective of the majority, guaranteeing the safety and interests of the majority, and is therefore praised by the majority.

    Politics is about finding a leader, a leader, always requiring a goal for unity and survival. Internal struggles are for power, interests, and the needs of the majority; coups or revolutions occur because they are utterly unsuitable.

    The economy serves food, clothing, shelter, and transportation.

    The military is a claw sharper than any animal's.

    Selfishness breeds selflessness. When you have an idea, it's selfish because it's personal, but it's selfless if your actions benefit others. Similarly, humanity as a whole treats other species and the environment in the same way. This is how selfish thoughts lead to selfless actions.

    Only humans distinguish between selfishness and selflessness, minimizing selfishness and exaggerating selflessness. In reality, selfishness and selflessness are equally prevalent.

    Animals don't think about these distinctions. For animals, as long as they can survive, cunning, despicable, shameless, cruel, and vicious behavior are all weapons to be proud of, and may even be imitated and admired by their companions.

    Human civilization is great because it allows the human race to survive better. From a human perspective, this is great, but from the perspective of the world as a whole, what's the difference between a human population and a herd of cattle, donkeys, horses, sheep, wolves, lions, bees, or ants?

    Selfishness is for survival, and so is selflessness. The wise know selfishness, the foolish know selflessness, and the intelligent know when to be selfish and when to be selfless. Among most people, some know only selflessness without understanding why, while others only know selfishness yet gain nothing. In fact, being too calculating is detrimental. Individuals cannot escape the rules of humanity as a whole, which is why the vast majority of people live well—that's perhaps its greatness.

    Of course, humanity is complex; beneath the outer garment lies the inner garment, beyond that lies the inner self, and beyond that, instinct. Ultimately, it all boils down to one purpose: to survive better.