As we go through life, we often face waves that cannot be resolved by 'goodness' alone.
The more honestly and diligently a person works and lives without harming others, the more likely they are to become helpless in the face of unexpected evil.
Through the story of a merchant, I intend to take a deep look at the wisdom of conduct regarding how one must sometimes borrow 'the other person's way' to protect oneself.
In a small village, there was a merchant who had faithfully engaged in business his entire life.
However, due to the continuing recession, he decided to leave his beloved hometown and make a new start in an unfamiliar place. His entire fortune consisted of nothing more than 80 gold coins, the fruits of his life's labor.
The merchant put the precious gold coin in his pocket, kept it safe deep in his bosom, and set off on his journey.
However, misfortune is bound to strike at the moment of greatest carelessness.
There was a woman watching the merchant checking the gold coin while he was taking a brief rest.
In an instant, she grabbed the merchant by the collar and began to wail.
"You wicked man! How can you abandon your wife and children and try to run away alone? If you take all our living expenses with you, how are we supposed to live!"
The stares of the people around them turned cold in an instant.
The flustered merchant protested, "I do not know you!" but the woman's acting was elaborate.
The moment even the children, who had been trained in advance, ran up, grabbed the merchant's leg, and shouted, "Dad, don't go!", the truth was completely buried in the trap of lies.
Eventually, the two were dragged to the government office.
Before the judge, the merchant pleaded his innocence, but faced with the children's tearful acting and the woman's desperate voice, the judge solidified his conviction.
The judge sternly rebuked him. "If you intend to abandon your family and leave, you must fulfill at least the minimum duties of a head of the household.
Either give all 80 gold coins to your wife as living expenses and leave, or return home to take care of your wife and children."The merchant was in despair.
It was the moment his lifelong fortune was being plundered right before his eyes.
He eventually handed over 80 gold coins and left the courtroom penniless.
Wandering the streets beating his chest in injustice, the merchant suddenly realized something. He realized that 'an honest appeal cannot defeat falsehood. The only chance of victory lies in directly entering the fake reality they have created.
The next day, the merchant visited the court again and spoke to the judge.
"Upon reflection, I was wrong. However, I need a reliable helper as I embark on a long journey, so please allow me to take only my grown eldest son with me to inherit the family business.
I will leave the remaining children and the gold coins with my wife.
The judge considered this a reasonable request and granted it. The woman was flustered. This is because the 'eldest son' the merchant pointed to was actually the woman's real son.
Fear gripped the woman, fearing that a complete stranger like the merchant might take her son and do something to him in a dangerous foreign land.
The woman chased after the merchant and pleaded, "Please, just give me my child back. Then I will return those 80 gold coins."
Only then did the merchant manage to get back the lost gold coins, wearing a cold smile.
By making the woman herself deny the fake 'marital' relationship established by the judge, the merchant chose a strategy of destroying the opponent's lie instead of proving his own truth.
There is a saying called 'using barbarians to control barbarians.' Meaning "to defeat barbarians with barbarians," it refers to the wisdom of solving problems by leveraging the opponent's strength or methods against them rather than exhausting one's own. The merchant's response suggests three important values of conduct for those of us living in modern society. First, in the face of evil, 'psychology' takes precedence over logic. When an opponent attacks using irrational methods, responding by equally adhering to common sense and morality can sometimes be powerless.
The merchant exploited the weakness of the woman—her 'children'—whom she cherished most, and made her escape from her own trap.
Second, you must believe in the power of 'mirror therapy.'People with bad intentions do not realize that the methods they use will come back to them.
Mirroring the opponent's tactics back exactly is not merely revenge; it serves as the most powerful lesson, reminding the other person of the consequences their actions bring.
Third, flexibility is strength.At first, the merchant fought back with the stubbornness (strength) of 'I am innocent,' but he failed. However, I finally found a breakthrough only when I exercised the flexibility to accept the assumption that "yes, I am the husband."
Sometimes, the boldness to venture deep into the enemy's camp is necessary.
We are often taught that "living a good life brings blessings." However, reality is harsh. This is because kindness can sometimes be perceived by others as "easy prey."
True goodness is not ignorance or weakness. Goodness is perfected only when it is underpinned by the "cleverness" to see through malice and defend against it encroaching upon oneself.
If you are currently suffering from someone's unreasonable demands, or if you find yourself in a situation where honesty is being disregarded, recall the wisdom of the merchant.
Rather than trying to break the trap set by the other party, a counter-intuitive approach that forces them to confirm who the master of the trap is.
That will be the most dignified winning strategy to protect yourself amidst today's complex human relationships.
