溫故知新 Old wisdom, today’s insight — ONGO
I Heard of Punishing One Fellow, Not of Killing a King
Do I justify the conscience I switched off myself with the reason that 'it was ordered from above'?
He who ruins benevolence is called a robber. I have heard of the punishing of one mere fellow, but not of the killing of a king.
Mencius held that the throne is not the same as the right.
📝The Classic Answers
Mencius held that the throne is not the same as the right. To say that one who ruins benevolence is but a single fellow, even in a king's robes, is to declare that authority cannot replace conscience. 'I only followed orders' hides the person behind the office. But the final scale of right and wrong can be delegated to no one. I choose to take back into my own hand the scale I had switched off in the name of orders from above.
🌱Apply It Today
If you passed off something today as 'I was told to,' ask whether you could sign it again under your own name.
The film is honored as an equal questioner; its plot is rendered only as a universal dilemma. The classic source is an ancient text (Public Domain), and the reflection is 100% original ONGO content.
