三代之得天下也以仁

三代之得天下也以仁，其失天下也以不仁。国之所以废兴存亡者然。天子不仁，不保四海；诸侯不仁，不保社稷；卿大夫不仁，不保宗庙；士庶人不仁，不保四体。今恶死亡而乐不仁，是犹恶醉而强酒。

The emperors of the Xia, Shang and Zhou dynasties came into power because they implemented benevolence.  Their descendants lost power because they did not implement benevolence.  This truth applies to the rise and decline, existence and dying of a country.  If an emperor does not impelement benevolence, he can’t keep his empire; a prince, his state; a minister, his ancestral temple; an ordinary person, his body.  Now some people are afraid of death but unwilling to implement benevolence.  This resembles the case that someone fears being drunk but forces himself to drink. 

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