Hello everyone! The philosophical story I would like to share today is "Not All Humiliation is Harmful."
During the Warring States period, Su Qin and Zhang Yi were both disciples of Guiguzi. However, their paths diverged significantly. By the time Zhang Yi graduated, his senior, Su Qin, was already a world-renowned statesman. Leveraging his extraordinary talent, Su Qin successfully formed a vertical alliance among the six states to counter the power of the Qin state.
As a fresh graduate, Zhang Yi also aimed to establish himself through his own abilities, believing his talents were no inferior to Su Qin's. However, reality proved much harsher than his ideals. After months of joblessness, he decided to seek help from his illustrious senior. He traveled to the State of Zhao and requested an audience with Su Qin, hoping that, out of respect for their master, Su Qin would offer him a decent position.
Upon hearing of Zhang Yi's arrival, Su Qin repeatedly declined to see him, using his busy schedule as an excuse. Though frustrated and tempted to leave, Zhang Yi's youthful pride was tempered by his current desperation, so he chose to wait patiently.
After several days, Su Qin finally met with Zhang Yi. To Zhang Yi's shock, instead of a good job, he was treated with disdain. Su Qin arranged for him to live with the servants and provided him with the same meager food served to slaves and concubines. Furthermore, Su Qin publicly humiliated him, saying, "With your talent, you have allowed yourself to fall into such poverty that you must rely on friends to find work. Someone like you is not worthy of my employment!" He then unceremoniously dismissed Zhang Yi.
Feeling insulted rather than helped, Zhang Yi was consumed by anger. He vowed to rise above his circumstances and make Su Qin pay for the humiliation. Realizing that the six states were already under Su Qin's influence, Zhang Yi decided to join the State of Qin, as only Qin could pose a credible threat to Zhao.
On his journey to Qin, a follower of Su Qin volunteered to accompany him. This follower provided Zhang Yi with significant financial support, including money, goods, and horses. When Zhang Yi asked why, the man replied, "You are a man of great destiny; I am investing in the future. When you achieve power and influence, I shall share in your prosperity." Moved by this gesture, and with this man's assistance, Zhang Yi endured many hardships to finally reach King Hui of Qin.
At that time, the Qin state was wary of the powerful alliance of the six states. Zhang Yi's arrival, especially his brilliant strategy to dismantle the vertical alliance through horizontal alliance, delighted King Hui. Zhang Yi was quickly appointed to a high position. Through his strategic brilliance and his courageous diplomacy across the six states, he spent over ten years successfully dismantling the alliance that Su Qin had worked so hard to build.
Upon achieving fame and fortune, Zhang Yi felt a sense of pride and believed he could finally avenge the insults he had suffered. However, unexpectedly, the follower who had stayed by his side requested to depart. Confused, Zhang Yi asked, "I was just about to repay your kindness; why must you leave now?" The man replied, "This was all arranged by Master Su Qin. He once said that your talent far exceeds mine. Had he given you a comfortable job back then, you might have lost your drive to struggle and settled for mediocrity. Therefore, he chose to humiliate you to ignite your fighting spirit."
Hearing this, Zhang Yi finally understood his senior's profound intentions. It was all a meticulously designed test. Without that initial humiliation, he might never have achieved his greatness. Indeed, not all humiliations are harmful.
