When Confucius went west to store some books in the Zhou library, Zilu suggested, "I heard of a librarian there named Lao Dan who retired to his home. Since you want to store some books, why not go see him?"
"Good!" said Confucius and went to see him, but Lao Dan did not let him in, so Confucius regaled him with his twelve classics to convince him.
Lao Dan interrupted, "Too slow. Give me the highlights."
Confucius said, "The highlights are kindness and morality."
Lao Dan said, "Let me ask: are kindness and morality people's inborn nature?"
Confucius said, "Yes. Without kindness, the gentleman can't succeed; without morality, he can't survive. What else could the true person's nature be but kindness and morality?"
Lao Dan said, "May I ask what kindness and morality mean?"
Confucius said, "Wishing things well sincerely and loving everyone without preference: these are the essence of kindness and morality!"
Lao Dan said, "Yeesh! That last part . . . maybe. Isn't loving everyone a contradiction? And isn't no preference a preference? You don't want people not to lose their living, do you? The heaven and earth have their set seasons, the sun and moon have their set luminosities, the constellations have their set progressions, the birds and beasts have their set flocks and herds, and the bushes and trees have their set clumps and stands. If you let the powers lead them and the way pace them, then you're already there. Why overwhelm them with this masquerade of kindness and morality, marching them to your death by the beating drum? Yeesh, you're confusing people's inborn nature!"