Zheng Shenghui studied and reflected on the 2071st day
"Family Letters" No. 1
John S. D. Rockefeller, the first billionaire in human history.
Bill Gates even made him his only object of worship.
From a small broker to the overlord of the global oil industry, he made a legend and created a unique era in American history, and was hailed as "the man who peeked into God's secrets."
It is particularly worth mentioning that under the curse of "rich but not three generations", his family has lasted for six generations and is still one of the richest families in the world, and there is no sign of decadence and decline.
To the outside world, this is because in addition to his status as an entrepreneur and businessman, he is also a kind, loving and good father who educates his children, and his advice and guidance to his children in terms of knowledge, character, communication, career and values have played an indelible role in the continuation of the family's glory.
In this issue of Family Letters, we have excerpted an article from the book "38 Letters from Rockefeller to His Son."
After reading, I believe that you will have a deeper understanding of why the rich are rich and why the poor are poor, and hope that his life experience and understanding can also give you direction and inspiration on the road of life.
Author: Rockefeller
Dear John,
You want me to always sail with you, and as good as it sounds, I can't be your captain forever.
You may not be ready, but you must know that the business world I live in is full of challenges and magic, and your new life will start there. There, you'll take part in a completely strange and future-related feast.
How you use the knife and fork in front of you and how you taste every dish served by the Angel of Destiny, it's up to you.
Of course, I expect you to excel and outperform me in the near future. And I decided to keep you with me just to give you a high start in your career so that you can enjoy the opportunity to get up and running quickly without having to travel hard.
Of course, there is nothing to celebrate and show off, let alone be grateful.
The founding of the United States of America was based on the belief that all men are created equal, but that equality was equality in the sense of rights and law, regardless of economic and cultural superiority.
Everyone's starting point in life is different, but this does not mean that the final outcome of their life is shaped by birth.
In this world, there will never be a hereditary inheritance between rich and poor, there will be no succession of success or failure, there is only the truth of "I struggle, I succeed". I firmly believe that our destiny is determined by our own actions, and by no means entirely by our origins.
As you know, when I was a child, my family was very poor, and I remember that the books I used when I first entered middle school were bought for me by my kind neighbors. I started my life as a bookkeeper with a salary of only $5 a week, but through unremitting hard work, I built an oil kingdom that is the envy of countless people.
In the eyes of others, this seems to be a legend, but I think it is a reward for my perseverance and active struggle, and a reward for my hard work by the god of fate.
Historically, both in politics and in business, and especially in business, there have been many examples of self-made people who had few opportunities because of poverty, but who achieved fame because of their hard work.
Similarly, there are many examples of rich children who have all the advantages in their hands and eventually fail. According to a Massachusetts statistic, none of the 17 children of rich people left the world as a rich man.
A long time ago, there was a story of a satirical incompetence in the society, to the effect that in a small bar in Philadelphia, a customer talked about a millionaire and said enviously: "He is a self-made millionaire." "Yes," replied a shrewd gentleman next to him, "he inherited 20 million, and then he turned that money into 1 million." ”
It's a depressing story. But in our society today, the children of rich families are in a dilemma of not advancing or retreating, and many of them are destined to be sympathetic and pityed, and even to hell.
I admit that early advantage does help, but it's not a guarantee of victory. I have thought more than once about this sad issue for the children of rich families, and I seem to feel that while the children of rich families inherit their advantages, they also reduce their opportunities to learn and develop survival skills.
People from disadvantaged backgrounds will actively develop their creativity and ability, and cherish and seize opportunities, because they urgently need to save themselves.
I also noticed that the children of rich families lacked the ambition of those from poor backgrounds to save themselves, and all they did was pray for God's grant to them.
Therefore, when you and your sisters were very young, I consciously did not let you know that your father was rich, and I instilled in you the most values such as thrift and personal struggle, because I knew that the quickest way to bring harm to people is money, which can corrupt and degenerate, soar, be invincible, and lose the best happiness.
I can't bury my beloved children with wealth and foolishly make you incompetent people who don't want to move forward and rely only on the fruits of your parents.
I believe that there is no one who does not aspire to a happy and noble life, but few people can explain a thing or two about where a noble and happy life comes from.
In my opinion, a noble and happy life does not come from a noble bloodline, nor from a noble way of life, but from a noble character - the spirit of self-reliance. If we look at the noble people who have won the respect of the world and exerted their charm everywhere, we know the value of self-reliance.
John, every move you make will be a concern for me. But I have more faith in you than in this concern, and I believe that your excellent character, a character more valuable than any wealth in the world, will help you lay a good future and will help you have a successful and fulfilling life.
Your life has just begun, but a battle of life is ahead of you. I can feel deeply that you want to be the winner of this war, but you have to know that everyone has the will to win, and only those who are prepared will win.
My son, a privileged and powerless person is a waste, an educated and powerless person is a worthless pile of garbage. Find your way and God will help you!
Love your father