As the saying goes: "Great wisdom is foolish"!
If a person is not so smart, do you think you can succeed in this way? This is a hotly debated topic.
Many people will think that it is impossible, but if you look around, most of the people who can't read and drop out of school early become bosses, but those who have studied and gone to college do not mix well, and life is difficult.
Many people are mistaken by cleverness, and the "foolishness" can reflect the person's firm goal, diligence and hard work.
In the late Qing Dynasty, there was a famous minister "Zeng Guofan", and his influence continued throughout the late Qing Dynasty. Known as the first of the four famous ministers of the late Qing Dynasty, some people evaluate Zeng Guofan as one of the half-saints in Chinese history, on a par with Confucius and Wang Yangming.
However, Zeng Guofan is not a genius, and is even considered a little "stupid". This seemingly foolish man has achieved great things in the literary, military and political fields. When I read his book on wisdom and got the answer, he mentioned that those who can become great things must have four guards: sincerity, patience, foolishness, and humility.
Be honest
One day, his friend Dou Lanquan came to visit to discuss science, and Dou Lanquan put forward a point of view, although Zeng Guofan expressed his opinion after thinking about it, he actually did not really understand. He speaks his opinion dishonestly and deceives himself and others. This dishonesty makes him lack confidence and shows hypocrisy in his discussions, only superficially knowledgeable, but in fact shallow literary knowledge. Zeng Guofan felt deep remorse and realized that he had made a mistake in his heart.
He warned himself not to be a bombastic person, otherwise he would only gradually become lowly. He understood that he had to be honest in order to break the habit of arrogance.
Zeng Guofan also warned his younger brother Zeng Guoquan many times not to play tricks and conspiracies, and to treat others with sincerity.
At a banquet, Zeng Guofan heard his subordinates' comments on the general, and everyone praised the stern Zuo Shuai and the wise Li Shuai. When Zeng Guofan asked his evaluation, his subordinates fell silent.
Finally, a small official whispered: "Zeng Gongren, people can't bear to be bullied." Everyone thought this evaluation was very good, Zeng Guofan humbly said that he couldn't afford it, but he was very happy in his heart. Later, he also promoted the petty official. This example shows that his subordinates have long recognized Zeng Guofan's honesty.
Zeng Guofan has repeatedly emphasized that honesty is the cornerstone of being a person and building a career. He believes that if leaders advocate integrity, the social atmosphere will be more simple, and governing society with sincerity can influence the people.
Shou Linger
Zeng Guofan knew how to keep patience, which made him a true gentleman, knowing how to flex and stretch, and endure if he could.
In 1857, when Zeng Guofan's father died, he asked to keep the system for his father, and the Xianfeng Emperor agreed, and withdrew his military power. At that time, he was suffering from the Taiping Army, and the situation was grim.
However, Zeng Guofan was not discouraged, but instead sought opportunities to reflect and sum up experience. Without his father's guidance, Zeng Guofan understood the true meaning of "forbearance" more deeply. This period of thinking laid a solid psychological foundation for his future comeback.
In official politics, he showed the mind of "tolerating the unbearable of ordinary people". He was Zuo Zongtang's benefactor, and once Zuo Zongtang was almost executed, but Zeng Guofan valued his talent and joined forces with his staff to protect him and save Zuo Zongtang.
However, in his later political career, Zuo Zongtang remained an enemy of Zeng Guofan, and the two were opposed to each other. For the sake of the overall situation, Zeng Guofan chose to tolerate it, and he never cared about Zuo Zongtang's vicious words and retaliation.
He is convinced: "Endure small anger and seek the big picture." ”
Zeng Guofan said: "Peace can eliminate people's grievances, and endure the disaster star." In a letter to his younger brother Zeng Guoquan, he also mentioned: "My life's growth is largely due to setbacks and humiliation. ”
Foolishness
Zeng Guofan's achievements are attributed to his way of "guarding foolishness". This stupid attitude is precisely the key to his success, and it is not an exaggeration to describe him as "foolish people move mountains".
Zeng Guofan's father knew that he was not a genius, so he taught him to work hard from a young age. No matter what you read, if you don't understand a sentence, you don't continue, and if you don't finish reading one, you won't change the next one; In order to complete the daily tasks, he can even read hard overnight. Every day, he has to complete 12 daily classes, including getting up early, reading, and writing.
Zeng Guofan went through seven imperial examinations, and it was not until the seventh time that he won Xiucai and qualified to enter the county school. He was 23 years old at the time, others had given up long ago, but he persevered.
This "foolishness" is not really stupid, but he keeps a low profile, works hard and lays his foundation. Only in this way can he ensure stability, impeccable and, ultimately, brilliant achievements. So, the seemingly slow "fool" is actually the fastest, because it is a solid foundation.
In contrast, some smart and opportunistic people are unwilling to work hard and always want to take shortcuts and avoid difficulties. In the end, they paid the price and regretted it. Real society is full of such people.
Humble
Zeng Guofan has a soft spot for the Tao Te Ching, especially the phrase "big tricks do not work, big coincidences are clumsy". He really grasped the deep meaning of this sentence, because he was such a person himself. Therefore, he said: "The most clumsy man in the world can defeat the most skillful man in the world." ”
When strategizing, Zeng Guofan rarely used surprising tactics. He knew that he was not good at trickery and ingenious victory, so he adopted a clumsy method of "fighting a tough fortress and fighting a stupid battle", and repeatedly won battles with the Taiping army.
Zeng Guofan said: "Even if the other party tried all my tricks, I still maintained a clumsy response and acted stupid like an ordinary courtier. Over time, the other party's scheming also subsided, as if pulling each other in intrigue, and finally fell into endless revenge. ”
He excels at using a steady and cautious strategy, step by step. Although this strategy may seem clumsy, it won an absolute victory with solid strength. In today's terms, it's "less talk and more action", which is the key to his "great cleverness".
Zeng Guofan advocated simplicity, not ostentatious and resourceful, preferring to taoguang and cultivate obscurity. His philosophy is that the dumbest way is often the most effective way. If you have an idea that must be done, don't just think about it, don't be greedy for more, and make your hands empty.