Professor Luo Xiang said: The vast majority of our origins, appearances, IQs, and the nobles we meet in our lives are not determined by ourselves.
In many cases, there are very few things that people can control freely, and they can only passively obey the arrangement of fate.
The disparity created by the random distribution of fate has created prejudice and discrimination, and brought confrontation and harm.
In the classic American novel "Black Cotton Field", the author Mildred Taylor tells a story of fighting injustice.
In the book, the family of Casey, a little black girl, struggles to survive under the haze of racial discrimination, but they do not succumb to inequality, but defend their dignity with wisdom and hard work.
The book has won nearly 20 awards, including the Newbery Gold Medal and the National Book Award, and is known as "a textbook for children's growth." ”
Many readers on the Internet said: From this book, I saw the shadow of "To Kill a Mockingbird".
The stories of both books take place in the American South in the 30s of the 20th century, and they both write about the absurdity of racism, the evil of human nature, and the courage to crush injustice.
If "To Kill a Mockingbird" teaches us what forgiveness, kindness, and equality are, then this "Black Cotton Field" teaches us what dignity, bravery, and strength are.
In this world, fairness is an extravagant expectation, and unfairness is the norm.
However, no amount of discrimination or prejudice can crush a resilient and brave heart.
1
All men are created equal, but fate has never been fair
The story in the book takes place in Mississippi in the 30s of the 20th century.
Kathy, a 9-year-old black girl, lives with her family in an environment full of discrimination and prejudice.
She attended the largest black school in the county, but it was cramped and dilapidated, with far less size and facilities than nearby white schools.
The white school is beautiful and spacious, with a whole row of school buildings, a large playground, and a school bus dedicated to picking up and dropping off students.
Casey and more than 300 black children were crammed into four cabins, using old textbooks that white children had eliminated ten years ago.
To and from school, these black children were forced to walk along narrow dirt roads and were often dusted by passing white school buses.
In addition to being treated inferiorly to whites, blacks also have to endure the belittling, abuse, and malicious harm of whites.
They have to call white people "sir, miss" and be polite to white people everywhere, otherwise they will be taught a lesson by the other party.
Once, Casey and Grandma went to the town market to set up a stall to sell something.
When it was over, Casey happily went to the store to shop, and after a long queue, she finally came to the counter.
But the shopkeeper ignored her, bypassed her again and again, and picked up the goods for the white man who cut in line first.
Casey, who couldn't wait, politely stepped forward to remind the shopkeeper, but the shopkeeper roared at her, "Where did the little come from!"
Immediately afterward, the shopkeeper kicked Casey out and said viciously, "You have to know what you are." ”
Casey is furious and flies out of the store, only to accidentally bump into Lillian, a white girl.
Lillian was unharmed, but she didn't give up on her, and scolded her with a "".
Lillian's dad went even further, grabbed Casey's arm and pushed her into the middle of the road.
At this point, a large group of white people gathered around and yelled at Casey that she would not be allowed to go home without apologizing.
Casey was frightened, and under the threat of everyone and the persuasion of her grandmother, she choked up and spat out a few words: "I'm sorry, Miss Lillian." ”
Two humiliations in one day filled Casey's heart with anger and doubt.
She couldn't figure it out: this is so unfair, shouldn't everyone be equal?
can't help but think of what Zhao Xizhi said in "Night Traveler": "Life is equal, but it has not been fair since ancient times." ”
Everyone's life seems to have the same destination, but the scenery that passes along the way is completely different.
Some people live in tall buildings, some people are in deep ditches, some people are bare, some people are rusty.
Some people are rich and wealthy in their lives, some people have experienced the wind and frost of the world, some people have risen all the way, and some people have never climbed the trough.
You have to admit that the world is just not fair, and there are certain insurmountable gaps between people.
Whether it's your background, your growth environment, or your gains and losses, it's up to you to choose.
This is an unchangeable truth, and it is also the law of the operation of the world.
2
Accepting injustice is the beginning of a person's strength
Returning home from the market, Casey is still depressed by the injustice she has received.
In order to enlighten her, her mother, who is a history teacher, told her for the first time about the origin of racial discrimination.
In the past, when slavery was in full swing, whites considered themselves nobler than blacks, and drove blacks as if they were animals.
Even after the Civil War and slavery was abolished, many whites still harbored deep-seated prejudices against blacks.
Those shocking historical stories made Casey feel a strong sense of anger and powerlessness.
What's more, in Mississippi today, the contradictions between whites and blacks are still escalating.
Berry, a black resident, clashed with a white man, who set fire to Berry's house and poured gasoline on Berry and his two nephews.
One of the nephews died a few days later, and the other two who survived were burned beyond recognition and lay in bed in agony.
and Morrison, a friend of Casey's father, who works hard in the unit and keeps to himself, but is often bullied by a gang of white people.
Finally one day, Morrison couldn't bear it anymore and chose to resist when the other party made a move.
As a result, after the incident became bigger, those white people who found fault went to work as usual, but Morrison was fired from the unit and lost his source of income.
In the environment at that time, black people lived in fear every day, and if they were not careful, they could cause disaster.
Therefore, Casey's family also had to learn to swallow their anger and avoid head-on conflict with white people.
But their forbearance is not admitting defeat, but a kind of wisdom to advance by retreating.
For many years, Casey's family never took the initiative to provoke white people, but silently guarded their bottom line.
Old school textbooks do not record the true history of black people, and deliberately downplay the cruelty of white people.
Instead of going to the school for feedback, the mother used her own words in class to tell the students the truth.
White stores lure black children into buying alcohol and tobacco in an attempt to spoil them and induce them to spend more.
Dad was angry when he found out, but instead of confronting the white man, he secretly called on everyone to boycott together.
Under the guidance of their parents, the Casey children never acted impulsively, nor did they go to white territory with other black children.
They cut off those who disturbed them from the door, keeping the small family safe and not at the mercy of the white man.
In many cases, in the face of the injustice of fate, blind resistance will only add fuel to the fire, and only by accepting it calmly can we leave enough room to continue to deal with it.
As Elsie McColmick put it:
"When we stop rebelling against the inevitable, we can save energy and create a richer life. ”
The most powerful power in the world is not conquest, but calmness after acceptance.
Instead of going on a rampage and falling all over the body, it is better to stabilize the situation with forbearance, protect yourself first, and then find a way out.
Accept the impermanence of destiny, admit that manpower is limited, and do what you can within a controllable range.
Only in this way will you be able to quietly break free from the constraints of your environment and even balance your fate in turn.
3
Even if you are not favored by fate,
You can also live as your own hero
Although the Casey family accepts the cruelty of fate, they never bow to it and admit defeat.
Casey's grandparents worked hard and saved money to buy 400 acres of land through loans, becoming the only black family in the village to own land.
With this land, they have the courage to fight and no longer have to grovel for the white people.
Casey's eldest uncle Hammer went to work in the big city, and with his cleverness and steadfastness, he made a lot of money and bought a magnificent car.
Whenever he drove out in that car, the whites dared to watch from afar, and no longer treated him as rudely as before.
And Casey's dad found that white people's stores always oppressed black people by monopolizing channels, buying and selling.
In order to defend the rights and interests of his compatriots, he did not hesitate to risk his life and actively looked for other purchase channels.
Even if he was attacked by a white man and broke his leg, Dad still refused to compromise easily.
Dad told Casey:
In this world, there are many things that you have to choose to do in order to survive, but there are some things you can't back down and you must stick to them.
Dignity is earned on your own, not waiting for someone else to give it to you.
Inspired by her family, Casey decides to make her own way to win back the dignity she lost at the bazaar.
As soon as she saw Lillian, she stepped forward and respectfully called "Miss Lillian".
For a whole month, she followed Lillian every day after school, helped each other carry school bags, and told jokes to make each other happy.
Lillian's heart was greatly satisfied, and she bragged everywhere that she had a black follower.
After gaining Lillian's trust, Casey leads the other party to a wasteland in the name of surprise.
There, Casey slams Lillian's book on the floor and loudly declares that she has had enough of her domineering.
Lillian's face flushed with anger and she stepped forward and slapped Casey.
This time, Casey didn't swallow her breath and grabbed Lilian by the hair and threw her to the ground, successfully subduing her.
Eventually, Lillian resigned herself to asking Casey for mercy, bowing her head and saying, "I was wrong, I'm sorry Miss Casey." ”
In this way, Casey relied on his own strength in exchange for an apology from the other party.
Since then, Lillian has restrained her bad temper and no longer dares to bully her at will.
In this unjust world, Casey struggles to break prejudice and become her own hero.
Life is like a jungle, following the law of the jungle, with naked provocations and bloody injuries.
The best way to protect yourself is not to fight in a hurry, but to become stronger silently.
As the writer Chi Li said, "A person's dignity and decency come from personal struggle." ”
As ordinary people, we have neither a prominent family background, a privileged environment, nor can we be favored by good fortune.
But as long as you are willing to work hard and fight for it, you will be able to create fairness with your own hands and narrow the gap with others.
▽
Mildred said that when she was writing "Black Cotton Field," a song sung by her father echoed in her mind:
"The figure with the whip came towards me, but he would not succeed, and I would not fall. ”
The injustice of fate and the prejudice of others are like the whip raised high, leaving scars on each of us.
Some people will give up their self-esteem and persistence, soak themselves in resentment and become increasingly depressed, and live like fish to be slaughtered on the chopping board.
Some people will turn all inequality into their own motivation to move forward, step by step from the night to the dawn.
Since fate does not favor you and me, try to allow yourself to accept it and adapt to it.
Accept the current life and strengthen yourself silently, so that you have the opportunity to change yourself and achieve a counterattack.
Look at it one by one, take prejudice and questioning as nutrients for growth, fate owes you, and sooner or later you can take it back with your ability.
Source: One Book Every Night WeChat public account (ID: JYXZ89896)
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