#头条创作挑战赛#
In the scorching summer of 1934, Professor Yang Wuzhi, then head of the Department of Mathematics at Tsinghua University, made a thought-provoking decision.
At that time, his son, who was only in his first year of junior high school, was in the middle of summer, and one might have speculated that this rigorous scholar would arrange intensive mathematical, physical and chemical tutoring courses for his children in order to discover and develop their early talents in the field of science.
Surprisingly, however, Professor Yang's carefully curated tutoring content was not modern scientific knowledge, but instead chose the ancient Chinese Confucian classic, Mencius.
And this child who received the influence of classical culture is none other than Dr. Yang Zhenning, who later became famous all over the world and won the Nobel Prize in Physics.
Fast forward to 1997, in an in-depth conversation with Guangming Daily, Yang Zhenning fondly recalled: "The far-reaching impact of Mencius, which I read and memorized when I was a teenager, was far greater than the benefit of if my father had chosen to expose me to calculus in advance.
After stepping into the first year of my existence, the fundamental principles of my life are all derived from this thousand-year-old book. ”
If the Analects enlightens the way of governing the country with its wisdom, then Mencius is like a beacon that illuminates the journey of life, answering countless puzzles about the philosophy of life and morality and ethics.
Today, we are honored to recommend to you Mr. Fan Deng's new work of interpreting "Mencius" - "The Confidence of Life".
In this work, Mr. Fan Deng skillfully casts classical wisdom into the bits and pieces of modern life, from the original intention to stick, the way of making friends, deep reflection and continuous growth, and other seven dimensions, for us to see the clouds and the sun, and guide us.
Only by truly understanding and practicing the philosophy of life advocated by Mencius will our hearts be more firm and powerful, thus giving life a deeper and more solid foundation.
Confidence comes from sticking to one's heart
Mencius, a philosopher born in the troubled times of the Warring States Period, was particularly outstanding in the context of that era.
In the face of cruel competition and endless wars between countries, he was not only fearless, but showed a kind of arrogant bearing.
In the opening chapter of Mencius, Mencius meets King Hui of Liang, who was known for his belligerence.
As soon as Liang Hui Wang Fu saw each other, he couldn't wait to ask: "Sir has traveled a long way to this place, presumably it can bring rich benefits to the mainland, right?" However, Mencius did not cater to his utilitarian heart, but responded loudly: "Why should the king be obsessed with the word profit? If the monarch is bent on pursuing selfish interests, his subordinates will follow suit, and the country will be in danger. ”
Mencius's adherence to the path of benevolence and righteousness deeply shocked King Hui of Liang, even though the latter had long been accustomed to the strict punishment of the Legalists and the conspiracy strategies of the Zongheng family, and for a time failed to fully embrace Mencius's Confucian ideas.
However, the incomprehension and cold reception from the outside world did not make Mencius retreat half a step. He traveled around the world with unswerving determination, engaged in fierce ideological exchanges with the Mohists and Zongheng families, made good friendships with nobles and dignitaries and princes, and always sought opportunities for Confucianism to take root.
During this time, he was vilified and criticized as pedantic and outdated, accusing his ideals of being too detached from reality.
In this regard, Mencius handled it calmly, firmly believed, and moved forward bravely, thus creating a famous saying that has been passed down through the ages: "Although there are tens of millions of people, I will go forward." ”
This sentence contains a profound philosophy: even in the face of doubts and obstacles from tens of millions of people, as long as the truth lies, he will not hesitate to stand up and move forward firmly.
As the famous mainland writer Qi Jinnian said in his profound and philosophical writings: "Where the heart desires, the past, life is like a reverse journey, a reed to sail." ”
This sentence is like a lighthouse, illuminating the voyage of our life. It means that as long as we firmly aspire to a certain goal in our hearts, even if life is as difficult and tortuous as sailing against the current, we should uphold simple beliefs, move forward bravely with tenacity and perseverance, and constantly pursue self-worth and the meaning of life.
When you truly understand your mission in life, that inner clarity and determination will enable you to abandon all distractions and distractions, move forward without hesitation, and no longer be influenced by the external environment, let alone drift with the crowd and lose your own direction.
On the contrary, if you do not have a firm goal in mind, it is easy to lose your way in the torrent of life and be at the mercy of fate.
There was once a thought-provoking story that was widely circulated when a wise old professor confronted his students and asked the question, "Suppose you went to the mountains and cut down trees, one stout and the other slender, which one would you choose?"
The students replied, almost without thinking, that they would naturally choose to cut down the thicker tree.
However, the old professor did not stop there, and he further set the condition - what if the stout poplar tree and the slender one was the precious red pine?
The professor then revealed another variable: the poplar tree was straight and straight, while the Korean pine tree was curved, and the students adjusted their choice again.
Finally, the old professor asked earnestly: "Why don't you think about what is the ultimate purpose of cutting down trees?"
This question gets to the heart and leads students to reflect on the motivation and purpose behind their actions. If we don't know why we want to cut down a tree, we may be missing from our original intention and making the most appropriate choice to stay the course.
In fact, we will face countless similar decision-making moments in our lives, whether it is career planning, interpersonal relationships or life pursuits, the external environment is always changing rapidly, but the key to determining whether we can reach the other side of the ideal is not the environment itself, but the strength of our original intention.
Only when we deeply understand and understand the value of our existence and the meaning of life can we accept any kind of life situation calmly, because at that time, we know why we live, and we have the courage and determination to endure all hardships and challenge the unknown.
Your strength determines your confidence
Teng State, a miniature country embedded in the historical map of the Zhou Dynasty, has a territory of only about 50 miles, but it survives tenaciously surrounded by strong neighbors.
It is surrounded by the vast territory of Qi Chu and other great powers, and it is easy for these behemoths to annex Teng.
Faced with such a grim situation, Teng Wengong was panicked and uneasy, so he asked the Confucian master Mencius for advice: "My small country is like surviving in the cracks, if you want to choose between these two great powers, which is the wiser move?"
Mencius replied after careful consideration: It is not for me to preset the answer to which side to choose to rely on, after all, whether other countries invade or not is really a decision of the other side, and it is beyond your control.
However, no matter where it returns, disaster is inevitable. Instead of worrying all day long, it is better to be firm in your beliefs, self-reliant, and focus on fulfilling your responsibilities.
Mencius then woke up Teng Wengong with a deafening sentence: "It is a feasible way to dig a moat and build a strong wall, and to defend it with the people until death." ”
This is to emphasize the digging of moats, the construction of fortifications, and the defense of the people, only when the people deeply appreciate the kindness of the monarch and are willing to repay the death can save the country in times of danger.
Mencius's wise advice is admirable, and he reminds us that instead of worrying about external events that we cannot control, we should devote ourselves to what we can influence and change.
This wisdom is also profoundly expounded in the book "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" - the concept of the circle of attention and the circle of influence.
The circle of attention covers all kinds of matters that we care about, such as health conditions, social hotspots, international conflicts, etc., although it is easy to be controlled by external factors, but it is often difficult to control.
The circle of influence refers to the things that can be influenced within our personal ability, and only by focusing on them can we truly achieve self-improvement and growth.
In life, people are often easily drawn by external distractions, such as blindly following the trend of investing when they see others getting rich, but ignoring that this may be beyond their own capabilities.
Only by being clear about their own influence and working hard can they resist foreign aggression and be invincible.
In the vast ocean of knowledge of Zhihu, I had the pleasure of reading a thought-provoking story shared by a netizen.
This netizen mentioned that his friend originally held an important position in a well-known Internet company in China, enjoying a stable income and a superior working environment.
However, in the context of the short video trend sweeping the country, and many Internet celebrities becoming famous and making a lot of money with short videos, his friend was attracted by this craze and resolutely chose to quit naked and devote himself to becoming a full-time blogger, focusing on shooting and producing short video content.
After more than a year of hard work, he has invested a lot of time and energy, from planning and topic selection, shooting and editing to post-promotion, and has done everything himself, striving to create a unique short video work that can attract the audience's attention.
Despite this, although the number of followers has gradually increased to more than 10,000 people, the actual income is so small that it can almost be described as "a handful".
This reality is like a joke: "A meal is as fierce as a tiger, and the income is 2500 at a glance", which makes people can't help but have a deep understanding of the hardships behind this seemingly glamorous career.
The story reveals in a vivid and direct way an important sign of maturity in the adult world: not to challenge those who have been working in a field for many years with their professional skills with their own amateur interests or impromptu ideas.
Instead of blindly pursuing the so-called "hot" or "outlet" in the outside world, it is better to focus more on self-improvement, tap your own potential, and strive to enhance your core competitiveness to make yourself stronger.
In the end, the story conveys a profound message: we don't need to worry too much about the gains we deserve, what we really need to be aware of is whether we have given our all and done what we should have done.
Only when you are strong enough can you have enough confidence and self-confidence in any environment, and you can face all kinds of challenges in life with ease, so as to achieve real success and value.
The greatest confidence in life is to advance and retreat freely
During his time in the Qi state, Mencius actively influenced the way the country was governed with his profound idea of the royal way. He noticed that the judicial officer, the frog, had failed to speak out to King Qi Xuan in the face of difficult issues.
Therefore, Mencius admonished the frog in a timely manner, emphasizing that the important duty of a judicial officer is to express his views and solve problems for the country and the people.
After following Mencius's teachings, the frog mustered up the courage to present his opinion to King Qi Xuan, but unfortunately, King Qi Xuan did not take his advice. Disappointed, the frog resigned from his official position angrily and chose to leave the stage of the imperial court.
This incident caused a heated discussion throughout the Qi state, and the people began to discuss the experience of Mencius himself and King Xuan of Qi many times but were not adopted, and wondered why Mencius still held his position and did not choose to leave.
In this regard, Mencius responded calmly: "I do not have the constraints of a fixed official position, nor do I have the responsibility to speak up, so my choice of going or staying is not easy and calm?"
Mencius's words reveal his wisdom and philosophy of life: not being limited by existing rules and being able to maintain detachment at any time is the ultimate embodiment of life's confidence.
As Fan Deng incisively interpreted, Mencius is like a big player of infinite games, not sticking to his status and insisting on spreading his ideas in all directions.
In contrast, the frog is more like a participant struggling with a limited game, believing that only those who have certain qualifications can participate in it, and that it is difficult to continue if they encounter setbacks.
However, in this grand game of life, the best state is not trapped by external objects, and the mood is not disturbed by external disturbances, so as to achieve true freedom and freedom.
Chu Shijian and Chu Lao are undoubtedly a model figure who interprets a legendary life.
In the past 17 years, with his outstanding leadership and perseverance, he has successfully transformed the Yuxi Cigarette Factory, which was originally on the verge of despair, into a national leader and jumped to the pinnacle of the world's fifth largest tobacco manufacturing enterprise, achieving a good story in the industry.
However, fate is unpredictable, and at the age of 71, the business tycoon suffered a major setback, facing an investigation and imprisonment, and his life once fell into the predicament of "his wife being separated and his family ruined".
However, this did not extinguish the fire in his heart and his persistent pursuit of life.
After being released from prison, the 75-year-old Chu Lao chose to start again on a barren mountain, burdened with heavy debts, he taught himself the technology of orange planting with great determination, and started a new entrepreneurial journey. In just five years, he once again created an eye-catching business miracle, from the "Smoke King" to the "Orange King", vividly interpreting the regenerative power of the phoenix.
In the face of the infinite game of ups and downs in life, Chu Shijian showed the world with his practical actions Su Dongpo's calmness and open-mindedness of "bamboo canes and shoes are lighter than horses, who is afraid?
No matter in good times or bad, as long as you move forward bravely and do not go to the battlefield, there will always be the possibility of turning the tables and counterattacking and creating brilliance.
His legendary life is not only a portrayal of personal struggle, but also a spiritual beacon that inspires countless followers to stick to their beliefs and be unswerving.
Write at the end
Mencius once profoundly elaborated: "The essence of learning is nothing but to return to the lost heart." ”
In fact, the advanced process of life also follows this principle. What we have pursued all our lives, in the final analysis, is nothing more than the word "peace of mind".
When life enters a crossroads of misguided paths, only by sticking to principles can we win the opportunity of peace in the depths of our hearts;
In the face of the turmoil of the world, only by constantly strengthening oneself can we have that stable confidence that comes from the bottom of our hearts and is fearless;
In the torrent of life, being able to advance and retreat with ease is the key to protecting inner peace;
May you and I be able to emulate Mencius, not afraid of the complicated troubles of the world, be able to be proactive and indifferent, properly settle our inner world, and let it be at ease.