In fact, the answer lies deep in the words of Su Dongpo's beloved Wang Chaoyun, who once described Su Dongpo as "full of untimeliness". This evaluation needs to be interpreted at two levels. On the one hand, it reveals Su Dongpo's unique and stubborn character, he often seems lonely in the crowd, incompatible with the emotions of others, he pours cold water when others are happy, and he can joke when others are sad.
On the other hand, this also involves the question of Su Dongpo's choice of political stance. The secret of life often lies in choice, and in officialdom, the greatest wisdom may lie in choosing which side to follow. In short, it's not how you get involved, it's who you go with. Next
Let's take a closer look at this.
1. Looking at Su Dongpo's political tendencies in the officialdom of the Song Dynasty, a person who cannot easily navigate between the new party and the old party will inevitably be intolerable by both sides and suppressed by their joint efforts. In officialdom, how to integrate into a certain circle is indeed an esoteric knowledge.
is like the Monkey King in "Journey to the West", before meeting Tang Seng, he was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Buddha for disturbing the order of the heavenly court, and his future is bleak. With Sun Wukong's ability, even if he escapes at the risk, he can only be the "leader" of Huaguo Mountain at most. But when he followed Tang Seng, although he went through nine hundred and eighty-one difficulties, because his circle gathered immortals from all walks of life, he was naturally handy. The monsters in the circle were eventually subdued by the gods, while those outside the circle were mostly defeated by Wukong and others, and they themselves finally achieved positive results. This proves once again that it doesn't matter how you mix and how you go, it's who you walk with.
Su Dongpo, as an outstanding figure in cultural history, is a leader in the history of Chinese art for his poetry, calligraphy and painting. Politically, however, he appears stubborn and difficult to resonate with anyone. When the New Party was in power, he opposed the radical reforms of the reformers and criticized Wang Anshi's arbitrariness; when the Old Party was in power, he expressed dissatisfaction with Sima Guang's comprehensive rejection of the reform of the law and the extreme behavior of the old Party. Such an "anachronism" made both the new and old parties dissatisfied with him.
2. In the officialdom of the Song Dynasty, where the party was fierce, Su Dongpo's naïve and scheming personality inevitably made him hit a wall everywhere.
The uninhibited nature of his character made him both hated and retaliated against, but he remained outspoken and stood his ground. He once said: "Like a fly feeding, it doesn't vomit or be unhappy." "He has a childish heart, is humorous and open-minded and loves to joke, but this also makes him seem out of place in society and has a bumpy career.
He is always outspoken, making jokes about others and exposing their scars, while also being selflessly kind to others. He is innocent, has no scheming, cares for everyone, and treats people as kind. He once said: "I can accompany the Jade Emperor, and I can accompany the beggars of Beitian Courtyard, and there is no bad person in the world in front of me." However, as Mr. Bai Yang said, in this complex society, who can really be alone? Perhaps only those who can protect themselves from being harmed by others can survive in this "sauce jar culture".
And Su Dongpo is an innocent and scheming person. He is sincere to others, but he is often betrayed and hurt by others. He gave people a "golden wrong knife", but he was often stabbed in the back, and he cast blue eyes on people, but they were often turned at them with white eyes. But Su Dongpo didn't care about this, he still insisted on his beliefs, continued to be good to others, and never regretted it.
Therefore, in the whirlpool of party strife in the Song Dynasty, a person who fantasizes that he can be alone is doomed to fail, and a naïve and scheming person is also destined to break his head in this complex society!