As an important figure in the history of ancient literature in mainland China, Tao Yuanming's poems represent the peak of Chinese classical literature and are deeply loved and respected by future generations. And his "Poem of the Son of Responsibility" shows his distress and helplessness as a father to a certain extent, and also triggers people's thinking about family education, life choices and other issues.
So, what is the reason why Tao Yuanming, the "Mr. Wuliu", also feels so troubled about the growth and future of his children? Next, let's uncover the family story of this ancient literati and see how he found a balance between "freedom" and "responsibility".
1. The road of life of freedom and responsibility
Tao Yuanming, this name is not unfamiliar to many people, he was a famous literary scholar in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, known as the "ancestor of pastoral poets", his poems are fresh and refined, full of love and pursuit of pastoral life, and have had a profound impact on later literature. And his life can almost be described as "free and easy".
Tao Yuanming was born in a family with superior family conditions, his father was a local official, and his family was well-off, and his general study and official career were not a problem. However, Tao Yuanming did not like the power struggles on the road of Moeun, he preferred the tranquility and freshness of the countryside, and had his own unique understanding and pursuit of "cultivation and reading".
In the social context at that time, many people did not understand Tao Yuanming's "free and easy" mentality, including his family. In their opinion, Tao Yuanming gave up the opportunity to be an official, and it seems that he has not made any practical contributions to his family and society, which has also brought a certain amount of pressure and trouble to his family life. Especially in that era when material conditions were not abundant, Tao Yuanming's actions were undoubtedly different, his wife and children may not have the same "free" mentality as him, what they need more is a pillar and a backing that they can rely on.
2. Bearers of family responsibilities
Although Tao Yuanming has his own "free and easy", he is not a person without a sense of responsibility, on the contrary, he has always taken his family's responsibilities and expectations for his children to heart. In his poems, he often sees the exhortation and expectation of his children, and he hopes that his children can "settle down and relocate, do their own business", and live a productive life, which is also his understanding of "responsibility".
However, things in life are often not satisfactory, although Tao Yuanming's hard work as a father is not a lot, but his children do not bring him much pride and gratification. Tao Yuanming's son is idle all day long, drinking for pleasure, and he doesn't seem to care about the honor and disgrace of the family. Such various performances made Tao Yuanming feel very sad and helpless, and he even wrote in the poem: "I look at his actions, like the eclipse of the sun and the moon; I listened to his words like a river pouring out. It can be seen that he is very dissatisfied and angry with his son's current situation.
3. The story behind "The Poem of the Blame Son".
In the face of his son's performance, Tao Yuanming's inner contradictions and struggles can be imagined, as a generation of writers, he may be more able to understand that everyone has their own unique life choices, and he is also more tolerant and understanding of what his son does. But as a father, it is difficult for him to accept his son's "no learning and no skills", and he is even more worried about his future career and life.
Tao Yuanming wrote the famous "Poem of the Son of Responsibility", in which Tao Yuanming did not directly criticize his son by name, but expressed his thoughts and worries through the way of "fables" and the mouth of the "five sons", hoping that his son could be touched and reflected.
Through this "Poem of the Son of Responsibility", we can not only feel Tao Yuanming's careful care as a father, but also understand the helplessness and bitterness in his heart. Perhaps, in the context of that special era, family education is of great significance to the growth of children, even a literary master like Tao Yuanming cannot guarantee that his children can "make a difference", which may also bring them more thinking and touch in family education.
epilogue
In everyone's life, they will have their own choices and choices, as well as their own gains and losses, and in this process, perhaps "free and easy" and "responsibility" are not completely opposite, but can be integrated with each other. Whether it is Tao Yuanming or other ancient literati and writers, they are all on their own life paths, to find a balance between the two, to use their own thoughts, deeds, to influence and infect others, but also invisibly, for the society, for the family, to make their own "responsibility".
Perhaps, in the current era of material development and information explosion, we need this combination of "free and easy" and "responsibility" to understand and tolerate others, but also to examine and think about what we do, whether it is in our career or in our family, we can find our own unique life value, and use love and tolerance to achieve more beautiful possibilities.