Is it really useful to worship Confucius in order to pass the postgraduate entrance examination?

This past weekend, the national master’s degree admissions examination was held in various places. In order to ensure smooth passing of the exam, the candidates of Shandong Agricultural University set their sights on the Confucius sculpture on campus. They filled the Confucius sculpture with all kinds of food, including apples, oranges, and potato chips, even on their heads. , drinks... there is a dazzling array of things to see, and someone even wrote a "letter asking for permission" to Confucius. (Qilu Evening News official Weibo, December 25)

Every time there is a major exam, "fancy prayers" are always an indispensable part of the media's coverage. For example, during the college entrance examination, mothers will wear cheongsam to symbolize "starting with victory"; parents will give their children a fried dough stick and two eggs in the hope that their children will score 100 points; Taobao even launched a "VIP IQ recharge card" and "failure insurance" Products that are ridiculous.

Where there is demand, there is a market. The strong mentality of seeking to pass the exam has given rise to various comforting goods and services. Will my IQ skyrocket if I buy an "IQ recharge card"? Can a mother help her child get high marks by wearing a cheongsam? I believe anyone with a normal IQ would not take it seriously! But why is there still a market? Because anxiety is the best marketing tool, and "rituals" are the simplest and easiest way to soothe the mind.

In recent years, "ritual" has become one of the hot words used in Internet articles. It seems that everything in daily life can be related to "ritual". So, what exactly is a “ritual”? Van Gennap said in "Rites of Passage" that the function of rituals is to "enable individuals to transition from one certain situation to another equally certain situation." In other words, it is to give yourself a certain guarantee through ritual. Specific to the "fancy blessing" during the exam, it means using a very small cost in exchange for an important guarantee.

How much trouble does it take to pay homage to Confucius? It's nothing more than buying some snacks and spending a little time. What I am praying for is a major event that can affect my life, such as being admitted to graduate school. Therefore, even if they know that this may not be possible, many people are happy to do it as long as they can have a layer of safety in their hearts.

From this perspective, the "sense of ritual" to soothe people's hearts mainly creates a deterministic imagination, and its effect is similar to a placebo. However, life is really hard. Many times, what do we rely on to believe enough? Maybe it's just the obsession in my heart. After all, there are very few people who can be calm and leisurely at important junctures in life. Therefore, even a placebo has value. It is in this sense that we can understand the candidates and parents who "pray in fancy ways".

If you understand that "fancy blessings" are just "prayings", you will not be indulging in the illusion of "blessings"; if you understand that rituals are just rituals, then you can truly grasp the direction of your life. Appropriately relaxing your emotions in some ways is a necessary rest for the soul. Of course, it is understandable, but it cannot become life itself. Because in the end, nothing can replace down-to-earth struggle.