Why do we lack a maverick attitude towards life?

Not long ago, we went to see a friend who went back to Shanghai from America to visit relatives. My friend who grew up with me went to study in America 20 years ago. He talked about living in America for many years. What impresses me most is that compared with westerners, China people in the United States are quite different in their pursuit of life. That is, China people living in the United States seem to attach great importance to the pursuit of material life, no matter whether their career is successful or not, no matter what class they belong to.

As long as China people are together, whether they are from Taiwan Province province, Hongkong people, mainlanders or overseas Chinese who have lived in the United States for many years, they are practical and stress the enjoyment and happiness of life. People in China usually talk about nothing more than houses and cars. There seems to be a strong herd mentality in the enjoyment of secular life, unlike the pursuit of life in the West.

In the west, there are indeed many people who only care about their material life, but there are also many people who are pursuing other things. For example, some people like adventure, but they are quite casual in their daily material enjoyment. Some people have become billionaires in their careers, but their lives are simple and they have been driving an ordinary car. No matter how much money you earn, you won't want to buy a limousine.

They don't care how others live, what they pursue, and how well they live materially. Everyone is self-centered and pursues the value that he thinks is worth pursuing.

In other words, China people are simple in their pursuit of life and care about what others think of them. Since society is centered on material life and dominated by herd mentality, people will naturally show off their success. Westerners' pursuit of life is more diversified. Even Ritian himself is much richer than China people's pursuit of diversified life values.

The question raised by this friend is actually a cultural issue, which I find very interesting. I also vaguely felt the contrast between Chinese and western cultures in the pursuit of life goals. Take the liberal arts graduate students and college students I have come into contact with. As far as I know from years of teaching, there are not many students who choose this major out of sincere love for this major.

Not long ago, I met an American female professor who came to Shanghai for a meeting. 18 years ago, when I was a graduate student at Nanjing University, I became good friends with this international student studying China history. She is now teaching in an unknown university in New England, USA. She said that her hope is to retire early so that she can have enough time to study China culture and history freely. Because she is too busy in class now, what she lacks most is free time. She also said that her life is very simple. As long as she accumulates some money, life after early retirement is no problem.

This attitude towards life, which regards study as the most important value pursuit in life, is not uncommon in the United States. In American universities, the income of assistant teachers in humanities is not so attractive. However, there are often dozens of doctors or postdoctoral students who would rather not go to the company to make big money, but also come to apply. The competition among university teachers is fierce.

I once asked an American friend this question. Since it is so difficult to get a liberal arts degree, why do so many people choose to go to the United States to study for a liberal arts degree? This friend told me that this is because they are really interested in philosophy, history, literature and art, and really regard this subject as their sincere hobby, so they will make such a choice.

At present, I have a deep understanding of the simplification and homogenization of China people's value pursuit in their daily lives. I remember one night, my bike broke down and was being repaired in the car stall. The title of a book "History of Western Philosophy" on the frame was seen by a middle-aged man who was resting on the side of the road. He looked at me in surprise, as if he had suddenly discovered an alien, and said to himself, "Ha! Philosophy! What era is it now, and there are people who read philosophy! "

This incident can explain at least two things. First of all, no one around this citizen is really interested in things in the purely humanistic field for a long time, otherwise he would not regard me as an alien and be so sincerely surprised. Secondly, he naturally thinks that all people should pursue the same value as him. He can't understand that it is reasonable and natural for others to pursue values different from his. His performance is the most natural reaction to his attitude towards life. I just want to use this example to illustrate that in terms of the value of life, centralization, fragmentation and homogenization do exist in China, and the value differentiation of China people is very low. This example can illustrate what is a "maverick" attitude towards life from the opposite side.

For another example, one day last year, one of my junior high school classmates made a small fortune and invited me to dinner with several other students. On the taxi to the hotel, he suddenly sighed and said that the most pitiful among us was the author himself. He said it was because the author was still studying hard. In his view, in today's China, how much can you earn by reading history books? I was speechless for a moment. I don't know how to answer. I really can't find the right language to refute his idea, because this is really not a simple common sense problem, but a different attitude towards life values.

This example is particularly meaningful, because this friend was the best student in the school when he was in middle school, and his composition was often printed by the Chinese teacher as a model for all high school students to enjoy. But now he really admits that money and enjoyment are the only values worth pursuing in life, and quite naturally thinks that this can be used as the only measure to evaluate the happiness or poverty of others. He doesn't think there is anything wrong with doing so at all. At least this example can show that the monistic values of money worship, utilitarianism and secularization have penetrated into our living generation like a flood. So that this kind of value advantage has made a hegemonic position that can point the way and cover the ears.

Another example is that last July, I attended a family gathering held by a new expatriate from China in the Silicon Valley. I expect these overseas friends will ask some questions about China, because my hometown has just come from China. However, in the whole party, people only talked about how to make money, the price of the house they just bought has gone up again, where the nursery nearby is the cheapest, and so on. People hardly noticed the existence of a tourist from Chinese mainland. I never thought about asking what's new and interesting in my hometown, what's changed in China, what's wrong with China, and what will happen in the future. On the way back, I lamented this and asked my friends who brought me to the party. Why? My friends couldn't answer for a moment, just saying, "That's what most people in China say here. What can they talk about if they don't talk? "

Why is this happening? Is it because China people lack transcendental value pursuit in their national character? Is it because there is something wrong with China culture? Or is it a temporary and transitional phenomenon?

Some people say that this is because China people have been poor for too long. Therefore, I will redouble my efforts to pursue things that I have never really enjoyed. Because people are animals with desires after all. After visiting friends in Gubei New District and coming home, I talked to one of my middle school teachers on the phone. The teacher used the plot in a novel by Jack London to illustrate this point: When a drowning person is rescued in the sea, the rescued person will unconsciously hide the water and food on the boat in his arms. Because he is really thirsty in the sea. Because of this, the teacher thinks that everything will change when Chinese people become rich. People's pursuit will be diversified.

However, this explanation can't explain why the newly expatriate middle class in China, which is already quite rich, still pursues material interests so strongly, and there seems to be no sign of any new values appearing in them. Take Taiwan Province Province, which is getting richer and richer, as an example, the trend of money supremacy has developed to an increasingly fierce level. Take Hong Kong as an example. I have been a visiting scholar in Hong Kong for three months. What surprises me most is that Hong Kong, a metropolis with the world's first free port and a high-quality population of 6 million, can't find a purely humanities publication except the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Does this mean that China people in Hong Kong are more like economic animals than Japanese people? Some people say that the homogenization of China people's values is related to the unified Confucian values, because compared with other cultures, such as Islamic culture, Orthodox culture and western Christian culture, Confucianism lacks strong religious feelings and values beyond utility because it has no religion as its metaphysical basis. Chinese civilization, deeply influenced by Confucianism, is undoubtedly the most secular culture compared with other civilizations.

However, when we trace back to Confucius' thoughts, we will find that Confucius is a maverick person with a unique attitude towards life. Confucius himself has a strong pursuit of value beyond utilitarianism. For example, Confucius said, "He who listens to the Tao dies in the evening." Among Confucian sages, the belief and pursuit of metaphysical Tao is quite persistent and strong. "A scoop of food, a scoop of drink, in the mean lane, people can't bear to worry, and they won't change their fun when they go back." A gentleman with spiritual belief like Yan Hui will live a full life and have the strength of personality.

Confucius has always regarded the pursuit of super-utilitarian art and spiritual fields as far more important than material interests. He said, "It's also fun to eat and drink and lean on it with your arms bent." He also realized that "those who know are not as good as those who are good, and those who are good are not as good as those who are happy." In his view, the pleasure of self-satisfaction counts, and a person's pursuit has real motivation. His love of music can make him "don't understand meat in March". In the Analects of Confucius, people can find many comments in this regard.

On the other hand, Confucius' pursuit of "Tao" did not make him an ascetic, and he never simply refused material enjoyment. Unlike later Buddhists, he did not oppose "being rich and expensive" in the general sense. He just said, "being unjust and rich is like a cloud to me." Ning Wu said that he maintained a moderate secular material life while pursuing the lofty and transcendental "Tao" in secular life.

This is a very optimistic and positive life picture, with both spiritual pursuit and material enjoyment. A gentleman whose life is based on Confucianism in the primitive sense wants a balanced and harmonious state of spirit and material.

This reminds me of my grandfather. Until his death in the early 1960s, it can be said that he belonged to the last generation of old-style literati in China who were influenced by Confucianism. According to my family's memories and my vague memories of his childhood, he is a happy old man who calls himself "teasing men" and likes to drink. He will get drunk if he drinks too much, which is very kind to people. I study hard and have thousands of books, so buying books has become my biggest hobby in life. Every time I get paid, I spend it on books. After buying books, I often have no money. Conversely, we have to "borrow money" from future generations. Basically, they eat simple meals. I will cry when I am happy. He is also very tolerant of his children. As early as the 1920s and 1930s, he encouraged his daughter (that is, my aunt) to read Ibsen's Puppet Family and pursue free love. He never asks others by his own will. There are many friends who always try their best to help others when they are in trouble.

I remember when I was a child, my brother laughed at my grandfather for filling in the column of "religious belief" as "believing in Confucianism" My brother said, "How can Confucianism be considered a religion!" Now that I think about it, my grandfather is closest to Confucius in spirit. His sincere belief in what he understands as "Tao" is organically combined with his love for secular life and enjoyment of secular values, reaching a harmonious realm. He has never suppressed his personality, and it is most appropriate to use the word "Uncle Fa" to describe this kind of banter. His free and stretched personality combined with his pursuit of the meaning of life has formed a cheerful attitude and lifestyle.

The significance of this attitude towards life lies in that the reverence for heaven makes people get rid of the simple pursuit of material money, while the love for secular life and cheerful attitude make people not become martyrs of Tao unconsciously. I think this kind of harmonious life can produce a free personality in the true sense, and I don't deliberately package and decorate myself to cater to the lifestyle of secular life. A spiritual pursuit of the realm of life, to "be happy but forget your worries, be old and not know". Unfortunately, there has always been an unconnected fault between this type of Confucianism and us.

Now that I think about it, the image of modern gentry seen in the May 4th anti-feudal literature has been covered up: the Confucian gentry class in China is autocratic, uncivilized, rigid and closed, born in a family society ruled by Confucian gentry, and there is only one way to overthrow it or run away from home. In fact, the image of gentry's old parents in Ba Jin's Home is highly symbolic, which has almost become the symbol of China's old parents system since the May 4th Movement.

In fact, under the impact of external culture, the gentry class in China itself is also undergoing transformation and differentiation into different types. Of course, there are not a few autocratic parents among the gentry, but it is not without other types. At least in our family, there is a new type transformed from traditional gentry. Under certain conditions, Confucian culture may not be able to evolve into a new type that can not only accommodate the pursuit of super-utilitarian spiritual values, but also accommodate maverick personality and be accessible. Unfortunately, due to various factors, this natural transformation has not been realized in China.

Since the 20th century, the gentry culture has finally disappeared completely, replaced by a peasant culture with revolutionary characteristics. However, the situation that farmers have to make a living for rice and Liang makes this culture destined to be quite practical and utilitarian. Of course, this can't explain all our doubts, but it may explain some of them.

Of course, on the whole, the main historical trend of China's Confucianism is not towards prosperity, but towards "rule of law". What we have criticized since the May 4th Movement is actually Confucianism in thought, that is, turning Confucianism's "Tao" into an official political ideology, a tool for rulers, and a hardened universal ethics of "respecting the monarch and humbling the ministers". The result is the alienation of Confucianism itself. The most typical example of this alienation due to politicization is Twenty-four Filial Pieties in the Eastern Han Dynasty. A dutiful son who buried his son alive to support his parents became a model and hero in China culture. This is undoubtedly a culture that sacrifices humanity for a castrated Tao. This is a culture that has lost the harmonious balance between humanity and Tao. How does this Tao attract future generations? How can people feel the value and significance of life in their spiritual yearning for this kind of thought "Tao"? Once this "Tao" has disintegrated its coercive force and binding force on people, how can people who have lost their spiritual pursuit not go to extreme secularization?

How did a Confucian school, which was originally relaxed, approachable and full of human nature, evolve into an official Confucian school that "emphasizes the same body" and restricts people's free development by legal means? It can be said that intellectuals in China have been most interested in this issue since the May 4th Movement. I think there may be two key points. Although these two points may be platitudes.

First of all, in Confucius' view, Tao, as a kind of social ethics, was interpreted by the rulers of past dynasties as a hierarchical order of "respecting the superior and humble", thus losing the essence of Tao in the original code.

Secondly, the pursuit of human desire and the worship of Taoism are not organically combined, but completely opposite. There is a passage in the Book of Rites that clearly shows this opposition: "Confucianism does not cherish gold and jade, but is loyal to it, does not pray for land, and believes in land." If you don't pray for more, you will be rich. This way of thinking and value judgment, which regards loyalty and righteousness as completely opposite to secular desires, undoubtedly turns Confucianism into asceticism, and this asceticism is not to achieve the aesthetic pursuit of super-utility, but to achieve a secular political goal, that is, to achieve the mechanical stability of the ruling order. This kind of abstinence is not even as attractive to human nature as the "other world" in the western ascetic religion. It is hard to imagine how this official Confucianism can make people live a comfortable and free life.

Therefore, the periodic changes of China culture show such characteristics. The "rule of law" based on abstinence suppresses human nature and forms a mechanical personality trait. After the collapse of this format, it shows a profit-seeking trend that is not restricted and constrained by spiritual power. In troubled times, this material pursuit is manifested as undisciplined and uncivilized egoism. In a commercial secular peace era, it is manifested as "the world is bustling, all for profit, and the world is bustling, all for profit." No matter in the period when the format of asceticism is binding and effective, or in the period when it is ineffective, no matter in troubled times or in peacetime, national personality is characterized by homogenization. China is full of virtuous ministers, fierce women, profit-seeking people or official scholars, but he just has no free personality. Today's China is an era in which people can freely pursue profits, and their personality characteristics are more manifested in the latter type.

In today's era, a nation that has not been infiltrated by transcendental religious ultimate concern, a nation that lacks spiritual independent value, a nation that has long been dominated by rigid or even alienated systems and laws and does not know the freedom of the subject, will only lead to the lack of humanistic spirit, the lack of transcendental utilitarian aesthetic pursuit and the inheritance of pragmatic traditional character under the influence of marketization and TV culture.

The interpretation of culture is based on the deep structure formed by a nation in its long-term survival. The significance of this deep structure lies in that people are unconsciously dominated by a conventional thinking habit and value attitude. Just like when people speak, they don't realize the existence of the internal grammatical structure that dominates the language. It is difficult for a nation to get rid of the deep thinking mode and values formed for a long time.

In fact, we modern China people are not maverick people, and there are always some transcendental factors in the culture of each nation. These transcendental values may not only be understood by elite intellectuals, but also practiced by them. It's just that we didn't explore them.

In our history, there are Qu Yuan's infinite imagination, Yu Rang's chivalrous hero full of tragic character in Historical Records, the elegance of the seven sages of bamboo forest and the romance of Li Bai. However, these cultural factors gradually disappeared after the Song and Yuan Dynasties, disappeared in the secular pursuit of becoming the number one scholar and bridal chamber, or were gradually dormant.

Today, are all of us destined to sit on the sofa and watch TV as the only way to survive?

At least in theory, many contemporary people hold a positive attitude towards value diversification, but this may mainly benefit from the influence and inspiration of those "transcendental values" in western culture, rather than the return of forgotten cultural genes in our own culture. Prometheus in Greek culture, Faust spirit pursued endlessly by westerners, Einstein's "love is the best teacher" and his "innocence" and "super-utilitarian curiosity about the order of the universe", John Christophe's heroism, Jonathan Livingston Livingston Seagull in American novels and his understanding of life that "perfect flight is heaven" have all given us China intellectuals in different times.

China people have everything, such as wisdom, perseverance, diligence and hard work. What they lack is a romantic attitude towards life. We should thank western civilization for inspiring us on these super-utilitarian values. If we can absorb more nutrients from the essence of Confucianism in the original canon and combine it with the ultra-utilitarian value essence extracted from western civilization. We can expect to live a richer, more passionate and more colorful life.

In fact, the maverick attitude towards life is the mother of creation. Whether there is such a diversified life attitude and philosophy and a poetic understanding of life itself will largely determine the richness and depth of our lifestyle, whether this nation can provide more original things for human civilization, and whether our life has a three-dimensional sense. A biped who watches "moving pictures" on TV all day is not original.

Supplementary explanation

Not long ago, I watched the program "Family" on TV, which was about a high school student with excellent grades in Hunan. He is introverted, likes philosophy and doesn't want to take the college entrance examination according to his parents' wishes. He gave up half of the college entrance examination. After returning home, his teachers, classmates and psychologists all said that he was mentally ill. He left home seven years ago and has not returned yet.

The mother said on TV that she missed her son and hoped that her missing son could contact her, and promised that she would never interfere with her son's future life choices again.

This incident is really thought-provoking. I prefer philosophy to going to college. If it happened in the aforementioned western countries, no one would think it was crazy. In China, cultural values are so unified that people will regard this attitude as different if it does not conform to this dominant attitude towards life values. It is incomprehensible that this student's grades are so good that he doesn't even take the exam in the university. What is it, not a mental illness?

This kind of monistic values was true during the Cultural Revolution, and it is also true today in secularization. The only difference is that the specific content of values is different from that of the previous era. This seems to have been the case since ancient times. I remember many years ago, when I was a graduate student, I read a "County Records of the Ming Dynasty", in which it was recorded that in the middle of the Yuan Dynasty, the etiquette of local Confucianism had been lost because of not taking the imperial examination for years, but there was a squire who acted according to ancient etiquette everywhere and became a local joke. It can be seen that in ancient China, the value attitude of monism dominated.

It is difficult for a nation that can't tolerate maverick life attitude to produce genius. Geniuses are those who have ideas and ways of doing things that ordinary people don't have. Their significance to society is that they devote all their thoughts to their own careers, and through this transcendence, they can reach a realm that ordinary people can't reach. Only in that state can it be possible to discover the essence of things that are difficult for ordinary people to discover.

It can be said that few people who study philosophy at present have the talent of a true philosopher like this high school student. This thought-provoking event may explain to some extent why our national creativity is underdeveloped, why our society lacks humanities talents, and why our life is not rich in color.

Write a fiery life and tell a shocking story. Wechat official account: Qiqi Manyuedu (ID:qiqimanyuedu)