How to treat the influence of natural opportunities on people

Let me introduce you to an article by Ji Xianlin, which can be used as an answer.

Diligence, Genius and Opportunity

Everyone has different talents, which is a fact that everyone has to admit, but there is a special talent, which is generally called "genius". Is there a "genius"? It seems that there are some arguments and some differences of opinion. There were a large number of "geniuses" during the Cultural Revolution, but it seems that the "geniuses" approved at that time were different from the "geniuses" I am discussing now. According to my observation and thinking in the past 60 or 70 years, there is no denying that there are "geniuses", especially in music and painting. Can you say that Beethoven and Mozart are not musical geniuses? Even if we don't talk about "genius" and only talk about talent, there is a disparity between people. Take teaching Sanskrit as an example. In the same class, after one year's teaching, students who study well can teach those who study poorly. Some students can't dance Sanskrit all their lives. I have seen this situation at home and abroad.

Take learning as an example. What is the relationship between genius and diligence? Some people say: "ninety-nine points of diligence, one point of distraction (belonging to the category of genius)." I think this percentage should be corrected. I think it is more realistic to be diligent in seventy or eighty years old and talented in twenty or thirty years old. I don't mean to belittle diligence at all. No matter what line of work you are in, if you are not diligent, you will accomplish nothing. I just think that a person's development is limited if he only relies on diligence and has no talent.

Now, let me talk about the relationship between genius, diligence and opportunity. I remember more than 60 years ago, when I was studying western literature in Tsinghua University, I read a poem by the English poet thomas gray. The title is probably Elegy of the Country Cemetery. More than half a century has passed, and the content of the poem has been forgotten, except for one sentence: "Shakespeare may be buried in the cemetery." It means that people with Shakespeare's genius die of old age in the hinterland. In other words, he didn't get the "opportunity" and his genius was wasted. The above may be crowned with pride; If so, please forgive me.

In a word, I think "opportunity" (which may be called "fate" in the ordinary population) is undeniable. What a person does and studies all his life, no matter what he does, there is an element of "opportunity". I am a living example myself. If the "opportunity" is not appreciated, I am afraid that I am a poor peasant with little education and may have left this world long ago. I am not "Wang" or "Zhang Tiezui". I can't calculate divination and face reading. I don't want to explain this "opportunity" problem. This is beyond my ability.

Talent, learning and knowledge

In my opinion, if you want to engage in scientific research, you must work hard in four aspects: first, theory; Second, knowledge; Third, foreign languages; Fourth, Chinese. In the Tang Dynasty, Liu Zhiji advocated that historiography should be talented, knowledgeable and knowledgeable. I'm trying to apply it now. Theory belongs to knowledge, knowledge belongs to learning, and foreign language belongs to talent. Let me talk about it separately.

theory

When we talk about theory now, we often think of Marxism. You can't say that you think so incorrectly. However, we must pay attention to several points. 1. Marxism keeps pace with the times and is by no means a rigid dogma. Second, don't make Marxism too wonderful and daunting. You can criticize it or refute it. Personally, I think that the essence of Marxism is materialism and dialectics. Materialism is seeking truth from facts. It is materialism to say that yellow is yellow. It is idealism to say that yellow is black. It's as simple as that. Philosophers have the right to make profound explanations, but we laymen don't have to. As for dialectics, we can also look at it this way. Don't look at problems in isolation, don't be rigid, pay attention to all kinds of connections, and grasp the law in the movement of things, that's all. My understanding of kindergarten level may be closer to the truth.

In addition to Marxism, we should seriously study the works of some so-called idealist philosophers at all times and in all countries, as well as their ways of thinking and reasoning. I have a strange idea: there are no 100% materialistic philosophers and no 100% idealistic philosophers. Just like a vacuum, there is no absolute vacuum on the earth. This is the meaning of the old saying in China that "a wise man sometimes nods". Therefore, the so-called idealist philosophers also have a lot to learn from. We must not simplify and dogmatize very complicated problems as in the past, and label idealism as "Overach's reform".

ken

It needs a wide range of knowledge, and probably no one objects. Because, no matter how narrow and professional you are, only on the basis of extensive knowledge can you broaden your horizons and deepen your research. This is close to common sense, and there is no need for too much argument. Here I want to emphasize that it is better for those of us who are engaged in humanities and social sciences to learn some scientific and technological knowledge and master a natural science. The general trend of academic development today is that the boundaries of disciplines are becoming more and more blurred, and there are more and more marginal and interdisciplinary disciplines. As in the past, it is completely out of place to stick to the academic position, and the voices of chickens and dogs are endless, and the old people are not in contact. In addition, various academic schools popular in the west, no matter how bizarre and absurd you think, must be studied, at least to understand their outlines, and not simply blindly follow or refuse.

foreign language

The importance of foreign languages is well known. If you elaborate, it may become a snake's foot. I just want to emphasize one point here: from the current world situation, English is the most important foreign language, and it has become a veritable Esperanto. We must master this language skillfully, not only through reading and translation, but also through listening, speaking and writing. Today, if you only write academic papers in Chinese, you can't go abroad and communicate with colleagues all over the world. If you can't listen and speak English, you can't attend international academic conferences. The situation is so serious that we have to consider it seriously.

Chinese

Some people may think that I put forward Chinese here, which is a very strange argument. "Can't I speak Chinese yet?" "Can't I write Chinese yet?" Yes, you can speak and write. However, after careful observation, we have to admit that our Chinese level today is very problematic. Newspapers and magazines published every day, you can find other words and sentences as long as you pay a little attention. Now it is more and more difficult to write an accurate, vivid and vivid article. To achieve this step, we must work hard. I even think that mastering Chinese is more difficult than learning a foreign language. Only by acknowledging this fact can our Chinese level be improved and other words and sick sentences be reduced.

There are four requirements mentioned above. In fact, these words are commonplace, and they are all unremarkable. However, isn't truth always in the plain? This is the same as the "diligence" in the jokes told by Mr. Lu Xun. Seemingly dull, it is actually the most practical and immediate. I thought of such a common truth, but I didn't dare to keep it secret, so I wrote it out. Its meaning is like a wild old man.

1988