A short story about diligence and thrift.

The ancients said: "Frugality is the greatest virtue; extravagance is the greatest evil." Diligence and thrift are a traditional virtue of the Chinese people and a fine tradition of the Chinese nation. Whether it is as small as a person or a family, as large as a country or the entire world, if you want to survive and develop, you cannot do without the four words of diligence and thrift. It can be said that self-cultivation, family management, and country governance are all inseparable from diligence and frugality. Zhuge Liang regarded "quietness to cultivate one's self, frugality to cultivate virtue" as the way to "cultivation"; Zhu Zi regarded "a porridge and a meal as hard-earned; half a silk thread" Half a thread, "constantly thinking about material difficulties" as the motto of "keeping the family together"; Mao Zedong took "strict economy and building the country through diligence" as his experience in "governing the country".

In the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, there was a song that sang well: "Diligence and thrift are our heirloom, and socialism is inseparable. Whether it is an inch of steel, a grain of rice, a foot of cloth, or a penny, we must use it. It's a coincidence. Good steel is used on the blade, and it takes a thousand days to make firewood but it cannot be burned in one day." At that time, Chinese people regarded diligence and frugality as the code of conduct for life and career. However, as our country's national strength increases and life improves, some people have lost the fine tradition of diligence and thrift. You see, in the current society, there are abnormal consumption that transcends reality and blind comparison; extravagant consumption that shows off one's wealth and spends a lot of money; deliberate waste that is excessively packaged and extremely beautified; and random waste of "eternal lamps" and "eternal flowing water" are everywhere. The list goes on. Among these bad phenomena, "big money" and "public funds" play the main role. This social phenomenon has attracted widespread attention from society and received the attention of the party and the country. The Party Central Committee promptly proposed the strategic decision of "building a conservation-oriented society" and mentioned that accelerating the construction of a conservation-oriented society is "related to the modernization process and national security, to the well-being and fundamental interests of the people, and to the survival and long-term development of the Chinese nation." development", and carry out conservation activities with great fanfare, in-depth and sustained nationwide, and accelerate the construction of a conservation-oriented society.

The virtue of diligence and thrift is like rain, which can make the poor land bloom with flowers of prosperity; the virtue of diligence and thrift is like rain and dew, which can make the rich land bear the fruit of wisdom. In building a conservation-oriented society, we must firmly establish the awareness of conservation that "waste is also corruption", overcome the bad mentality of "spending public money without feeling sorry", and form a good atmosphere in which "extravagance and waste are shameful, diligence and thrift are glorious", so that diligence and thrift become a common practice. A fashion, a habit, a spirit. Once upon a time, at the foot of Funiu Mountain in the Central Plains, there lived a farmer named Wu Cheng. He was diligent and thrifty throughout his life and lived a carefree and happy life.

It is said that before his death, he handed a horizontal plaque with the word "diligence and thrift" to his two sons and warned them: "If you want to avoid hunger all your life, you must follow the rules." These two brothers will do it." Later, when the two brothers separated, they cut the plaque in half, and the eldest brother got the word "diligence" and the second brother got the word "frugality".

The boss respectfully hangs the word "diligence" high in his home. He "works at sunrise and rests at sunset" every day, and has a bumper harvest every year. However, his wife lived a lavish life, and the children often threw away the white steamed buns after taking two bites. As time went by, there was no food left at home.

Since the second child got half of the plaque, he also regarded the word "thrift" as an "oracle" and placed it in the middle hall, but forgot the word "qin". He neglected farming and refused to cultivate intensively, so he did not harvest much food every year. Even if a family is frugal and frugal, it will not last long. There was a severe drought this year, and both the eldest and second eldest children's homes were already empty.

In desperation, they tore off the plaque and trampled the words "diligence" and "thrift" to the ground. At this time, a piece of paper suddenly flew into the house from the window. The two brothers quickly picked it up and looked at it. It said: "Being diligent but not frugal is like holding a bottomless bowl, which will never be full!" "Being frugal but not diligent" , Sitting and living in vain, you will definitely suffer from poverty and hunger!" The brothers suddenly realized that the two words "diligence" and "thrift" cannot be separated from each other, they complement each other and are indispensable. After learning the lesson, they posted the four words "Be diligent and thrifty" on the door of their house to remind themselves and their wives and children. If they practice it, their lives will get better day by day. Ji Wenzi was born in a family that had been prime minister for three generations. He was an aristocrat and famous diplomat of Lu State in the Spring and Autumn Period. He had been an official for more than 30 years. He lived a frugal life, taking frugality as the foundation of his life, and asked his family to live a frugal life. He only wanted to dress simply and neatly. He had few decent clothes except court clothes. Every time he went out, he rode in extremely simple carriages and horses.

Seeing that he was so frugal, a man named Zhongsunzi advised Ji Wenzi: "As a minister, you are highly virtuous and respected, but I heard that you don't allow your wives and concubines to wear silk clothes at home. Feed the horses with food. You yourself don’t pay attention to your appearance and clothing. Wouldn’t this look too shabby and make people from other countries laugh at you? Doing so is also detrimental to the dignity of our country. People will say that the Shangqing of the State of Lu lived a kind of life. What kind of day. Why don’t you change this way of life? It will be beneficial to yourself and the country, so why not do it?”

After hearing this, Ji Wenzi smiled lightly and said to the man. Seriously: "I also hope to decorate my home luxuriously and elegantly, but look at the people in our country. There are still many people eating rough and unpalatable food, wearing shabby clothes, and some are suffering from cold and hunger." ; Thinking of these, how can I have the heart to buy a property for myself? If the common people are wearing coarse tea and poor clothes, and I dress up as a concubine and raise grain and horses, how can I have the conscience to be an official? Besides, I heard that a The strength and glory of a country can only be shown by the noble conduct of its subjects, not by their beautiful wives and good horses. In this case, how can I accept your suggestion? The words made Zhongsun Qi look ashamed, and at the same time made him respect Ji Wenzi even more.

After that, he also followed Ji Wenzi and paid great attention to the simplicity of life. His wives and concubines only wore clothes made of ordinary cloth, and the horses at home were only fed with chaff and weeds. Su Shi, one of the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties, was awarded Jinshi at the age of 21 and served as an official for 40 years. During his tenure as an official, he always paid attention to frugality and often lived a careful life. In 1080 AD, Su Shi was demoted and demoted and came to Huangzhou. As his salary was reduced a lot, he was too poor to survive. Later, with the help of friends, he got a piece of land and started farming by himself. In order not to spend a penny indiscriminately, he also implemented a planned expenditure: first calculate all the money, and then divide it into 12 equal portions, using one portion every month; each portion was evenly divided into 30 small portions, and only one small portion was used every day. After all the money is divided, it is hung on the beams according to portions, and one bag is taken out every morning to be used as living expenses for the whole day. After getting a small amount of money, he has to weigh it carefully and resolutely not buy anything that he can afford. He is only allowed to have leftovers and is not allowed to overspend. Su Shi kept the money he saved in a bamboo tube to prepare for unexpected needs.

But sometimes, excessive saving can also cause unnecessary losses. In European literature and art, we have to mention the four images of misers on the screen, the most famous of which is Eugenie. . The old Grandet in Grandet was always scheming during his lifetime, and even when he was dying, he never forgot to turn off the lamp to save fuel. It was so addictive! Dear friends, it is good to be diligent and frugal, but unnecessary diligence often leads to human flaws, which is worth noting. I was derelict in my work, and I feel sorry for the people there

“As Premier of the State Council, I was derelict in my work, and I feel sorry for the people there.”

Premier Zhou’s integrity in politics is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and it is not superficial. Yes, it is real. In the early 1970s, Dingxi, Gansu Province, known as one of the most miserable places in the world, had not had a single rain for more than 20 consecutive months. Many people not only lacked food and clothing, but also had difficulty drinking water. At a working meeting held by the central government, Comrade Song Ping from Gansu reported on the disaster in Dingxi. After listening to the report, Premier Zhou looked very serious. He said that we must do everything possible to organize the masses, develop production, increase income, and change the outlook. Later, the Central Working Conference held a plenary session. Premier Zhou said at the conference with a heavy heart: "I heard about the difficulties in the lives of the people in central Gansu, and I felt sad and uneasy. More than 20 years after liberation, the lives of the people there are still so difficult. "As the Premier of the State Council, I have failed in my duties and I feel sorry for the people there." Shortly after the meeting, the Prime Minister sent a working group to Gansu to bring relief supplies such as food, cotton clothes, and quilts. Several years later, when people saw that the people in Dingxi were still wearing the cotton military uniforms that the Prime Minister personally distributed and distributed, they were all filled with emotion.

As long as I am Prime Minister, the conference hall will not be decorated.

Premier Zhou's integrity is extremely majestic, and his influence is unparalleled today. At the entrance to the State Council Conference Hall, there was a wooden screen engraved with the four characters "hardship and simplicity", which was a reflection of the Prime Minister's work style. At the State Council meeting, people heard more than once that the Prime Minister rejected the suggestion to renovate the conference hall. The Prime Minister said: "As long as I am Prime Minister, the conference hall will not be renovated.

"In 1959, in the atmosphere of the Great Leap Forward, the Ministry of Water Resources built an exhibition hall of water conservancy construction achievements near Miyun Reservoir without reporting or asking for instructions. One day, during a meeting in the West Flower Hall, the Prime Minister suddenly turned to Qian Zhengying, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Water Resources and said : "Qian Zhengying, Mr. He told me that you are building a very high-end building at Miyun Reservoir. Is this true? Qian replied: "Yes, it is a water conservancy exhibition hall." The Prime Minister was silent for a while, shook his head, and said softly: "I didn't expect you would do such a thing." "Qian was so ashamed after hearing this that his heart felt like a knife. If according to the thinking of some cadres, the Prime Minister neither severely criticized nor ordered to deal with it, and there was neither the deterrent of punishment by the Discipline Inspection Commission nor the danger of losing his official position. It is completely OK. However, inspired by Premier Zhou's great personality, Qian immediately conveyed the message at the party group meeting: the building worth more than 4 million yuan was transferred to No. 1 Machinery for free. A research institute of the Ministry of Industry wrote an in-depth inspection report to the central government: "Of course it is wrong for you to tell lies, but what is more important is that we suppress you. ”

At the beginning of 1962, the Central Committee held an enlarged meeting (also known as the Seven Thousand People Conference). During the meeting, Premier Zhou participated in a group discussion in Fujian Province. When he heard the comrades below reporting forced orders, exaggeration, and talk When lies and other bad practices caused harm to the work and the relationship between the party and the masses, he said something very touching and touching: "In recent years, the party style has been impure, resulting in exaggeration and lies. speech phenomenon. We must promote telling the truth. How can this be achieved? If you want everyone to tell the truth, you must first like to hear the truth and oppose telling lies. Everyone tells lies and speaks based on the leader’s color. Isn’t that the same as the officialdom habits of the old society? …Of course it’s wrong for you to tell lies, but what’s more important is that we suppress you. "Then, the Prime Minister emphasized that we should advocate real efforts, do practical things, and achieve practical results." He said: "Tell the truth, work hard, do practical things, and get practical results. These four sentences can be summed up as seeking truth from facts." One Sunday, Uncle Lei Feng's comrade Wang Dali washed the socks and clothes of all the soldiers. One day, when Uncle Lei Feng was drying clothes, he found that his old socks were missing, so he looked everywhere for them. At this time, Wang Dali said: "Lei Feng, you have so much savings, but you are so reluctant to buy a pair of socks. Look, don't you feel uncomfortable wearing these socks on your feet?" Uncle Lei Feng said: "As long as it doesn't delay my Just work!" Wang Dali added, "Don't you think it's ugly?" "We soldiers don't wear our socks for others to see." These few words already reflect Uncle Lei Feng's frugal spirit. He only had a bonus of 6 yuan per month, but he deposited the money in the bank. Year after year, Lei Feng donated all the money he saved to the people in the disaster area, but he himself was reluctant to buy new socks.