Nan huaijin's "Insisting on the Moral Integrity of Being a Man and Doing Things": The Complete Works of Life and Sinology Wisdom

Adhere to the moral integrity of being a man and doing things

Xia Zi said, "A moral person can change his color. Parents can do their best, and gentlemen can bring him to health. He keeps his word to his friends. Although he said that he had never studied, I would call it learning. "

Explaining these words, Mr. nan huaijin said: These words further prove that the purpose of learning is not literature, not knowledge, but being a man and doing things.

The sage changes color: "color" refers to attitude and color. We saw a good man with good knowledge, good cultivation, great ability and really good technology. Seeing him, we stood in awe and our attitude naturally changed. This is very clear and clear, and it is a common psychology of people. No matter how bad a person is, he will always be more friendly to good people unconsciously. This is human nature.

"Parents do their best": it's about filial piety. Filial piety should also be done according to one's ability. Filial piety should be done according to one's ability, not too much. The ancients had couplets: the filial piety of all virtues comes first, its original heart is not the original trace, and the original trace family is poor and has no filial son. All evil comes first, regardless of heart, there are few perfect people in the world. Filial piety is very important, otherwise poor families have no filial sons.

"Jun can lead him": "Jun" in China culture is not a special word for emperors. No matter friends or colleagues, since they have promised to help complete one thing, they should behave themselves and try their best to lift the sedan chair, and keep their word when they promise. It's like getting married to death.

It is not easy to say "keep your word to your friends", so Xia Zi said, although this man has never read a book all day, I must say that this man is really learned, which does not mean that he is not a dead scholar.

See xian Si Qi, a good person, naturally want to well. It's hard to do. Endure a bitter, endure a sweet, all kinds of temptations and hardships to experience the life of the strong.

Xia Xia Zhishi's four qualities of filial piety, loyalty, righteousness and knowledge, as the standard of real learning, also show that real learning is not learning, and the purpose of learning is to be a man and do things.

It is not easy to study, how difficult it is to be a man! This standard put forward by Xia Zi is good, but it also contains idealism, so it is not easy to achieve it. After all, people live in the secular world, facing all kinds of temptations and choices, how difficult it is to remain pure! Intellectuals are human beings, and they have more expectations and requirements for their own lives, so it is even more inevitable to fall into the trap of desire. Therefore, Teacher Nan said that it is easier said than done.

Everyone has their own limitations that are hard to surpass. To control yourself, you need self-cultivation and wisdom in addition to persistence. The world is so complicated, without considerable cultivation and wisdom, it is difficult to distinguish right from wrong, resist all kinds of temptations, advance and retreat freely, and take it lightly. Therefore, being a man needs to practice kung fu. A gentleman should have his own ethics and style when dealing with things.

Facing the wealth of life, Confucius said, "Let wealth and fame float like clouds." Mencius also said: "poverty can't move, luxury can't bend, and wealth can't be slutty." This is called "gentleman", which embodies the traditional intellectuals in China's insistence on independent personality and spirit, independent of external factors, and adhering to the style of being an official with academic excellence. As an intellectual, taking knowledge as the ideal of life, the road of struggle and achievement in life is even more arduous. Confucius pursued learning all his life and was lonely all his life. Even if he doesn't meet, he won't give up his life ideal. Five hundred years later, his theory was really carried forward. This is beyond the reach of an ordinary intellectual. How else can you be called a saint?

The sage realm gives people the feeling that it is beyond our reach, but as an intellectual, we should try our best to follow Confucius' example, learn knowledge, do a good job of ourselves, settle down, cultivate one's morality and fulfill our mission.

However, all the intellectuals in China have a thought of fame since ancient times, and the temptation of fame is the most difficult to overcome. In fact, for most intellectuals, the best way to realize their ambitions in life is to be an official; Only in this way can his knowledge be transformed into strength, his personal wishes can be fully exerted, and his patriotic ideal of helping the world and the people can be realized. The so-called "poverty is the only way to protect oneself, and wealth is the way to help the world" is the life pursuit of many intellectuals.

Be an official, benefit the people, benefit the country and the people, and achieve fame. If we can achieve some outstanding achievements, it will be a great blessing for Guangzong Yaozu's life. The so-called "emperor who learns martial arts and sells goods" can not only achieve real fame and fortune, but also realize the ideal of life. Why not? Therefore, intellectuals of past dynasties are not only interested in poetry and moral articles, but also show their pursuit of fame.

However, the officialdom is changeable, the heights are too cold, and the competition is more cruel. People in officialdom, there is always a sense of help, not too loyal, not too honest, not too honest, this discretion, can only rely on their own care and wisdom. It's not easy for Confucianism to say that "the outer circle is the inner side", but if you can be good at the golden mean, be good at preserving your sanity, know how to advance and retreat, and keep your life complete, it's commendable and you're also a great person. They combined their knowledge with their life, thus achieving a successful life.

There are also so-called intellectuals who use their knowledge and the so-called wisdom in their minds to kowtow to the powerful and beg for mercy and act as the chief strategist of the powerful and powerful; Or flatter, please others, act as a knife catcher for the powerful, and sing praises for the powerful. Their so-called study eventually sold them out because they didn't do things well-they couldn't resist the temptation of fame and fortune, lost themselves, and their lives were a complete failure, and it was too late to regret. The so-called "gentleman's poverty" means not only being able to endure loneliness, but also having a sense of dignity and backbone that insists on self-discipline and does not compromise with powerful people.

Therefore, in that year, Confucius showed disdain for some literati who were "eager for career advancement and determined to make profits", but greatly praised some people who felt at ease in learning. He said, "People who have been angry for several years, study hard and don't want to be rich as officials are really rare!" Later, Tao Yuanming didn't bow down for five buckets of rice, preferring to live a poor and indifferent life rather than go along with the rich and powerful, which reflected the ethics of intellectuals. What is this ethics? Is the principle of doing things with high dignity. That is, Mencius said that "giving up one's life for righteousness."

The purpose of real learning is to be a man and do things; Being a man and doing things is not only a matter of knowledge and talent, but also a matter of character, cultivation and wisdom. No matter you are a scholar or an official, you can become a real intellectual as long as you can not lose your independent personality spirit.