Talking about the wall

Numerous precious heritages have been left in the splendid ancient culture of China. In addition to the subset of classics and history, Tang poetry and Song poetry, there are many far-reaching and extraordinary wisdom crystals that can't be seen in books, and they are constantly being told in history. Among them, two-part allegorical sayings are the most popular, which can be seen everywhere in rural areas. Although both of them are loved by the people, they are also heard by scholars and nobles. This is one of the most remarkable folk cultures from bottom to top, among which proverbs are the most widely circulated and widely used. Its structure is simple, popular and straightforward, no less than our four-character idiom. Its content is all-encompassing, and its original intention of guiding people to be good has also influenced China people from generation to generation. Although many proverbs have become feudal dross after the baptism of time, their historical background is equally unforgettable.

What we are going to say today is this proverb, "If one wall is added, the family will be destroyed", which is a famous saying of the ancients to educate their descendants. Now it seems that they can't help laughing, but in the eyes of the ancients, these words are experiences that can stand the test of time. After all, the ancient society was backward, the living environment was bad and education was not popular. Under this premise, it is not easy to sum up useful experiences for life. Because there is no scientific verification, it is inevitably branded with the limitations of the times. However, it is really hard to accept it on the surface, but a careful study of its social environment can give us a glimpse of the lifestyle and ideology of the ancients. Therefore, when we study ancient knowledge, we should not stay away from it because it is divorced from scientific reality. We can believe it, but we must know that we can learn from history and naturally gain other experiences and knowledge from its social background.

The ancients said that "the wall fell and everyone died" because in ancient times, as now, although history was progressing, human nature was not seen. We often teach our children not to keep up with others, to be content, to be frugal and to carry forward the glorious tradition of simplicity. Although this seems to be just an ordinary sentence, it reflects the harsh environment of children's comparison from the side, as it did in ancient times. Children often compare smaller things, while adults compare more, such as cars, houses, savings and so on. The same is true in ancient times. The life of the ancients was not as colorful as it is now, and the material nature was not as rich as it is now. They often compare houses. When the owner built the house, he saw that the neighbor built it taller and better than him. He refused to accept it, so he added a wall and built a building upstairs. In fact, it is similar to the illegal construction we occasionally hear now.

Imagine that the foundation is the most important thing in a building. The foundation is planned in advance, and then only when it meets the set foundation can the construction work related to the house be carried out. It's like the planned three-story building foundation. In the end, you have to build a skyscraper directly on it, which is simply a pipe dream. The same is true in ancient times. In order to keep up with the joneses, the ancients made such a reckless thing for their lives. As their elders, the ancients were not worried. Even now, we have defined the parameters and indicators of the building. Many people want to build another hanging garden or pavilions on the roof. This kind of elegance, full of comparison and showing off, is very strange. It tries its best to make the parties forget the hidden crisis, go its own way and ask for it, but it does a lot of harm and is outrageous.

Although the words of the ancients sounded harsh, under what circumstances would they say such painful words? Just like many rebellious teenage parents say "go away" or "I don't recognize you as an unfilial son", we all know that it is angry words, but we often seem to forget to discuss what forced parents to say such indignant words. Comparing with others will not ruin the family, but it is undoubtedly the biggest obstacle to shaping a good personality and the necessary mind of a great man.