Chapter 282 Fusion of Ancient and Modern Times

Style: Historical Author: Anhua ArmyWords: 2310Update Time: 24/02/20 08:53:10
We have learned a lot of knowledge since childhood, but we are also bound by this knowledge. Learning to advance and step out means to step out from the learned knowledge and no longer be bound by these constraints.

Stepping out does not mean breaking the original learning system. The system is still the same system, and the knowledge is still the same knowledge, but when you come out of it, you are standing on the outside looking in. What are the advantages and disadvantages? When you come out, what changes is the way people view the world, rather than changing knowledge and systems.

If you can't come out, you will always have many constraints. Let’s take major events as an example. During the period of reform and opening up, there was a debate over socialism and capital. There were countless quarrels from theory to practice. This means not coming out. Once you come out, there will be no more such debates. Whatever system and method is beneficial to the country and the people, then we should learn from it.

For Wang Xiaolie now, the shackles of knowledge from his previous life have been broken and no longer restrain him. No matter what you do, you should no longer consider whether it conforms to the laws of human development of past life science, or whether it is this doctrine or that doctrine, or what direction it is. What really guided Wang Xiaolie was China in his previous life, which for the first time proposed that the people were the masters of the country and that the government should serve the people. These five-character inscriptions are hung on the walls of almost all party and government agencies.

If the founding of New China is a great revolution in Chinese history, this revolution should be the illusory destiny of the old society. The revolution made the people the masters of the country. Under this premise, all the achievements of human civilization can be used and learned. Don’t have to think about what I believe in or what I stand for. There is no need to think about what humans were like before and what humans should be like in the future. There is no need to think about the people being the masters of the country, what experiences they have had in previous lives, and what lessons they have learned. Don’t worry about what went well and what didn’t.

Based on this, we can connect it with the saying in "Shang Shu - Tai Shi" that "Heaven sees me and the people see me, and God listens to me and the people listen", and connect it with Mencius' thoughts. An important trend of thought in Confucianism in the Song Dynasty was Mencius's promotion, which coincided with his rise in status among Confucians.

The knowledge and ideas learned in previous lives have strong ideological characteristics. This is not to say that ideologies should not insist that they existed in previous lives for their own reasons. But traveling through thousands of years, there is no need to persist in this world. The characteristics of previous civilizations are that they originated from Western Europe and bear the strong imprint of Western European civilization. Without this premise, much knowledge would be useless.

The bourgeois revolution in Western Europe was accompanied by the decline of royal power and, more importantly, the decline of the feudal aristocracy. Capitalist society was completely different from feudal society. Not all parts of the world have experienced the same changes in Western European systems. China's revolution is not so much the fall of imperial power as it is the change of destiny. From this perspective, we break away from various ideological trends and isms originated in Europe.

Human society is objective, but people’s summary of human society is subjective. The various thoughts and doctrines derived from these summaries are also subjective based on the objective basis. These subjective thoughts cannot be used to demand the objective existence of human society. Most of the analysis of human society learned in previous lives is of no use in this era. Because the objective reality that generates these knowledge and thoughts has not yet appeared.

When China faced the crisis of national subjugation and genocide, many people with lofty ideals shed their blood and tried every means to save it. If we look at it from that time, it is not so much that the introduction of Western doctrines into China saved China, but rather that it was those people with lofty ideals who chose this doctrine and saved China. The most important thing is not the doctrine, but the people with lofty ideals. This is not to say that doctrine is unimportant. Without doctrine, these people with lofty ideals would probably not be able to accomplish such great deeds. Rather, people are more important than ideas.

Human civilization has developed for thousands of years, and many times it is actually like a child. We know that we must seek truth from facts and proceed from reality, but when we study and research knowledge, we often fail to do so.

In China's most difficult moments, some people choose to learn from foreigners' knowledge, some choose to criticize China's shortcomings, and of course some choose to cling to its limitations. Whether it is learning from foreigners, criticizing Chinese culture, or remaining conservative, these are all practices of a special era.

We always have to criticize the bad and learn from the good. This is normal. But the special practices of special times are different from this kind of normal criticism and learning, and cannot be confused. But there are always people who can't tell the difference and can't get out of it.

The simplest example, why did China fall behind in modern times? Why didn't the industrial revolution happen in China? Why was China invaded by developed countries in modern times? Why is China poorer than developed countries?

The criticism in the late Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China was comprehensive and merciless. The most important function of these criticisms is to attack those who cling to the old and to awaken the enthusiasm of the Chinese people to abandon the old and learn the new. Many times, the criticism at that time was not correct. But a hundred years later, some people just can't get out of it and continue to criticize.

Why is China lagging behind? Some people answer that it is because of Confucianism. When did it start? Some say it started in the Ming Dynasty, while others say it is incorrect and it started in the Tang and Song Dynasties. Some people say that it started in the Han Dynasty. More people say that it started when Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty only respected Confucianism. Some people even say that it started with Confucius in China. There was great excitement and fierce debate.

Wang Xiaolie really wanted to say something to these people, you are so smart. It is not difficult to find the time when China was surpassed by Europe. It was the late Ming Dynasty. Even if we want to find the reason, it is remarkable to go back a hundred years to the Yuan Dynasty. We have been chasing Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty and Confucius. Are you kidding me? If you don't understand, just answer honestly and you don't understand. You will miss a piece of meat.

In thought, humans often behave like children. Two children were quarreling, and one couldn't beat the other. He said, "Wait here. I have a stick at home. I'll take the stick and beat you to death!" The other said, "We have a knife at home, but you took the stick." It's useless." The first one said: "I have guns at home!" The other said: "I have cannons at home!" The previous one said: "I have tanks at home!" The other said: "I have airplanes at home!" The previous one said: "I have an atomic bomb at home!" The other said: "I have a hydrogen bomb and a neutron bomb at home!" He was beaten so hard that he couldn't think of anything else, so he had to return home in despair. When someone asked him why he was beaten, he said: "Because that guy had a hydrogen bomb at home!"

China's backwardness is definitely not a reason. Among the many reasons, there are primary reasons and secondary reasons, which are intertwined to form that result. But if you must ignore other things and look for a reason, you may not find it. Because the main reason may be the interaction of these reasons. Scientific researchers know that they need to learn experimental design and understand the interaction of conditions. Social scientists, why don’t you know? The theories that come out are sometimes confusing.

In the subjective knowledge that humans have summarized from objective reality, we always have too many limitations and can easily be led astray. Only by truly jumping out can we see the true face of this knowledge.

After returning from Ruzhou, Wang Xiaolie had finally emerged from the knowledge and memories of his previous life and was no longer bound by them. This is how it should be done, so do it. What to do if there is no staff? Nurture and educate. What should I do if others can’t figure it out? Educate and guide slowly. is it hard? Not difficult. The difficulty is that I can’t figure it out and dare not do it. As long as you figure it out yourself, what's the problem?

The vast majority of people in this world cannot learn knowledge. This is a fact, nothing, no one stipulates that a person must learn everything in this world. Those who can learn to get in often cannot get out. Trapped in the ocean of knowledge, there is no ideological relief. This is also true and there is nothing surprising about it. It's just that for Wang Xiaolie's status, he has to step forward.