When I was a student, I took political courses, analyzed history, society, and class, and they always came together. He talked about what he would do to change China's tragic fate in modern times if he could go back to ancient times.
This is children's play house. Those things about entering capitalist society in advance, making great voyages in advance, occupying colonies in advance, and even launching a world war in advance, and how to stand in a world war to gain the most benefits are all just words and cannot be taken seriously. Never take it seriously. Otherwise, you will be stuck in the thinking of a primary school student and cannot get out.
The century of suffering in modern China is different from the previous ones. It is not just a difference in one sentence: a great change unseen in three thousand years, but a difference mixed with cultural backwardness, which led to the surrender of a large number of literati.
If the army surrenders and destroys the country, what about the civilians?
Much of the world we know and the knowledge we have learned is not the real world, and much of it is not correct knowledge. To deny this is to deny China's backwardness and reality. Only by understanding this can we understand the world correctly.
The Chinese traditions and Chinese culture we have heard about since childhood are probably not the real Chinese traditions and culture. European and American literati like to define, create new concepts, and establish new systems. This habit has been learned by some people, who have also created new systems and introduced some new concepts. They used methods learned from the West to analyze Chinese society and Chinese traditions, clarifying some issues and confusing some issues. The China learned through this method is not the China that really existed in history.
The social tide, the revolutionary enthusiasm, and the alternation between the old and the new world have given rise to many new ideas. Many of these new ideas are right, but some are wrong. This is normal. Many things always take time to mature.
Seeing that Wang Xiaolie was silent, Wang Qingxiu asked: "What are you thinking about?"
Wang Xiaolie suddenly woke up. Said: "I'm thinking that this rolling world is like a Taoist temple to some people. Some people say that it is easy to practice in the yamen. Sometimes I feel that it is really like practicing in the yamen."
Wang Qingxiu laughed after hearing this. Said: "If you say this, can you still become a god if you are an official in the yamen?"
Wang Xiaolie shook his head: "No. That's not what I meant. It's that working in the yamen is sometimes the same as practicing. It means to see through all kinds of confusion, not to be trapped in the mind, not to be attached to things. Only to stay awake at all times. , in order to do things well.”
Wang Qingxiu shook his head: "I don't know what you are talking about."
Wang Xiaolie said: "During the Five Dynasties, there was a prime minister named Feng Dao——"
"I know." Wang Qingxiu interrupted hurriedly and excitedly. "Whoever has read the book for two days doesn't know this prime minister!"
Wang Xiaolie nodded. The Five Dynasties period was not far away from now, and people were indeed no strangers to Feng Dao. He served as an official for several dynasties and was able to maintain his wealth in troubled times. He was also a temporary figure. However, when the dynasty changed, he immediately recognized the new master and became prime minister. Many people were not ashamed of him.
Wang Xiaoxing said: "Feng Dao had a poem, so he called it "The Way of Heaven". The poem is: The poor and the rich all depend on their fate, so why bother sighing. But if you know how to do good things, don't ask about the future. Winter is gone and the ice must be gone. Pan, spring comes and grass grows by itself. Please observe this principle, the way of heaven is very clear. From this poem, you can see this person's mind. In Feng Dao's eyes, the way of heaven is something outside the body, ruling the world. As a human being, as long as you obey alright."
Wang Qingxiu said: "Isn't it?"
Wang Xiaolie shook his head: "Of course not. If this is the way of heaven, what is the difference between it and destiny? Everything is determined by destiny, so why should people work hard? Since everything is determined by destiny, everything humans should do is what they should do. Where does it come from? wrong?"
Wang Qingxiu glanced at Wang Xiaolie, obviously distrustful. I feel that what my brother said doesn't make any sense.
Wang Xiaolie said: "How can the word Tao be so simple? Laozi said that Tao can be taught, but it is not Tao. Confucius said that if you hear the Tao in the morning, you will die in the evening. If you don't need to understand the Tao, but as long as ordinary people If you just follow it, how can it be called the Tao?"
Wang Qingxiu said: "Tell me, what is Tao? It's clear and logical, but you can't explain it clearly!"
Wang Xiaolie smiled and said: "Sister, I just said that Tao can be Tao, but it is very Tao. As long as it is said, no matter how it is said or how you understand it, it is not Tao. If we talk, it is impossible to explain clearly. One People understand the Word not by listening to what others say.”
"It's just that if you can't explain it clearly, others won't be able to hear it." Wang Qingxiu was a little disdainful.
Wang Xiaolie said: "That's true. Since Tao is all-encompassing and my knowledge is limited, how can I possibly explain it clearly? Human language is limited. When I say it from my mouth, it means something different to your ears. How can you speak clearly like this?"
Wang Qingxiu looked at his brother, feeling helpless and pitiful. This younger brother has been an official for several years, and what is he thinking about? This day is not comfortable even if I think about it. It's really pitiful to think that I have to continue to live through such an uncomfortable life.
There is no way around traditional Chinese thought. What is Tao and how should it be understood? The teaching is full of pitfalls and strange things. There is only one thing that is certain, once it is said, it is definitely wrong. The clearer you speak, the more wrong you are.
The Tao is all-encompassing. It is naturally there, and people can only understand it. This is the way ancient Chinese people understood the world. Although I don't know what this world is like, I know that this world is like this. What does it look like? It's called Tao.
The explanations of later generations, saying that Taoism is a law, Taoism is a law, or whatever it is, are not accurate. Of course, Wang Xiaolie couldn't explain clearly. Wang Xiaolie never felt that he could explain clearly. But we must know that this is the way Chinese civilization understands the world. People of later generations should not use this incomprehensible method of interpretation: "This is simple materialism, and that is simple dialectics."
Each civilization has its own views on the origin of the world, what the world is like, and how it develops. Opinions are different, but when you reach this position, there must be a lot that is difficult to understand. For example, Europeans believe that God created everything and that God is omnipotent. There is a famous paradox that God cannot create a stone that he cannot lift. There is no need to analyze in detail what this paradox means, where it is reasonable, and where it has flaws. How did Europeans explain this paradox? Just know that when it comes to this issue, it cannot be explained simply.
This is how the Chinese understand the world, learn knowledge, and form their own civilization. It's enough to know this. There is no need to be like children and compare with other civilizations. You see, my civilization knows this way, and you know it that way. I am either superior or backward to you. On the scale of civilization, the terms advanced or backward are not appropriate.
On this basis, sorting out the system of his own civilization, integrating it with the general development trend of the world, and finding a suitable path is what Wang Xiaolie needs to do. The knowledge system of past life studies is not consistent with the real Chinese history. If you think you have learned the truth, anything that is inconsistent with what you have learned is wrong and is a joke.
If the guiding ideology of a situation is fundamentally wrong, it will be chaotic. What future does the chaotic force have?
(In the previous chapter, someone explained that the Qing Dynasty was the result of the Xiang Xian ruling the country. He also said that the Hunan Army was developed from the Xiang Xian Rui. It should be made clear that it was not the Xiang Xian who developed the Hunan Army, but because of the Hunan Army, the Qing government relaxed its control of the local area. control.)
