Be a Man and Do Things Pillow Book

Chapter 27: Be an Honest Person (1)
Honesty is a strength.

Honesty is the frankness that a person naturally presents when he reaches the pinnacle of life, and it is a kind of tenacity.

When Qi Baishi was in his 70s, he said to people: "I just found out that I can't paint." People all praised the old man's humility.The old painter said, I really don't know how to paint.

Ba Jin also once said: I can't write... Those who heard it were amazed, who can write if Ba Jin can't write?

Newton also said: Before the secrets of the universe, I am just a child picking shells by the sea.

Einstein was elected as the first president of Israel, but was declined.He said: I am only suitable for some jobs related to physics.

The kind words and deeds of these wise men have in the past been praised as a virtue of humility.In fact, the real answer lies in their frankness and truthfulness.

In the eyes of those who lack strength, falsehoods are often inseparable, just like those who have no strength to walk cannot do without crutches.

Honesty is a power, a power of beauty.

It's nice to deal with honest people.Their calmness and frankness may sound a little surprising at first.The sudden truth even seems like a lie.

Honest people often talk and laugh with ease, and their eyes and tone of voice make it impossible for you to doubt the truth of their words.They can candidly talk about their origins, situations and views on things, which makes you feel that there is a big truth between the so-called advancement and retreat of honor and disgrace, and the appearance of superiority and inferiority.Those who master this truth dare to show their true colors to others, and such people make people feel at ease and reliable.

An honest person is at the same time a person who takes great ease and takes advantage of it.They are more relaxed and thus more intellectual than deceitful people.They have no fetters, no defenses, and no need to use more rhetoric and expressions to explain themselves.An honest person unloads the truth like a stone into the arms of others, and finds it easy for himself.

Don't be an "invisible man"

The most difficult principle of life for modern people is "honesty", not only being honest with others, but also being honest with yourself.A gentleman does not lose his footing to others, does not lose his color to others, and does not lose his mouth to others.People who give roses to others often leave a lingering fragrance in their hands. If you care about it a little more, you will lose a little more. It is better to treat others and yourself with sincerity. This is the most beautiful way of reward in the journey of life.

There is such a story that may give us a lot of inspiration:
The annual Harvest Festival is coming soon. Since this year's harvest is particularly good, the village chief decided to hold it grandly and celebrate it in order to pray for a good harvest in the coming year.

In order to make the celebration more grand and lively, the village head placed a wine vat on the open space that was big enough to accommodate more than a dozen people, and asked each household to contribute a pot of millet wine brewed by themselves, so that everyone would have enough to drink. , You can drink and talk, and revel until dawn.

Before the celebration started, each family solemnly poured the wine they brought into the big wine tank. Soon, the big wine tank was filled, and then everyone danced and sang around the wine tank, feeling very happy.

When the celebration was about to end, the village chief led the crowd to bow down to thank the heavens for their kindness, and scooped up the wine in the wine tank, each holding a glass.

After the village head had finished reading a prayer to reward the gods, everyone raised their glasses to the sky and drank it all in one gulp. Unexpectedly, before the wine was finished, everyone's expressions changed, and everyone looked ashamed. You look at me, I look at you, looking at each other, unable to say a word for a long time.

It turned out that the jugs provided by each family were not filled with wine, but water.

Everyone thought that in such a big tank of wine, filling up with a mere pot of water would not be discovered, so the big wine tank was filled with water, without a drop of wine, which made the originally extremely joyful Harvest Festival embarrassing. end.

Franklin once said: "The biggest shortcoming of ordinary people is that they often think that they are superior to others."

It is precisely because everyone has this shortcoming that everyone has an opportunistic mentality. Everyone cheats each other, and in the end, they are clever but are mistaken by cleverness.

Be a man without faith.

Be a man without trust. Someone may accidentally suffer from you once, but it does not mean that he will continue to suffer from a hundred times.

The export of fruits and vegetables has always been a huge source of foreign exchange income for China. The daily turnover of the big market can reach hundreds of millions of yuan, occupying an important position in the international economy.

A few years ago, health preservation became popular, and people began to like to eat green vegetables.Because China's climate and environment are particularly suitable for cultivating wild wild vegetables, the wild wild vegetables grown are very fresh and sweet, and the profits are huge and the supply exceeds demand. It is an important way for farmers to make money.

The trouble is that the best harvest time for wild vegetables is only about ten days. After harvesting, they have to be spread out in the shade to dry for a day, and turned over the next day for another day to fully evaporate the water.In this way, after the housewives buy it back, they only need to soak it in cold water to eat fresh, tender and crispy wild vegetables.

However, the farmland for growing wild vegetables is limited, and the steps are cumbersome, so some farmers began to find ways to increase the harvest of wild vegetables, no matter whether they are notoginseng or 21, as long as they grow to an appropriate size, they will be collected.Moreover, in order to save the drying time, simply bake it directly on the stove, and it will dry out in less than two hours.

These rush-made wild vegetables do not look different in appearance, but when eaten, no matter how long they are soaked in water, they are still the same old, hard and difficult to swallow.

Distributors protested one after another, but these farmers still refused to listen to their repeated persuasion, so the merchants had no choice but to completely ban wild wild vegetables.

In the end, the opportunistic behavior of these farmers not only failed to increase their income, but instead brought them a bunch of unsalable and inedible wild vegetables.

When you think you are smart, remember that no one else is stupid.

To be honest with others is to make yourself feel better. Opportunities may be able to get small profits, but you will lose the more important reputation and big profits.

People live in this world not just for one day, but for a lifetime. What you should worry about is not only tomorrow, but also many years to come. Rather than having a good life today, it is better to have a good life every day in the future.

Knowing how to behave is more important than knowing how to fight.

In the Three Kingdoms era, there were years of wars.Once, the two armies of Shu and Wei faced each other in Qishan. The Shu army led by Zhuge Liang was only about [-], while Sima Yi of Wei State had more than [-] elite soldiers.

When the two armies confronted each other, the Shu army was already weak, but at this critical juncture, another 1 people in the army had to retire and return to their hometowns because of the approaching period of the army. It is worse.

However, the veterans who have completed their service are also eager to return home, worried that the war will be imminent and they may not return home.Under the balance of the two, the soldiers suggested to Zhuge Liang that the veterans should extend their service for one month and return home after the war.

This seems to be the best way, but Zhuge Liang resolutely vetoed it: "Governing the country and the army must be based on trust. The veterans have devoted themselves to the country, and the parents, wives and children at home are desperate. How can I break my promise because of a temporary need?" The army, what about breaking the trust of the people?" So he ordered all the veterans who had completed their service to return home quickly.

When the veterans received the news, they were very moved, and all of them burst into tears, thinking that if they just left like this, wouldn't they abandon their compatriots and their family and country?

The prime minister is kind, and the soldiers and civilians should also be righteous. This is the time to employ people, so the veterans decided to work together to win the last battle before leaving.

The help of the veterans drew their swords, which greatly inspired other soldiers in service. Everyone fought the enemy bravely, with high morale and determination to win. Under the leadership of Zhuge Liang, the Shu Army won the battle like a broken bamboo.

Rather than talking about Zhuge Liang's clever calculations, it is better to say that he treats people with sincerity and implements them consistently, so he has won the hearts of the army and is a famous commander of a generation.

The more urgent the moment, the more you can see a person's character.The biggest test is often not from the outside world, but from yourself; the most important evaluation is not what others say, but how to face your own conscience.

Those who do not change their aspirations in times of distress will not change their aspirations towards Chu and Qin, and turn the rudder with the wind. Naturally, his achievements are not momentary, but a steady stream of water.

To keep promises, but also know how to adapt.

Before an old man died, he called his lawyer, doctor, and pastor to his bed, and gave each of them an envelope containing $[-] in cash.

The old man hoped that after his death, they would follow his instructions and put the money in the coffin, so that he would have enough money to sleep in heaven.

Soon after, the old man died.

During the embalming process, lawyers, doctors, and priests all placed envelopes in the old man's coffin and wished their client a rest in peace.

A few months later, the three met at a dinner party.

The pastor said apologetically that in his envelope, there was actually only a thousand dollars, and he thought it would be better to donate part of it to welfare agencies than to waste it all in the coffin.

The doctor was so impressed by the pastor's honesty that he also confessed that he had donated the money to a medical charity, and the envelope contained only eight hundred dollars.He also believes that instead of wasting money needlessly, it is better to spend it on other meaningful things.

At this time, the lawyer showed disapproval of their actions.

He said slowly: "No doubt, I am the only one who keeps the most promises to old friends who have died. I must let you know that I really put the entire amount in the envelope, because in this envelope, I put the money." A personal check for twenty-five thousand dollars, written in my name."

Very interesting little story, who is the one who really keeps his promise?
The lawyer who puts the money in his own pocket and writes a check for $[-] is, without a doubt, the smartest and most trustworthy person, because he "really" didn't violate the law at all. A friend's promise.

This is a simple value determination. For the entrustment of a dying old man, "completeness of numbers" is what he wants. Therefore, when the pastor and the doctor embezzle the money according to their needs, they have broken their promise. Because the numbers are already incomplete.

They should act like lawyers and give all the money to the welfare agency and write a check for $[-] to comfort the dead!
Some people may disagree with the behavior of lawyers taking money as their own, but in the real life of "we don't bring money with us when we die, we don't take money with us when we die", we must keep our promises to the living and make his wishes more meaningful completion.

For a lawyer, his value determination lies in this idea. Although the approach may be flawed, there is nothing wrong with it!
Don't break your promise.

One morning, Zeng Zi's wife went shopping in the market, and the son who was with her asked her mother to buy smoked pork, and cried endlessly because of it.

There were many people on the street, and everyone looked at the mother and son curiously. Zeng Zi's wife felt embarrassed, and in order to calm his son's emotions, she coaxed him and said, "Don't cry, you go back first, and I will return home later." , and then kill the pig for you to eat."

When the child heard that there was meat to eat, he stopped crying and went home obediently.

When Zeng Zi's wife came back from the market and stepped into the house, she heard the howling of pigs. Unexpectedly, Zeng Zi was about to kill the pigs.

Zeng's wife hurriedly stopped him and said, "Master, why do you want to kill a pig?"

Zeng Zi said, "Didn't you promise your son to kill a pig?"

Zeng's wife quickly waved her hand and said, "Oh, I was just coaxing him."

Hearing what his wife said, Zeng Zi said with a serious face: "How can you do this? Children are ignorant, they only imitate their parents' every move and obey their parents' teachings. Isn't cheating him like this teaching him how to lie? Once you If we deceive our sons, our children will no longer trust us in the future, how can such an education method produce good children?"

So Zeng Zi killed the pig without hesitation, and let his son have a hearty meal.

Indeed, we should not violate every promise we make.Because our commitment will affect the relatives and friends around us.Even to the extreme, our promises may change their lives, so how can we not take our promises seriously?Especially when we one day become parents educating our children, we should be role models of keeping our promises.

Once upon a time there was a wise and beloved old king who had no heir to the throne because he had no children.One day, he announced to the world: "I will personally choose an honest child in the country to be my adoptive son."

He took out many flower seeds and distributed them to each child, saying: "Whoever uses these seeds to cultivate the most beautiful flowers, that child will be my heir."

So, with the help of adults, all the children planted seeds, watered them, fertilized them, loosened the soil, and took care of them with all their heart.

Among them, there was a boy who devoted himself to cultivating flower seeds all day long.However, ten days have passed, half a month has passed, and a month has passed... The seeds in the flower pots are still the same, and no germination has been seen.

The boy was a little puzzled, so he asked his mother.

Mother said: "You can change the soil in the flower pot and see if it works?"

The boy changed the soil and sowed those seeds again, but still no germination.

The day when the king appointed flowers came, and other children rushed to the streets with pots of blooming flowers, waiting for the king to appreciate.Only the boy was standing by the shop, holding an empty flower pot, and weeping.

When the king saw it, he called him to him and asked, "Why are you carrying an empty flower pot?"

The boy truthfully told the king how he cultivated with his heart, but the seeds did not germinate.

After hearing this, the king happily took the boy's hands and shouted, "This is my faithful son. Because the seeds I distributed to everyone are all boiled."

Later, the boy succeeded to the king's throne.

There is a German proverb that says: "One or two pieces of sincerity are worth a ton of intelligence."

Other children must have encountered the same thing as this boy, and found that the seeds never germinated. They must have asked their parents for advice like this boy, but only this boy’s mother taught her children by example and told the value of his honesty.

The premise of the king's proclamation was to find honest people, but the parents did not hesitate to use deception in order to let their children be selected.

Appreciation based on lies is nothing to be proud of.Adults often know too much, and thus narrow their minds.The result of opportunism is to set the worst example for children.

You can be kind, but not careless.

When Li Baozhen, a general of the Tang Dynasty, was in command of Luzhou, he was short of funds and had nowhere to raise funds. He really couldn't think of any other way, so he came up with a crooked idea and turned his brains to an old monk who was widely respected by believers in the local area. body.

Not long after, Li Baozhen sent someone to invite the monk respectfully, and said to him: "I want to rely on your virtue to raise some military pay, is that okay?"

After the old monk agreed, Li Baozhen said again: "Then please announce to the believers that you will choose an auspicious day and burn yourself to death in the stadium. However, you don't have to worry, it's just a gimmick. In a house, dig a tunnel to communicate with the stadium, after the fire is lit, it will be used for your escape."

The old monk felt that he could do something for the army, so he accepted the request without hesitation.

After returning home, the old monk began to prepare related matters, and Li Baozhen also started to pile up firewood, grease and other work on the stadium. When everything was ready, the seven-day ceremony began.

During this period, Li Baozhen also invited the old monk to enter the tunnel for a closer look, in order to further gain his trust.

The ceremony began. The old monk stepped onto the altar, holding the ritual vessel in his hand, and preached to everyone in a serious manner; Li Baozhen led his subordinates, and respectfully stood under the altar with the believers to worship.

When the ceremony came to an end, the old monk prepared to set himself on fire according to what he had said earlier, but unexpectedly, Li Baozhen had already secretly sent someone to block the tunnel.

The result can be imagined, the old monk whose kindness was not rewarded, of course, was reduced to ashes together with the firewood.

Because Li Baozhen took the lead in donating all her salary on the first day as an offering to the Buddha, the believers were inspired by this and all rushed to donate generously.

In this way, after seven days, the wealth of giving has accumulated quite considerable.

However, the old monk died, and all the secrets returned to dust.In the end, Li Baozhen counted his belongings one by one, achieving his purpose of taking the opportunity to raise military pay.

In order to achieve his goal, Li Baozhen used all means to achieve his goal. He took advantage of the respect and trust of the old monk from the believers, and went to great lengths to devise a deception that no one knew about it.This is a thrilling insult and vigilance to the integrity of the world.

As far as the old monk was concerned, he was careless with good intentions, and agreed to use the extreme method of deceiving people to set himself on fire to fulfill the "public welfare" purpose of raising military pay. Unexpectedly, it was a scam, and he even lost his own life. .

It can be seen that any good purpose without legitimate means is an ugly act, a deceitful trick, and an invisible crisis is more likely to lurk.So, as an ordinary sentient being, good intentions are not enough, and we must not be too careless!
Integrity is the only way to win.

Catherine Graham is a woman of Jewish descent. She was born in a famous family. She is withdrawn, weak and inexperienced. She has always been a housewife at home.However, after her husband committed suicide in 1963, she had to succeed him in managing the family's newspaper, The Washington Post.

At the beginning, she had no confidence and didn't know what to do.Later, a friend told her that she should read the newspaper run by her own newspaper every day, which can enhance her confidence.She did what her friend said, and the first thing in the morning every morning was to read the newspaper run by her own newspaper.A few days later, she discovered that The Washington Post was not the best newspaper. The newspaper had a tradition of supporting the government and often had stories that praised government officials.So, she recruited some front-line reporters and editors to ask for their opinions.After the newspaper was improved, it became an honest and fair newspaper. The "Washington Post" dared to report many things that other newspapers dare not disclose. Soon the sales of the newspaper increased greatly.

(End of this chapter)