Life is but a thought: Nan Huaijin's 15 Life Wisdom Lessons

Chapter 25 Only when you handle things harmoniously can you advance and retreat freely (3)
Mr. Nan Huaijin said, if Zeng Guoquan and the Hunan Army rebelled on impulse, would he succeed?The result is hard to say.It's good that the rebellion succeeds, but if it doesn't, it will be a disaster.In fact, whether it is glory, wealth, or slander, it is just a fleeting cloud, and it will pass away soon. Why should we destroy ourselves for a moment of pleasure?It's not worth it!

Zeng Guofan made good use of Zhuangzi's smooth and brilliant philosophy of life. Although his life was trembling, he was as stable as a mountain.Because of this, Mr. Nan Huaijin admired him from the bottom of his heart.

Mr. Nan Huaijin is very fond of Zeng Zi's proposal of "Trembling with trembling, as if facing an abyss, as if walking on thin ice".Zeng Zi claimed that he has been "trembling" all his life, as if he was standing on the edge of a cliff with a deep pool at his feet, or as if he was standing on a glacier in early spring when the ice was about to thaw. Alive, until death can finally say that he is worthy of heaven and earth.

Therefore, Mr. Nan Huaijin believes that you are not afraid of your ability and hard work, but don't think that you are very smart and just follow your wishful thinking.Even if it is like a hair-blowing sword, it must be sharpened quickly after each use.

There is a saying that "the conclusion is determined after the coffin is closed". Whether a person is good or bad can only be concluded when the coffin is closed.In life, we must always be as cautious as walking on thin ice, and observe tremblingly, as if we bear the responsibility of Mount Tai.Be ashamed of everything, maintain inner dignity towards others and yourself, keep the generality in your behavior, have no hindrance in advance or retreat, apply tact and moderation as you like, so you can say that this person "has both the way of a sage and the way of a sage." through the talents of saints".

The heart of harming others is indispensable, and the heart of preventing others is indispensable

Life is not a flat road, and you can't live by your own feelings. "Where the path is narrow, leave a step for others to walk; when the taste is strong, reduce three points for others to taste." This is the reality.

Zhuangzi once peeled off the true face of people in a three-point way, and told us the way to behave in the world.Of course, his revelation has something to do with the story of Confucius.

At that time, Yan Hui, a disciple of Confucius, wanted to go to the state of Wei to persuade Duke Ling of Wei, but Confucius stopped him. He said to Yan Hui earnestly: "If you take the liberty to go, there is no emperor's edict, and the princes and ministers see you as a young man. And knowing that you are my student, jealousy will come, and I will definitely take the opportunity to slander you and fight with you."

Zhuangzi explained this dialogue in detail—Confucius told Yan Hui that if he went there rashly, all the courtiers would watch him with bated breath. On the surface, everyone seemed to be the same, but in fact they were all secretly scrutinizing themselves.After retiring from the court, they would not be able to hold back the turbulent prejudices in their hearts, they would definitely discuss Yan Hui's faults, and try every means to criticize him, and even murder him.

Regarding this disclosure, Mr. Nan Huaijin told the students a profound philosophy of life: "Whether a scholar is virtuous or foolish, he will be slandered when he enters the court." Fool, as long as you come to court, everyone will be jealous.

In fact, no matter what occupation you are in or where you are, as long as there are people, there are certain "rules of life".This is like the people we see who are not very kind-faced are not necessarily evil people, on the contrary, they can lend a helping hand when people are in distress; and those who look gentle and kind on the surface may be hiding a hidden truth. With an evil and vicious heart... The so-called open spear is easy to block, but hidden arrows are difficult to guard against. Maybe there is a hidden arrow hidden somewhere, which will hurt you inadvertently.Therefore, in dealing with others, you must always be vigilant, you must not have the heart to harm others, and you must not have the heart to guard against others.Just like the following story.

Arizona is rich in rattlesnakes, and poisonous snakes bite people from time to time. As long as they hear the name of rattlesnakes, people will shudder.

Rattlesnakes are highly venomous and can be life-threatening if not treated immediately.The Phoenix Hospital in Arizona once counted the emergency patients bitten by rattlesnakes. What surprised them was that many patients were bitten by dead snakes and even died.Some of those dead snakes were shot to death, some were hacked to death with knives, and the body of the snake had been cut in two.People who do not understand the habits and toxicity of rattlesnakes think that as long as they are cut in two, it will die slowly.In fact, this is not the case. Even if you cut off the rattlesnake's head, as long as you touch it with your hand, the snake's head will suddenly spring up and bite you back. This is called "conditioned reflex" in medicine.

This is not alarmist talk.In order to prove the truth of the facts, the hospital conducted an experiment, which proved that the muscles of the snake can still make a powerful snapping action an hour after the snake's head was cut off.Dead poisonous snakes are more likely to be injured than live poisonous snakes, and they are hard to guard against.

This is true of rattlesnakes, so why not human nature.Sometimes vices and enemies are like snakes cut off.It seems to be eradicated, but the greatest danger lurks.For example, although there are detailed safety regulations and safety systems, casualty accidents still continue, just like dead snakes give us false impressions, and if we take it lightly, it will lead to catastrophe.So, in any case, don't be fooled by appearances.In the face of life, we need to be more cautious.Keep the inner squareness and the outer roundness, and be aware of the world and human conditions, so that you will be less likely to be hurt.If we always live in our own world and don't understand the world, we will inevitably suffer from others' comments and runs.

Familiarity with human relationships and the principles of accidents should be one of the skills that everyone should have and learn. If you don’t understand these, even if you maintain good cultivation and morality, you will not be a humane person.

Although Yan Hui, a disciple of Confucius, was upright and stubborn and self-confident, Confucius said that he was "undisputable in his fame and reputation, but he did not reach the hearts of the people."It's no wonder that Mr. Nan Huaijin used Zhuangzi's words to comment on Yan Hui: he has not reached popularity.In other words, there is a lack of a smell of life and a breath of life.

Of course, the "human touch" mentioned here does not mean being kind and sympathetic, but being kind to the problems of the world. Many people have failed to understand the method throughout their lives. They all made the mistake of "not reaching popularity", including some people.Because of this, there is always a trace of regret in their lives.

In short, life is not a flat road, and you can't live by your own feelings. "Where the path is narrow, leave a step for others to walk; when the taste is strong, reduce three points for others to taste." This is the reality.

A confidant is hard to find, but one must be cherished

Ten thousand gold is easy to get, but a bosom friend is hard to find!Although friends are not eternal, maybe they are just a passer-by in our lives, but our life has also become colorful because of this experience.

American physicist and philosopher Albert Einstein once said that the best thing in the world is to have a few serious friends who are honest in mind and heart.As the saying goes: "If you have a confidant in life, you will die without regret." This shows the importance of a confidant.Mr. Nan Huaijin also believes that the word "far" in "A friend comes from afar" is a rare word to describe a confidant.

In life, everyone will have three or five friends by their side, who meet together on holidays or weekends to eat, drink tea, go shopping, etc.This kind of feeling is joyful and happy, which cannot be replaced by relatives or lovers.Perhaps, some people will never meet someone who can be called a "confidant" in their entire life.So, if we meet, we must cherish it.

In the summer of 1932, Qu Qiubai and Lu Xun met in Shanghai.Although the two had known each other not long ago, they were already close friends who talked about everything.

At that time, Qu Qiubai was proficient in Russian and had profound literary accomplishments. Lu Xun admired him very much and hoped that he could introduce Russian literature to Chinese readers and broaden the horizons of Chinese readers.Qu Qiubai agreed with this approach very much. He tried every means to provide Lu Xun with original foreign language works and then translate them.

Later, in order to avoid the persecution of evil forces, Mr. Qu Qiubai published many articles, all under the pseudonym of Lu Xun.As a result, Qu Qiubai was hunted down by the spies three times in one year because of publishing articles.In desperation, he had no choice but to request to take refuge in Lu Xun's house, and Lu Xun did not refuse, and raised his hands in favor.It can be seen that the friendship between the two is deep.

Qu Qiubai is one of the few people who has a biased evaluation of Lu Xun's essays.In the 20s, Qu Qiubai worked hard to compile "Selected Works of Lu Xun's Miscellaneous Feelings", with 30 words in the preface alone.It was precisely this "Preface" that made Lu Xun so admired.There are rumors that when Lu Xun read this preface, he didn't even realize that the cigarette butt burned his finger, and he didn't realize that his finger was burnt after reading it.Whether the rumors are true or not, it is enough to see Lu Xun's appreciation and admiration for Qu Qiubai.

At that time, it was because of Qu Qiubai's encouragement and appreciation that Lu Xun found the spiritual support, so that he was no longer alone on the road of struggle.Later, Lu Xun wrote this couplet for Qu Qiubai: "It is enough to have a confidant in life, and the world should treat him with the same heart."

What is "same"?People who can understand you, like-minded people.In fact, no matter it is Lu Xun's era, or today's era, and in the future, friends are indispensable for everyone.

With friends, we can make progress and grow together, and we can discover people with different personalities in our lives; with friends, we can chat and express our dreams after life and work; with friends, we can be in the rain. Walking, don’t feel sad, soaking in art galleries, museums, don’t feel monotonous... With friends, we can vent our emotions unscrupulously, share our happiness and good songs; Get help and care when you need it.

A true friend is that even if you are not in the same city, you will miss each other, and you will not be unfamiliar when you meet again; a true friend will not say compliments in front of you; a true friend always thinks of you, not asking you to serve.In life, we communicate to help each other and get to know each other for spiritual communication. Please cherish each other's friendship instead of wasting time on chaotic interpersonal relationships.These are also one of the things that Mr. Nan Huaijin wants to express about making friends.

In short, ten thousand gold is easy to get, but a bosom friend is hard to find!Although friends are not eternal, maybe they are just a passer-by in our lives, but our life has also become colorful because of this experience.

(End of this chapter)