Readers who are familiar with the Chinese literary scene may know a gossip that Lu Xun and Lin Yutang are at odds. Why?
It turned out that in Lu Xun's eyes, Lin Yutang was a petty bourgeois literati who talked about sex and spirituality in the time and time when the people of Chinese were in dire straits, and his literature was simply a "narcotic literature" that did not eat the fireworks of the world. Of course, Lu Xun's accusation is by no means nonsense, and under the historical conditions at that time, it was indeed a bit out of place to pursue Taoist carefree optimism and leisure detachment. Lu Xun, who is accustomed to criticizing the inferior nature of the people, can stand Lin Yutang's optimism of praising our country and our people to enjoy life all day long!
However, the times have changed, and today we will reflect on Mr. Lin Yutang's philosophy of life, in the era of consumption and a busy society, will we give him more understanding, or even add a little admiration?
Today I would like to share a book with readers, which is by Lin YutangThe Art of LivingγIn this book, Mr. Lin tells us that the world is the only paradise, and in this paradise, how we should discover our inner desire to be dissolute, how to enjoy the true pleasures brought by nature and mundane things, how to troubadour unhurriedly, and how to dwell poetically in a grand manner.
In this era of prosperity, impetuousness and variables, reading Lin Yutang may really enable us to get a long-lost experience of slow life and a simple sense of happiness, let us be full of enthusiasm for life aesthetics, live our own lives with beauty, give life a new style, and make us realize that life itself can also be a beautiful art.
Did you know that Mr. Lin Yutang was the first Chinese writer to make a name for himself in English? The Art of Living was written in English and was first published in the United States.
In this book, Mr. Lin Yutang breaks down the essential differences between Chinese and Western cultures. He said that the biggest difference between Chinese and Western learning is that the West has too much specialized knowledge and lacks knowledge that attaches importance to human feelings, while China is too concerned about life issues and lacks specialized science. This is the reason for the underdevelopment of science in China, but it is the charm of Chinese culture.
In the article, he wrote: "Chinese philosophy, because of its spirit of realism and extreme disbelief in logic and intelligence, has become something that has a direct and affectionate sense of life itself, and refuses to let it be subsumed into any system." Because the philosophy of the Chinese has a sound sense of reality, a pure animal consciousness, and a rational spirit, it overwhelms reason itself, and the dull philosophical system cannot be produced.
There are three teachings of Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism in China, each of which is a grand philosophical system, but they have all been diluted by sound common sense, so that they all become common problems in the pursuit of happiness in life. Chinese do not want to concentrate on believing in any philosophical concept, belief or sect, or to study it too vigorously. A friend of Confucius told him that he often thought twice before acting, and Confucius wittily replied that it would be good to think twice, and that a believer in a philosophical school is at most a student of philosophy, but a person is a student of life, or a master of life. β
Therefore, in Mr. Lin's view, Chinese live a life that is closer to nature. Although we Chinese do not attach much importance to intelligence, we respect the flesh and the spirit, have deep wisdom and at the same time have a relaxed and happy life, familiar with the world but have a very childish naivety.
Mr. Lin summed up the philosophy of life of the Chinese people into three points:First, an attitude towards life with an artistic eye;Second, a philosophical deliberate return to simplicity;Third, a reasonable and affectionate ideal of life.
This philosophy of life teaches people to enjoy life, so what did our ancients say about it?
How can we enjoy life?
In this book, Mr. Lin Yutang gives us a detailed interpretation of the life philosophies of Zhuangzi, Mencius, Zisi, Laozi and Tao Yuanming, and outlines the various concepts of the ancient Chinese people about enjoying life.
He wrote: "The most important question that all Chinese philosophers unconsciously consider is this: How do we enjoy life? . .Who enjoys life the most?We don't go after the ideal of perfection, we don't look for the unattainable, we don't exhaustively search for the unknowable;All we know is the nature of imperfect, dead human beingsThe most important question is how to adjust our lives so that we can work peacefully, endure with patience, and live happily. β
Returning to ourselves, in our busy daily lives, is the self fully the true self?When you are chasing the external material of life, is it just as Zhuangzi saw that "the praying mantis catches the cicada, and the yellow finch follows"?"See and forget its form, see profit and forget its truth", praying mantis and cicadas both forget their own dangers for the sake of foreign objects. In the pursuit of day after day, have you long forgotten the true nature of yourself?
Mencius also agreed with Zhuangzi's statement that human nature has gradually disappeared, and the task of philosophy is to discover human nature and be responsible for recovering it. The human nature here is what we usually call the "pure heart". Mencius also said that civilized people lose their innocence in order to live, just as the trees on a mountain are cut down with an axe. The person who will enjoy life the most must be an enthusiastic, leisurely, and fearless person, and passion, wisdom, and courage are indispensable.
As for the philosophy of the mean, which we often refer to, it is actually a combination of Taoist realism and Confucian positivity, which is somewhere between the sudden rush of the earthly world and the complete escape from real life. This philosophy produces a harmonious personality in which we can see the joy of life. To take a well-known example, Tao Yuanming is a typical representative of this kind of personality.
In fact, Tao Yuanming represents a strange quality of Chinese culture, a strange mixture of spirit and flesh, both indulging in **, but also seeking to transcend things, and the seven emotions and the soul are always in harmony. He was an ideal philosopher. So what is an ideal philosopher?Mr. Lin said that the ideal philosopher is a person who can appreciate the charm of a woman without being vulgar, a person who can love life without being excessive, and a person who can live in a detached state without hating life.
Indeed, as Mr. Lin Yutang pointed out, our desire to act is deep-rooted, and we often forget to leave the stage, forgetting that there is still some real life to live, so we work hard all our lives, and do not live for ourselves according to our own nature, but only live for the applause of the society, "making a wedding dress for others".
Although the ancient Chinese people had different opinions, they all agreed that human beings must have the courage to live a happy life with wisdom. There is a popular saying at the moment: "Don't forget the original intention, you have to always", in fact, it is also telling us to find our own pure heart, according to our own wishes and nature to pursue ideals, wonderful life, this is actually to enjoy life.
Mr. Lin also believes that the romantic worship of leisure is popular, which means that pleasure is not the preserve of the rich. If you want to enjoy a leisurely life, it is actually very simple, you don't need to have a lot of money, you just need to have a rich mind, a hobby of simple life, and you don't care much about the way to make money. If a person really wants to enjoy life, life is enough for him to enjoy, he only needs to have the temperament of an artist, a quiet heart and a concept of optimism, and a mind that can enjoy nature to the fullest.
There is no doubt that our lives will be extinct one day. Then, in other words, we have only one earthly life, and after this life, there will be no more. Feelingally, it's full of sad poetic tones. However, those who love life dearly learn from this sorrow that we must enjoy it while it is still dying.
In fact, as long as we eliminate the concept of eternal life, the problem of life is simple: human beings have a limited lifespan, so we must adjust our lives to live as happily as possible in the realities of the environment. Sir Keith once said that if people thought that the world was the only paradise, they would do all the more to make it a paradise. Su Dongpo's poems also have the sentence "Things are like spring dreams without a trace", and because of this, he loves life so deeply and resolutely.
Mr. Lin Yutang explained the traditional concept of death and time consciousness of Chinese very thoroughly, he said: "We all believe that people always have to die, believe that life is like a candlelight, there will always be a day to extinguish, I think this feeling is good." It makes us sober, it makes us sad, and it also makes some people feel a kind of poetry. There is also the most important layer: it enables us to be determined to find ways to live a reasonable, authentic life, and to be aware of our shortcomings at any time. It also gives us peace of mind. It is because of the preparedness in one's heart to accept bad encounters that one can attain true peace. β
It is precisely because life is too short that we have to live well. Indeed, Mr. Lin Yutang reminded us that the most precious happiness is the happiness of knowing that its good times will not last long, and the rarest pleasure is knowing that it is fleeting pleasure.