Lu Xun's "On Seeing with Your Eyes Open" was created on July 22, 1925, and was first published in the 38th issue of the weekly "Yuxi" published on August 30 of the same year, and was later included in Lu Xun's essay collection "Tomb". This essay is a call to face up, to face up to everything, whether it is good or bad, whether it is desired to see or unwilling to see.
At the beginning of the article, Lu Xun put forward two propositions: open eyes and close eyes. He pointed out that in the face of everything, especially when being bullied and insulted, people often choose to close their eyes, as if as soon as they close their eyes like this, the insult disappears and everything is perfect. This way of dealing with problems is essentially evasion and self-deception. For example, he said, there is a folklore that a woman voluntarily sacrificed herself to care for her terminally ill husband, and the two of them committed suicide together. Later, the story was adapted into "reunion" literature, giving an illusory happy ending.
Lu Xun pointed out that "all defects, once the author whitewashes them, the second half of the article will be greatly improved", and the reader falls into the wrong way, believing that the world is already bright and flawless, and any misfortune is an individual act that should reap the consequences. This kind of literary tradition has a long history, and its purpose is to create a false image of light and cover up the problems and shortcomings of society.
In ** society, the truth is often distorted, and lies, deception, and coaxing become the norm. Power is concentrated in one person, and the bureaucracy will do whatever it takes to maintain the established ruling order, and to safeguard vested interests. Because people are unable to face the problem directly, they can only evade and cover up through concealment and deception, forming a collective unconscious.
Lu Xun profoundly revealed the essence of society, and pointed out that the long-term rule has led to the fact that the Chinese people dare not face up to the defects of society and life, but tend to conceal and deceive. This kind of literary and artistic tradition of concealment and deception makes people fall into it, and even unconsciously indulge in it. In this environment, people close their eyes and run away, thinking that everything is good. And this kind of cowardice and laziness of the national character is the result of long-term social suppression.
Why don't we dare to face up to the problems of society and life?Lu Xun believed that this was the product of the long-term influence of ** rule. In a society where power is concentrated and speech is restricted, people dare not tell the truth, and can only curry favor with their superiors and seek peace and stability by concealing and deceiving. This leads to a collective unconscious evasion and cover-up, obscuring the truth.
In Lu Xun's view, we should open our eyes and face up to the problems of society and life. Only by facing it squarely can we face it bravely and change. Otherwise, we will continue to indulge in the quagmire of deception and deception, and we will not be able to truly liberate.