Briefly describe "self-discipline" and "creation".
The reason why self-discipline can grow and bring unexpected benefits to people is that it is constructive, positive, and it can make you a better version of yourself. The more self-disciplined a person is, the better he is, and the more self-disciplined he is, the freer he is.
Human beings are inherently the source of infinite creativity, and if they were not so, they would not be human. So they need to be liberated and developed.
1. Self-discipline and proportion
Throughout the past and present, those who have achieved great things have a recipe for dealing with the world.
The life experience of the sages is of extraordinary educational significance to us ordinary people.
If you are human, you will be inert.
Everyone has times when they are tired and tired, and they can't help but want to stop and take a break.
But what I am most afraid of doing is the word "drag".
Today should be done today.
Tomorrow after tomorrow, how many tomorrows?
If you don't cherish today, how can you grasp tomorrow?
In case of trouble, it will only delay, and if you drag people, you will get old, and if you drag things you will be yellow.
Day after day, year after year.
In self-paralysis, the time is wasted, and the small things drag on into big things, the good things into bad things, and the easy things into difficult things.
In the end, nothing was achieved and nothing was accomplished.
To be a man, you must be diligent in your time; To do things, we must be vigorous and resolute.
Diligence is nothing difficult in the world, and procrastination is easy and difficult to achieve.
Stop making excuses for yourself, think it through and act on it right away.
Once you've taken the first step, the rest may not be as difficult as you think.
Zhou Yi said: "Ji people have few words, and there are many restless words." ”
People who are taciturn tend to act steadily and auspiciously; People who talk about rhetoric are often irritable and exaggerated, and make enemies and invite trouble.
Therefore, keeping your mouth shut is the best way to protect yourself.
* The rules say: "It is better to talk more than less; But don't be clever. ”
It means that words are not much more expensive, but more expensive than fine. Speeches should be realistic, and should not be clever or tricky.
Don't talk nonsense if you shouldn't say it, don't talk nonsense if you can't say it, don't talk nonsense if you can't say it.
Only by having something to say and grasping the sense of proportion can we give full play to the charm of language.
To be a man, you must know how to be measured.
The so-called understanding of proportion is to grasp the scale of life.
Measure is a ruler that can be used to measure oneself and others.
There is a ruler in the heart, and there is a degree of action: tepid, neither humble nor arrogant;
Rigidity and softness, outer circle and inner square; There is courtesy, courtesy, and measure.
When you advance, you advance, and when you retreat, you retreat; When it is revealed, it must be revealed, and when it is hidden, it must be hidden.
Whatever you do in your position, you can eat whatever you want.
To act to leave room for others is to leave room for yourself.
Pitching is worthy of heaven and earth, and praise and disapproval have their own spring and autumn.
Reading thousands of sails is indifferent and quiet, and the vicissitudes of life are calm.
This kind of proper proportionality is our lifelong pursuit.
Taking three points back and making a step forward is the "gentleman's style" respected by the ancients.
The trivial matters that do not touch the bottom line and principles can be tolerated.
However, in the face of major issues of principle of right and wrong, or atrocities that hurt nature and reason, tolerance is indulgence, and silence is appeasement.
2. Stupidity and malice
For good, stupidity is a more dangerous enemy than malice.
You can resist malice, you can remove its mask, or you can use strength to prevent it.
Malice always contains the seeds of its own destruction, because it is always uncomfortable, if not worse.
However, in the face of stupidity, there is simply no defense.
To oppose stupidity, neither resistance nor strength will help, stupidity does not obey reason at all.
If the facts are contrary to one's own prejudices, then there is no need to believe the facts, and if those facts cannot be denied, then they can simply be dismissed as exceptions.
So, compared to the villains, stupid people are always smug.
Moreover, he can easily become dangerous, because it is easy to get him to throw punches.
So, stupidity needs to be dealt with with with more care than malice.
Let's not try to reason with fools again and again, because that is useless and dangerous.
To properly deal with stupidity, it is essential to recognize it for what it is.
To be sure, stupidity is a moral defect, not an intellectual one.
There are people who are intellectually superior but stupid, and there are people who are intellectually low, but they are not stupid, and we are surprised to find this as a product of certain circumstances.
We get the impression that stupidity is cultivated, not innate; Stupidity is cultivated in environments where people make themselves stupid, or allow others to make themselves stupid.
We further note that stupidity is much more prevalent among individuals or groups who tend or are destined to live or associate in groups than among unsociable or lonely people.
From this point of view, stupidity is a sociological problem, not a psychological one. It is a special form of the role of the historical environment on people, a psychological by-product of specific external factors.
A closer look reveals that any violent revolution, whether political or religious, seems to cause a stupid flare-up among a large number of people.
In fact, it has almost become a law of psychology and sociology.
The power of one side needs the stupidity of the other.
It is not an innate ability of human beings, such as the intellectual faculties, that have been hindered or destroyed.
On the contrary, it is the upsurge of power that has become so terrible that it deprives man of independent judgment, and man gives up, more or less unconsciously, the effort to evaluate the new state of affairs for himself.
A fool can often be stubborn, but we must not mistake him for independence.
One feels, more or less, especially when talking to a stupid man, that it is simply impossible to talk to him personally, to have a heart-to-heart conversation with him.
When you talk to him, you don't come across him, but a series of slogans and things like that, which have the power to control him.
He has been deceived by others, his eyes have been blinded, his humanity has been exploited and ruined.
Once he surrendered his will and became a mere instrument, there was no limit to sin that a fool would not reach, but it was still impossible for him to understand that it was sin.
There is a danger here that demonically distorts human nature, and it can cause irreparable damage to people.
It is in this area, however, that we realize that fools cannot be saved by education.
All he needed was salvation, and nothing else.
So far, attempts to persuade him with rational arguments have been of no avail.
In this state of affairs, we can fully understand why it is futile to try to find out what stupid people are really thinking, and why the question is completely superfluous for people who think and act responsibly.
However, there is also some consolation in these reflections on human stupidity.
We have no reason to think that most people are stupid in all circumstances.
What has been important in the long run is that we want to get more out of people's stupidity, not from people's independent judgment and sharp minds.
3. Lust and pleasure
What is Desire?
Desire is the sensation of the senses, the feeling of fresh experiences and stimuli, the feeling of climbing the highest peaks of the earth, the feeling of power and status.
All of this limits the brain's energy.
Desire provides the illusion of security, and the brain that needs security encourages and sustains every form of desire.
If we do not understand the place of desire, it causes a degeneration of the mind.
It is very important to understand it.
Thought is the movement of desires.
The desire to feel more, and the pursuit of the illusory certainty of security, drives our curiosity to discover.
Desire is the most urgent and powerful driving force in our lives.
In all religions, it is said that in order to be faithful to the gods, one must overcome desires, destroy desires, and control desires.
Moreover, all religious teachings speak of substituting desire for an image created by the mind, and this is true of religion, as is the case with other religions such as Hinduism, where an image is substituted for reality, and reality is desire, a burning desire.
In their opinion, one can overcome this desire through other substitutes. Or surrender yourself to your master, your savior, or your guru – this is also an activity in the mind, the mode of thinking of all religions.
Therefore, it is important to understand the nature of desire and to explore why it plays such an important role in our lives.
Why do we want to separate our desires from our hearts?
Who is the subject who says, "Desire is a problem, and therefore I must be liberated from desire"?
We have to understand what desire is, and we don't ask how to get rid of desire because it causes suffering, or whether it is created by the mind. First we have to know what desire is, and then we can go deeper into it.
Indeed, desire arises through perception or contact, feeling. Isn't that so?
You first see a car, then you have contact and feeling, and finally you have the desire to own this car and drive this car. Then, while trying to get the car, there was a conflict.
So, while satisfying desires, there is conflict, there is pain, suffering, and happiness, and you want to keep the happiness and let go of the pain. This is what really happened to each of us.
The happy-seeking subject, created by desire, said, "I want to get rid of the unhappy things, the painful things. ”
We never say, "I want to be free from pain and happiness." ”
We want to keep pleasure and leave pain behind, but both are born of desire, aren't they?
Desire, which arises through perception, touch, and feeling, identifies as the "me," the "me" who wants to keep pleasure and abandon pain.
But both pain and pleasure are equally the result of desire, a part of the mind – it is not outside the mind.
As long as one subject says, "I want to keep this and abandon that," there will be conflict.
We want to get rid of all painful desires and keep those things that make us happy and valuable, and we never think about the whole problem of desires.
When we say, "I have to get rid of desires," who is that subject trying to get rid of something? Isn't that subject also the result of desire!
4. Life and Creation.
The three elements of quality of life: one to create, two to enjoy, and three to experience.
Among them, the proportion of creation in life is the main criterion for measuring a person's quality of life.
If there is one word to sum up the characteristics of human spiritual life, then it is the most appropriate word - creation.
The so-called creation does not necessarily refer to the invention of a new technology, nor does it necessarily refer to the creation of art, but only some specific forms of creation. The meaning of creation is much deeper and much broader in scope.
The difference between human beings and animals lies in the fact that human beings have a soul, and the soul makes people not be satisfied with the animal-like existence, but to pursue the value of survival, thus starting the spiritual life of man.
What nature has given to man is only survival, and therefore, all the activities that man engages in that go beyond survival have added a little new thing to the arrangement of nature, and all of them have the nature of creation.
It is in creation that people realize the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty with their actions, and turn the values they cherish in their hearts into objects that can be seen and felt.
There are two ways to achieve spiritual happiness: one is receptive, such as reading, appreciating artworks, etc.; The other type is giving, which is work. It is in the work that people's mental abilities and the value of life are actively realized.
Of course, the work in question here is different from work that is merely a profession, and people often refer to it as creation or self-actualization.
But, as far as human nature is concerned, work in this sense belongs to all people.
Everyone has an innate mental capacity, the difference is whether it is fully used and developed.
The level of a person's creativity depends on two factors: first, whether he has a healthy life instinct; The second is whether there is a lofty spiritual pursuit.
These two factors are closely related and interdependent, and the goal of life instinct is blind without spirit, and the spiritual pursuit is empty if it is not activated by instinct.
Their relationship is like soil and sunlight, and a plant can only thrive if it is rooted in fertile soil and bathed in abundant sunlight.
Creativity is nothing more than a persistent effort driven by a strong interest. Among the most important factors: the first is interest; The second is good work habits.
In layman's terms, it means that you must first have something that you really like to do; Second, be able to concentrate and persevere in getting it right.
In this process, various intellectual qualities of human beings, including curiosity, thinking ability, imagination, intuition, inspiration, etc., will be mobilized to contribute to creation.
The key to determining whether an activity is creative or not lies in the presence or absence of a soul.
A painter paints an uninspired painting, a pedant writes a book that follows his own mind, and neither of them is creating.
Conversely, if you are truly fascinated by the beauty of a landscape, a poem, a piece of music, if you have developed your unique perspective on an issue, then you are creating.
True creation is not concerned with the result, it is the natural realization of one's inner strength, which is enjoyment in itself.
As long as your mind is lively and sensitive, as long as you heed the call of the heart and do what will really make it happy, then no matter what you have finally done, and no matter what society says about your achievements, you have a creative life.
The activities that a person engages in for the sole purpose of earning a living or earning money are labor, while those that he engages in out of his true interest and disposition are creations.
Labor can only bring external benefits, and only creation can obtain the happiness of the soul.
But external benefits are a very real **, which often induces people to work endlessly, so that they can't experience the joy of creation for a lifetime.
Whether a person's work is worthy of respect depends on the spirit with which he does the work, not by the act itself. It's as if the Creator created everything with the same concern for a wildflower, a small insect, or a giant elephant.
Strive for perfection in whatever you do, and get great happiness from it, such a work attitude contains a kind of divinity, which cannot be summarized by the so-called professional ethics or professionalism.
The most important part of every person's life is the work that he loves, through which he enters the world and establishes himself in the world.
With this work to which he was able to devote himself wholeheartedly, his life had a nucleus around which his whole life was organized into a whole.
Without this core, his life is fragmented, for example, into two unpleasant parts, one part is torturous labor, and the other part is useless leisure.
Medals do not compensate anyone who feels the meaning of life from their work, nor does they lose it. Inner wealth is not to be found, nor is it needed, a worldly counterpart.
Only those who do not have a source of joy in their hearts will be concerned about external gains and losses, and diligently pursue the title of professor, the title of minister, and all kinds of ridiculous awards.
It is understandable that they do this, because without them they would have nothing.
Saint-Exupéry defined creation as "the exchange of life for something that lasts longer than life".
The difference between the creator and the non-creator is that the latter only exchanges his life for what sustains life, and only produces the wealth that he can use directly or indirectly;
On the contrary, the former works to create wealth that they cannot use, and the meaning of life is precisely pinned on this wealth that they cannot use.
In the eyes of every creator, life itself is a blank canvas, waiting for him to give content.
On the contrary, if the world in anyone's eyes is a dazzling exhibition hall full of ready-made paintings, this person will definitely no longer have the urge to create, and he can only be a connoisseur at most.
Loneliness is the destiny of the creator, so being willing to be lonely is also a necessary quality of the creator, not only in today's era.
Spiritual and cultural creation is the most personal undertaking in practice, and all great works in academia or literature and art are the result of the painstaking efforts of individuals in loneliness.
There is a kind of fullness in the loneliness of creation, so that the creator is absolutely unwilling to exchange his loneliness for the excitement of others.
He basically had no choice, not that he had some kind of noble mission, but that he only felt that life was meaningful to him.
He is doing what he wants to do most in this life and cannot but do, so no matter whether he succeeds or fails, he has no regrets.
A good idea, a good work, is only a seed at first before it takes shape.
This seed comes from the land where humans live, and then floats in the sky of the human spirit like catkins.
If it falls into your heart, and your heart happens to be a fertile soil, it will sprout and grow in your heart, and eventually hopefully develop into a good plant.
Of course, the creation of the spirit is inseparable from the external environment, but more importantly, the internal environment.
The sky is full of catkins, the sun is shining, and there is plenty of moisture, but if your heart is a barren soil, your heart will still not be full of willows.
A seed can only truly exist as a seed if it falls on the right soil.
In a sense, the process of spiritual creation is indeed a natural process.
As long as you have the right internal environment and have obtained a good seed, then no matter what your body is doing in the outside world, even if you are doing slave-like heavy labor, this seed will still silently walk the path appointed by nature.
The conception of a great work is not necessarily in the study, but more in the dusty journey of life, when the body is involuntarily doing all kinds of trivial things, and the study is at most just the delivery room where it once gave birth.
Ding Jungui. February 2, 2024.