Ordinary is the core of life
First, the connotation of luxury
Luxury is a word with an uncertain meaning, which can be used both as a positive and a derogatory term.
Generally speaking, it refers to a great deal of grooming in satisfying sensory needs.
Luxury in all its degrees can be harmless or reproachful, depending on the environmental conditions of the era, the country and the individual.
The idea that the pleasures which are given to us by all sorts of sensual gratifications, and of all kinds of fine food and clothing, is in itself ugly, can never be accepted, as long as his mind has not been turned upside down by fanaticism.
If we pursue pleasures at the expense of virtues such as freedom or charity, it is indeed evil;
In the same way, if a person ruins his future for pleasure and makes himself destitute and even begging everywhere, it is a foolish act.
If these pleasures do not impair virtue, but give generous and open-minded care to friends and family, and are all kinds of appropriate generosity and compassion, they are wholly harmless; In all ages, almost all moralists have acknowledged this as justified.
At the lavish table, if people do not taste the pleasure of talking to each other about their aspirations, learning, and all sorts of things, this luxury is but a sign of boredom and has nothing to do with exuberance or genius.
If a person spends money on pleasure and does not care about and disrespect his friends and family, it shows that his heart is ruthless.
But if a person spends enough time to engage in useful research and discussion, and if he spends his rich money on what is righteous, he will not be blamed in any way.
Since luxury can be seen as both harmless and bad, people come across some surprisingly ridiculous opinions.
For example, some liberal people even praise the luxury of sin, believing that it is of great benefit to society;
On the other hand, some stern moral gentlemen condemn even the most innocuous luxuries as the root of all corruption, degeneration, chaos, and factional strife that can easily arise in civil politics.
We would like to try to correct these two extremes. First of all, it is necessary to prove that the era of extravagance is the happiest and the most virtuous; secondly, to show that as long as luxury ceases to be harmless, it ceases to be beneficial; If it is done too much, it is a harmful act, although it may not be the most harmful to political society.
To prove the first point, we need only consider the effects of extravagance in both private and public life.
According to the most acceptable concept, human happiness is made up of three components: making a difference, being happy, and being restful and lazy.
Although the arrangement of these components should be arranged in different proportions according to the specific circumstances of each person, any one of them must not be omitted entirely, otherwise, to a certain extent, the whole pleasure of happiness will be ruined.
Staying there and resting does not seem to contribute much to our pleasure in itself, but the most diligent of men needs sleep, and the weak human nature cannot support the uninterrupted toil of busyness or the endless pleasure of enjoyment. The rapid march of energy can bring all kinds of satisfaction, but at last it consumes the mental energy, and then some rest is needed; However, this kind of rest is only appropriate for a short time, and if it is delayed for too long, it will be boring and uninteresting.
Education, customs, and example have a great influence on the rest and transformation of the mind and the recovery of the mind; It should be recognized that they are very beneficial to human happiness as long as they enhance our interest in action and joy.
In the age of prosperity of industry and the arts, people had stable jobs, were satisfied with their work and pay, and enjoyed all kinds of pleasures as the fruits of their labor. The mind has been given a new lease of life, expanding its power and power; By diligent engagement in respectful work, the natural needs of the heart are satisfied, and at the same time unnatural desires, which are usually caused and nurtured by ease and idleness.
If these art of living are expelled from society, they will be deprived of their deeds and pleasures, and all that will be left will be listlessness; Moreover, even the interest in rest has been ruined, and it is no longer a comforting rest, for it is only after labor, after exertion, and considerable fatigue, that the rest is pleasant.
Another advantage of the various improvements in the art of industriousness and everyday life is that they produce certain literary and artistic masterpieces; However, it will not work on its own, there must be other conditions to cooperate to some extent. In an era that produced great philosophers, statesmen, famous generals, and poets, there were usually countless elaborate garmenters and shipwrights. It's hard to imagine a country that produces perfect wool clothing with no knowledge of astronomy or ethics.
The spirit of the times influences all art and learning, and once the minds of men are awakened from their idleness and energized, they point to all aspects of life and promote all kinds of arts and sciences.
When people come out of ignorance and enjoy their rights as rational beings, they will think, act, and develop their spiritual pleasures, just as they develop material happiness.
The more these arts are refined and improved, the more people become people who love to socialize.
It is impossible to say that a man of great knowledge and rich material for conversation would be content to live in solitude, far from his fellow man, but it is nothing but ignorance and uncivilized ideas.
They live in groups in the city, and they like to receive and exchange knowledge, and they like to show their intelligence, upbringing, and interest in life, conversation, clothing, furnishings, etc.
Curiosity begets wisdom, emptiness begets ignorance, and pleasure begets both. Clubs and social groups of all kinds were everywhere, and it was easy for men and women to meet here, and this form of social interaction allowed people to quickly improve their tempers and manners. Therefore, in addition to improving from knowledge and literature and art, people must also be able to enhance their humanity through the habit of talking together and the cordiality and pleasure they give to each other. In this way, the three of industriousness, knowledge, and humanity are bound together by an inseparable chain, and their further refinement is seen in experience and reason. This spectacle of prosperity is often referred to as the era of luxury.
The harms that accompany these benefits are not proportionate. The more pleasant feelings are improved, the less indulgent they are in excesses of such pursuits, which are most devastating to true pleasure. We can be sure that the Tatars were often beastly gluttonous, and they feasted on dead horses.
2. Solitude is an ability
Life is short. However, in your short life, there are many times when you have to endure them, endure them and slowly flow by, until finally there is another event stone that stirs up the waves of life.
There are not many glorious moments in life, and most of the time is spent in memories and anticipation of such moments.
It is easy to see through the red dust, but it is difficult to endure loneliness.
In the silence of being away from the world for a long time, it is impossible for a person to do anything, including reading, writing, and thinking. Even meditation, because even meditation is a human activity that can only be done in a human atmosphere.
Although people have the noble name of the forest, they can't bear the loneliness of the forest. Even those who are less famous may not be able to withstand long-term isolation. Therefore, not all the people who are busy in the world are people who are keen on fame.
There are many laymen in the world who have lived in the city all their lives and never felt noisy, but they can't find a hermit who has lived in the mountains and forests all their lives and never felt lonely.
Loneliness is a situation that determines the fate of a person. A person can't stand loneliness, so he seeks convenient ways to distract himself, go to meet friends, chat, play cards, and watch TV, so he becomes a mediocre person. Those who overcome loneliness by inner strength must be poets and philosophers.
Loneliness is wanting to be close to people and no one is approaching, and boredom is wanting to do things but having nothing to do. However, when you are far away from man, you are close to God. Without keeping your eyes fixed on the matter at hand, you can see the mysteries of heaven and earth.
Being alone is also an ability that is not something that anyone can possess at all times. Having this ability doesn't mean that you don't feel lonely anymore, but that you are content with it and make it productive.
There are three states of loneliness.
One is panic, clueless, unintentional, and bent on escaping from loneliness.
The second is to gradually get used to loneliness, settle down, establish an organization in life, and use reading, writing, or other affairs to expel loneliness.
Third, loneliness itself has become a poetic soil, an opportunity for creation, inducing profound thoughts and experiences about existence, life, and self.
When you are sick, you will become more humane. On the one hand, I am estranged from all kinds of affairs, and my fame is indifferent, even if I am forced to do so, after all, I have a relaxed state of mind.
On the other hand, I am lonely during my illness, I miss my relatives and friends more earnestly, and my taste for love and friendship is more delicate. Illness makes people lighter, utilitarian and more humane.
When a person suddenly falls ill, it is not necessarily the terminal illness that dies quickly, but it is not a trivial illness, and he finds himself suffering from a life-threatening disease like a time bomb, and in that case, the world in his eyes will also change greatly.
He will suddenly realize that this world that he is so accustomed to does not belong to him, and that he will lose it at any time.
It became clear to him at once that his possibilities in this world turned out to be very limited, which made him feel painful and at the same time calmed him down.
At this point, it will be easier for him to distinguish which things he doesn't need to pay attention to and don't need to be involved in, even if he used to be very enthusiastic about them.
If he is still a lover of life, then he will not be denied by this, but will know what else he should do in the world, which is really important to him, and which he may have neglected when he was not sick before.
When a person is healthy, his possibilities in the world seem to be infinite, and at that time he is often dazzled, and there is no distinction between priority and priority. The illness limited his possibilities, thus restoring his basic judgment.
Boredom, loneliness, and loneliness are three different states of mind.
Boredom is the desire to dissipate oneself from others, and it seeks recreation.
Loneliness is the desire of the self to coexist with others, and it seeks the warmth of the ordinary world.
Loneliness is the desire to accept others into oneself, and it seeks understanding.
The bored are self-loathing, the lonely are self-pitying, and the lonely are self-sufficient.
The mediocre is boring, the genius is lonely, and everyone has a lonely time.
Boredom is comedic, loneliness is tragic, and loneliness is neutral.
Boredom belongs to biological people, loneliness belongs to social people, and loneliness belongs to metaphysical people.
The lonely will be out of place. However, everything can be fashionable, including loneliness.
3. The interpretation of self-discipline
People usually want self-discipline in two situations.
The first situation: when you encounter troubles, feel that life is unsatisfactory or wrong, in order to solve the troubles, change this unsatisfactory or wrong state, you will choose self-discipline.
For example, when you find that your colleagues are better than you and that you are bad, you will start to become self-disciplined.
You might start with the simplest things, such as buying some best-selling books and reading them for 1 hour a day. Take some classes that have been popular recently, and spend a lot of time sorting out course notes; Or you find that excellent people are getting up early and going to bed early, so you also start to self-discipline to go to bed early and get up early ......
However, when you feel like you're getting better, you can't hold on.
This kind of self-discipline is called "avoidant" self-discipline.
It's like a whim, it comes and goes fast.
This kind of self-discipline is characterized by its tendency to fluctuate with the increase or decrease of painful feelings, which is neither stable nor reliable.
What do you mean?
In avoidant self-discipline, the amount of motivation is directly proportional to the degree of pain, the more pain you feel, the more motivated you are to self-discipline, and conversely, the less pain you feel, the less motivation you have for self-discipline.
Specifically, when you feel pain, your motivation becomes so strong that you stick to self-discipline because it reduces your level of suffering.
But at the same time, because the good results of self-discipline make you feel less pain, there is less motivation to support your self-discipline.
Because of the decrease in your self-disciplined behavior, your previous painful feelings come back, and then you feel the need for self-discipline again.
And just like that, you start the cycle round after round.
Essentially, avoidant self-discipline is a "front" that you use to feel hope, and with this "front", you can avoid the problems in front of you.
However, in this kind of self-discipline, you will not be able to persevere, nor will you be able to develop a good habit of true self-discipline.
Therefore, avoidant self-discipline is a kind of unstable and unreliable self-discipline.
The second situation: when you have a goal you want to achieve, you want to achieve, you want to achieve something, or you want to be favored by others, you will also choose self-discipline.
Self-discipline at this time is "trend-oriented" self-discipline.
For example, I want to be admitted to graduate school, I want to stay and work in Shanghai, so I have to be self-disciplined.
If avoidant self-discipline is self-discipline that you exercise because you don't want something, then tendency self-discipline is self-discipline that you exercise because you want something.
For example, avoidant self-discipline is self-discipline because you don't want to be obese. Tendency self-discipline is self-discipline because you want a healthy body or a good body.
Avoidant self-discipline people are always in a state of avoidance, and as long as they escape a little, they will relax and no longer be self-disciplined.
In contrast, people who tend to be self-disciplined are always in a state of "wanting" and will not let up unless they can fully get what they want.
In trend-oriented self-discipline, the amount of motivation is directly proportional to the degree of achievement of the goal, and the more times the goal is achieved, the stronger the motivation for self-discipline.
What does that mean?
The achievement of your goals will give you a sense of accomplishment and happiness.
And this process of achieving your desired goals step by step through self-discipline, once you experience and succeed, it is easy to become addicted and want to achieve success again.
Therefore, if a person has experienced and succeeded once in his life experience, his self-discipline motivation will become much stronger than that of others.
At the same time, as he continues to accumulate successful experience, he will become more and more self-disciplined.
In this way, a very good "virtuous circle" is turned.
Avoidant self-discipline is not good, but tendentious self-discipline also has its problems, that is, in the process of achieving goals, there may be a mentality of quick success, which will eventually lead to reduced efficiency and goal failure.
Tendency self-discipline is motivated to achieve goals, but when the motivation exceeds a certain level, it can lead to quick success.
After having the mentality of quick success, the process of achieving the goal will encounter great challenges.
Psychological research has shown that the motivation to do things and the efficiency of doing things are an inverted U-shaped curve.
What does that mean?
It is that the more difficult the goal you want to achieve, the more you should control your motivation level and not rush to achieve the goal, because it will make you very inefficient.
On the contrary, if you want to achieve something that is relatively easy, your best course of action is to be motivated and get it done as soon as possible so that you will be very productive.
This phenomenon of wanting to achieve difficult goals and at the same time having too high a level of motivation and making people less efficient is called the "high motivation trap".
Many people fall into this trap unknowingly.
Avoidant self-discipline is unstable, while tending self-discipline is prone to quick success.
So, what exactly can be done to achieve true self-discipline?
If you are an avoidant self-discipliner, then you need to adjust your motivation first** and change your self-discipline drive from avoidance to tendency.
How?
Start with your vision for life and work backwards to work backwards on your long-term, medium-term, and short-term goals.
What does your life vision say about what kind of life do you want to live? And what kind of state do you want to live?
Therefore, it can be a clear and concrete picture, or it can be a feeling and state.
Next, you need to work backwards to launch long-term goals, such as 10 years, medium-term goals, such as 5 years, and short-term goals, such as 1 year, according to your life vision.
This way, your goals will become incredibly clear.
Then, combine your self-disciplined behavior with your goals.
At this point, you can ask yourself, "What are the things I need to discipline myself to do in order to achieve this?" ”
For example, in order to achieve this short-term goal, I need to wake up one hour early every day to study English, or exercise three times a week.
Note that in this process, you should not rush for quick success, but be a long-termist.
Avoidant self-discipline can make you go back and forth, make no real progress, and even fall into self-doubt.
Oriented self-discipline will bring you the ultimate realization of your vision and goals, but it may also lead you to fall into a rush for quick success.
To be truly self-disciplined, you need to find your vision for life, then work backwards to achieve your goals, combine self-discipline with your goals, and become a true long-termist.
If you can do it, your life will change dramatically.
Fourth, life is originally simple.
Life is a miracle in the universe, and its ** is mysterious.
Is it a product of evolution, or is it a creation of God?
It doesn't matter.
The important thing is to feel the miracle with your heart.
As a result, you will know how to appreciate the phenomena of life in nature and enrich your mind with their various forms.
Then, you will be kind to all living beings, from everyone you don't know, to an antelope, an insect, a tree, and from the bottom of your heart you will have a sense of closeness to all things.
Then you will have a sense of reverence for life and for the Creator who created it, whether people call it God or nature.
Love for life is the foundation of happiness, compassion for life is the foundation of morality, and reverence for life is the foundation of faith.
The meaning of life, i.e., happiness at the secular level, morality at the social level, and faith at the transcendent level, all depend on the attitude towards life.
Life is the foundation and core of human existence.
If you can't make a living and make a living, what is the value of personal achievements and entrepreneurship, wealth hunting?
What is the value of human beings ruling the country as a family and striving for hegemony, if the result is not to allow the people to live and work in peace and contentment?
There are too many rational accumulations of things: words, concepts, opinions, evaluations, and so on.
There are also too many social accumulations in life: wealth, power, status, fame, and so on.
Over time, the accumulation replaces the body, forming an unbreakable false world.
Man comes into the world first and foremost as a life.
Life is originally simple.
However, people's lives are becoming more and more complicated.
Many times, we live not as a life, but as a desire, an ambition, an identity, a title, not for life, but for wealth, power, status, fame.
These social accumulations obscure life, and we regard them as more important than life, and spend a lifetime of energy for them, not hearing or hearing the voice of life itself.
Man is a child of nature, and life follows the way of nature.
Human beings must live in the embrace of nature, no matter how the times change, spring and autumn, and having children will always be the basic core of life.
You come out of the hustle and bustle of the workplace, walk down the street, watch the clouds and the shadows of the trees in the sky, come home, sit down to have dinner with your wife and children, and then you become a life again.
In human life, there are some things that are dispensable, there may be color, there is no loss of essence, and there are some things that are indispensable, and if they are missing, they will no longer be life.
Nothing is indispensable, no one counts, and nature, which gives birth to human beings, is the only authority.
Nature stipulates that life is inseparable from sunlight and land, and that human beings must cultivate and reproduce.
The most basic contents of life are the most ordinary, but it is they that constitute the eternal core of human life.
Generations alternate, life multiplies, and the basic core of human life is originally ordinary.
War, politics, culture, wealth, adventures, romance, all the extraordinary, in the end, must return to the ordinary, and its value must be determined according to the merits and demerits of the ordinary life of mankind.
Even in the lives of great men, it is not the great achievements that move us the most, but the moments in ordinary life that reveal the true humanity of all of us.
Unfortunately, in today's world, people are anxious to pursue seemingly extraordinary things, and there are very few people who know how to cherish and savor ordinary life.
Everything extraordinary in the world must eventually return to the ordinary, and its value must be measured by ordinary life.
Greatness, wonderful, and success are nothing, and life is complete only when the ordinary life is truly good.
In the world, sometimes it is inevitable to ask for things and do things against one's will.
But one can reduce these to a minimum as long as one is willing to restrain one's greed and be content to live a simpler life.
Away from these troublesome interactions and successes, it is really not a loss, but a huge benefit.
We get a good mood and a good time, and we can dedicate it to the people we really like, to the things we are really interested in, and above all, to ourselves.
For a person who is content to live a simple life, the boundaries of life are much broader.
Who did we come to earth with a name? And who comes with titles, positions, statuses, possessions, etc.?
However, as we grow up and become more and more deeply immersed in mundane trivialities, few of us can remember this simplest fact.
We meet each other by names, which in turn are associated with titles, statuses, possessions, and so on, and as a result, life itself is hidden and even shrunk under the entanglement of these parasites. Whether for oneself or for others, the sense of life is becoming more and more paralyzed.
Most of the time, we just live as a title. Even if it is a partner who gets along day and night, it is rare to treat each other as it is in the natural state of life, and it is more of a habit and habit.
In the vast universe, perhaps only our planet has blossomed with the flowers of life, but on this lucky planet, there are many exchanges of interests, contests of identity, and competition for property, and the rarest is the encounter between life and life. Think about it carefully, how we put the cart before the horse, and because of the small loss, the big one, and the favor of creation.
From the point of view of life, there are two drawbacks in modern life.
On the one hand, civilization has created for us more and more material conditions that go far beyond what is necessary to sustain life, and that excess certainly provides enjoyment, but at the same time it also complicates our way of life, moving further and further away from the original state of life in nature.
On the other hand, the abundant material conditions also make it easy for us to indulge in comfort, lose the courage and strength to face great dangers, and become mentally mediocre. Our lives are far from the limits of the two directions, and we do not have the endurance to endure lack downwards, and we do not have the explosive power to challenge danger upwards, and we are hiding in the middle ground of comfort and safety, and our feelings are becoming numb day by day.
In the hustle and bustle of the city, the voice of life has been obscured for a long time, and no one pays attention to it.
Let's all be quiet, and each of us listens to the inside of our bodies and minds, to hear what our lives are saying, and to think about what our lives need.
What life needs is nothing more than air, sunlight, health, nutrition, and reproduction.
But, O proud man, put aside your vanity and ambition, and you will know that these simplest pleasures are the most mellow.
A one-time life is the most precious treasure of life, but many people prefer to exchange it for those less precious or less valuable treasures, spending their entire lives on the accumulation of knowledge, fame, power, or money.
When they die, they lament, "I only used my life, but I didn't enjoy it!" ”
A Western philosophy teaches us to seek pleasure and avoid suffering. An Eastern religion teaches us to get rid of the cycle of suffering and happiness. However, those who truly love life accept pain and happiness together. The most natural things are the most mysterious, such as ** and gestation. Isn't it true that the myths of all peoples can be traced back to this source?
The more natural things are, the more they belong to the essence of life, and the more they can affect the deepest emotions. For example, women and children.
Modern people enjoy more and more tricks. But the sweetest pleasures in the world are always those of the oldest.
Life fears monotony more than death, and that alone is enough to guarantee its invincibility. It must enrich itself in order to escape monotony, and does not care if the ending is in vain.
Life passes peacefully, without sound, without waves, not even ripples, without sound.
Whether there is a desire for love or not, whether or not we can feel the joy of life, in the final analysis, is a question of inner vitality.
* It is the only way to the ethereal.
There is no **, only empty and ineffective.
Life and life are attracted to each other.
Imagine that on an absolutely barren and lifeless planet, even if a living person sees a fly or a tiger, he will feel intimacy.
Ding Jungui. February 9, 2024.