Connections are secondary, and the four mantras are understood, and they become a great tool
Many people, after a setback, tend to blame poverty and lack of connections for their mediocre lives. They think that their unhappy life is entirely due to a lower starting point than others.
As a result, these people will regard some of the so-called "relationships" as treasures, devote their time and energy to maintaining them, and take pride in them.
Tsang once criticized the idea that connections were secondary to a man's success, and that what really matters was personal effort and talent. He left a "four-character mantra" to remind the "poor children" who want to get ahead to cherish their talents and not rely too much on interpersonal relationships.
The reason why Zeng Guofan can deeply understand the psychology of "children of poor families" is because he himself came from a humble background, but he eventually became a minister of state and an important figure in the court.
Zeng Guofan was born in a peasant family, his grandfather was illiterate, and the only person in the family who knew the most was his father, a former lecturer in the school, who had been admitted to Xiucai.
His father had a desire to "study poetry and books hard to gain fame", but due to his limited talent and family burden, he finally chose to become a private school lecturer. Zeng Guofan's road of struggle is not smooth, his talent is not outstanding, he once failed seven times in a row before he was admitted to Xiucai, and his family conditions cannot provide help.
So, why was Zeng Guofan able to finally realize the ideal of all scholars to "be a Tian Shelang in the court, and ascend to the Tianzi Hall at dusk", "solve the world's affairs" for the king, and win "the name before and after his death" for himself?
In his summary, there is a mantra that is particularly crucial - "standing up to the word mantra". Its core meaning is that only perseverance can build an extraordinary career. No matter how great the difficulties and setbacks are faced, as long as you persevere a little longer, it is possible to see the dawn of victory.
Zeng Guofan has always adhered to this sentence, whether it is in study or in the court, he has actively struggled. If it weren't for the fact that he easily gave up after failing several times in the examination to get Xiucai and went home to farm, he would not have become the "minister of the imperial mission" who later leaned towards the government and the opposition.
For those of us from humble backgrounds, if we do not want to rest on our laurels and want to change the class through our own efforts, we must deeply understand and practice the true meaning of this sentence.
Zeng Guofan regarded "standing up mantra" as the first of the four maxims because he deeply understood that for poor students, perseverance is an important prerequisite for our success.
If we don't have the courage to stick to our goals and get back up no matter how many times we fall in the face of difficulties and setbacks, for those of us who don't have a superior family environment, success is like a star in the sky, which can only be looked up to, not touched.
In the face of difficulties, you might as well think about Zeng Guofan's famous words, maybe hold on a little longer, and tomorrow you will see the dawn of hope. His life was also full of challenges, but he always found his way out of the darkness, thanks to his unique political wisdom.
He once concluded that you should be decisive and not hesitate to do things.
Zeng Guofan was in the officialdom, and there was a student Li Hongzhang who was equally famous and powerful. Much of Li Zhongtang's strategy and political wisdom came from his teacher, Zeng Guofan.
Both of them have shown the same vision and wisdom when dealing with government affairs. When Zeng Guofan heard that Li Hongzhang refused to absorb the defeated army and beheaded more than 30,000 people in the Battle of Suzhou, he pondered for a long time, and then praised: "Li Hongzhang is a person with unique vision and resolute means, and he is really an extraordinary genius. ”
Some people will have doubts when they hear this, thinking that this has no basis and is fabricated out of thin air. Their reason was that Zeng Guofan, as a great Confucian who had studied the Confucian classics in depth, should uphold the heart of a gentleman and take benevolence, righteousness and morality as his yardstick in the world, how could he support such a bloody and brutal killing?
However, this idea is a misunderstanding of Tsang's thoughts. Confucius once said that "a gentleman is far from cooking", a gentleman has benevolence and righteousness, and does not want to see killing, but if we only understand it one-sidedly that a gentleman should be soft-hearted, then when making decisions, we often fall into the dilemma of "women's benevolence", and eventually become pedantic nerds.
Zeng Guofan, a master of Confucianism and Taoism, was also a wise politician and military strategist. He adheres to the belief of a gentleman's benevolence and righteousness, and knows it well"Do something, don't do something"The philosophy of life.
He knows how to stick to the bottom line, but he also shows thunderous tactics when necessary. Although he did not like to kill, he was able to make difficult decisions decisively for the well-being of the people, which was a combination of his kindness and determination, and also where his great wisdom lies.
In turbulent times, resolute means are needed. Zeng Guofan's successful suppression of the Taiping rebellion through severe training of the Hunan army fully demonstrated this view. In troubled times, kindness is often seen as weakness, and being merciful to enemies is cruelty to oneself.
In order to save the Qing Dynasty, Zeng Guofan decisively took thunderous measures and adhered to the iron law of "killing a thousand by mistake, not letting one go", although he was infamous as "Zeng shaved his head".
However, his harsh methods also intimidated the rebels, and he succeeded in quelling the rebellion for the loyal court, bringing a peaceful life to the local people for several years.
"On the road to fame, the key lies in the courage and determination in decision-making, and we cannot look ahead and backward. The theme of the third mantra is "respect" and "disrespect for others, respect for oneself", in officialdom, it is wiser to make friends than to make enemies, and it is better to have more friends than one more enemy.
Whether it is a person in a high position or a person with a status inferior to himself, he should not be despised or neglected, because he may become his own lifesaver at a critical moment. Therefore, it is necessary to have an attitude of respecting others in order to gain a foothold in officialdom.
The true meaning of "respect" is not only respect, but also a kind of awe. In the movie "Big Man", even the chairman who has great power does not forget to teach his son the value of respecting people.
This coincides with Zeng Guofan's "Honorific Mantra". Jing is also an ability to perceive the essence of things, not only based on a person's current situation to decide whether to associate with him, but should think long-term, thinking about his future potential and the help it can bring.
Maintaining reverence is not only a sign of humility, but also a wake-up call to avoid complacency and no one in sight. Excessive arrogance often leads to unforeseen crises that can ruin the work we have worked so hard to build.
Zeng Guofan was ostracized because of the discussion of politics**, which made the emperor angry, although he was not deposed in the end, he was also forced to live at home and could no longer go to the court as an official.
Some people may say that for ** like Zeng Guofan, being idle at home is equivalent to "landing safely" and can live a leisurely life. However, these people ignore the brutality of factional struggles on the political battlefield.
Not only do your opponents want you to lose your current official position and status, but even if you become an ordinary person, they will worry about whether you can rise again and start all over again, leaving them with no peace of mind.
Zeng Guofan was well versed in the cruel means of putting his political enemies to death, but at this time, his heart was full of despair and he had no way to deal with it. However, the visit of a four-rank ** brought him hope.
This is only an insignificant sesame official in Zeng Guofan's eyes, and he may not even be qualified to visit him. However, it was this petty officer who brought a key turnaround hole card.
Zeng Guofan was faced with the dilemma in front of him, and just as he was thinking hard about the solution, he suddenly discovered that a petty official had evidence in his hands to frame his enemies. This evidence is related to the top secret of the imperial court, and once used, Zeng Guofan will be able to survive and break the current predicament.
However, Zeng Guofan couldn't help but wonder why this petty official was willing to risk being implicated to help him? After some inquiry, he learned the truth, it turned out that this petty official was transferred from the local government to the capital.
The capital ** looked down on me, and even my colleagues did not want to come to congratulate me. However, a letter of encouragement from Tsang Kwok-fan, a member of the Cabinet University, made me feel grateful, and I vowed to repay this Tsang who looked up to me one day. ”
After hearing about this, Zeng Guofan couldn't help but feel deep remorse. From this incident, he realized that his unintentional mistakes would be so valued by others, and that they could save his life in times of crisis.
This experience made Zeng Guofan realize the importance of tolerance and integrate it into his own life wisdom to educate future generations. The last of his mantras is "forgiveness", that is, the ability to tolerate others, which is a heroic act and a necessary quality for achieving great things.
Zeng Guofan and Zuo Zongtang have always been opponents, and the two have differences in political views. In the court, they often argued because of their different views. When the Taiping rebellion broke out, the two ministers were tasked with suppressing the rebellion at the same time.
Before the expedition, the two had a big quarrel due to disagreement with the commander. Zuo Zongtang advocated taking the initiative to exterminate the rebels, believing that Zeng Guofan was indecisive. Zeng Guofan believed that the situation was complicated, and suggested that the defense should be done well before making a move.
Zuo Zongtang led his troops to attack according to his own ideas, and at first the results were smooth, and his confidence was greatly increased, and he decided to pursue the enemy army alone.
The situation on the battlefield was unpredictable, Zuo Zongtang was unfortunately ambushed by the enemy and fell into a predicament outside the city, surrounded by men and horses, unable to advance or retreat. After learning the news, Zeng Guofan immediately led his army into battle and successfully rescued Zuo Zongtang.
This incident caused a huge shock in the government and the opposition, and the officials played one after another, accusing Zuo Zongtang of his reckless actions. However, Zeng Guofan stepped forward at this critical moment and firmly stated that he should be punished for his ineffective support, and successfully helped Zuo Zongtang get out of an embarrassing situation.
Zeng Guofan's protégé wondered why Zeng Guofan did not take the opportunity to bring down Zuo Zongtang, Zeng Guofan explained: "Zuo is talented and can be used by the country, so I tolerate it." After this incident, Zuo Zongtang had a lot of respect for Zeng Guofan.
Being able to tolerate others" is not only about tolerating offense when the situation is evenly matched, but also about suppressing the impulse to fall into the well when the other party is in trouble, which is the great wisdom of life and can turn enemies into friends.
The above tells us that although networking can help move forward, it should not be regarded as the foundation of success, and it is easy to fall into shallow misunderstandings by trusting people. If the children of the poor family want to get ahead, they should learn from the wisdom of their predecessors and enrich themselves, rather than indulging in making contacts.
How to understand Zeng Guofan's wisdom in life? What are the lessons we can learn from? Come and share your thoughts in the comment section and let's learn together.