The ancients in China summed up success in four words: "cultivate one's morality, keep one's family in order", cultivate one's morality, keep one's family in order, govern the country and level the world. This process contains great ideals and great utilitarianism, starting with self-cultivation. "The business of a gentleman is based on this." Self-cultivation is the foundation of being a man. Self-cultivation is to learn to be a man. So, why did the ancients ask everyone to learn to be a man? In other words, being a person is not being an animal. The ancients often said that "being different from animals" means being consciously different from animals. Man evolved from animals, and evolution includes two aspects: one is physique, and the other is mind. The evolution of human physique has been largely completed; The evolution of the mind is relatively backward, so people still have more or less the smell of some wild animals, such as greed, selfishness, disorder, cruelty and so on. In fact, many people are still in the stage of "half man". To be a pure person and a real person, you need to cultivate yourself, cultivate your mind and cultivate your nature, and turn your heart into a beautiful heart.
Confucius said, "The benevolent loves others." Mencius further developed on the basis of Confucius, thinking that the fundamental difference between man and beast is that man is the spirit of all things; People have kindness such as benevolence, righteousness, propriety and wisdom, but animals don't; Therefore, people can be educated to grow into gentlemen, while animals have no such possibility. Of the four, benevolence is the most important and occupies a dominant position. Mencius also said: When a child falls into a well, you will feel pity when you hear his cry. This compassion is the beginning of benevolence, and everyone will have it; Therefore, Mencius said, "No compassion is inhuman." Therefore, Chinese education should learn from the wisdom and knowledge of the ancients, starting with stimulating people's moral consciousness and awakening people's conscience.
Children's growth is inseparable from the environment. To some extent, what kind of environment, there will be what kind of children. In order to cultivate an excellent child, we must try our best to create a good growth environment for the child, and the road of life depends on them. "Three Movements to Meng Mu" is a typical example of the ancients creating a good environment for children's growth. Mencius can become an outstanding representative of Confucianism and a great master, and is honored as an "Asian sage" by later generations. His greatness began with his mother's hard work.
When he was recorded as a prince in Da Dai Guozhi, in order to ensure the purity of his roots, three venerable old ministers, including Duke Zhou, were appointed as Taishi, Taifu and Taibao, responsible for the physical, moral and moral education and knowledge and skills education of the prince respectively. For the healthy growth of the prince, drive away the wicked around him and don't let him see the evil deeds; And choose virtuous, filial and learned people in the world to live with the prince; Make the monarch see right, smell right, follow the right path, look around, and be upright. You can't be honest if you get along with honest people for a long time! Just like people who grew up in Chu, they can't help but speak Chu dialect. Confucius said, "Less is nature, and habit is the norm." The primary school attended by the Prince is called "Sihui", and the content of learning is different: how to respect the relatives in the East, how to respect the old in the South, how to respect the sages in the West, and how to respect the teachers in the North, so as to establish a good moral foundation for the Prince. The ancients devoted themselves to the healthy growth of their children.