Russians can admit their laziness in front of foreigners. This sober understanding of themselves and the courage to avoid shortcomings have made the rapid development of Russia today. Therefore, knowing yourself is very important for individuals, collectives and even all mankind.

For an individual, the phrase "A gentleman has knowledge, keeps himself alive every day, so he knows clearly and doesn't make mistakes" in "Persuading to Learn" fully embodies the importance of self-knowledge. Maybe we are not "gentlemen" and "learned people", but it is also possible to "learn from Japan to save ourselves". The reason why Mao Sui in ancient times was able to achieve eternal stories was that he could clearly realize his own level and was full of confidence in himself. However, it is easy to know your own strengths, and it takes enough courage to know your own weaknesses and not hide them. Many people just lack this kind of courage, tired of being secretive every day, and finally wasted their good years. For the country, if you can't know yourself, the consequences are incalculable. All kinds of unrealistic behaviors and beliefs, such as "exaggeration", "steel refining" and "catching up with Britain and America in ×××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××××× Only by recognizing the distance from others can we set more realistic goals, neither aiming too high nor underestimating ourselves, and put ourselves in a correct position. I think, if so, "catching up with Britain and America" is no longer a big talk.

However, for all mankind, knowing oneself is no longer for development, but for survival and reproduction on this devastated earth. The outbreak of SARS and the rampant avian influenza have sounded the alarm for nature. People can no longer be immersed in the fantasy of "being the only one", but should clearly understand their position in nature. Nature created human beings, and no matter how clever human beings are, they can't compare with the wisdom of nature. Nature can create human beings and has the ability to destroy them. If you are still stubborn, then human beings can only go further and further on the road of no return. The ending can be imagined.

Fully understand their own individuals to form a rational nation, and a rational nation creates a pragmatic country; Many countries form a world, a perfect world that can develop harmoniously with nature.

Know yourself.

The closer you are to yourself, the easier it is to see things that are not true. Self, a seemingly familiar term, often leaves us at a loss because of its near-zero distance existence. As the saying goes, the authorities are fascinated and the bystanders are clear. It seems that our understanding of ourselves often comes from the mapping and reference of others. However, this kind of reference should not be blind, let alone a kind of dependence. Because, taking others as a mirror, an idiot may also see himself as a genius. Here, a clear head is particularly important.

What am I for? What am I missing? What do I want? These questions just tell us what a sober mind should do. The reason why we sometimes lose ourselves is only because of our inflated desires, because of money and power. Desire will always give us some illusions, so that you, who were sober, unconsciously fell into the trap set by yourself. Therefore, dare to face, dare to give up, and dare to retreat will help us avoid the troubles that follow. And these are exactly what you want to achieve by knowing yourself.

Everything on the earth actually has the instinct to know yourself. Survival of the fittest, survival of the fittest is often manifested in the ability to adapt to the environment. Therefore, fish will not jump out of the calm water because of the excitement and prosperity of the land, camels will not move to the rainforest because of the desolation and loneliness of the desert, and cheetahs will not break into the dense jungle because of the drought and lack of food in the grassland. From this perspective, knowing ourselves requires us to know how to achieve harmony and unity with the surrounding environment.

However, adapting to the environment does not mean being excessively bound by the environment. Knowing ourselves will help us get rid of the bondage and broaden our life path. It will help us find our own position and correctly evaluate our personal value. For example, a hundred-dollar bill, after you trample it, may I ask: do you still think it has a hundred-dollar value? The answer is yes, although it has become dirty and broken. Therefore, no matter how the environment changes, knowing yourself is a kind of resilience and a kind of persistence brought by self-confidence. Then, Lu Xun abandoned medicine and went to literature, Marx changed from a poet to a social science student, and Shakespeare changed from a wool comb to a literary master.

Therefore, if you want to create a better life, you must start by knowing yourself.

Because fresh water comes from springs.

"Ask where the canal is so clear, because there is flowing water from the source". Only by constantly knowing yourself and not being confused by appearances can one always keep a clear head and let his living water come from the heart.

There is an example in ancient times. Zou Ji's analysis of why wives, concubines and guests "beauty me" can really be regarded as a model of profound self-understanding. Even with so many praises, Zou Ji knew that he didn't have Hong-mei Xu, and he gave advice to the king of Qi by analogy. What great wisdom! But loyal ministers do not necessarily represent good kings. Qu Yuan also threw himself into the river because of Chu Huaiwang's stupidity. He didn't listen to plain words, was bewitched by some flattering words all day, and finally lost half of his country! "The ancient people can't be bullied", "People's greatest enemy is themselves". Knowing and conquering themselves is the road to prosperity. After correctly analyzing the advantages of both the enemy and ourselves, didn't Mao Zedong make a great choice to move to the countryside? Didn't Chen Duxiu blindly turn left and lead to the failure of the Great Revolution? History tells us that people who have a mirror in their hearts will always correct their mistakes and shortcomings. And those arrogant and self-righteous people are afraid to throw that mirror into the sea, deep under the sea!

Smart people know what they are good at; A learned man knows what he lacks; Talented people know what they should do. Buffett, an investment wizard, has never set foot in the IT industry. In this regard, his good friend Bill Gates commented: "This guy never denies his ignorance in this field. Because of this, he can steadily adhere to his own investment path. " Don't deny, ignore or even cover up your shortcomings. Only by facing him squarely and trying to change the status quo can we be smart and brave. Pavlov once said, "Never think that you know everything at any time." The more knowledgeable people tend to pay more attention to introspection. In the flowers and applause, they were not intoxicated. They are not confused by fragrant flowers and mellow champagne, but use "failure is greater than ignorance" to constantly alert themselves, spur themselves and pursue higher realms. No one can reach the peak of life without self-knowledge. Even a genius should enrich himself on the basis of knowing himself. Chopin knew this well. He believes that "to develop genius, you must study for a long time and work with great tension." A person who lacks self-knowledge will only shrink back and give up the opportunity to struggle in the right direction. But people who can be called great men have a mirror in their hearts, which often shines brightly.

Let's calm down when we are proud and regain our confidence when we are depressed. We should also pay attention to dangerous beaches in prosperity, sail straight in adversity, smile at praise and denounce slander. In this way, we can sail and cross the deep sea, even if it is full of storms and rocks!

Let the living water in your heart flow forever!

Know yourself.

"Who am I?"

This seemingly simple but amusing question has been a subject that has puzzled mankind for thousands of years. Ever since I had my own thoughts, it has been accompanied by human beings step by step from the era of slash-and-burn ignorance to civilization.

Yes, it's really hard to answer. You can say "My name is X" in the mirror, but that's not knowing yourself. You can also describe yourself in a bunch of words and sum up your advantages and disadvantages, but it doesn't seem to involve understanding your core, that is, what kind of existence is man?

There is an inscription on the temple of Delphi in ancient Greece: "Man, know yourself!" -although in the tone of God, this is a warning to human beings. Socrates liked it very much. He also said that he only knew nothing, but he didn't say how this sentence influenced him in a greater sense, that is, how to make him think about the essence of life. He didn't say it, and neither did they after Plato. In fact, this pioneering motto shines on the whole civilization of ancient Greece and Rome. In the territory of the gods, human beings woke up for the first time, examined themselves for the first time, understood themselves, and the seeds of civilization sprouted.

It was a long time later. In the dark ages, people who did not want to be bound by theocracy saw the light from the ancient Aegean Sea again. Knowing yourself and discovering yourself has once again evolved into a mighty trend, giving birth to new art, science and philosophy. Humans began to learn to sing hymns for themselves, and no longer fell at God's feet. At this time, the temple of Apollo was in ruins, and Zeng's Oracle was buried under the ruins, leaving only one sentence, "Know yourself", which was widely praised and echoed in distant history.

So do other cultures. Knowing oneself is the eternal theme of mankind. However, knowing yourself is not just "knowing".

It is said that the inscription on the temple is to let people see their own smallness, which is the feeling that the ancients could not express when facing the power of nature. Originally, it was just to make people submit to God, but in fact it had the opposite effect. In fact, this is not surprising. Only by knowing your own smallness can you redouble your efforts to become strong: not only know yourself, but also explore nature; It is not only demand, but also reform. In this way, the human world will be so beautiful, even better than natural works-of course, this is also based on respect for nature, otherwise we will not really know ourselves. From this perspective, knowing yourself is only a process, a means, not the ultimate goal.

Human beings always know themselves constantly, so human society is constantly developing, and then new positioning and analysis are needed. It is precisely because of this that human beings have never been able to give a perfect and fixed answer to the question "Who am I?". . But at any time, you can say to nature: "I am human, but I have my wisdom, but I don't have your strength;" I am one of the sentient beings, but I am also the sum of all mankind; Unlike you, I can be eternal, but I can also bear thousands of years of history in my way and pass it on. "

This article is transferred from [Chinese Teaching Network of Senior High School of Jiangsu Education Edition]:/gaokao/gkzw/200805/86313.html.