Zhou Guidian: Confucianism has too many modern values and far-reaching significance for education. We can't talk about them here I want to talk about many problems among college students at present. One is that the purpose of learning is not clear enough; Then individualism is more serious, mainly manifested in frequent suicides; Also lack of fighting spirit. In Confucianism, "learning for oneself", "cherishing life" and "striving hard" are very valuable for solving these three problems.
Education Weekly: What is "learning for yourself"?
Zhou Guizhen: The Analects? "for learning" contains: "Confucius said:' the ancient scholars are for themselves, and today's scholars are human beings'." In other words, learning is for yourself, not for others. Confucius is one of the greatest educators in the world. Many countries and regions regard his birthday as Teacher's Day. His feelings and understanding of education and teaching are above many modern educational research experts. He thinks that people in ancient times read books to improve their own quality, but now some people read books to show others.
Learn for yourself, not for your short-term self, but for your long-term self. We must constantly improve our quality and self-cultivation in order to live a better life and serve our country. How can we build a country if we can't even educate ourselves well?
There is such an article in the third volume of Confucius' Family Language: Lu Aigong asked Confucius, "I heard that I forgot, and I forgot my wife. What's the matter? " Confucius said, "This is not enough. What's more, I forgot my body. " Gong said, "Can you smell it?" Confucius said, "Xia Jie, the former emperor, was rich in the world, but he forgot the way of sages, abandoned law and discipline, abandoned worship, abandoned prostitution and pleasure, indulged in wine and pleasure, courtiers obsequiously peeped at his heart, loyal ministers fled in the opposite direction, and the world was evil. This is called forgetting me. " In the same way, Yin and the kings who perished in the past dynasties have forgotten their greatest forgetfulness. By extension, many high-ranking officials and rich people in the past dynasties abused their powers, embezzled and accepted bribes, oppressed the people, harmed the country and the people, and were all killed in the end, forgetting themselves.
If you forget yourself just to show others, it is also dangerous to learn. Those corrupt criminals in high positions preach the truth to others on the rostrum and on TV, and teach the masses to change their world outlook. In the end, they fell into the French Open and regretted it. They often say that their biggest lesson is that they "haven't changed their world view". After talking so much about transforming the world outlook, but forgetting to transform your own world outlook, isn't this also "forgetting yourself"? Therefore, don't forget yourself when you study, but study for yourself.
Education Weekly: Recently, college students' suicides have been staged continuously. How to treat this phenomenon of Confucianism? Do you think the education of "cherishing life" can avoid the recurrence of tragedy?
Zhou Guidian: According to some modern people, these suicides are all mental illnesses. If this is the case, it is possible to cure this psychological disease by receiving Confucian filial piety education earlier. The very important content of a dutiful son is to cherish life.
Influential thinkers and religions in history cherish life. Because we cherish life, everyone opposes suicide, and thinks suicide is unreasonable for various reasons.
Confucianism cherishes life from different angles. First, there is the virtue of good life. "Zhouyi? "Biography of Cohesion" has the saying that "life is easy", "Zhouyi? There is a saying that "the size of heaven and earth is the birth of life". The Book of Filial Piety also says that "the nature of heaven and earth is precious", and man is the most precious of all things born in heaven and earth. The second is from filial piety, "filial piety? Confucius said in "Early Ming Dynasty": "Parents dare not damage the body and skin, and filial piety begins. "Cherish your body, is the beginning of filial piety. Mencius said: "Being brave and ruthless, endangering parents" is one of the five manifestations of unfilial. Aggressive, or hurting one's own body, or hurting others, will bring sadness and trouble to parents, which are all manifestations of unfilial. Dismemberment is not enough, let alone suicide. What kind of sadness a child's suicide will bring to his parents and what kind of consequences it will have are all issues that should be considered. Despair, self-abandonment, thinking that life is your own. I have the right to handle it myself. This is irresponsible and unfilial. For example, a female graduate student committed suicide because of trivial matters in life, jumped off the fourth floor, suffered a fracture and was hospitalized. My parents came from afar and served me for several months. After she was discharged from hospital, before her mother left, she jumped off the fifth floor when she returned to school, ending her life. Mother was very sad. Whatever the reason, a girl's suicide is a manifestation of unfilial behavior.
I think Confucian filial piety education can make students fully realize that life is not only their own, but also closely related to the happiness of others. This can reduce suicide awareness from the side, thus preventing some people from committing suicide.
Education Weekly: Do you think many students lack the spirit of hard work now? How can we use Confucianism to carry out hard struggle education?
Zhou Guizhen: Mencius once said: "Therefore, if the sky is going to drop on people, we must first suffer their hearts, work their bones and muscles, starve their bodies, empty their bodies, and do things in disorder. Therefore, patience has benefited them a lot. " So "born in sorrow, died in happiness". If you want to succeed, you must bear hardships.
Zhang Zai also said: "Poor, being a talented woman is also successful." Adversity is used to help you succeed. Without adversity, suffering and worry, how can we succeed? Masters are also honed in hardships, and they are not cultivated in a very reasonable mode. If there is really a mode of cultivating masters, then masters can be mass-produced. From the masters of ancient and modern times, China and foreign countries, we can't see a model that can train masters. When I encounter difficulties, I think it is a rare opportunity to create conditions for my development. I should be happy to meet it, grasp it and overcome it.
Every era has its own hardships. Eating belts during the Long March was still a problem in the 1950s and 1960s, and many people didn't have enough to eat. Nowadays, young people are under great pressure from competition. Examination, scholarship, employment, grades, job title evaluation, application items, competition for funds, study abroad, etc. Are in constant competition. Moreover, the pressure of life is also great, such as providing for the elderly, getting married and having children, buying a house and a car, and a series of headaches. As long as you don't give in to difficulties and stick to it, you can get out of the predicament.
First of all, we must believe that as long as we work hard and live up to our youth, we will be worthy of the sky, the land, our parents and teachers, ourselves and our friends. Neither slack nor impetuous, and make steady progress towards your goals. Having the present is the greatest happiness; Cherish what you have, and you will be full of happiness; It is the greatest luck to have the opportunity to show your talents. Think like this, what is difficult? As for your own gains and losses, don't care too much. Many unfortunate people in history are the greatest luckiest. Dong Zhongshu, frustrated, wrote that "a scholar never meets Fu", and later wrote a book to make a name for himself. Wait a minute. Therefore, as long as you work hard, you will have your own practical contribution, and it is of little significance to fight for temporary fame and fortune, especially in name only, which wastes time and energy.
No pains, no gains. This is a simple truth. However, some people watch others get a lot and want to get it, but they don't want to make up their minds to work hard and get quick success. In the end, I can only get nothing and waste my youth and time.