Many times, whenever we mention Tao Yuanming, our first impression is "hermit". Let's start with his last experience as an official.
After many resignations, Tao Yuanming began his last official experience in Pengze. In fact, the final conclusion is also well known. Tao Yuanming wrote his resignation letter on the grounds that "five buckets of rice don't bow their heads" and retired. Tao Yuanming's image has also changed from a single politician to a three-dimensional figure. When sorting out the information about Tao Yuanming, I found that Tao Yuanming can't say that he has no political ability and consciousness, otherwise he can't hold positions including Jiangzhou drinking ceremony and Jianwei joining the army. You know, "offering wine" and "joining the army" are not jobs that ordinary people can do. But if you really want to say the reason for his resignation, you can see it from the sentence "Don't bend your back for five buckets of rice". He is unwilling to give up his dignity as a scholar for petty gain. It is precisely because of this dignity that I became an official many times and finally abandoned my official position, so that I retired to the countryside at the end of my life.
Whenever we discuss topics such as the resignation of literati, we always label them incompetent under the fixed thinking, but here in Tao Yuanming, have we abandoned the default concept in the past and thought about this issue with a new attitude? Based on a comprehensive analysis of various materials, my thoughts on Tao Yuanming's resignation as an official are: he has the lofty sentiments of saving the world, the feelings of caring for the country and the people, and he does not lack the ability to govern the country and level the world. However, when he really put on a black hat, he felt that his personality could not adapt to such a treacherous society. He retired from the countryside on the grounds that he didn't go along with them.
This is not so much Tao Yuanming's cowardice as his philosophy and wisdom.
Let's talk about Tao Yuanming's retirement first, which is also a point that Tao Yuanming was criticized. Some people think that it is selfish for Tao Yuanming to embarrass his wife and children for his so-called ideal. They think that Tao Yuanming should be wronged by himself, even for his wife and children. But should this really be our morality? Some time ago, there was a question on the Internet that received a very enthusiastic response. After a long discussion, there was no answer: "A train is out of control and can't brake. There are two tracks, one for one person and one for five people. The train is on the track and there are five people. If you were a driver, would you drive a car with only one person to the track? " I think this problem can also be applied to Tao Yuanming and his wife and children. What reason do we have to ask Tao Yuanming to dedicate himself to make his wife and children happy? Wang Shouren, a philosopher in Ming Dynasty, once said, "Heaven is human desire". He moves with his heart and sends it with his heart. What's wrong with Tao Yuanming choosing to retire and pursue his own desires? As the saying goes, "If you are poor, you will be immune, and if you are rich, you will help the world." Tao Yuanming chose the road of being independent, and his wife didn't choose a rich man who could help the world, which in itself can prove that they are like-minded.
The biggest reason why we think that Tao Yuanming is negative is that we look at Tao Yuanming from our own preset values. When we look at Tao Yuanming's idealism with materialism, we will naturally come to the conclusion that political views are endorsed. I have always believed that literature should be above politics. If you always look at Tao Yuanming with colored glasses with class color, the original plump Tao Yuanming will turn back into a flat two-dimensional passive hermit.
Next, let's look at him from another angle.
Thomas Jefferson, the drafter of the American Declaration of Independence and the third president of the United States of America, once said that everyone has the right to pursue happiness. Then, can we also say that Tao Yuanming's resignation and seclusion, from an unsuccessful politician to an idyllic poet, is the process of pursuing happiness? Is the pursuit of happiness really positive? Seeing this, some people will say that many young people in China are addicted to games, but they also get a lot of happiness from games, and they are pursuing happiness. Can we say they are positive? Actually, there is nothing wrong with their pursuit of happiness. In the pursuit of happiness, they are indeed positive, but the way they pursue happiness is negative. Let's re-examine the image of Tao Yuanming. He chose to pursue happiness by quitting his job, farming, reading and writing poems, and drinking for fun. Is this a negative behavior? Or are we trapped in the maze of traditional values, thinking that a "good man" must be "ambitious in all directions", a scholar must be "excellent in learning", and a man must give up his dignity and support his family wholeheartedly.
Only by jumping out of the shackles can we see a different world. Tao Yuanming proved this point with his own practice, but today, we still stay in feudal thought. Tao Yuanming is far away, and his soul is still floating on the land of China, which may not be understood, but in this world, someone always needs to break the cage and rush to the blue sky.