"A gentleman is cautious and independent" means that a gentleman should be cautious and strict with himself when he is alone and nobody is paying attention, and don't do anything against morality. Emperor Kangxi summarized "cautious independence" as "not bullying in the dark room", while Lin Zexu hung a book with the word "cautious independence" in his place to warn himself.
The Book of Rites, The Doctrine of the Mean, once mentioned that "a gentleman is wary of what he has not seen and afraid of what he has heard. Don't see it hidden, don't show it, so the gentleman is cautious. "
The ancients said: "The world is sublime, and the three armies are brave; I only have the ability to surrender. " A person can conquer many external things, but it is much more difficult to overcome inner fears and impulses. As Wang Yangming said, "it is easy to break a mountain thief, but difficult to break a heart thief."
Caution and independence have been the habits of China people for thousands of years.
But there are many such phenomena in real life: when you are with everyone, you pay attention to hygiene, and when you are alone, you litter and spit everywhere; Obey traffic rules when there is traffic police supervision, and run a red light when crossing the road; In the familiar crowd, you can self-control, in the unfamiliar environment, you will be chaotic; Parents study hard when they are around, and pick up their mobile phones as soon as they leave ... This shows that it is easy for a person to cross the moral bottom line and do something out of line when he is alone.
More than two thousand years ago, Confucius put forward that "a gentleman should be cautious about independence". Only in the absence of supervision can one be strict with oneself and not do anything against morality, and can one approach the ideological realm of self-improvement.
In the Qing Dynasty, Ye Cunren, the governor of Henan Province, once left his post. His subordinates gave him gifts and tried their best to avoid people's eyes. At night, they sent him a batch of finances by boat, without missing a word.
Ye Cunren didn't want to hide it after learning it, but he didn't want to refuse it directly, so he wrote a little poem and declined it. The poem says: "The moon is bright and the wind is clear, and it is late to send the boat." I think I am grateful to you, and I am not afraid to know my friends. "
Prudence and independence are the personality of a gentleman.
Confucius once said, "Say what you say first, and then do it." The key to becoming a gentleman is the unity of knowledge and action.
A gentleman should always be strict with himself, be single-minded, be one of knowing and doing, and be the same as others.
The first sentence written by Zeng Guofan in his suicide note is: "If you are cautious, you will feel at ease. Self-study is not difficult to cultivate the mind; The way to raise your heart is to be cautious. " When people are cautious and independent, they mainly face themselves, so being cautious and independent means going shirtless and meeting their hearts. The winner is undoubtedly the winner of moral cultivation.
In the galaxy of history, cautious and independent people are shining stars. Their noble quality and noble personality shine on the world all the time, illuminating the pure land of this ancient civilization, guiding future generations to realize the unity of knowing and doing, become gentlemen, and forge ahead in the years. In today's society, if we can get rid of the noise of the world and keep a quiet heart, we will be steady and far-reaching on the road of life.
Be cautious and independent, and let the soul become the master of the body.