The nobility of man lies in the soul

Author: Zhou Guoping

The French thinker Pascal has a famous saying: "Man is a reed with thoughts." His It means that human life is as fragile as a reed, and anything in the universe can kill a person. However, even so, human beings are still much nobler than anything in the universe, because human beings have a soul that can think. Of course we cannot and should not deny the necessity of physical life, but the nobility of man lies in his spiritual life. As human beings, there is no distinction between high and low. Only people as souls, due to the huge differences in their inner worlds, can differentiate between nobility and mediocrity, and even nobility and despicability.

More than two thousand years ago, the Roman army invaded a Greek city. They found an old man squatting on the sand and studying a figure intently. He is Archimedes, the most famous physicist in ancient times. He soon died under the sword of a Roman soldier. When the sword struck him, he only said one sentence: "Don't step on my circle!" In his opinion, the figure he drew on the ground was More precious than his life. Earlier, Alexander the Great, who conquered Eurasia, visited another city in Greece and met the philosopher Diogenes lying on the ground basking in the sun, and asked him: "What can I do for you?" The answer he got was: "Don't block my sunshine!" In his opinion, Alexander the Great's illustrious military exploits seemed insignificant in the face of his contemplation in the sun. These two short stories that have been passed down through the ages show that the outstanding figures of ancient Greece cherished the soul life. They loved their thoughts more than everything else, including their own lives, and valued the soul life more than any external things, including prominent power. noble.

Cherishing inner spiritual wealth more than external material wealth is the common characteristic of all sages throughout the ages. The British writer Oscar Wilde traveled to the United States. When entering the United States, the customs official asked him if he had anything to declare. He replied: "Nothing but my talent." What made him proud was that he had nothing valuable, but He has an artistic talent that cannot be measured in money. It was this proud writer who told us in one of his works: "There is nothing more precious in the world than the human soul, and nothing can compare with it."

In fact, there is no need Given the examples of these famous people, we might as well pay a little attention to the phenomena around us. I often find that even an inconspicuous sign of soul life shines with a very moving brilliance against a banal background.

Once, I traveled by car. The train was speeding, and the carriage was noisy. Passengers were chatting, playing cards, and eating snacks. A girl was hiding in a corner of the carriage, reading a book with all her concentration. She was reading so attentively, writing something down in a small notebook she carried with her from time to time, as if she didn't hear the noisy people around her at all. Looking at her quiet silhouette, which seemed to be bathed in a radiance, I was filled with emotion and thought of my boyhood. At that time, I was just like her. No matter how chaotic the environment was, as long as I picked up a good book, I would forget everything. Now I am a writer myself and have published several books, but I envy this girl who is immersed in reading, and I remember endlessly the days of my youth that have gradually passed away and had the same pure pursuit.

Whenever an exhibition of world-famous paintings is held in Beijing, many unknown young painters save money and finance their own travel expenses. They come to the capital from all over the country and linger in front of famous paintings. When I stand in the exhibition hall and look at the young faces looking up to them with enthusiasm, my heart will be filled with emotion. I said to myself: The years of youth with pure pursuit are indeed the best years of life.

After several years, I still often can’t help but think of the girl on the train and the young people in the exhibition hall, wondering what happened to them now. According to my observation, most people are idealistic when they are young, and become more and more practical as they grow older.

Due to the pressure of the struggle for survival and the temptation of material interests, everyone focuses their attention and energy on the external world and no longer pays attention to their own inner world. The result is that the soul becomes increasingly shrunken and empty, leaving only a body busy in the world. There is nothing more tragic for a person than this. I secretly hope that they still maintain their pure pursuit and do not embark on this sad path.

lt;lt;Remember the way homegt;gt;

Zhou Guoping

Living in today's world, peace of mind is hard to come by. The world is full of opportunities and pressures. Opportunities tempt people to try, and pressure forces people to struggle, which makes people unable to calm down... You may as well travel in the world, make achievements, explore adventures, and find love, but you must not forget On the way home. This home is your self, your own spiritual world.

To seek peace of mind, you must first have a mind. In theory, everyone has a mind, but in fact this is not always the case. There are some people who are always influenced by external forces and live forever in the noisy external world without having a true inner life. For such people, peace of mind is out of the question. Only when a person pays attention to the soul will he feel uneasy because his soul is disturbed, and will he have the need to seek peace of mind. Therefore, having the talent to live an inner life, or developing such a habit, is the most important thing. Anyone with this talent or habit knows that inner life and outer life are not mutually exclusive. It is entirely possible for the same person to be rich in both aspects. The difference is that people who pay attention to inner life are good at turning the gains of outer life into spiritual wealth, while people who lack this kind of talent or habit tend to get lost in outer life, and the whole person is scattered. The self is a central point. When a person has a solid central point, he has spiritual coordinates and can find his way home no matter how far he goes. To change the analogy, we might as well say that a person with a solid self seems to have a close spiritual friend. He takes this close friend with him wherever he goes. This close friend will faithfully share all his experiences and listen to everything he has to say. Words from the heart.

If a person has his own spiritual pursuits, has made his way in the world, and has considerable life experience, then he will gradually realize his position in this world. The world is infinitely vast and the temptations are endless. However, the reality that belongs to everyone may be limited after all. You might as well keep an open mind to all possibilities, because that is the source of the charm of life. But at the same time, you must drop your anchor on the sea of ????the world early and find the field that best suits you. No matter whether a person is great or ordinary, as long as he follows his own nature, finds what he really likes to do, and does it perfectly with all his heart, he will have an unbreakable home in this world. As a result, he will not only have enough courage to withstand external pressure, but also be clear enough to face the temptation of all kinds of opportunities. We certainly have no reason to doubt that such people will be able to achieve a fulfilling life and peace of mind.