Reading notes

Zeng Guofan's letter to his family was unhurried, spontaneous and careless. Their seemingly dull family life contains profound insights, which are very convincing and infectious. From this, we can perceive his self-cultivation, child-rearing, managing the family, making friends, employing people, living in society, managing money, doing research, running the army, politics and other aspects, which are true and meticulous, ordinary and in-depth, and can be described as clear pronunciation and mellow voice and witty remarks. China has said "three immortals" since ancient times: making contributions (accomplishing great cause), becoming a model of the world spirit, and making statements (leaving a theory for future generations). Although Zeng Guofan came from humble origins, he was eager to "clarify the world" since he was a child. Perseverance after determination, the accumulation of money, openness and self-discipline to people, and daily self-study, introspection and self-discipline have achieved the highest pursuit of feudal literati for meritorious service, career and virtue. Known as "the first minister in the late Qing Dynasty" and "a famous Confucian in Neo-Confucianism", he is one of the most influential figures in China's modern history. Self-cultivation, keeping the family in order, governing the country and calming the world are the traditional moral ideals of China people. Confucius once said, "Three clans can win the handsome position, but ordinary people can't win the ambition." This famous aphorism, after thousands of years of polishing, is still glittering, inspiring many people with lofty ideals. People are ambitious. But "ambition" can't be just a symbol and mark for people. Once a lofty ideal is established, you must be responsible for it. A letter from Zeng Guofan made me look up to Zeng Guofan's spiritual world of pursuing "self-cultivation, keeping the family in order, governing the country and leveling the world", and realized that the rise of a family has its own code, which also touched the profound accumulation of China's traditional culture. He believes that reading should "seek the essence of the industry, and there is no other way, saying that it is self-sufficient." Pay attention to "ambition, knowledge and constancy"; Encourage the younger brother to "be determined and make bold moves before the age of 30." "Wealth and fame are floating in the world, but giant breasts are really useful." Emphasize determination and strictness, strive for strength, pay attention to self-study, improve internal cultivation and quality, and form the moral character of mountain scenery over time in order to be truly powerful; Educating family members to "be a man" is a thousand words of sages, probably nothing more than the word "respect and forgive". Taking "not greedy for money, not faithless and unnatural" as the foundation of life, I have realized "diligence, fortitude, openness, loyalty, generosity and modesty" with my heart. Diligence, humility, arrogance, tolerance, frugality, perseverance and self-improvement are often seen in his letters from home, and his words are incisive. People often say that children and grandchildren are useful, but it is useless to keep money; Children and grandchildren are useless, and it is useless to leave money. What makes people feel is that Zeng Guofan, as an important official of the imperial court, holds real power and cannot make ends meet. "He will also be in debt." "He will never make a fortune by being an official, and he will never leave his money to future generations." For ordinary people, it is incredible to repeatedly urge their families to be thrifty so as not to lose money. However, this is a real "cheap" word. As a feudal scholar-bureaucrat, Zeng Guofan did it, which is in sharp contrast with Zheng Xiaoyu, Wang Huaizhong and other socialist "moths" who used their power to make big money and enrich themselves. Although the book inevitably left the brand of that era and that class, how to judge historical figures from point to face and pursue perfection? Today, with the deepening of reform and opening up, the economy has made rapid progress, which has aroused people's ambition and impetuous spirit to some extent. The pursuit of short-term effects and superficial effects is widespread in various fields. Many people are immersed in "soaring to the sky and making a blockbuster" instead of working hard on basic work, and there are many people who make money to kill chickens. This letter from home is worth reading by everyone with lofty ideals, so that they can re-recognize themselves and re-shape themselves on the road of pursuing their ideals. Today's civil servants, in particular, should read Zeng Guofan's "Eight Lessons" carefully, keep in mind the truth that "the official residence does not seek wealth, and marching does not disturb the people", and examine their hearts every day whether they have achieved "not seeking gain, but seeking cultivation".