This is a lecture text. This famous article was a speech delivered by Comrade Mao Zedong at the memorial service of Comrade Zhang Side held by the Central Guard Corps.
The full text revolves around the center of serving the people and is divided into five levels.
The first level talks about the fundamental purpose of our party and the army it leads. This fundamental purpose is to serve the people wholeheartedly. The army led by our party was originally called the Workers' and Peasants' Red Army. After the beginning of the Anti-Japanese War, it was reorganized into the Eighth Route Army and the New Fourth Army. During the War of Liberation, it was collectively called the Chinese People's Liberation Army. "Our team is entirely for the liberation of the people and works completely for the interests of the people." "Completely" means 100%, that is to say, it has no other purpose than serving the people. "Thorough" means to carry it out to the end, that is to say, no matter what work is done at any time, it should be for the benefit of the people, not for the benefit of individuals or small groups. It is not easy to persist in serving the people and to be "complete" and "thorough". But only by doing this can we be called a true revolutionary, and a person's life will have meaning.
The second level talks about two different meanings of death. Here is a quote from Sima Qian. Sima Qian was a famous historian, writer and thinker in the Western Han Dynasty. His "Historical Records" is an excellent historical and literary work. He said in "A Letter to Ren Shaoqing": "Everyone is destined to die. It may be heavier than Mount Tai or lighter than a feather." This is an ancient Chinese saying, and the usage of words is different from today's. The meaning of this sentence is: people are bound to die, some people's death is heavier than Mount Tai, and some people's death is lighter than a feather. Let’s expand on this sentence: To die for the interests of the people is weightier than Mount Tai; to work for the fascists and die for those who exploit and oppress the people is lighter than a feather. The Kuomintang diehards passively resisted Japan, actively fought against Japan, and practiced terror and dictatorship. They were working for the fascists. In this way, through sharp contrast, the two different meanings of death are fully displayed. Then contacted Comrade Zhang Side. Although he only lived to be 28 years old, his short life was a life of completely and thoroughly serving the people. His death was heavier than Mount Tai. Here Comrade Mao Zedong talked about revolutionaries' views on life and death, revealing the revolutionary view of life and death.
The third level talks about adhering to what is good and correcting what is wrong for the benefit of the people. "It doesn't matter who you are, anyone can point it out to us. As long as you are right, we will correct it. What you say is good for the people, and we will do it." The important thing here is "No matter who it is, we will correct it." "That is to say, whether it is your comrades, your close friends, the people you get along with a little bit, or the people who have opposed you, you must listen to everyone's criticism. "As long as..." is a conditional complex sentence. The conditions are "it's right" and "it's good for the people". All criticisms and opinions that meet this condition will be corrected and acted upon no matter who makes them. This shows that there is only one criterion for measuring right and wrong, which is whether it is in the interests of the people. During the Anti-Japanese War, due to the attacks and blockades by the Japanese invaders and the Kuomintang die-hards, the Anti-Japanese base areas faced extreme shortages of supplies. In order to reduce the burden on the people, our party adopted Mr. Li Dingming's suggestions to shrink the organization and streamline the personnel. As a result, the troops and institutions became more solid and powerful. Comrade Mao Zedong gave this example to illustrate the need to adopt all suggestions and criticisms that are in the interests of the people.
The fourth level talks about uniting for the benefit of the people, improving courage, not being afraid of sacrifice, and loving each other. Members of the revolutionary team come from all over the country, all for the same revolutionary goal, which is to serve the people. Since the goal is the same, there is no reason not to unite. The more people who unite, the better. To put it figuratively, we want to engage in "all over the world" and not "gang gangs". The people, and only the people, are the driving force behind creating world history. As long as we firmly believe in the people and rely closely on the people, we can overcome any serious difficulties and defeat any vicious enemies. "When our comrades are in difficulties, we must see the results, see the light, and improve our courage." Where does this courage come from? The most fundamental thing comes from believing in the people, relying on the people, and serving the people wholeheartedly. This means that we must not be afraid of sacrifice for the benefit of the people. Such sacrifices are meaningful and valuable. When Comrade Mao Zedong talked about this issue, he talked about two aspects: on the one hand, we must not be afraid of sacrifice, and when the people's interests require it, we must bravely stand up, sacrifice our lives without hesitation, and regard death as home; on the other hand, we must not be afraid of sacrifice. , we must try to reduce unnecessary sacrifices as much as possible, and do not cause avoidable deaths due to recklessness and recklessness. These two aspects are unified with each other. In order to achieve this, Comrade Mao Zedong proposed: "All members of the revolutionary ranks must care for each other, love each other, and help each other." These three "mutualities" fully reflect the comradeship that should be within the revolutionary ranks.
The fifth level talks about the purpose of the memorial service. Therefore, a memorial service is held because the deceased served the people and deserves to be remembered. Using such an approach can "express our grief and unite the entire people."