Suddenly I recalled what the former company boss said to me when he said goodbye: When you understand that "slow things down, things will go well", you will have almost mastered the practice. He said it casually, but I didn't pay attention to it. I nodded in agreement, being full of ambition and high spirits. Time flies, and when people understand it, they will no longer be confused!
Today’s era is changing rapidly, and the fast pace drives people to race against time and run forward without stopping. It seems that if you slack off for a moment, the instant fame or overnight wealth that belongs to you will change hands. But looking back at the journey, apart from being exhausted, stressed, and at a loss, it seemed that only a few taels of silver were left.
Isn’t it right that we strive for speed and efficiency?
Here Confucius warns us: blindly pursuing quick success and instant benefits will not achieve the goal.
Therefore, we need to dialectically examine fast and slow. Our predecessors have provided us with valuable and effective experience in how we speak and behave between fast and slow: slow things will make things smooth, slow people will make them peaceful, and slow words will make them expensive.
There is a theoretical basis for slowing things down and making things right. The book "Thinking, Fast and Slow" by Daniel Kahneman, winner of the Nobel Prize in Economics, conducts an in-depth study and exposition of the thinking patterns of human beings in two systems: fast and slow. Among them, fast thinking is unconscious thinking based on intuition, while slow thinking is conscious thinking under the active control of people. Since the fast thinking system runs quickly and does not consume much mental energy, the brain's natural inertia often chooses this mode that can easily lead to biases and errors, while ignoring slow thinking that can be actively controlled and consciously. This award-winning research theory makes us understand: when facing important things, it is best to transcend the easy, fast but error-prone fast thinking, calm down, and let us enter the controlled and conscious slow thinking, which often achieves satisfactory results.
This fable of pulling seedlings to encourage growth shows that you can’t eat hot tofu in a hurry. The operation of things has its own inherent objective laws, which are not subject to human will. Recognize the thinking mode of the brain, follow the objective development laws of things, make decisions before taking action, and you will be able to make correct judgments on things. Therefore, "Things that go slowly will be rounded off" is a reflection of cognition.
"If things are slow, things will be smooth" comes from Yu Wanchun's "Dang Kou Zhi" in the Qing Dynasty: "It seems that in this matter, things will be smooth if things are slow, and it will be difficult to achieve results if it is urgent." It means don't act too hastily when things happen, but slow down and think calmly in order to get a happy ending.
The article is excerpted from "History of Ming Dynasty·Biography of Zhao Yu". It tells the story that when Zhao Yu first arrived in Songjiang Mansion, he was worried about the litigation-loving custom there. Whenever he met a litigant, he always gave good advice: "Tomorrow will come", and everyone laughed at him, and there was also a song "Songjiang Prefect will come tomorrow". After waiting overnight, the anger of those who litigated gradually subsided, or they were dissuaded by others, and most of them stopped litigating. Zhao Yu not only made outstanding political achievements while in office, but was also known for his peace and peace. The story tells us that at the beginning of an incident, it is often difficult for people to understand the whole situation in a short period of time, and they do not have enough time to think about it. Only by controlling their emotions, figuring out the causes and consequences of things, and then dealing with the matter can the problem be easily solved. .
During the sixty-one years of Kangxi's reign, he was diligent in government affairs and developed rapidly. The Qing Dynasty became the country with the largest territory, the most populous population, and the most developed economy in the world at that time. In 1674 AD, Wu Sangui and Geng Jingzhong rebelled one after another, but Kangxi unexpectedly went to Nanyuan for a siege. It was his calmness that gave the ministers and generals confidence and successfully weathered the crisis. Therefore, when encountering major events, you should not be impatient and impatient. You should have an open-minded attitude of not being alarmed when things change and taking things easy. Calm down first and think twice before acting.
In 1356 AD, Ming Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang wiped out the Yuan Dynasty navy in Caishiji and then occupied Jiqing (now Nanjing). At this time, Zhang Shicheng, Chen Youliang, Fang Guozhen and others who occupied Zhejiang, Sichuan and Huguang successively claimed King, Zhu Yuanzhang knew that his strength was not strong enough. Surrounded by powerful enemies, he wisely made the decision of "building walls high, accumulating food widely, and becoming king slowly", and finally unified the world and achieved hegemony. Isn't this a good example of "when people slow down, peace comes"?
Nowadays, speed is the priority in everything. In order to "race against time", traffic accidents occur frequently, and the tragic scenes of families being destroyed and people killed are really chilling. If you want people to be safe, you need to be slow, so that people can be safe for a long time.
"The deeper the water, the slower the flow; the slower the speech, the more noble the person" comes from "Book of Rites" written by Dai Sheng of the Western Han Dynasty. The literal meaning is that the deeper the water, the slower it flows, and a well-educated person speaks more slowly. A steady person always speaks slowly and thoughtfully, which not only prevents disaster from coming out of his mouth, but also gives people the feeling of being calm and broad-minded in times of trouble.
The Langya Wang family, known as the "first look of China", began in the Spring and Autumn Period and has lasted for thousands of years. There are many talented people under his command, more than ninety people serve as prime ministers, and the famous calligrapher Wang Xizhi also has a famous disciple. The six-character family rule of the Langya Wang family, "Speak slowly and be kind", is still in use today. It should be the only magic weapon for creating a long-lasting prosperity for a famous family.
All in all, urgency leads to harm, while slowness will lead to success. Keep in mind and practice the golden words of "Slow things down, people will be safe, slow words will make you rich", and you will benefit endlessly.