2200 years ago, Chen Guang shouted this popular slogan in osawa Township. Although the rule of the Qin Dynasty was not completely overthrown, their spirit inspired millions of working people to rise up against the brutal rule of the ruling monarch, creating favorable conditions for Xiang Yu and Liu Bang to destroy the Qin Dynasty. In this way, the Daqin Dynasty, which unified the whole country for 15 years, shook its foundation in a peasant uprising, and Liu Bang, who was born in a peasant family, finally settled down in the world.
The Fall of the Giants is also based on the World War I 100 years ago, with the rise and fall of five major families as the main line, showing readers the ups and downs of aristocrats and civilians on the European continent at the beginning of the 20th century during 13 years. Under the rolling wheel of history, it will either prosper or wither.
1 the story of a hundred years ago
(1) Conservative parents
The father in the book can be roughly divided into two camps: the old conservative aristocrats represented by German diplomat Otto von ulrich, including the Earl of Fitzherbert (8th generation), and American Senator Cameron Duval. On the other hand, people represented by Welsh trade union leader david walliams include many anonymous groups, such as the parents of Russian Gregory Beskow.
"Father (Otto) is rigid and cold, and never compromises easily. Moreover, he is small in measurement, outdated in thinking, unreasonable, persistent in refusing to get rid of these problems, stubborn, but still complacent. "
It can be said that it was the ideological defects of these aristocratic fathers that eventually contributed to the "World War I" that lasted for four years and suffered heavy casualties. Let's take a look at the diplomat father of German agent Walter.
He stubbornly said: "We have spent so much money and material resources and sacrificed the lives of so many outstanding German young people. We must pay back."
His vision is limited: "They (Americans) can't even win Mexico."
He is old-fashioned: "You must break off the relationship."
At the same time, the author reveals the kindness of parents to their children unabashedly between the lines.
"I think if you are going to get married and have a son, you can transfer anywhere you want."
"(Otto) told them (Walter and Modi's baby) a folklore story about how a queen killed her brother. The children gradually fell asleep, obviously not intimidated by the cruel story told by grandpa. "
Seeing this, I can't help laughing. In the face of politics and war, the iron man will be in awe, and in front of the younger generation, he will care for his youngest son like Dapeng. They need family prosperity, and they need their children to be safe. However, due to the limitations of the times, they can't see the future, and staying in the old-fashioned thinking is doomed to be abandoned by history.
(2) the reshuffle of the next generation
Whether the Russian orphan Gregory grew from a coolie to a revolutionary leader, or the earl candidate Walter became a middle class, leaving his magnificent residence, surrounded by no servants, and starting a trivial fire to cook. History has not developed step by step as planned by the aristocratic fathers, but has evolved in the choppy river of the times.
Speaking of which, I believe many people will think of Fitzherbert and Ethel. I can't agree that they are a pair of lovers destined to be inseparable. If Ethel in Ty-Gwen loves Fitz, then at Westminster Palace in London, when she was taken out of the gallery of the House of Commons, she had completely given up on Fitz.
Fitz's expression is very terrible. He stood helplessly aside, took his son back to the wall and watched Ethel and Lloyd go straight up the stairs.
Suffice it to say that aristocratic members of the House of Lords made way for their former servants and lovers. With the end of the war, the advantages and privileges of the nobles disappeared. As a feminist spokesperson in the new era, Ethel refused to give way to the powerful people who once despised and hurt themselves. This step is not only a change in the relationship between the two, but also represents the rise of a new social class.
Today's story
Growing up in peacetime, it is hard to imagine the cruelty and upheaval of the world 100 years ago. More historical materials, books, film and television dramas, etc. Can convey sensory stimuli. In today's modern society of 2 1 century, with great global coordination and development, I'm afraid there won't be another world-class war on such a scale. It seems that the world suddenly leveled off and the social hierarchy blurred. You can communicate with anyone online at any time if you want. Is all this true? Obviously not.
I think of an article that went viral a while ago, "Society is about to be stratified. What floor will you be on? ”？ The author believes that the cruel "Matthew effect" will lead the society to a polarized world where the stronger the strong and the weaker the weak, and the road from the lower level to the upper level will become narrower and narrower. In other words, it will be more and more difficult for the lower class to reach the upper class by hard work. The argument supporting this view is nothing more than that the poor people generally adhere to the "useless theory of reading" and cannot receive a good education, which leads to more and more backwardness. Besides, I want to say, don't underestimate your so-called poverty!
(1) What is rich and poor?
Recently, the baby at home has reached the age of kindergarten. Choosing a kindergarten is a headache for many families (especially those with relatively good conditions). Public or private? Is it common at the entrance of the community or a noble in the distance? Someone once gave me this analysis: "The tuition fee for a kindergarten at home is 1000 yuan for one month and 1000 yuan for one year. A little farther away, the aristocratic kindergarten has a tuition fee of 300 thousand a year and a school bus. Can the two children who come out like this be on the same starting line? " This seems reasonable at first glance, but in fact she ignores an extremely important factor-the human factor. As far as I know, many parents will choose the consumption level for their children according to their own conditions. If they can meet the high price, they will never use the cheap one. This is the so-called "all for the children". For the growth of a child, it is very important to cultivate his quality and quality (discussed in detail later). And this is impossible to measure by "giving money". Therefore, the rich and the poor are not the only criteria for dividing social classes.
(2) Where is the ascending passage?
Let's go back to the giant. Two "heroes" who apparently rose from the bottom are Gregory of Russia and Ethel Williams of Wales. One of them took advantage of the Russian proletarian revolution, and the other led the rise of the British feminist movement. Have you noticed their "ascending passage"? That's right! Since ancient times, the promotion of individual class is bound to be accompanied by the rise of new things, which is achievable.
Let's review today. Compared with a hundred years ago, the development of all disciplines in society can be said to have evolved at an unparalleled speed, and each discipline is constantly undergoing its own fine differentiation. It can be said that both the speed of development and the breadth of disciplines in today's society have reached the highest level in history. In other words, something new will appear almost every day, and an "ascending channel" will be opened. But where is the key to seize the opportunity? By the way, it is still a human factor. Can expensive education guarantee high-quality talents? Obviously not.
(3) What is high quality?
Ethel is of high quality. Judging from the plot described in the book, at first, she was influenced by the union leader's father and learned how to deal with all kinds of complicated events. At the age of eighteen, you can arrange the huge Ty-Gwen in order. What I admire even more is that when she found out that she was pregnant with an illegitimate child and was mercilessly arranged by the count to talk to a lawyer, her calmness, wit and composure far exceeded the average psychological level of girls under 20. After leaving Abercrombie, the various social experiences faced by unmarried mothers further honed their ability to seize the "wave of historical progress". As an orphan who lost his father at the age of 65,438+065,438+0 and his mother at the age of 65,438+06, Gregory's experience came from the hardships and tempering of life and had nothing to do with aristocratic education.
Having said that, we can basically see that "the society is about to be stratified, where will you be?" ",the author mentioned that" the children of the poor are still poor, the children of the rich are still rich, and the class is passed down from generation to generation. " Even if you are a rich boy, having high quality is the truth of keeping class!
(4) How to fight back?
Having said that, you may ask, how can we successfully counterattack the "upper level"? In fact, summing up the previous discussion will naturally get the answer.
√ ? Pay attention to improving their own quality and prepare for opportunities.
√ ? Be good at taking the train of the times and find the fleeting exit.
This is why online education and online classes will have various courses on time management, knowledge management, innovative talents, future development trends and so on. In fact, many people have realized this way of counterattack, but they have not realized its necessity and uniqueness.
It is true that there is an insurmountable gap between children born in poor families and children born in rich families since childhood. However, how to judge whether this difference is good or bad? Can receive higher education? Or live more grounded? Opinions vary. Therefore, as long as we can know ourselves objectively and dig deep into our inherent advantages and potentials, no matter rich or poor, becoming an elite will never be just a dream.
Finally, I want to end by quoting a scene that touched me in the book.
They looked quiet and couldn't hear any cheers. Gus saw men and boys take off their hats one by one, which made him almost cry. They waited in the middle of the night just to witness the train carrying the hope of the whole world passing by.
Thanks for being born in peacetime, I have more hopes and opportunities. And those who believe that birth determines fate will never be heroes of the times.
-End-
Wen | Waiting for the flowers to bloom
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