Cultivate one's (moral) character
Zeng Guofan repeatedly mentioned diligence, humility, perseverance, tenacity and introspection in his letters home. Pay attention to studying in Germany and get rid of arrogance, arrogance and grumbling. During the Xianfeng period, Fu Yuan, the ninth brother, said in his letter that "the meeting would be dull if the interest was not here" and warned in his reply that "this is a major event". Mortals must concentrate on one thing and persevere from beginning to end. Don't change your mind, think like this, sit on this mountain and look at that mountain. " It was after reading this passage that Mao Zedong, a young man, strengthened his principle of concentrating on his studies. On the other hand, the impetuous spirit prevails in today's academic circles, and academic fraud occurs from time to time, which directly affects academic innovation because teachers and students can't concentrate on their studies. The corruption of the style of study will inevitably lead to the corruption of the world style, and then affect the style of study, which should be the concern of the whole society. Only by rectifying the style of study can we carry forward the world style.
"Harmony is auspicious, good is hostile", and the way of a gentleman is nothing more than being kind to others. "The children of rich families are more arrogant, and your children are more arrogant." In his letter, Zeng Guofan repeatedly warned his brothers not to be arrogant, lazy and critical.
Be self-reliant and don't compete with others. In his letter to his ninth brother, Zeng Guofan quoted allusions, recounted the tragic endings of some powerful people from ancient times to the present, and warned his brothers to strengthen their self-cultivation instead of competing with others for favor. "From ancient times to the present, like Li Si, Cao Cao, Dong Zhuo and Yang, their intelligence and wisdom have been completely lost, and their failures have been extraordinary ... Therefore, we can strive for strength through self-study, not through winning." This reminds me of a sentence in a poem by the English poet Rand translated by Jiang Yang, "I don't argue with anyone, and I don't care who I argue with." Not competing with others is not striving for progress, but an open-minded, forbearing and self-protection "Not expressing opinions" is not expressing opinions, but a kind of "modesty" and tolerance.
read a book
Zeng Guofan has always emphasized the importance of reading and thought that reading can change a person's temperament. In his letters to his brothers, he repeatedly mentioned the importance and methods of reading. Educate sons and brothers and nephews to study hard, be content to study hard at home, persist in getting up early and have perseverance.
Talking about how to study, he wrote in a letter, "A scholar must be ambitious first, knowledgeable second and persistent third." . You don't want to be dirty if you have ambition. There is no end to learning with knowledge. You are not willing to be self-sufficient, such as Hebo's view of the sea and the frog's view of the sky. With perseverance, nothing is impossible, and all three are indispensable. "He encouraged his brothers to take classes independently and set up a curriculum for them, from morning till night, from reading to writing, from history to classics, from reading to self-cultivation, which was extremely detailed.
Many people let their children study in order to make them embark on their careers, but Zeng Guofan didn't want them to be officials. In a letter to his son Ji Hong, he said, "I don't want to be a big official, but I want to be a learned and knowledgeable gentleman. Diligence and self-control, diligence and hard work, can enjoy themselves and keep appointments. This gentleman is also. "
Many parents let their children study in order to let them pass the exam and enter the "official career" to save face and seek benefits for themselves and their families. As we all know, our concept of reading has cultivated many educated and uneducated selfish people. Only paying attention to academic performance and neglecting the education of being a man have made many children lose their ability of self-planning, self-management and self-discipline. It can't be said that this has become a social sorrow.
Manage/do housework
The ancients said, "Governing the country with the same family will level the world". Zeng Guofan is well versed in the truth that "there are all kinds of businesses at home". In his letter to his parents, he repeatedly asked his younger brother to "put kindness first". In a letter to his parents, he wrote: "The husband's family enjoys peace. If a brother in a family has something to say, his brother will do whatever he wants, and his brother will do whatever he wants. Steamed peacefully, without a home, there is nothing. "
From Zeng Guofan's letters, we can see that Zeng Guofan is very concerned about the lives of your younger brothers, from their daily life and contacts with people to their marriage and career prospects, the repair of family ancestral temple and the reburial of the grave. Zeng Guofan believes that "blessings and disasters come from God, good and evil come from people, and God is one. There is no other way but to listen. The person in charge of the people, one point counts, one day counts. My brother can't help his family without washing his heart and brainwashing. " Zeng Guofan believes that his family must have three conditions to prosper. One is that brothers are harmonious, but filial and thrifty.
Zeng Guofan mentioned the eight-character family precepts left by his grandfather several times in his letter: pig, vegetable, fish, book, morning, sweep, test and treasure. Reading, growing vegetables, raising fish and feeding pigs are all family matters; Getting up early to clean up, sincerely practicing sacrifices and being kind to relatives and neighbors are the rules of family management. How many simple eight-character family precepts can you do?
The way you get along with people.
Helping others is the traditional family style of the Zeng family.
Although Zeng Guofan was once embarrassed to live in Beijing and borrowed money for the New Year, he still sent money to help his people. When talking about why we should help relatives and people, Zeng Guofan wrote, "Although the debts at home are not paid today, they can be paid later. If you don't do it today, you will regret it later! " "When a gentleman is prosperous, he often feels that the sky is too thick for me. I should make up for others' shortcomings. When a gentleman is in Qiang, he often feels that the sky is thicker than mine, but not if it is thicker. I think I'm thicker than you Qiang. The ancients said that the situation must be inferior to ours, which is also called. " During the Daoguang period, Zeng Guofan rose to the fourth level and asked his uncle to send twelve taels of gold to the closest and most bitter people. Save money, set up Yitian to help the poor, and donate money to repair the ancestral temple.
Zeng Guofan taught his children and brothers in his letters home that they should be thrifty and have a slight surplus. Some people are officials, "be loose in the neighborhood, but be conservative at home." Compared with many bureaucrats' children and rich children's heartless behavior of showing off and even running amok everywhere, what a world it is!
In 20 14, one of the most popular words "local tyrant" entered the BBC program and the Oxford dictionary. More and more people strive to be "local tyrants", and Chinese people are not ashamed, but proud. It is no wonder that the American RAND Company's evaluation of China people is that "China people only care about the well-being of their immediate family members, but turn a blind eye to the suffering of people who have nothing to do with themselves." This selfishness, indifference and ruthlessness will undoubtedly hinder the development of society.
make friends
As the saying goes, "a thousand dollars is hard to buy, but friends are easy to go." Zeng Guofan attaches great importance to the principle of making friends and treating people, especially his "eight friends and nine friends don't make friends" which is worth learning.
Eight religions refer to making friends with the following eight kinds of people: people who woo themselves; A person of noble character; Bypass; Willing to endure hardships; An outspoken speaker; An open-minded person; Hui is a servant; Physical man. Nine don't make friends is to avoid making friends with the following nine kinds of people: people with different aspirations; Flatterer; People who are wronged upside down have no temperament at all; Fool; A down-and-out person; A person of noble character; Those who take advantage.
Zeng Guofan was an official in Beijing and never refused to be lenient. He would rather be taken advantage of by others than by others. In "Letters from Home", he repeatedly warned his sons and nephews to be close to good friends, to treat friends sincerely, not to leave regrets when things happen, not to associate with powerful people, and not to despise talents.
To some extent, you will make friends with the people you are, and you will have friends. In the critical period of the formation of teenagers' values, it is very important to grasp the principle of making friends, and careless making friends will delay your future.
Health maintenance
Zeng Guofan was sickly all his life, but his moral and military achievements and writings were immortal, mainly due to his way of keeping in good health. So far, his regimen has a wide range of practical values.
His nine health secrets include: sleeping regularly, avoiding anger, washing feet with hot water before going to bed every day, abstinence, taking thousands of steps after two meals, not taking medicine easily, sitting quietly regularly, riding and shooting to exercise your bones and muscles, planting flowers and raising fish to improve your temperament.
Zeng Guofan wrote to his fourth brother in his heart: "Don't buy land, don't mind business, it's just a second language." In the heyday, I often think of it when I am in decline. As soon as I take the stage, I have to remember these two words. "He advised his ninth brother not to get angry. When he is ill, he should give priority to self-reliance and should not take too many medicines.
Although the present material conditions and medical conditions are constantly improving, these health preservation concepts are still worth learning from.
French writer Roland said, "Life is not an individual who can grow up in isolation. As it grows, it collects flowers and leaves along the way. It is also like a sensitive camera, recording what you see and hear along the way. Every minute and inch of daily life is a fiber that weaves individuality. Everyone's words and deeds in the environment are building materials that are integrated into the growth process, infecting this person's thoughts, feelings and behaviors and affecting this person's attitude towards life. The influence of the environment on a person is more important than tangible imitation. " It is better to leave spiritual wealth than to leave material wealth to children. As the old saying goes, "Virtue has been passed down for more than ten generations, followed by farming, poetry and books, and wealth for three generations". Zeng Guofan's letter was written by Zeng Guofan to his parents and brothers, and also to future generations. Reading Zeng Guofan's letter, we can see that Si Qi, a sage, was cautious and introspective, made a statement, cultivated self-cultivation and raised children, thus establishing a family style that can be passed down from generation to generation.