Hidden Pain and Hidden Ills: Another Interpretation of Modern Literati: Book spines or covers with flaws

Author: Wei Bangliang
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-05-01
Features: In 2003, my university classmate Zhang Jun asked me to contribute an article. In a highly free state of mind, I wrote the short essay "To Sing High Notes or Low Notes: It's a Question." This article was later selected by Mr. Hu Changming of the magazine Book House and published in the same year's issue of Book House, and was by the widely known Reader the following year. The success of this article made me understand a simple truth: to make writing a joy, one must learn to write for oneself. For a long time, I was immersed in reading due to doing nothing. However, lengthy and tedious reading can be exhausting and tiring. Thus, I had to take a break in my reading journey—to quietly ruminate on the texts I had read. In my view, this rumination is what is called reflection and contemplation. As Confucius said, "To learn without reflection is to be lost; to reflect without learning is to be idle." Without rumination and reflection, extensive knowledge is merely a superficial robe that looks good but offers no substance. I particularly love a famous quote by Shen Congwen: "Reflect on me, and you can understand 'me'; reflect on me, and you can recognize 'humanity.'" Here, I dare to add my own concluding remark: "Reflect on me, and you can truly understand 'books.'" A life without reflection is not worth living; reading without reflection is not worth mentioning. In my opinion, the purpose of reading is not to make oneself a walking library; nor is it to turn one's mind into a battlefield for others' ideas to clash. I believe that reading means "stealing" a few suitable "weapons" from others' "arsenal"; it means using the light of others' thoughts to illuminate one's own life journey. Another saying I admire is: "There are others beyond oneself, and oneself is also among others." Since "there are others beyond oneself," one should "extend oneself to others"; and since "oneself is also among others," one should not beautify oneself. Mr. Liang Shuming once said, "Thought or a principle is originally an answer to a problem. The lack of thought is precisely because there are no problems. Conversely, the reason why a person is knowledgeable is that he is good at discovering problems. He can perceive even the slightest differences in opinions and viewpoints, pursue them earnestly, and not overlook the past. Problems are the roots, and great knowledge is like a large tree that grows from these roots. The environment and experiences (reading is included in this), as well as life practices, are his nourishing materials. Over time, they naturally form a large system." Someone of my limited talent naturally dares not to aspire to possess such great knowledge as "a large tree," but discovering the "roots" of problems was the initial motivation and greatest purpose for writing this book. Understanding others is not easy; understanding oneself is even harder. In this sense, it is more accurate to say that the author of this book analyzes one after another "others" than to say that the author self-examines one after another "self"; it is more accurate to say that the author diagnoses the "hidden pains" of others than to say that the author explores the "dark illnesses" of oneself. This is the preface. Understanding others is not easy; understanding oneself is even harder. In this sense, it is more accurate to say that the author of this book analyzes one after another "others" than to say that the author self-examines one after another "self"; it is more accurate to say that the author diagnoses the "hidden pains" of others than to say that the author explores the "dark illnesses" of oneself.