Great Way Low Returns -- Thinker's Anthology.2

Author: Zhou Ruijin (Compiler)
Publisher:
Publishing Date: March 1, 2006
Features:
1,599 years ago, a famous Chinese poet who refused to "bend his waist for five bushels of rice" left official life and retired to the countryside. He farmed for a living, often engaging in literary discussions and political debates with local scholars, coining the timeless phrase, "Let us admire the extraordinary writings together and analyze the doubts." Unbeknownst, nearly half a century later, this phrase was used by a great leader as a "club" and "hat" to label a large number of intellectuals who criticized societal flaws and commented on politics as "right-wing reactionaries against the party and socialism." From then on, "extraordinary writings" were equated with "poisonous weeds," and "doubts" were linked to heresy. The timeless phrase was twisted into "let us jointly criticize the poisonous weeds and strike down the heretics." This led to a 20-year period of "leftist" suppression, plunging the nation into a state of "uniformity in thought and silence in speech." It wasn’t until the discussion on the standard of truth, like a spring thunder, brought the spring of reform and opening up, that this situation began to change. The times have now vindicated the phrase "Let us admire the extraordinary writings together and analyze the doubts," restoring it to its original meaning.
The so-called "extraordinary writings" refer to articles with new ideas, perspectives, materials, and language. These writings inspire people, provide social lessons, and benefit the nation. They are the essence of the times and a precious spiritual treasure, worthy of collective appreciation, critique, and exploration. As for "let us analyze the doubts together," it advocates independent thinking, free thought, and the Hundred Schools of Thought, encouraging mutual learning. Clearly, this famous phrase from over 1,500 years ago still holds universal value today: the pursuit of truth demands that one walk with one's head, tempering one's thoughts, speaking freely, and daring to innovate.
Looking at human history, any nation that has advanced toward prosperity, civilization, and democracy has inevitably cherished its national intellectual treasury. Whether it is discussions on enriching the nation and strengthening the military or critiques of societal flaws, as long as they benefit the country and its people, the more the better. Plato, Socrates, and Aristotle, among other great philosophers, contributed to the flourishing of Greek civilization. The European Renaissance in the 15th century also ushered in modern civilization. Meanwhile, thinkers like Rousseau, Diderot, and Voltaire of the Encyclopedists laid the intellectual foundation for modern democratic politics.
In Chinese history, the Hundred Schools of Thought during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods did not also lead to Qin’s unification and the splendid reigns of the Han and Tang dynasties?