Three Reliances in Life: Rely on ability, rely on relationships, rely on opportunity

Author: Zhong Shi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: Spending a lifetime learning about the relationship between being a person and seeking knowledge is evident in the competition of modern society. Imagine: How can a person lacking knowledge become strong, how can they compete with others? When we look around, those who lack knowledge are often the main characters in failed lives, frequently lamenting, "Alas, I didn’t get much education, so I can only do manual labor." Indeed, learning is the capital of success because without knowledge, there is no application. Therefore, you must be a person who values knowledge. Regardless of anything else, you should spend your entire life in learning. Sometimes it can be conscious, and sometimes it can be unconscious. Conscious learning means having a goal first and then taking action. Because the direction is clear, many detours can be avoided. But is everyone consciously learning? Hard to say. Confucius taught us this way of being a person: "When three people walk together, there must be a teacher among them." As long as you are willing to learn, there are plenty of opportunities. In the way you conduct yourself, those who are willing to learn and those who are not will have vastly different outcomes. Some people are born with good conditions and thus become complacent, often achieving nothing. Therefore, encouraging others to learn is a good deed, and listening to advice is also a good thing.
Zi Lu was one of Confucius’s "Seventy-two Virtuous Scholars" and was famous for his bravery, straightforwardness, and skill in governance. However, when he first met Confucius, he had no idea how important learning was. When Confucius saw Zi Lu coming to see him, he thought he had come to seek knowledge and asked immediately, "What do you like?" Zi Lu didn’t understand what Confucius meant and replied hastily, "I like long swords." Confucius shook his head and said, "That’s not what I’m asking. I mean, you are capable. If you add diligence and a love for learning, your achievements will be limitless." Zi Lu said confidently, "The bamboo on the southern mountain is naturally straight and doesn’t need straightening. Cut it into arrows, and it can pierce rhinoceros hide. From this, it seems that good quality is enough—what’s the use of studying?" Confucius further explained, "That’s true. Cut the bamboo, and it can be used as an arrow. But if you tie feathers to one end, attach a sharp metal arrowhead to the other, and sharpen it very finely, won’t it pierce even deeper?" Hearing this, Zi Lu bowed respectfully and said, "I am very willing to accept your teachings!"
Learning and understanding through effort is an ancient and excellent principle for pursuing knowledge and establishing oneself, as well as the fundamental strategy for success in how one conducts themselves. Like Zi Lu at the beginning, very few people are completely unaware of the importance of learning. But most of us are content with only a superficial understanding or stop learning halfway. This is a very dangerous mindset. In the way we conduct ourselves, whether we are willing to learn makes a huge difference. Some people, relying on their good innate conditions, refuse to learn or learn very little. As time passes, that initial advantage will quickly disappear, and the result will only be that they become increasingly inferior to others. People do not know things by birth but by learning. The differences in innate conditions among people are relatively small, so the key in learning lies in "diligence." Only by persistently working hard, practicing diligently, and persevering can one truly