Wake up（232）

 

232

 

Han Erniang and Chai Jianhua received two guests at home. One was Wang Ji, Han Erniang’s retired colleague who worked in the university library, and the other was Wang Ji’s daughter, Chen Xiaoyan. The young Chen Xiaoyan taught in a middle school. Chinese class.

All three women talked about college and education. Veteran Chinese doctor Chai Jianhua became an observer.

When Han Erniang asked Chen Xiaoyan about the school's teaching situation, Chen Xiaoyan sighed and said that the most difficult thing to teach students now is moral education. In ancient China, education specifically refers to the political education and moral influence in Confucianism with the people as the main object. "Education" is also called "education", and "education" used to mean "beggar" in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and specifically refers to "beggar". Ethicalization of politics, politicization of ethics, and close integration with educational means are the salient features of ancient Chinese "unity of politics and religion" governance. Indoctrination is one of the manifestations of this system. As a ruling technique, it is opposite to punishment, emphasizing the moral influence on the people, which is an important aspect of rule of virtue.

Chen Xiaoyan said: China's enlightenment thought sprouted in the Zhou Dynasty, and formed a theoretical form at the end of the Warring States Period. And putting it into practice as a national policy originated from Dong Zhongshu and Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty. The ruling group of slave owners in the Western Zhou Dynasty with the Duke of Zhou as the core, summed up the strategy of "respecting morality and protecting the people" from the historical lessons of the success and failure of the Xia and Shang dynasties. "Respect morality and protect the people" is the embryonic form of "government with morality". The Duke of Zhou earnestly warned the Zhou royal family to stick to "respect morality and protect the people". It is believed that only "respecting virtue and protecting the people" can make the subjects obey the rule wholeheartedly and prolong the national fortune. Only "respecting morality and protecting the people" can match the destiny. Propagating the mandate of heaven and subduing the ruled with the will of God is the most important means of enlightenment in the slave society. It is also a kind of spiritual power to spur the ruler to cultivate virtue.

The Duke of Zhou highlighted the political function of "respecting morality", which has three meanings:

One is to emphasize that the emperor and the monarch should cultivate "jun's virtue" and "government virtue". That is to say, the ruler must govern the people with prudence and a serious attitude, be diligent in government affairs, not greedy for enjoyment, and not waste the taxes raised by the people on excessive play and field hunting; Among the wine and sex. Thus establishing an image of "great virtue" among the subjects as a model for all people.

The second is "protecting the people". "Protecting the people" must first benefit the people, make them live and work in peace and contentment, and extend favors to those widows, widows, lonely and helpless people, followed by "clear morality and careful punishment": it is required not to torture the people indiscriminately, and not to "indiscriminately punish without crime, killing innocents". To induce the people to be good and to reject evil.

The third is to teach the people to "be a new citizen" on the basis of benefiting the people and prudent punishment, so that they conform to the moral standards stipulated by the Zhou rulers. For example, ordinary people should work hard to plant good crops and take good care of their parents; officials should behave according to the rules. In addition to issuing sincere, top-down enlightenment and admonishment, the Duke of Zhou also noticed the mutual influence of the common people on the cultivation of good folk customs. People in ancient times warned each other, supported each other, and taught each other, and the common people did not deceive each other. This contains the meaning that folk customs can transform people.

Chen Xiaoyan shook her head and said: China launched a campaign to criticize Confucius and Duke Zhou during the Cultural Revolution. Duke Zhou’s education of “respecting morality and protecting the people” has long since ceased to exist. Today’s scholars and professors promote the dream culture of Duke Zhou. Who is studying it? The ideas of "junde" and "government morality" he put forward will be reported and punished. Under normal circumstances, for a person with basic human values of good and evil, everyone's basic evaluation of good and evil, good and bad, will not change drastically due to different regions. For example, a man who often cheats and likes domestic violence is disgusted by most people, and it won’t be because you are American, European or Asian that there will be a large and consistent evaluation of him different. Unless, you don't know anything about his ugly deeds, and think that he is just the appearance of a dedicated and modest gentleman on the surface. During World War II, after Germany's defeat, Hitler's tragic behavior was revealed. Previously, the Germans did not know that Hitler massacred the Jews, they only knew that Hitler drove the development of Germany. It's a bit like what many young Chinese people think of Mao Zedong, he is the great man who liberated the fallen China. The degree of understanding of a thing will greatly affect its evaluation. The vast majority of Chinese teenagers now only know China on its bright side. Whether it is the past history or the reality of China, almost all the information in the inland area is its bright side. Hong Kong people, who are more free than the mainland, can only say good things about the mainland, not bad things. This is called "patriotism."

Chen Xiaoyan continued: Guan Zhong developed Zhou Gong's thoughts of "being a new people" and "Xu's teachings", and put forward the idea of "lessons become vulgar". That is to say, the ruler wants to make "scholars have no evil deeds" and "women have no fornication": they must be taught and taught. Through long-term lessons, good customs can be formed. Once the customs are established, people can move by themselves. If you are kind, you can use less punishment. Is Guan Zhong's proposition useful? What customs are preserved in China now? During the Spring Festival, the mutual blessing words are "promotion and wealth", "money is rolling in." Gifts are required for weddings and weddings, and gifts for medical treatment. The old habit of "reciprocating gifts" has become a bad habit of official corruption. Can bad customs and customs play a positive role in mobilizing the people?

Wang Ji said to Han Erniang: There is indeed a difference in the education received by young people today and our generation. When we were young, we criticized Confucius, and when we were old, we went to sing praises for Confucius. Confucius emphasized that "rule of virtue" is superior to "rule of law". If the rule of law is implemented, the people will only stay at the level of temporarily avoiding disasters, without such a moral emotion as shame. Confucius lobbied everywhere, further elucidating the decisive role of the monarch's moral example in governing the country and the people. Confucius believed that the ruler’s exemplary role to the people is like the wind blowing grass and trees, and has an invincible influence: "The wind of virtue of a gentleman, the virtue of a villain, and the wind on the grass will die." Confucius also positively put forward the idea of "educating the people". In the history of ancient Chinese culture and education, he was the first to demonstrate that people are teachable from the aspect of human nature, "the nature is similar, but the practice is far away".

Han Erniang interjected: Mencius also further demonstrated that the foothold of governing the country is "to win the hearts of the people." He also proposed to "win the hearts of the people" with "good teaching". The so-called good teaching means "raising people with kindness". It is to ask the king to create a kind atmosphere so that the people can be nurtured. In addition to the king extending grace to the people and setting a moral example for the people, Mencius also put forward the idea of "brightening human relations" education through schools. In this way, enlightenment becomes a practical activity of the state, school, and family.

Wang Ji also said: The term "education" seems to have first appeared in "Warring States Policy·Wei Ce". The central idea is to illustrate the special role of enlightenment in governing the people. Xunzi was also the one who used the word "education" earlier. He believes that enlightenment is a kind of art, a measure and means to exert moral influence on the common people. However, it is the art of persuasion. This kind of "art" is mastered and used by the ruling group. Not only the monarch should master it, but officials at all levels should also be good at using it. "Persuading education" and "widening education" should be regarded as a duty of local officials. It was Xunzi's initiative to list enlightenment as the duty of local officials, and it was regarded as one of the important conditions for "sacred ministers". "Zhou Li", written in the Warring States Period, is a work of the Confucian school. Guided by the idea of "government with virtue", combined with the administrative settings of the Zhou Dynasty and the Warring States Period, the basic framework and educational network of the local administrative system were designed. Administrative officials at the central level are under the leadership of the Central Da Situ, and are responsible for the task of educating the people in different levels. Officials at all levels, on the one hand, educated the people, elected the wise and capable among them, and paid tribute to the royal court;

Chinese scholars of all dynasties have paid attention to the interpretation of the word "hua" in the word "education". Although "hua" has a broad meaning, "hua" itself contains the meaning of "teaching people", and the prominent point is the meaning of "changing vulgarity with the next". Because of the merit of "changing vulgarity", "subtle influence" has become the proper meaning of the word "education". Propaganda such as revolutionization, modernization, scientization, digitization, etc. are actually exerting an invisible influence by "subtlety". Dong Zhongshu transformed the original Confucianism with theological views. He established a complete theoretical system by combining the views of the Yin-Yang and Five Elements Schools. He uses yin and yang as a metaphor for punishment and virtue. Therefore, the emperor's rule over the people should be based on morality and education, supplemented by punishment. Taking history as a mirror, he pointed out that the long-term stability of the country is due to the education of ritual and music. Dong Zhongshu closely combined enlightenment and politics theoretically. Dong Zhongshu's proposition has always been respected by rulers. In a word, enlightenment is the use of various political, moral, etiquette, educational and other means to influence the form of people's moral psychology, so as to establish a stable feudal ruling order, so it has become the political rule of feudal society. pillar. In today's terms, indoctrination is brainwashing. It is a pity that China's brainwashing techniques have not only not been criticized, but have become the quintessence of Chinese culture, and the Confucius Institute has become an educational base for disseminating Chinese political culture in the past dynasties.