Thatched huts, peasant women, a little field
Nie Weiwen
There are remarks on the Internet that the ideal life of a modern man is: a thatched hut, a peasant woman, and a little field.
There is really some truth in these remarks, and it will even make people yearn for no reason. And the more you think about it, the more you crave it. It's hard to put into words. Doesn't it mean that in today's material world, the whole society is filled with the smell of money? Such a nonchalant, simple, and quiet lifestyle is actually popular among people, especially men. It's incredible that even cheesy people like me are fascinated by it. But when you think about it, it seems to make sense. Today's people are really tired of the rules, the system, and the norms; For many years, I have been under pressure all the time: work, career, housing, children's schooling, elderly support, own health, etc., every day is physically and mentally exhausted. If today's people yearn for chrysanthemum picking under the east fence with a bit of illusory or non-divisive thoughts, then the lifestyle of speech is indeed the real life goal of many men. The important thing is that this goal is not difficult to achieve. Isn't there a big bowl that says that people should set a goal that can be achieved by jumping on it? Here it is. I've always been a disaltaker of escapism, as evidenced by decades of business experience. But it's such an appealing goal that I've thought about it before.
In addition to the pressure of work and life, the burden of interpersonal relationships can also be overwhelming. Wear a mask every day, and change it when you see a person; Change the environment and change the payment. This kind of social interaction makes people really tired of living. Who doesn't want to be able to be free and be their true self? Who doesn't want to take off their masks and be relaxed and open-minded? I've dreamed of living in the countryside countless times, but once I started working on it, so many strings attached that I couldn't carry it out. For example, living in the countryside should have a study, a recreation room, a gym, a court, and even a swimming pool. If these conditions are met, is it still rural life? That's the life of a rich man! That's why I can't do it. It seems that I can only be a layman, and if I can't be a master, I will die of this distraction.
It is said that it is easy for people to go from thrift to luxury, and it is difficult to go from luxury to thrift, but it seems to be the opposite at the spiritual level. People who have experienced prosperity yearn for an ordinary life; After eating lobster and abalone, I feel nothing out of the ordinary; Mercedes-Benz and BMW have driven, and there is no shame in driving Honda and Toyota. The autonomy of life is something worth pursuing. The key is to get rid of all distractions and be able to do research independently in your spare time, which is rare.
Thoreau's "Lake Valcheng" was once popular in Europe. I'm only talking about Europe, not the world, because it's obviously not suitable for China's national conditions. There was a buddy in China who had a successful career and had the intention of retiring, he built a house in the deep mountains and old forests to live in seclusion alone, burning incense and chanting scriptures every day, eating fasting and meditating, he regarded this as a faith, creed, and faith. But the faith lasted less than two years before it was gone. He re-entered the world. Because loneliness drove him crazy.
There is also a little girl, she is very fond of leisurely, freehand, romantic days, she sees this as a taste, a life pursuit. She asked her parents to take the money, went to Yunnan to open a café, and then planted flowers every day to tease the cats to live. The video she posted made all her relatives and friends envious. But then it was discovered that she was asking people everywhere to borrow money. The café was opened for less than three years, and she was in debt and had to close. The next problem is that without three years of work experience, returning to the city to find a job will become an insurmountable obstacle.
When it is impossible to live in isolation, it is impossible to look at one's own situation honestly and live according to one's own wishes as much as possible under the current situation, which is called reasonableness. Reality is not a dream, let alone a fantasy, and escape is not an ideal life, because it is against human nature. I would like to see people who get up early every day to catch the subway in the dark and bear the pressure of decades to provide for housing, because this is reliable, real, and realistic. Aren't thousands of people living like this, could it be that they are all fools? I'm quite disgusted that some people don't think about themselves and say that they "don't want to be like everyone", and I really want to ask: why are you? You can skip eating Zhou Su, you can go home and sell sweet potatoes, you can pick chrysanthemums under the east fence, but let me tell you, you don't call it life, you call it living. The buddies above ran to the deep mountains and old forests, in order to stay away from the hustle and bustle and protect the peace and tranquility in their hearts, but this is a daydream. Gao Jie such as Lao Tzu, Confucius, Mencius, and even Zhou Zhuang were surrounded by a large group of people. There are people who have rivers and lakes, there are rivers and lakes and there is society, and where there is society, there will be earthly and mundane.
Walden was written in the first half of the 19th century, at the beginning of the Industrial Revolution in the United States. With the industrialization of capitalist society, the rapid development of the American economy, and the vigorous development of industry and commerce led to the absolute dominance of money worship and hedonism, which were widely popular among the masses of society at that time. At the same time, it also stimulates people's unlimited pursuit of wealth and money, and people are busy all day long in order to obtain more material wealth and live a better material life. The accumulation of wealth has become the only goal of people's lives, and it is necessary to do anything to achieve this goal. People are crazy, greedy, excessively grabbing and usurping limited natural resources, and at the same time clearing wasteland, large areas of forests have disappeared, the roar of big machines can be heard everywhere, and the song of birds is hard to find. In such a context, it is not surprising that his works are popular all over the world.
Returning to our real life today, Thoreau's "Val Cheng Lake" is obviously too much, extreme, unrealistic, even unrealistic, and anachronistic for us. Life is down-to-earth, real, plain, not imaginary, and any non-trivial thought is to bear the consequences in the end.
Put the heart into your stomach, live with peace of mind, and explore the unknown things in the world if you are interested. You know, this world has passed for tens of millions of years, and I believe that it will continue to exist, and it will definitely develop in a better direction, because this is the inevitable law of world development.
Work hard, live hard, love hard, study hard, and so on. People are only happy when they think about it and can achieve it. For example, you can eat enough when you want to eat, have clothes to wear when you want to dress, have a job to do if you want to work, and have the conditions to start a family, etc. Yes, that's happiness. Happiness is not how much money you have, how many women you have; It's not that you go to the mountains and old forests to live a life without fighting. No. People's minds are too rich, and the reality is very helpless. Under neutralization, under your existing conditions, today is better than yesterday, and that's it, otherwise it's all nonsense.
Thatched huts, peasant women, and a little field, this kind of dream that can be achieved by jumping can be a beautiful yearning in today's materialistic times. No matter how dark and miasma the world is, stick to the pure land in your heart; There is kindness and love in the heart, enthusiasm for the world, and faith in the world, which is better than running to heaven, not to mention the deep mountains and old forests. I can say that the realm of your cultivation in the deep mountains and old forests is far inferior to the volunteers who silently dedicate themselves in the society, far inferior to the "elder brother" who voluntarily picks up and drops off students during the college entrance examination, and far inferior to the people who volunteer to donate blood. They are the spirit of this era.
When you are faced with an overwhelming amount of information every day, when you have to face those foods full of various elements every day, it is really an attractive luxury for you to have the opportunity and conditions to sit on the field and watch the sunrise and sunset.