The wisdom of ancient people, once contemplated, can bring benefits. In a letter written by Zhuge Liang to his son Zhuge Zhan before his death, there is a piece of advice for his son: A gentleman's conduct is to cultivate oneself in tranquility and to nurture virtue through frugality. The latter part is also very famous: Without detachment, one cannot clarify one's ambitions; without tranquility, one cannot reach far.
Cultivating oneself in tranquility refers to enhancing one's self-cultivation through calmness, which I strongly agree with. Because of this saying, I am also deeply grateful for the past ten years, although my career stagnated due to misconceptions, I was able to use this time to calm my mind, allowing me to gradually settle down from a state of inner turmoil as if being chased by a vicious dog. Although this time and process were long and tortuous, it laid a very good foundation for my growth in recent years, enabling me to endure the difficulties of starting again and to face the dark sides of myself and others with mindfulness, to observe, accept, and transform.
This world is so noisy and chaotic, people's time is occupied by various information, turning their inner selves into a landfill. I don't know if this statement is too extreme, but I believe most people are in such a situation, and even my mother is no exception.
Yesterday, I took my parents to see "The Heart of the Swimmer," which tells a true story from the 1920s, about a German girl in New York who broke the prevalent discrimination against women in sports at that time. The butcher's daughter, named Trudy, swam across the English Channel with a time more than two hours faster than that of men.
The film is very touching, depicting the struggles of women in that era and the connections and courage among women to overcome difficulties. However, my mother could not bear to watch such a moving film that belongs to the female genre; she simply took out her phone and started watching a TV series. When a girl in front frequently turned around to look back, I quietly stopped my mother. Reluctantly, she put down her phone but still couldn't watch it and fell asleep instead. Later, she left early to go to the lobby to scroll through her phone.
At that moment, I felt very angry and a sense of shame arose, but I quickly calmed down, realizing that I had separated my issues. I am me, and my mom is my mom, so I was no longer angry. After my dad and I finished watching the movie and found my mom in the lobby, I asked her why she couldn't watch it. She said she couldn't understand it. I asked if it was because she couldn't keep up with the English subtitles, and she said she watched but didn't understand, so the more she watched, the more uncomfortable it became, and she simply chose not to watch.
I understood my mom, saying that it is indeed difficult to sit there when you can't understand. I promised not to book tickets for her for such dubbed films without Chinese subtitles in the future, and she agreed. Later, my dad and I recounted the content of the film to her, and she was quite willing to listen. I also told her that even if she couldn't understand, she shouldn't focus on the parts she didn't understand. By following the movie to watch the whole, some parts would become clear. Of course, this is my experience; when I did extensive reading in English in the past, I used this method, never getting stuck on the parts I didn't understand, but continuing to look forward. Sometimes, the parts that were unclear would become clear, and even if they still didn't make sense, it wouldn't affect the understanding of the whole text.
Writing to this point, I am truly grateful for the practice of calming my mind, which allows me to quickly overcome the bondage of emotions and also find ways to cope.
Nurturing virtue through frugality, what does frugality mean? It means being economical, referring to not wasting in life, not over-consuming, and maintaining a moderate attitude towards material resources. Frugality is not only a way of life but also a value, a respect and protection for the environment and resources, and a manifestation of wisdom that teaches us how to achieve the greatest utility with the least material.
In this regard, I also have some practices. For example, I only have one set of sportswear and one pair of running shoes because I am not that enthusiastic about fitness or running, so I don't need to change frequently. At the same time, I believe sportswear is easy to wash and quick to dry; even if I wear it every day, I can wash it at night and wear it again during the day. I apply the same principle to bedding, so currently, I only have one set of bedding.
But this does not mean I won't acquire these items again. If there is a need, such as when they become old and need to be replaced or if my demand for sports increases and I can't keep up with the washing, I will buy more. Perhaps I might also purchase something due to encountering a very good design; I think I can accept these situations.
It can be seen that frugality can also cultivate our self-discipline, enabling people to exercise self-restraint when facing material temptations and the invasion of desires, not prioritizing pleasure as the principle of life. I admit that pleasure is very good, but like twisting a screw, indulging in pleasure can lead to the risk of slipping; the cost of pleasure may become higher and higher, while the time of satisfaction may become shorter and shorter.
At the same time, frugality is also a contribution to the human community. By reducing unnecessary consumption, it forces innovation and development in industries, preventing people from sacrificing the environment and resources for short-term benefits at the cost of future well-being.
In this era, frugality can be seen as an expression of minimalism. When our understanding of our lives and existence can return to the essence, knowing who we are, understanding our gifted mission, and recognizing the limitations of our cognition, we can also avoid meaningless consumption on an energetic level and instead use our energy to improve ourselves.
This understanding comes from the fact that in recent years, while pursuing inner growth, I have also faced a financial crisis caused by years of neglect in my career. Therefore, in addition to learning the lessons of personal growth, I have spent a lot of time understanding and learning knowledge from different fields, hoping to find a breakthrough in my career, yet I forgot the simplest way, which is to use my talents to take action. It is evident that energy needs a focus. When my main task is to use my talents to build a career, the supplementation of knowledge seems less urgent and necessary. Of course, this is a reflection of the current stage; I believe there is no learning that is in vain, but now I will be clearer about the direction of my actions.
The hardest thing for a person to cultivate is moral behavior. The virtues of honesty, kindness, justice, and courage are not only a reflection of an individual's inner quality but also the foundation for harmonious development and collective progress in human society. When people's collective consciousness can detach from selfishness and prioritize altruism, humanity will surely enter a new realm of life.
The cultivation of virtue is a long and profound process that needs to be practiced in the little things of life. As an attitude towards life, frugality can promote the enhancement of personal virtue. Frugality makes people cherish what they have more, leading to greater gratitude, thus cultivating the virtues of humility, loyalty, and gratitude. It can also foster a sense of responsibility and spirit of dedication. When we spread the beauty of life triggered by frugality, we will influence more people to cultivate this virtue.
When we continuously practice cultivating ourselves in tranquility and nurturing virtue through frugality, we will then possess a calm and detached state of mind, guiding us towards becoming our true selves and reaching an incredibly beautiful shore.