Chapter 69: 152 chapters, 'Hero' can't be sold

152 chapters, 'Hero' can still be sold.....

152 Who is a hero?

Liu Guozong

Media said that director Zhang Yimou's film 'Hero' won an international award. 'Hero' had a high box-office turnout in the United States. It is unclear whether this is true or false: the box-office revenue of 'Hero' in the United States set the highest for American films that year. After hearing the media's true-and-false talk, everyone thought Zhang Yimou was 'very heroic'.

I remember that when I was young, Liu Hulan, Huang Jiguang, Qiu Shaoyun, Lei Feng and others were the heroes in our childhood minds; after growing up a bit, after reading 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' and 'Water Margin', I was often moved by the heroic deeds of those outstanding figures in the books. I regarded Guan, Zhang, Liu, and Zhuge Liang as heroes.

Later, I also learned that the deeds of those outstanding figures were all embellished by the authors' artistic processing, not real people in reality.

For this, I also couldn't avoid blaming myself for being childish and ignorant. Fortunately, I didn't invest, so I only wasted a little time and emotion. Unlike Zhang Yimou, who invested heavily to make 'Hero' in order to 'make money', and of course that 'Hero' can still make money. In 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms', the phrase 'Cao Cao discusses heroes over wine', the 'heroes' that Cao Cao talks about and the heroes in 'Water Margin' have different meanings.

This money-making 'hero' cannot be compared to the heroes I admired in my youth, such as Liu Hulan, Huang Jiguang, etc.; the heroes we admired in our youth were real, genuine heroes.

The meaning of 'hero' nowadays has long changed, because the times have changed.

What kind of era produces what kind of hero. It is true that the era creates heroes. For example, in wartime, it 'creates' heroes who are unafraid of death, dare to fight and struggle, charging forward; in peacetime, it 'creates' heroes who are happy to devote themselves to helping others for joy, even anti-** heroes, heroes who create great undertakings and great wealth.

I recall a great person saying, 'All is past, the charming figures are numbered; only look to the present.' Yes, everything has passed, becoming memory.

However, there are too many 'heroes of the present', so many that I can't even look at them all; counting those big and small 'heroes' in the nearby malls, we not only dare not admire them, but even keep our distance.

Mr. Lu Xun once felt aversion toward the 'nine-jin old lady', considering her too backward, too conservative. The 'nine-jin old lady' is somewhat like what the ancients criticized: 'Foolish yet fond of self-use, lowly yet fond of self-exclusive; living in the present age, going against the ancient way; such a person brings disaster upon themselves.'

Yes, that nine-jin old lady, although she knows she is foolish, still refuses to humbly learn from others; although she knows she is lowly, she still goes her own way, using ancient methods to view people and matters; living in today's society, she still reminisces about those past trivial matters like sesame seeds and rotten millet.

For such a person, it would be strange if misfortune did not befall him! Therefore, if anyone now uses the 'nine-jin old lady's' gaze to look at people and things, then he will not see 'heroes everywhere under the evening mist'.

So, who exactly is the great hero 'under the evening mist' nowadays? We have already failed to answer clearly; for questions we cannot answer, it's best not to answer. Elevate oneself a bit: 'will mislead the younger generation'.

In short, if one answers with the foolish heart of 'foolish yet fond of self-use, lowly yet fond of self-exclusive' as the ancients said, then it would be: 'The sincere are sincere of themselves; the Way is itself. The sincere are the beginning and end of things; without sincerity there is nothing. Therefore, the gentleman values sincerity. The sincere are not merely sincere to themselves alone, thus they accomplish things. Accomplishing oneself is benevolence; accomplishing benevolence is wisdom; the attainment of nature is also the union of inner and outer ways, therefore the timing is appropriate!'

The ancients' words are obscure and?. To summarize in a simple, clear sentence: No matter when, where, or what one does, one must treat people sincerely and act sincerely; this is the wisdom and secret of being human; you help others, then others can help you; therefore, helping others is also helping yourself.

This is in accordance with the principle of inner and outer heaven and earth.

This is a consistent demand made of ancient and modern heroes. Otherwise, even if you acquire great wealth, become a big boss, and become the 'hero' focused on by the people around you, you will also suffer 'disaster befalling oneself'.

I have liked eating grapes since I was young, so I have never felt the lack of grapes or complained that grapes are sour. What I mean by saying this is that I want to see the youth who will read this article recall what Mr. Lu Xun once said to the youth: 'You are mostly the main force; when you encounter deep forests, you can turn them into flat land; when you encounter open wilderness, you can plant trees; when you encounter deserts, you can dig wells and springs. Ask what old road is blocked by thorns, seek what...'

This is also a kind of heroic feat, right?