Chapter 71

there is a fool who says: "I still want...."

Liu Guozong

The scholars of ancient Zhongguo entered officialdom through the method of studying the classics.

Studying the classics became the sole path for scholars to change their fate. The spirit of studying—drilling a hole in the wall to steal light, hanging hair from the beam, pricking the thigh with a needle—has continued to influence the present.

Of course, when hope for an official career is completely lost, then the motivation to study—'hanging hair from the beam, pricking the thigh with a needle'—is also lost.

This is the utilitarianism of studying.

Yes, without utility, who would study? Can you eat books? Can you drink them? If studying loses its utility, it becomes reading dead books.

The words and sentences are dead, the essential meaning is alive.

If one cannot grasp the essential meaning of the text's words and sentences, what use is studying?

The ancients long ago said: 'Foolish yet fond of using one's own ways, alive yet fond of being self-centered. Living in the present age, going against the ancient way—disaster will befall oneself.'

The ancients' words are very clear: you foolish scholar, you have taken the words on the book as correct. You think whatever is in the book is right.

After studying, one becomes arrogant and self-important, taking the ancients' words as a road, walking every day on the path pointed out by the ancients. 'Wholeheartedly only read the sages' books, two ears do not hear outside affairs.' I tell you, this is extremely dangerous; who knows when disaster may fall upon one's head?

Misusing the words from books brings suffering upon oneself; this is not uncommon both in Zhongguo and abroad.

Great persons** say this kind of person is 'dogmatism'. What is known to everyone in the Zhongguo populace is Ma Su in Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

You see that idiot, on the left a military book cloud, on the right a military book cloud. Finally it's just 'military book cloud', taking away the hope that could bring to Liu's realm, the street stops lost, his brain therefore also lost.

Isn't this kind of studying being trapped by books? Studying books to the point of harming others and oneself—what's the use of reading further?

But, if one does not study, how could society be improved, how could humanity achieve civilized progress? No matter what is said, studying is always better than not studying.

Someone says, books are the ladder of human civilized progress. If you don't walk the 'ladder', where is the civilized road?

I still want to study. Although my official career is cut off, my heart is not gray, my intention not cold.

Now, I am still a member of humanity; I desire civilization, progress, not wanting ignorance and backwardness, I still want to walk up this ladder.

Walk on until 'the silkworm spins silk until death, the candle burns to ash before tears dry.'

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