Thoughts on Reading Zhu Ziqing's Prose "Tell the Truth"

Former US Secretary of State Berners wrote a book after retirement, for the truth. China has already had more than one translation of this book, either Secrets of American-Soviet Diplomacy, Insider of American-Soviet Diplomacy or Documentary of American-Soviet Diplomacy. Cheats, inside stories and documentaries are all free translations of the truth. Not long ago, the author attended a banquet, and everyone was talking about Berners' book and its title. An American guest smiled and said, "Berners is the worst at telling the truth!" " Everyone laughed, too Whether Berners' book is full of "truth" or not, and whether his self-proclaimed "truth" and China's various translations all contain the meaning of "truth", we can see that everyone is demanding "truth" at home and abroad. Berners wrote such a title, probably to show that when he was doing the foreign affairs of the Secretary of State, there were many things that were inconvenient to "tell the truth". Since we are free, we should be honest-the original literal translation should be honest, not honest. But now he is really free to "tell the truth". Is he really willing to "tell the truth" like that? -American guests have their reasons.

? No matter at home or abroad, regardless of ancient and modern times, everyone demands "sincerity", which shows that "sincerity" is not easy to hear and see. Everyone wants the truth in knowledge. They want to know the facts and seek the truth. However, the abstract truth broke the sandbox and finally raised questions. Some people say it is knowable, while others say it is unknowable. So far, there is no conclusion, but the specific facts always seem to be known more or less. Besides, according to common sense, things are always right after they happen. What we have to deal with in our daily life is also things, and rationality is included in it. When dealing with things, reason is often unconscious. So the point falls on the fact. People often say "know the truth", which means both the truth and the truth. The truth is the truth. People who buy things and peddle things say "the real price" and ask confessions to ask prisoners to "tell the truth", all of which require "telling the truth". People are like this, so is the country. Some current affairs commentators often say that if the two powerful countries, the United States and the Soviet Union, are willing to tell the truth about what the two countries want and then discuss it, the world situation may become clear. However, some critics believe that the words of the first two, especially those of the Soviet Union, are frank and clear enough. Indeed, since Vischinski named "warmongers" at the United Nations General Assembly last year, the words of the two great powers, the United States and the Soviet Union, have become more and more frank, but it seems that they have not been made clear.

? Why can't people refuse to tell the truth? In the final analysis, the key is conflict of interest. Tell the truth yourself, let others know your truth, and it is easy to control yourself. Otherwise, it is easier for others to know the details first. In this world of unfair distribution, life is like war, and there are often you and me; So everyone has to hide themselves, which is puzzling. So intrigue and hide-and-seek, everyone is suspicious in anxiety. There has always been an old saying that "people know the face but don't know the heart" and "you can't throw all my heart to everyone". This motto of life is to teach people not to tell the truth, say less truth, and also to imply conflicts of interest. I have no one, I have many people, and I am strong and weak. To tell the truth, I'm afraid people will take advantage of me; The stronger the strong, the more, the more. I have no one, I have few people, I am weak and I am strong. To be honest, I am afraid that it is useless for others to bully me. The weak want to be stronger, the few want to be more, and the poor want to be more. People are like this, so is the country!

? Speaking of war, there is an old truth, "everything is fair in war!" " It is indeed "unscrupulous deception", intrigue, hide-and-seek, and intrigue! "Never cheat" means that the more you cheat, the better. Never tell the truth and talk less, which is a big step forward. As a result, the facts are blurred, exaggerated, distorted and even fabricated! So all kinds of lies, everything, you think I am a liar, I think you are a liar. This situation is similar at home and abroad, because distribution is always unfair and interests are always in conflict. This also needs the truth, the truth. There is a reason. Without a considerable degree of mutual trust, society is not a society. But there are always too few truths and too many lies. I'm afraid social harmony is still far away. However, although there are many lies, there are very few completely fabricated ones, because it is not easy to make people believe. The trouble is that lies are mixed with truth, and lies are mixed with truth-intelligence is also here. Everyday words are more or less mixed, people's mutual trust is based on this mixed word, and people's doubts can also occur on these mixed words. That is, while Berners flaunts himself as "honest", his guests in the same country suspect that he is cheating with a good name. Who among us ordinary people can know to what extent his words are honest or dishonest?

? Emotionally, people demand sincerity, sincerity, honesty or sincere attitude. They want to hear the truth, the truth, from their hearts, not from their mouths. This can also be called "honesty". However, keeping promises has always been rare, and I am afraid that "duplicity" is sometimes inevitable, which can be realized after reading O 'Neill's Strange Interlude. "Honey-billed Sword" has really become a villain. The truth is not necessarily a fact, but an attitude. However, as I mentioned before, "People know the face but don't know the heart". If you take out your heart without looking at anyone, you may still feel excited! So we can't talk about it in depth. When we meet, we only talk about the weather. That's the reason. The so-called "heart-to-heart" and "heart-to-heart" always bring two or three confidants; If you are a casual acquaintance, you can only perfunctory, polite and say something irrelevant. This is not necessarily false, hypocritical. At least he is interested in you. Some people are cold when they meet, their faces are long, and they care about others and ignore others, which is also considered "true", but how many people can stand it! We don't know each other, or we don't know each other well, so we can't talk about it. It's easy to make mistakes when you say it, but even if we know each other well, like lovers, we may not be able to tell the truth everywhere. "People's hearts are different, and each has its own face." A person always has some secrets that he doesn't want to tell others. If he doesn't worry about them, no matter how dear he is, he will meet with difficulties. That's the difficulty of telling the truth.

? Although the truth is not necessarily a fact, a lie must not be the truth. A lie is not necessarily a lie. Some sweet words or kind words go too far, so we take them as lies. In fact, the speaker may not lack love and respect. It's no use lying on purpose. The so-called "honey sword" is naturally another matter. If the truth is serious, joking is not the truth. It is often embarrassing to take jokes seriously, even between acquaintances and even relatives. So a sense of humor is valuable. The truth may not sound good. The so-called "well-meaning words", "medicine stone words", "truth" and "outspoken" are often unpleasant to listen to, and good intentions often offend people. However, people also demand "being outspoken". In the autocratic era, "telling the truth and admonishing the extreme" is a subject of selecting talents. Even now, fortune tellers still flaunt "iron mouth", which means speaking frankly and telling the truth. But this kind of "outspoken" and "straightforward" is probably not harsh, at least not too harsh. It is also "outspoken" and not too harsh. Isn't it the best of both worlds? But harshness may be tolerable, but stinging is the hardest to forgive; Openly opposing others is like stabbing others in the heart-from being called "smelly mouth" to being killed. Therefore, there are only a handful of ministers who "speak out". Stiff and harsh, and then stab the heart, it is tantamount to swearing at each other, which will naturally make people angry and even turn their faces. On the other hand, if you get angry or turn your face, you will call names and blurt them out. Naturally, you will be more frank, true and honest.

? People are like this, but the country here is different. Although countries also talk about friendship, they are not as friendly as people, and there is no friendship at all. Without love, there is neither "sincerity" nor "truthfulness", let alone "truthfulness". There is no lack of pleasantries, so-called diplomatic rhetoric; This is just a courtesy to show respect for each other. In addition, the language of the treaty is based on interests, some of which are equivalent and more one-sided, which is naturally weak and unfavorable. This kind of treaty is "real", so sometimes there must be secret clauses, and sometimes it is completely secret. A treaty always says that both parties agree, even if only one party "readily agrees". Being outspoken to one party or to the other without the consent of both parties is often a condemnation, which is equivalent to scolding each other. This was the case in the United States and the Soviet Union after the UN General Assembly last year. The more honest you speak, the sharper you are. Of course, it is not enough to turn your face. This frankness is also propaganda on the one hand. According to the general view, propaganda can never be honest. However, there are indeed many reasons why the two great powers of the United States and the Soviet Union condemn each other, and there are indeed many people who believe in one side or the other. As a result, the situation of confrontation between the two camps is becoming more and more clear, and the world is becoming more and more turbulent. This shows the power of propaganda. And all kinds of publicity. Empty propaganda without facts, needless to say, no one believes it; If there is truth but a little lie, someone will believe it. Because there is truth, there is confidence, and confidence can tell the truth more or less, so it teaches people to believe. Naturally, the clearer the facts, the more people believe them. But when there is propaganda, there is also counter-propaganda, which is intended to dispel propaganda. Of course, judgment depends on facts. But the pros and cons are complicated, and most people are dazzled, so they simply kill them in one sentence and say that all propaganda is deceptive! But propaganda is really deceptive. Propaganda will not exist and should be considered separately. That is, if Berners names his book "honestly" or "honestly", the American guest suspects that he is selling himself; But that book can't be all lies, can it? A person can never live by lying, because then he will fall into nothingness and cease to exist.

(1948 observatory edition "taste for all tastes")

? Today, when I was looking through the idiom dictionary, I saw the word "meet each other late", and the entry quoted an example from the article "Tell the truth". The word "be honest" and the article "tell the truth" sound very compatible.

? The original text has been attached, and the content of the article is not summarized here. I'm only talking about my personal feelings here.

? First of all, although truth is the common aspiration of Chinese and foreign people, it has conditions for realization in reality. On the one hand, telling the truth is equivalent to telling the truth, which inevitably makes people feel insecure. Once this sense of security disappears, life will become more difficult. No one wants to be a "transparent person" and accept everyone's scrutiny. This is the pressure of life itself and the demand of personal security, and honesty is rare. On the other hand, in one case, that is, when getting along with close people, the truth is allowed. An intimate person means that he will not hurt or betray each other, because we love each other and have the same long-term expectation for each other's relationship, so we are safe in an intimate relationship. Once the sense of security is satisfied, empty words and lies are unnecessary. We always have special and separate words to say to people close to us. More often, I think this kind of communication is an emotional sharing, not a statement of facts. With people close to us, we seldom treat each other honestly.

? Here people feel the importance of intimacy. We need some false and polite things to socialize, and we need to tell them sincerely to find themselves, comfort themselves and release themselves. Those people, we allow them to listen to their true selves, they are special. When we tell the truth, we are showing our softness. Sincerity is hard-won, and it is most important to cherish each other.

? In addition, the truth is not necessarily true, but it must be serious. This is the author's point of view, and I feel very recognized after reading it. On the one hand, truth needs to be confirmed by objective reality. What we are talking about is not only the statement of reality and the past, but also the speculation of the future and our inner statement. These words cannot be verified. The authenticity of this statement depends on the sincerity of the speaker himself. On the other hand, there are many aspects of the fact itself, and our views are incomplete. More importantly, we speak our views frankly.

In short, honesty is rare, people who can tell the truth together are even more rare, and relationships that can exchange the truth are even more difficult to maintain.

I hope we all have such wisdom and luck, and know how to measure and cherish it.