Noble spirit: the soul of culture and education, social responsibility and freedom

? Now many rich people in China send their children to aristocratic schools in England, hoping to become aristocrats after graduation. But when they found that even the students of Eton College, the best school in Britain, slept on hard beds, ate simple meals and received very strict training every day. Even more bitter than students in civilian schools. They can't figure out what the life of these ascetic monks has to do with aristocratic spirit.

? In fact, this is not surprising, because the aristocratic spirit advocated by the West is not an explosive spirit, but a pioneering spirit centered on a series of values such as honor, responsibility, courage and self-discipline.

Being rich and expensive are not the same thing.

? The world-famous aristocratic schools should carry out such strict and arduous militarization training with the aim of cultivating students' sense of cooperation and self-discipline. A true aristocrat must be full of self-control and strong spiritual strength, which needs to be cultivated from an early age.

? Eton College has indeed trained many outstanding figures in this way, such as General Wellington who defeated Napoleon and high flyers of Eton College. Wellington is a very famous figure in the world military history. When he fought Napoleon, he left a very famous sentence. At that time, he braved gunfire to observe the enemy's situation on the front line. His staff repeatedly advised him to leave early because the front line was too dangerous, but Wellington refused to move. The staff had to ask him what your last words would be if you were killed. Wellington said without looking back, "Tell them my last words are to stand here like me."

? In China, most people now understand aristocratic life as living in villas, buying Bentley cars and playing golf. It is spending money like water, spending a lot of money, and preparing people. In fact, this is not aristocratic spirit, but nouveau riche spirit. In our China people's idea, aristocratic schools should enjoy aristocratic conditions and live aristocratic lives.

Students in British aristocratic schools sleep on hard beds and eat light tea, and they have to undergo very hard and strict training every day, which is even harder than that in civilian schools. In the minds of most people in China, wealth and nobility are the same, and there is no difference. But in fact, this is two different things. Richness is material, while preciousness is spirit.

Noble spirit first means that this person should have self-control, self-control, dedication and service to the country. There is no doubt that Prince William and Prince Harry in England are aristocrats.

The British royal family sent them to the Army Academy to study. After graduation, Prince Harry was also sent to the front line of Afghanistan as a gunner. The British royal family knows the nobility of Prince Harry's identity and the danger at the front. However, it is universally acknowledged that it is the duty, or duty, of a nobleman to dedicate himself to the country and take risks.

During World War II in Britain, there was a widely circulated photo. At that time, King Edward of England visited the slums of London. He stood at the door of a crumbling house and said to the poor old lady inside, "May I come in?" This reflects a kind of respect for the people at the bottom, and the real nobility knows how to respect others.

1793 65438+1October 2 1 day, in Place de la Concorde, Paris, a prisoner who was about to be executed accidentally stepped on the executioner's foot while walking towards the guillotine. She immediately said subconsciously, "I'm sorry, sir." Now her husband Louis XVI, facing the executioner who killed without blinking an eye, left such a calm and noble last word: "I died innocently." I forgive my enemies, and I hope my blood can calm God's anger. "A few minutes later, Louis XVI and the queen were beheaded. Two centuries later, Mitterrand, then president of France, said sincerely at the celebration commemorating the 200th anniversary of the French Revolution: "Louis XVI was a good man, and it was a tragedy to put him to death ..."

191010 On October 28th, an 83-year-old man decided to donate all his property to the poor in order to save his tortured soul. Then he left his vast manor, left with Nekhludoff's confession, and finally died like a tramp in an empty station ... He was a great Russian writer Tolstoy. Many years later, the famous Austrian writer Zweig said with emotion when evaluating Tolstoy: "This disgraceful and humble ultimate fate did not damage his greatness ... If he had not suffered for us, lev tolstoy would not belong to all mankind as it does today ..."

Although these heroes have different fates, they all have the same identity: nobility.

Noble people represent dignity and conduct.

? Until the west18th century, aristocrats were still the mainstream society and played an important role. To this day, Britain still retains the titles and titles of nobles. (The aristocratic class in China disappeared as early as Qin Shihuang unified China. When the aristocratic society in the west turned into a civilian society, the bourgeoisie did not set off a spiritual wave of denying and criticizing aristocratic culture. On the contrary, it sent its children to aristocratic schools to study, bought noble medals and badges, bought noble titles, and tried to inherit the aristocratic mantle in all directions. Chu Anping, a reporter from a well-known newspaper in China, said in The Tales of Britain that the aristocratic system in Britain can continue to this day because it has been recognized by everyone. The common people in Britain generally believe that aristocratic spirit represents a kind of dignity and a noble character.

? Many wars in the Western Middle Ages were very similar to the Spring and Autumn Wars in China. They are rivals on the battlefield and remain friends outside the battlefield. So many wars at that time seem a bit like children playing house today.

? In BC 1 135, King Henry I of England died, and his nephew Stephen and grandson Henry II both thought they had the right to inherit the British throne. Stephen himself was in England, so he beat him to the throne. Henry II is located on the European continent. When he heard the news, he was indignant and organized mercenaries to attack Stephen on the European continent. At that time, Henry II was still very young, inexperienced and had no good plan when he sent troops, so the soldiers drove all the way to the British Isles and found that the money had been spent and there was no food.

? What shall we do? At this time, Henry II made an unexpected choice for the people of China, and wrote a letter for help to his opponent Stephen, saying that I was unprepared for the war and had no food and grass. Can you give me some help to send these mercenaries back to Europe? Stephen generously gave Henry II a sum of money. But then Henry II actually launched the same war for the second time to fight for the throne.

? At the beginning, people helped you, and now you are back. This seems ungrateful to the people of China. It is natural for European aristocrats to be tolerant of their opponents, and competitors should continue to compete. So a few years later, Henry II led the army again and made a comeback. By this time, he was old and full-fledged, so he defeated Stephen on the battlefield. Although he won, the result was interesting. He signed a treaty with Stephen that Stephen would still inherit the throne and make Henry II a prince. Once Stephen is a hundred years later, Henry II will succeed to the throne.

? In the eyes of ordinary people, it seems that they are not worthy of winning the battle, but only worthy of winning the name of successor. According to China for the throne, must kill each other. There is also a war that is very dramatic.

? Edward III's two sons, descendants of the Duke of Lancaster and the Duke of York, were interested in the British throne, so a civil war broke out between the two families. The end of this war is no fighting, no trading. Later, the two families developed feelings and exchanged marriages. Henry vii of house of lancaster married Elizabeth of the York family. After marriage, the two families, York and Lancaster, announced their merger and established the Tudor Dynasty.

? In European politics, there is a special tradition that even if a king is overthrown from the throne, he will receive the necessary courtesy, which is also a manifestation of chivalry. So in the power struggle in Europe, there are few ideas like China.

If you want to take part in the competition, you must be elegant.

? European nobles would rather bear the consequences of raising tigers than lose their manners. 1688, William III attacked James II. William III was James II's son-in-law, but he felt that the throne should belong to him, so he took the British throne from James II and captured his father-in-law. He locked his father-in-law in a castle by the sea and left him a boat by the sea. James II got the news and fled to Europe by this ship.

? The following year, James II organized a mercenary to regain his throne. At this time, William III is organizing a war with the French. Seeing his father-in-law make a comeback, he had to spare one hand to deal with his father-in-law. In the end, although James II was beaten away, he was defeated in the Anglo-French War.

As Johan Huizinga, a Dutch historian, said, "Although the introduction of gunpowder shattered the chivalry class, the chivalry embodied and idealized by medieval knights was preserved in modern western culture". This chivalry is actually part of the aristocratic spirit. As a moral ideal, it has a long-term influence on the national character of westerners.

? After the west entered the civilian society, it still retained the tradition of leniency among nobles in high-level politics. For example, in the American Civil War, the Confederate army was about to lose, and some officers proposed to break it up and disperse it to the homes of ordinary people to fight guerrilla warfare in the mountains. However, General Robert Lee, then commander-in-chief of the Confederate Army, disagreed. He said: "War is the occupation of soldiers. If we do this, it is tantamount to shifting the responsibility for the war to innocent people. Although I am not an excellent soldier, I will never agree to do so. If I can exchange my life for the peace of the people in the south, I would rather be executed as a war criminal. "

? His opponent was the well-known Lincoln, and President Lincoln also showed magnanimous aristocratic demeanor. Originally, he should have dealt with Robert according to military law, but he thought that the hatred between the north and the south should be resolved rather than settled, so he said to General Li, you have reached the retirement age, please retire. So, General Li retired with honor, returned to his manor and wrote his memoirs.

? There are many aspects of aristocratic spirit that we still don't understand, for example, the low-key in aristocratic spirit. Rockefeller Empire, the little Rockefeller lived a poor life when he was in college. He irons pants, sews buttons, doesn't smoke or drink, and doesn't go to the theater to watch movies casually. Like his father, he keeps every expense in a notebook. These people look frugal, but they are not stingy, because they are very generous in donating money to the society. For example, Bill Gates, whom we are all familiar with, later donated all his property to the society. It is both economical and generous, which is also a very desirable part of aristocratic spirit.

? This spirit, from one point of view, is generous, and from another point of view, it can also be said to be a sense of responsibility and social responsibility. So in the mainstream consciousness of today's western society, what moves us most is this ubiquitous spirit of responsibility.

? For example, there is an unwritten rule in the western shipping industry that when a ship is in danger of sinking, the captain must be the last to leave, or some captains simply choose to sink with the ship. This is a spirit of commitment inherited from the aristocratic spirit.

? In the movie Titanic, when the ship was about to sink, the captain went into the captain's cabin and chose to live and die with the ship. This is a spirit of responsibility. When the ship began to sink, the captain invited the small band on board to play on the deck to calm everyone's mood. After the performance, the chief musician bowed to everyone and the musicians began to leave. The ship was very chaotic, and it was going to sink. When the chief musician saw that everyone had left, he returned to his original position, set up the violin and played a new tune. The musicians who had gone far heard the music and went back to the chief musician. Everyone is playing again. The ship is going to sink. Let's shake hands with each other and take care. The chief musician said, "It's my life's honor to cooperate with you tonight."

? This is the best interpretation of aristocratic spirit, which tells us that there is a kind of death that is greater than ordinary life.

The essence of aristocratic spirit

? Chu Anping described his observation of English nobility and aristocratic society in his English Tales. He said: "any real aristocratic gentleman looks down on money ... The British think that a real aristocratic gentleman is a truly noble person, honest, fair and fearless, and can even sacrifice himself for others." He is not only an honor, but also a man with a conscience. " In the words of Tocqueville, a French political scientist, the essence of aristocratic spirit is honor.

? Sometimes it can be said that aristocratic spirit has nothing to do with material conditions. As Zhang Ailing said, the elevator workers in the old Shanghai apartment must be well dressed and neatly tied before they can come out to drive the elevator for customers, which also reflects a noble demeanor. For example, as Professor Xu Jilin said, a laid-off tricycle driver supported dozens of orphans with his meager income from riding a tricycle and sent them to school one by one. We can also say that this person has a certain aristocratic spirit. Therefore, the aristocratic spirit is far away from us and close to us, and each of us can become a spiritual aristocrat.

? Noble in English has not only the meaning of nobility, but also the meaning of being born noble, noble, great, lofty, outstanding and brilliant, and the noble spirit includes noble temperament, generous love, compassionate feelings, clean spirit and courage to bear. There is also tenacious vitality, dignity of personality, human conscience, no flattery, no charm, no begging, no pity; Always abide by the principle of "virtue and honor are above everything else".

? "Noble spirit" is not necessarily monopolized by "nobles". As long as we continue to study hard and persist in shaping our own personality, we are also aristocrats with "aristocratic spirit" What we want to emphasize is "aristocratic spirit".

? At present, the domestic understanding of nobility is: owning high-end houses, luxury cars, beautiful women like clouds, consuming European luxury goods, children attending "aristocratic schools" and studying abroad. Advocating this aristocratic lifestyle is more of a formalistic aristocratic life. It is not reflected in people's pursuit of spirit and aesthetics, but in the form of monetarism in which money is squandered. The "expensive" in aristocratization is gorgeous, magnificent, prominent and extravagant. The media gives us an illusion that this vain and naive formal atmosphere has nothing to do with the real aristocratic culture. This aristocratic culture is actually a superficial and rough cultural atmosphere, which will stem from childishness and stop at maturity, and from vanity and stop at pragmatism.

? The true aristocratic spirit should have three important pillars:

? One is the cultivation of culture, resisting the temptation of material desires, not taking pleasure as the purpose of life, and cultivating noble moral sentiments and cultural spirit.

? Second, the social responsibility as a social elite, strict self-discipline, cherish honor, help the disadvantaged groups, and assume the responsibilities of the community and the country.

? Third, a free soul has an independent will and dares to say no in front of power and money. Moreover, it has intellectual and moral autonomy, can transcend fashion and trends, and is not enslaved by political power and the opinions of the majority.

? No matter in appellation or substantive confirmation, aristocrats must be consistent with their morality, knowledge and behavior. Otherwise, no matter how powerful and rich he is, he will not enter the ranks of the nobility.

The true meaning of nobility refers to its spiritual possession and noble behavior.

Noble aristocratic spirit means living cleanly, elegantly and with dignity. He won't be treacherous and unscrupulous for some immediate practical interests.

Based on this awareness, spiritual aristocrats should have nothing to do with the so-called rich.

Spiritual aristocrats are not necessarily rich, and rich people are not necessarily nobles.

Because this aristocratic spirit can't be bought with money.