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In the poem "The Fisherman," Qu Yuan explains to both the
fisherman and us why he has been ruthlessly exiled, saying "All the world is
muddy, but I alone am clear; everyone else is drunk, but I alone am sober."
Though he has been wandering for a long time, physically and mentally
exhausted, he still proudly speaks of his "clarity" and "sobriety."
Does he not realize that it was his stubborn "clarity" that pushed him to
the brink of ruin? Of course, he knows! In the face of the fisherman's good
advice, he once again passionately proclaims, "How can I let my body be at
the mercy of things, or allow the dazzling whiteness to be obscured by
worldly trivialities?" In reality, this is him admonishing his own
exhaustion and encouraging himself, who is on the verge of collapse!
This cannot but move people! Qu Yuan spent his entire life striving for the
realization of the ideal of "good governance." Even if he was ostracized,
even if he was exiled, even if he lived a life of disappointment, he never
wavered in his original intent.
Some people may think, like the "fisherman," that what he did was not worth
it. But what would the world be like if everyone gave up their ideals for a
life of pleasure?
There would be no "Records of the Grand Historian" if Sima Qian had not been
steadfast in his ideals and suffered punishment; there would be no "Wuxu Six
Gentlemen" if Tan Sitong and his compatriots had not been steadfast in their
ideals, they would not have shed blood on the streets; and there would be no
"Heliocentrism" if Copernicus had succumbed to the church and abandoned his
ideals, he would not have died in a fire!
But none of these assumptions hold true! They never abandoned their ideals;
they all struggled vigorously for their ideals, accomplished spiritual
transformation, wrote brilliant chapters in human history, and pushed
forward the progress of human civilization. Persevering in pursuit of one's
ideals is a kind of happiness and joy for them and a great achievement for
all of humanity!
Therefore, "fishermen," please do not think that Qu Yuan's perseverance in
pursuit of his ideals was not worth it. On the contrary, we should all brave
the obstacles and move forward in pursuit of our ideals! Our difficulties
and setbacks are insignificant compared to those of the great people. They
were able to devote their entire lives to their ideals, so what reason do we
have to give up our ideals due to setbacks and hardships?
Let us hold onto our ideals. Let us once again look up to Qu Yuan, who sang
"The Fisherman," and let the profound classical heritage deeply imprint our
ideals. |
