books44 Chapter 326 Debate
Chapter 326 Debate
Song Tingnan firmly refused, "No way, Song Mingfu, don't even think about it. You've graduated? Only elementary school. You don't want to study anymore? What are you thinking? Give up now. It's not like the family can't afford to support you."
"Sister, Brother Nan, please don't. You know I'm just not cut out for studying. Going to school would be a waste of Dad's money. I'd rather stay in Shanghai with you for two years before joining the army."
“Song Mingfu, how can you be so short-sighted? What kind of education did you have when you graduated? I asked you before, if you wanted to join the army, did you want to be a private or a general? You said you wanted to be a general.”
"Yes, of course it's the general! A soldier who doesn't want to be a general isn't a good soldier!" Song Mingfu still chuckled.
"You know that too! Do you know what qualifications are needed to become a general? Don't try to argue that many generals were illiterate. Let me tell you, you're wrong. They were just illiterate before, but they persisted in their studies, attending literacy classes, night schools, and many even studied abroad, you know?"
Song Mingfu scoffed, thinking, "Brother Nan is too stubborn."
Song Tingnan twisted Song Mingfu's ear and said, "Song Mingfu, listen to me. This is no longer an era where heroes emerge from chaos. Even if those successful people don't have high academic qualifications, they have gained true knowledge and insights from hard work and practical experience. Don't listen to others who say that studying is useless. That only means that studying a little bit is useless."
Ask yourself again, what are your strengths? Can you even perform a few boxing routines? If you want to be a general, can you really succeed without a broad perspective? You're not well-read, you haven't even mastered all thirty-six stratagems, and you'll be betrayed and still be counting the money for someone else—it'll be too late then.
Song Mingfu struggled to run away, shouting, "No way! There aren't that many bad people!"
"Wherever there are people, there is a social dynamic. For example, in your school, aren't students with good grades and from wealthy families more favored by teachers?"
Song Mingfu retorted: "That's a matter of the character of individual teachers!"
"Really? What do you do when you encounter this? You get beaten up and given a demerit. When you get to the army and encounter injustice, someone encourages you to fight too, and then you're constantly suppressed and become a lowly henchman."
Song Mingfu retorted, "Those people up there can't all be blind, can they?"
"Yes, some leaders do have good judgment and are talent scouts, but you have to be a thoroughbred horse first. Otherwise, why would they notice you? At first glance, all the 'fruits' look pretty much the same. If someone wants to eat one, won't they just randomly pick one? Can't we become the big, popular one that stands out at first glance?"
"I..." Song Mingfu was speechless. It seemed that all he could do was fight and eat.
“Mingfu, let’s not get sidetracked. Let’s just say that society is developing so fast now, everyone is busy building things up, and the country is paying great attention to cultured people. Why would you give up the opportunity to study? Aren’t you ashamed to say you’d just coast along for two years? How many people want to study but don’t have the chance? And how many people who were smart from a young age have slowly faded into obscurity!”
Song Mingcheng nodded, it seemed to make sense; if you don't advance, you fall behind.
"Our family has a very good tradition of fairness and democracy, with no backstabbing or infighting. Siblings also help each other. But where there are people, there is competition, because resources are limited, and opportunities are not for everyone. So what can we do? We can only make ourselves better and more outstanding. How do we become outstanding? I believe it's through learning."
Learning is the most important thing in life. What should we learn? We should learn the truth of life, the reality of life. When we do business, what is the right way to do it? When we live as people, what is the right way to be a person? What constitutes a fulfilling life? The knowledge of life only needs to be learned, not explored. This is not my saying, but the saying of Confucius.
You all know Confucius, right? Confucius loved learning; he called himself a diligent learner. Who did he learn from? He learned from the Duke of Zhou, Emperor Wen and Emperor Wu, and Emperors Yao and Shun. It's said that we can see further by standing on the shoulders of giants. Since we have the opportunity to learn, we should diligently and attentively study.