The power of nothing

The Tao Te Ching says that "elephant is invisible", "true water has no fragrance", "nothing is the beginning of heaven and earth"... Many places talk about the powerful power of nothing.

Regarding nothingness, I have not yet understood its true connotation and essence. Here, I would like to talk about some of my feelings about nothingness from my learning process.

Just like the example given in the Tao Te Ching, in a house, we always use the parts that exist to enclose a space of nothing, and what we use is this space of nothing. The larger the free space, the more comfortable you will be and the more space you can use.

The same is true for human learning. I used to feel that I had read some books and could do some things. Especially when you have done something and been recognized by others, you will feel extremely proud in your heart.

In the past, I always wrote and wrote. Occasionally, I would write a satisfactory manuscript, and I would feel a very pleasant sense of satisfaction. I remember that in the twelfth lunar month of one year, I went to the countryside with the Photography Association to take family photos for the people in the village for free. Of course the common people were happy when they heard it was free. Not to mention the rural people who have a hard time making money, even ordinary wage earners would be tempted when they heard it was free. At the end of the day, I took a lot of photos, printed them all on the spot and handed them into their hands. Taking the family photo, their faces were really happy. And our photographers captured their happy moments and their beautiful and bright smiles. After following it for a day, I felt inspired and wrote a news report. Maybe it was because of true feelings that the article was published not only in municipal media, but also in several well-known media in the province. I felt so happy when I saw it. In fact, it didn’t take much effort on my part to write this manuscript. Before the joy had passed, something even happier happened again. Inadvertently, the leader saw my article published in Guangming Daily. Although it was not signed by my name, it was my article, with almost no changes, and the full text was published. You know, how difficult it is to publish an article in national-level party newspapers and periodicals such as People's Daily and Guangming Daily. In the words of our leaders, we have not published an article in so many years. As for my article, they published it directly without submitting it. This is the greatest recognition for me. It turns out that I'm okay, and I feel a little self-satisfied and a little proud again.

After 13 years of work adjustment, I had more independent time, so I began to calm down and read with my son. He read his, and I read mine. At first, I pretended to watch it just to create an atmosphere. After a while, I really got into it and didn’t want to come out. So I started buying a lot of books and reading a lot. I think I am a little calmer and more accumulated than others, so I feel a little airy again.

Humility makes people progress, pride makes people fall behind. Indeed, because of that frivolous feeling, I lost myself, unable to study more down-to-earth, and occasionally showed off. I don't know what people think of me. Now that I think about it, I feel ashamed for my childish behavior. Only now do I realize that the more I study, the more I feel ignorant, the more I feel that there are too many things I want to cover, there is no time to learn, and I am even a little overwhelmed.

The same is true in the process of raising my son. Because of my son's studies, life has always been smooth. After entering adolescence, many parents around me became anxious and reached a deadlock with their children, and they became a little complacent. People often feel complacent when they achieve a little success. Maybe what children experience in the game is also this kind of small achievement, which gives them a flow experience? In short, this is how I started to become a bit narcissistic. Studying family education with friends, truly being with the great ones, immersing yourself in the nourishment of their knowledge, only then do you realize your own insignificance and ignorance. After I came back, I kept using the excuse of being busy. There were learning resources around me, but I didn't use them. Instead, I had high aspirations for going out to study. Thinking about these things, I inevitably couldn't settle down. When I learned that my friends study every day and make good use of the resources around them, I suddenly realized that learning is everywhere, it just depends on whether your heart is there.

There is a word called "an open mind is like a valley." How big the valley is, how much knowledge can you gain. Now I understand, the more humble you are, the more you learn. It turns out that my "valley" is not big enough, so I can't concentrate on learning. Only by clearing my mind of all the messy things and reaching the state of nothing can I learn real knowledge, my own knowledge.

It’s not too late to pay for your ignorance today, start learning!