Chapter 65 Mr. Hu Shi's Three Herbs

Dr. Hu Shih, who has been suffering from minor illnesses for many years, has reached the age of 70, but still tirelessly was invited to fly from Taipei to Tainan. In the hot weather, he delivered a long speech to the students at the graduation ceremony of the 48th academic year of Chenggong University. Seventy-nine minutes of cordial speeches. Frequent sweating;I think it was his sincerity in caring and teaching the youth that supported him to complete a moving speech after recovering from a minor illness. When he finished his speech and quietly walked back to his original position amidst the warm applause of the audience, he seemed a little shaky and unsteady.Thousands of hands applauded non-stop, not only admiring the content of his speech, but also expressing sincere gratitude to this academic elder!

Based on superficial intuition, Mr. Hu's body seems to be a little weaker with the growth of the years; he is obviously much thinner than when he returned to China at the beginning of seven years ago.The hair was thinning, and almost entirely gray; but it also appeared to be thinner.After he sat down for a while, he was outside the venue peacefully and radiantly, laughing and chatting with everyone, no matter men, women, old or young, he was easy-going, he was so approachable, humble and amiable, a bachelor wearing a square hat Group, all smiling. When Mr. Hu talks too much or stands up for a long time, he will be short of breath and frustrated. This is probably a phenomenon that only happened in the last one or two years.I remember that about six years ago, when Mr. Hu gave an academic speech on a new perspective on the history of Zen in the auditorium of Taipei Normal University (then it was the Teachers College) at the commemoration of Mr. Cai Zimin’s birthday, it lasted more than two hours, and the lecture topic It was difficult and strenuous, but at that time there was no obvious panting, and there was no break to drink water.During the speech at Chengda University on the 18th yesterday, the reception staff once again brought a glass of warm water.

Dr. Hu Shi said at the beginning of the Chengda ceremony: I am a guest and a big brother, congratulating the newly graduated classmates.He said that he entered the university fifty years ago (1910) and graduated forty-six years ago (1914), so he modestly claimed that his speech should be delivered with the qualifications of Big Brother. small gift. He first told the students that graduation or graduation is called Commencement in English. A new stage in one's life, starting to support one's own shoulders and bear one's own burden. This well-known scholar elder at home and abroad has great expectations for his younger brothers.He said humorously: Our older generation will not have many days to come, but your days will be long.In the future, the future and destiny of the country will be entrusted to you. How arduous and important is this task.Therefore, Mr. Hu has repeatedly encouraged the graduating students that scholars must be ambitious and have a long way to go.We must make up our minds and work hard for the future and destiny of our country.

In his speech, he also quoted a famous quote from the epic poem of Homer in ancient Greece: Now we are back!You see, it is different!You students should also have this kind of ambition and confidence, and tell people in the society: Now we are back!You see, the world is different!It's different again; another one. Mr. Hu claimed to be old and dying.I hope this is a word of encouragement to the little brothers who have just stepped out of the university. With Mr. Hu's undiminished academic spirit and interest, and the same energetic heart as the young people, how can he grow old!Even if the physical strength is a little weak, there is still a lot of work that needs to be done only by the intellect.There is a Chinese saying: Life begins at seventy. I wonder if Mr. Hu agrees with this statement?

Dr. Hu Shi's brilliant speech to Chengda students is also meaningful to all the beginning students at home and abroad.Worth mentioning: The topic of this lecture is: Three herbs in a self-defense prescription.When Mr. Hu started his speech, he first told a story. In Journey to the West, Sun Wukong was ordered by Guanyin Bodhisattva to protect Tang Monk to go to the west to learn scriptures, but there were many difficulties. There were ninety-nine and eighty-one difficulties, so halfway through, Monkey King came back and said coquettishly to Guanyin Bodhisattva: I will quit. !too bitter!The road is full of monsters, and there are difficulties everywhere, which is really unbearable.Moreover, Master sometimes lost his temper and recited the Golden Hoop Mantra, which gave me such a headache that I almost died.

So, Avalokitesvara comforted him and said: It doesn't matter, go back quickly, this is your responsibility. But Sun Wukong still refused to go, so there was nothing he could do, so Guanyin had to give him three life-saving hairs, and as long as he breathed, he could change into whatever he wanted.In this way, Monkey King accepted the three life-saving hairs, and then followed Tang Seng to the West to learn scriptures. After eighty-one difficulties, he finally succeeded. After telling this fairy tale, he turned to the graduate students in a warm tone and said: After you start your career, maybe you will not encounter difficulties, and maybe some of you who are unlucky will encounter more difficulties than Tang Seng.Therefore, although I dare not imitate the three life-saving vellus hairs given by Avalokitesvara to you today, I can give you a prescription, which has three herbs, for you to use for self-defense at any time when you enter the society.It's also a little gift from me.

What are the three herbs in this self-defense prescription? The first medicine is called Problem Pill. The second medicine is called interest powder. The third medicine is called confidence soup. Each of these three medicines has its own benefits, so let's talk about them. The First Medicine Problem Dan: Everyone leaves school with a troublesome and interesting problem or two for company.Questions are the source of all knowledge and learning; living learning and living knowledge are all obtained from practical or theoretical difficulties. He said: When you are young and enter the world, there must always be a few difficult problems that challenge you in your mind from time to time, always laughing that you can't deal with it, you can't do anything about it; always tempt you to think about it.Those questions can keep your knowledge from falling, and you will always be improving.

You can't take the books in the school with you.Instruments, you can't take them with you.Sir, they cannot go with you.However, the problem can go with you, can follow you to the end of the world.If you have problems and no books, you will save money on food and clothing to buy books; if you have no equipment, you will sell your fields and land to buy equipment; without good teachers, you will find good teachers and friends; without information, you will go to the world to find. Before leaving school, you should ask yourself if there are any unresolved problems in my field of study, and make a bet that someone like me will solve these problems within a few years.If you have problems and this kind of determination, you will be successful.

When Mr. Hu mentioned this, he gave an example: There are many scientists and inventors such as Newton and others. How many instruments and equipment did they have for him to research and invent?It is after they discover a problem that they make up their minds to solve it, and then they create and invent. Dear young friends, you are leaving school today. Mr. Hu reminded everyone: Please check again first. How many questions did you take with you in your pocket? If there is no problem, Mr. Hu said in a low and heavy tone, regrettably, then your future is uncertain!Be optimistic! But he immediately said in a remedial way: You still have time to ask the teachers for a few questions, the more troublesome the better, even if the teacher can't do it, let you do it and make up your mind to solve it.

Dr. Hu also said humorously: It's like I am a doctor's prescription. Go get the medicine from your teacher's pharmacy! It caused the audience to laugh.Mr. Hu took this opportunity to take a sip of boiled water. There are 662 graduates from Cheng Kung University this year, including engineering, business, and various departments of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.Among them, engineering colleges accounted for the most, accounting for four or five.Among all the graduates this year, there are 193 overseas students from Hong Kong, Macao and other places. Therefore, Mr. Hu is talking about

When the second taste of medicine is scattered, he said: What I am talking about now does not restrict students from any department.All people have a problem, that is, they only care about their own profession, and they lack interest in things other than their own profession; if you talk to him and don't understand anything, you are a boring person.Others hate him, at least they will say that this person is very good at his job, but he doesn't understand anything other than his job, and he is an idiot. The most important thing is for a person to expand his interests. Everyone who enters society must develop interests other than professional occupations. He then said to the NCU students: Most of you are engineering students. Of course, you don’t have to worry about finding a job to eat, but did you choose this professional job four years ago because it was your own free will?Do you still feel that the diploma in your hand can really represent each of you's lifelong aspirations and lifelong interests?In other words, don't you regret today?Do you still have no regrets next year? Haven't you discovered any new, amateur interests in these four years?In these four years, haven't you discovered your talents outside of your field? All in all, a person should have his career (Vocation) and his non-professional (Avocation) tricks.It's not for eating, but because I like it in my heart, and I do it in my spare time.This kind of non-professional thing can make his life more interesting, happier and more interesting. Sometimes, a person's leisure activities may be more important than his career. Hu went on to give an example: There were two philosophers in the nineteenth century in Britain. One was Mill. Both contributed greatly; the other was Spencer, a surveying engineer whose side work made him a powerful thinker. Winston Churchill, a great contemporary British politician, has politics as his lifelong career, but he has many amateur interests: he has made great achievements in literature and history, and has won the Nobel Prize for Literature; and he used his spare oil paintings, The grades are also very good.When he was prime minister, he often woke up his secretary in the middle of the night to dictate the biography of his ancestors. The distinguished guest who came to Free China today, the President of the United States, Mr. Eisenhower, his lifelong career is in the military, but everyone knows that he loves golf and fishing most, and he is also very good at oil painting. Dear young friends, what are your interests outside of professional occupation?If we can develop a new interest, it is equivalent to opening another door, a new colony; having a new naughty art is like opening a new garden. This kind of fun is endless.It's more interesting than doing four rounds of mahjong without nothing.And when necessary, you can use it to change careers, and often achieve greater achievements than your own. Dr. Hu Shi wittily took himself as an example: I studied agriculture at first, and then changed to liberal arts. Now I am 70 years old. Sometimes I go abroad to apply for a passport and fill in the form. I don’t know what to fill in the occupation column?So friends chatted privately, and I said that I was not doing my job properly, because I had many interests. People said that I studied history, and I also liked literature. Then he said: Although I don't have a real job, I still have my profession in philosophy. However, my reputation in the society is not caused by my profession, but by my advocacy of vernacular literature more than 40 years ago. , Contribute somewhat to the country and society. But if you want to ask what contribution Hu Shi made in philosophy?No one can tell, not even myself.No.But my contribution has a place in future history. Hu Shi advocated vernacular literature; this has nothing to do with my profession. When Mr. Hu said this, he looked around the stage.Then he said with a funny smile: I will use myself as an example, I am not ashamed, please don’t be offended!There is a saying in our country that applauds on the stage but not in the audience!Now there is no applause on or off the stage, so I have no choice but to applaud myself. Everyone burst into laughter, and at the same time there was a round of applause, and everyone on and off the stage applauded unanimously. Taking this opportunity, Mr. Hu wiped off the juice and took another sip of water. The third flavor of confidence soup: Mr. Hu has repeatedly clarified the truth that hard work will not be in vain. He said: We are born in this age, what we see and hear is often pessimistic and disappointing.Sometimes it can be sad and maddening. This era is the time for us to cultivate our confidence.Without confidence, we are really going crazy.What should we do if we leave school and come into contact with such a big society and a big world? This requires confidence, to believe in yourself, to believe that your efforts will not be in vain, and to believe that there is no effect without a little effort. And the harder you work, the more rewarding you will be.In particular, the life philosophy of engineering should be based on the cornerstone of the law that hard work is not in vain. Therefore, he told the story of Henry Ford, the giant of the American auto industry, and his contribution. Henry Ford did not receive a college education. He worked and studied as a child, and only studied for a few years. He worked in a small machine shop at the age of sixteen, earning two and a half dollars a week, and at night he had to help others night work.When he was thirty-nine years old in 1903, he founded the Ford Motor Company. The original capital was US$100,000, but only US$28,000 was raised.However, after five years of hard work, he created his most famous Model T car. When Mr. Hu said this, he recalled that in 1913, when Mr. Hu was in the third year of college, Mr. Ford established the first assembly line of the Ford Motor Factory in that year.By 1914, it had rapidly developed to the point where it was possible to completely use the principle of the assembly line to manufacture Ford cars.At the same time, he announced that his auto workers only work eight hours a day, one hour less than other workers; and the daily minimum wage of five dollars is double that of others.As for the price of a Ford car, it started at $950 a car, and the price was reduced year by year, from $950 to $360 a car; after the First World War, it was reduced again. To two hundred and ninety dollars a piece. Mr. Hu pointed out: Ford was founded with only 28,000 yuan of capital. After 23 years of hard work, it was worth one billion U.S. dollars in 1926 and has become the largest automobile company in the world. up.According to records, by 1928, 15 million automobiles had been manufactured.This is due to the invention of the assembly line by Mr. Ford, which within twenty years caused a new industrial revolution all over the world. Mr. Hu took a breath, and then encouraged the young students in an impassioned tone: Ford's automobiles have conquered the world for fifty years, can't they give us the confidence that our efforts will not be in vain? There was another round of warm applause from the audience. Then he told a second story: Fifty-seven years ago, on December 17, 1903, which was also my twelfth birthday, a bicycle was repaired on Kitty Hawk Beach in North Carolina, USA. The two craftsman brothers from China used their own aircraft to test the flight on the beach. The younger brother flew for 12 seconds and fell, and the older brother went up again. He flew for 59 seconds.These two are the famous Wright Brothers. That was the first time that human beings succeeded in making an airplane to fly in the air.That day is now celebrated across the United States as Aviation Day.But at that time, no one paid attention to the efforts of the two brothers, and no one encouraged them; but the two bicycle repair craftsmen who did not receive a college education were not disappointed. They continued to test and improve.It was not until May 1908, four and a half years later, that newspaper reporters visited and reported on them.At that time, they had been able to fly in the air for thirty-eight minutes. In the past 40 years, the great development of aeronautical engineering and aviation industry is well known to all.And in the last thirty years, the aviation industry has become one of the largest industries in the world. Dr. Hu Shi recalled: When I flew across the Pacific Ocean for the first time in 1937, 23 years ago, it took me seven days from Hong Kong to San Francisco; New York, flying across the New World, has flown 3,000 miles in five and a half hours. He said: I have to fly across the Pacific Ocean at the beginning of next month. I will take off at noon that day and arrive at the west coast of the United States in the evening. (Note from the author: Hu Shibo and many other Chinese scholars will fly to the United States to participate in an academic seminar in early July.) At the end of this story, Dr. Hu Shi sighed and said: Please think about it, fifty-seven years ago, two bicycle repair craftsmen flew in the air for twelve seconds on that beach with a self-made plane. And that twelve-second flight opened up a new era for mankind and opened up the era of human aviation. Mr. Hu became more passionate about this, as if he had forgotten his fatigue, he suddenly raised his voice and said loudly: Isn't this enough to convince us that hard work will not be in vain? He panted heavily for a while, then said slowly: There is a saying in the Bible: Faith moves mountains (Faith moves mountains), the ancient Chinese said: merit is not worth giving.Confidence and hard work will never fail! Young friends, do you have such confidence and effort? In the end, Mr. Hu finished his speech by saying one sentence softly and repeatedly: As long as you work hard, pig iron can be ground into embroidery needles. As long as you work hard, pig iron can be ground into embroidery needles. (June 19th, Republic of China)