The 128 most classic philosophical essays in the world

Chapter 41
[China] Liang Xiaosheng

Once the dignity of the human heart is close to instinct, we can only be in awe of it.

That old woman is an old woman who sells tea eggs.On a cold day in December, near Longqing Gorge in Beijing.My son wanted to write a "travel note", and I took him there to "experience life".

The tea eggs are sold by country girls and young women.Just such an old woman, among them, did not try hard to attract.Occasionally, she made a call to sell, her voice was hoarse, so her business was deserted.The eggs in the old woman's pot are not necessarily smaller than those in other people's pots.I don't quite understand why men have to find a hostess even to buy tea eggs.

The old woman seemed content to be deserted, with her head down, fiddled with the eggs in the boiling pot.He raises his head from time to time, and his eyes are fixed on the pedestrians in front of him, as if it's just because he can't always keep his head down.There was absolutely no begging in his eyes.

Out of a moment of injustice, a moment of sympathy, and a moment of pity, I bought a few tea eggs from her.People who live next to good people will probably have this kind of temporary kindness in their hearts, and they can't always restrain this kind of self-expression impulse.It shows that self-confidence is still based on the side of good people, and it is a kind of comfort.

The old woman should give me twenty cents.I pulled my son and turned around and left, pretending that I didn't settle the small account.

The son said as he walked, "Dad, she gave us [-] cents less."

I said, "I know. But we don't want it. In the cold weather, she can't make much money selling a tea egg. No wonder..."

So I told my son what is sympathy, why people should have sympathy, and what kind of virtue sympathy is...

More than two hours later, when my son and I came out of the park, we were stopped by someone—it was the old woman.With sleeves on his hands, his thin neck shrunk, his body was hunched over from the cold.

"This person," she said, "you bought my tea eggs just now, and I haven't given you any money. In a blink of an eye, you disappeared..."

The old woman took one hand out of the sleeve, and with a dry old hand, handed me two cents, a crumpled twenty cent...

The son looked up at me.

I had to take the money.I don't know what I said to her at the time...

And the gatekeeper of the park said to me: "The old lady, for your two cents, she stood beside me and waited for a long time!" When my son and I passed by a stall selling tea eggs again, we saw an old man, guarding the door. Her cooking pot, like an old woman, lowered her head and fiddled with the eggs in the cooking pot.Occasionally, he made a cry, and his voice was also hoarse.The occasional glance at the passer-by in front of him is just a random glance, without any intention of begging.Compared with others, business is still deserted...

Once the dignity of the human heart is close to instinct, we can only be in awe of it.I think my behavior similar to charity lies in that old woman, it is really very insignificant...

Heart mark notes
Perhaps everyone has had this experience, intentionally giving an extra [-] cents to the little girl who sells apples at the station, pretending to be on her way to give the old lady the remaining change from buying buns... However, many people do this because they are not Because of how rich one is, not because of how poor the other party is, but to respond to the call of moral education, to achieve the perfection of actions, and to seek inner happiness.

Everyone should learn to sympathize with the weak, but no one has the right to give alms for the sake of peace of mind.Only when you put your own personality and the personality of the weak on the balance scale, your sympathy is not a simple "charity" in material terms, but a meaningful "help" in spirit.

(End of this chapter)