The story goes like this:
Wu Aiping, a girl, saw an old man crossing the zebra crossing with crutches. She immediately slowed down and stopped to hide. I didn't expect the old man to take off his hat and bow to thank her. She was deeply moved by the bow of the old man, so she put this video on the Internet, thinking that the behavior of the old man is worth learning and can transmit positive energy to the society.
The video was posted on the Internet, which aroused great response from netizens and attracted the attention of the authorities. When the reporter interviewed Min, an 80-year-old man, he said: The young man walked very fast, and my old man walked very slowly, but the car stopped there. I was so touched that she couldn't hear the word thank you, so I had to take off my hat and bow to her to express my gratitude.
This news is in sharp contrast to the striking news about the elderly on the Internet before.
Old people danced square dance, students protested and were humiliated by old people; The young woman doesn't give up her seat to the old man, who forcibly sits on her; Two students helped the old man, but they were wronged. So everyone labeled the old man as a "bad guy".
Nowadays, the elderly, as a vulnerable group in society, can't give a strong response to the fact that they are stigmatized and labeled in the network age. And what is the deep-seated reason behind this phenomenon?
It is really difficult for us to know the true psychology of these old people who are detrimental to social order and good customs. However, we can understand the superficial reasons. There are 200 million elderly people in China, and the aging phenomenon is very serious, so there are many empty nesters and elderly people who have lost their independence. Under the existing imperfect pension system, these old people are very concerned about their own vital interests. Once their interests are damaged, they will use the law of the jungle-"who is right and who is right" to deal with the surrounding changes.
Today's elderly people have experienced natural disasters and reform and opening up in the early days of the founding of New China. In today's extremely scarce material resources, even food and clothing are difficult to solve, let alone education. Many elderly people have a low level of cultural quality. When they are old and unable to cope with changes, they will usher in an unpredictable era. Nowadays, young people are very anxious and uncomfortable, not to mention the age of dying?
We often see old people who don't know how to look at the traffic lights, cross the middle of the road with their children in their arms, ride bicycles or electric cars through the traffic, and travel loudly and untidy in the streets.
Seeing that they can't adapt to the new social rules and don't obey the order, we can't help feeling sad and angry at their misfortune. But are these phenomena unique to the special social group of the elderly? Don't old people have excellent role models?
Looking back at the first example, Min's label is very eye-catching, "old cadre". Is this another misleading by the media? Is there an elderly person with quality and education who has more spirit of social welfare?
But I got into deeper thinking. If a person's educational background determines his moral standard, then Touching China carelessly gives us many contrary examples:
Bai, an old man riding a bicycle, donated 350,000 yuan to universities, primary and secondary schools and poor students in the last 19 years of his life. He said: I will teach without eating or drinking. Despite the children's warnings, he began his pursuit of life rain or shine. If it is less than 8,000 yuan per month, he will make up 8,000 yuan and try to push it to others next month.
Wu Jinquan, an old man who grinds a knife, learned of the catastrophic mudslide disaster in Zhouqu, Gansu, and donated the coin 1000 yuan from grinding a knife to the Red Cross. An earthquake of magnitude 7.0 occurred in Ya 'an, Sichuan. He donated the hard money 1966.2 yuan earned by sharpening knives in the past two years to the disaster area through the Red Cross. Since the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008, he has donated more than 37,000 yuan. He is just a villager in Wuxing Village, Nantong City. He is over 80 years old. The old couple still live in three dilapidated tile houses, but the total donation exceeds 654.38+10,000 yuan.
Liu Shenglan, an old scavenger, also began to help students at the age of 74. Since 18, he has donated more than 65,438+million yuan to help students, helping more than 100 students. In the past 20 years, the old man has hardly tasted meat, never added a new dress, and is "stingy", even reluctant to buy a steamed bread. But in the poor years of 18, he donated every penny of his savings to children in poor mountainous areas.
And the list goes on. They are old people, the so-called "poor people", and we are usually vulnerable groups, but they still don't forget to help others. They come from poor families and have not received a good education, but the lack and hardship of teaching resources have not brought them social antipathy and rejection of life. On the contrary, this injustice has stimulated their desire to change society, just like pouring hot oil on the fire in their hearts.
The news itself forcibly labels them as "old people", and I think it probably forgets the premise that everyone is "human". China people are good at association, not only in modern times, but also since ancient times. Mr. Lu Xun said: When I saw short sleeves, I immediately thought of white arms, nudity, genitals, sexual intercourse, hybridization and illegitimate children.
It is a variant of this new era that one person stigmatizes and labels a group of people. China people are good at association and like association. Male drivers speeding may not attract much attention, while female drivers will be accused of being road killers and corrupt officials if they have similar behaviors. However, several corrupt officials who were born in poverty dragged a group of poor children into the abyss, and they decided that the poor could not regenerate.
The philosopher Kant's conclusion on morality in Critique of Pure Reason is: I am superior to others and the starry sky is brilliant; Moral law, in my heart. Mencius also said: "People who can do what they don't learn can also do it well. He who knows without worrying has a conscience. " It refers to conscience, which is an innate ability to judge right and wrong, good and evil in human life without learning.
This innate conscience seems to have nothing to do with education, gender and age. It is congenital, but the thickness is different.
I think the news that the old people are stigmatized has found an indifferent excuse for most people. If this happens again next time, we will have a set of rhetoric to deal with the accusations of the Taoist priests. As we all know, such a flood of news will harm our interests.
One is the kind old people who really need help. Maybe we won't put ourselves in the other's shoes at this level-for example, it's your parents who need help, but we can also think, if you meet, Bai, Liu Shenglan and even many kind and simple old people, but you don't help them, how can you be peaceful for the rest of your life?
The second is you in the future. Aside from purely utilitarian morality, people will need help one day in their lifetime. If you don't keep virtue, how can you feed back?
I am a fatalist, but not pure. When many scientists criticize fatalism and insist on looking at the world with materialistic philosophy, fatalism seems to bring us more warmth and wisdom in the face of social life.
We can't change those old people with outdated ideas. In the face of their indecent and indecent behavior, we are more sighing, thinking of a sentence that Jean of Belgium told me: "Is it really only the elderly?" I think many people who jump the queue are young people! "
I've seen many old people fly as fast as they grab seats on buses, and I've seen old people being polite to young people.
Min Wenchang is an old man, over 80 years old. Although his physical strength is not as good as before, his moral cultivation and judgment have not been affected at all. When he said thank you, he took off his hat for fear that others could not hear him. I think he must have been a polite and gentle young man when he was young.
I once met an old lady. When I offered my seat to her, she said how tired you were. I said I could sit with my friends. She said you two were tired together! She repeatedly shirked and finally gave in to everyone's persuasion. She thanked her again and again when she sat down, and didn't forget to say "thank you" when she got off the bus. I think she must be a well-informed and warm woman when she was young.