Chapter 19 Modesty and Hypocrisy

In the field of ethics and morality, modesty has always been considered a virtue and should be praised.Hypocrisy has always been considered a vice and should be suppressed. However, in reality, the two are sometimes not clearly distinguished, and the difference cannot be made.When modesty is too much, it becomes hypocrisy.I think everyone will have this experience. Among the ancient civilizations in the world, China is the earliest country to advocate modesty.In the "Shangshu·Da Yumo", one of the oldest classics in China, there is already such a teaching as "fullness suffers losses, humility benefits, and time (is) is the way of heaven", which raises complacency and humility to the level of "the way of heaven". The level can be described as high.Since then, the sages of all dynasties have been arrogant and modest, and belittle complacency.Until today, there are still a large number of words related to the word "modesty" in our commonly used vocabulary, such as "humble", "modest", "modesty", "modest gentleman", "modest", "modest", " Modesty", "modesty" and so on, it can be seen that the word "modesty" is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and becomes more apparent over time.

I think we should promote genuine modesty and avoid false modesty, which has nothing to do with hypocrisy. But here we encounter a stumbling block: what is "sincere modesty"?What is "false modesty"?There is no clear distinction between the two. It can be said that it varies from person to person, from place to place, and from time to time. It is difficult to grasp a correct measure. The most prominent is that it varies from place to place, and "place" refers to the east and west first.In the East, such as China and Japan, when referring to one's own articles or writings, it must be said to be "clumsy works" or "clumsy essays".There are no equivalent words in Western languages.What's more, there may even be misunderstandings.When Chinese people invite guests, they must say "Jiezhifeishu" when sending invitations. Westerners who don't understand Eastern customs will be full of doubts: Why treat guests with only "not a sumptuous banquet"?The Japanese often write the word "coarse product" when giving gifts to others, and Westerners will ask: why don't they use "high-quality goods" as gifts?In the West, you must tell the truth to your teachers and friends, and you can tell as much as you can.If you say, this one is only a little bit, that one is only a little star, they will believe it, but in the East they will not.This can be dangerous at times.As for braggarts, they are equally despised by both the East and the West.

But how to grasp this measure?In my opinion, here, sincerity is the first criterion.Open-mindedness, if sincere, will keep you learning and improving forever.Some people always "feel good about themselves", and such people often cannot make progress.Kang Youwei is a famous example.He claimed that when he reached his age, he could master all the knowledge in the world.In the end, it is fine to say that Kang Youwei was an innovator, but not a scholar.Compared with the Qianjia masters, and even the masters in the late Qing and early Republic of China, including his disciple Liang Qichao, he has no academic achievements.

In short, modesty is a virtue, but it must be measured and pay attention to things.Humility in the East covers a wide range, and it cannot be applied to the West, so we must pay attention to it.However, regardless of the East or the West, it must be sincere.Deliberately excessive modesty is tantamount to hypocrisy. October 3, 1998