Chapter 20 tolerate

People are in the family and society, and sometimes they need to be tolerant. In the Tang Dynasty, there was a high-ranking official surnamed Zhang. His family was harmonious and his reputation spread far and wide, which spread to the ears of the emperor.The emperor praised him for his way of running the family, and asked him where the way was, and he wrote 100 characters of "forbearance" in one go.This makes it very clear: Only by tolerating each other can there be harmony in the family.This story is very famous.In the old society, Spring Festival couplets were pasted on the New Year's Day. As long as the door lintel read "Bai Ren Family Voice", you knew that the family must be Zhang.All the Chinese surnamed Zhang are proud of the tolerance of their ancestors.

But tolerance is not easy. In 1935, I traveled to Germany via the former Soviet Union on the Trans-Siberian Railway. I passed through Manzhouli on the Sino-Soviet border, and stopped for 4 hours. The former Soviet Customs inspected my luggage.There is nothing wrong with this. It is a common practice in the world to check when entering the country.However, the Soviet Union at that time probably believed that our group of people, traveling from one capitalist country to another, might not have good people, and we must strictly investigate, just in case.Check other bags, I have absolutely no problem.However, the roughest tin pot bought in Harbin has become the primary object of inspection.Knock here, knock there, there is no way a bomb can be hidden under a thin layer of iron, but he kept knocking.I really can't stand it, I want to get angry.There was an elderly foreigner beside me who was in the same car with us. Seeing my expression, he whispered something in my ear: Patience is the great virtue (tolerance is a great virtue).I smiled at him and thanked him.Immediately I was at peace, and the world was peaceful.

It seems that tolerance is indeed a good thing, even a virtue.But, I think, there must also be a limit.After we arrived in Germany, we encountered this problem.Dueling was popular in Europe in the old days. Whoever insulted whom, especially his female lover, must challenge the insulted one to a duel.Or with a pistol, or with a sword.Pushkin was shot to death in a duel.By the time we arrived, the wind had died down, but it still happened.Several of us Chinese students met: If foreigners insult us, we have to speculate on the situation, mainly tolerate, and restrain ourselves with the oriental way of forgiveness.However, if they insult our country, we must fight with them no matter what, and we will not tolerate it.This is the limit of our tolerance.Fortunately, such a thing did not happen, otherwise I would not be able to live here today.

Now the tolerance level of our Chinese people is really short of breath.Crowding is a common phenomenon on buses.If you touch or step on someone else, quickly say "I'm sorry!" can turn the fight into friendship, but many people can't even say "I'm sorry".So they quarreled and scolded each other, and even scuffled, and even beat their heads to the point of bleeding.How did our great nation become like this!I secretly wish in my heart: Tolerance, come back! December 17, 1996