Chapter 38 Thirty-eighth letter - anyone can become a big shot

Motto: We are to be the salt of the world. There is nothing great about man, but there is nothing greater than man. (Men are great only their intrinsic value, and not on the position they may incidentally happen to occupy.) June 8, 1906 Dear John: In the Gospel of Matthew there is a holy saying: "You are the salt of the earth." This metaphor is ordinary and thought-provoking.Salt food is delicious, but also cleans and preserves.Christ wants to teach his disciples what kind of mission and influence they should shoulder. They came to the world to purify and beautify the world they live in. They want to keep the world free from corruption and give the world fresher and more Healthy breath of life.

The primary responsibility of salt is to have a salty taste, and the salty taste of salt symbolizes a noble, powerful, and truly devout religious life.So what are we supposed to do with our wealth, principles and beliefs?Undoubtedly, we must be the salt of the world, actively serve the society, and bring blessings to the world.This is our each and last social responsibility. It is our duty now to devote ourselves completely to the world and people around us, and to devote ourselves to our art of giving.I don't think there is anything greater than this. When it comes to greatness, I think of a great speech, which is one of the few great speeches I have seen in my life.It tells me that there is nothing great about people, but there is nothing more than people, it depends on what you do for your fellow man and country.

I now transcribe this great speech for you, in the hope that it will be of great benefit to you. love your father ladies and gentlemen: It's an honor for me to meet some great people here today.Although you will say that there are no big people in this city, the big people are all born in London, San Francisco, Rome or other big cities, just not from the local area, they are all from outside this city, if that is the case, you are very wrong .The truth is we have as many big shots here as in any other city.Among the audience here are many important figures, both male and female. Now, let me be bold and say that the biggest mistake we often make when judging whether a person is a big man is that we always think that a big man has a spacious office.However, I want to tell you that the world has no idea what kind of person is the greatest person in the world.

So, who are the great people in the world?Young people may be eager to ask such questions.Let me tell you, a great person is not necessarily someone who has an office in a high-rise building. The reason why a person is great lies in his own value, which has nothing to do with the position he obtains. Who can say that a king who lives on food is better than a hardworking king? Who is greater than the plowing farmer?But please don't blame young people who are in some kind of public office thinking they're going to be big. Now, I would like to ask everyone in this room, who among you intends to be a great person?

That kid in the cowboy hat, you said you were going to be a big shot in this city someday.really? When are you going to realize this wish? You said that in the event of another war, you would charge into battle under the fire of bullets, and tear the enemy's flag from the flagpole, and you would come home with your medals on your chest, and hold the office that the government rewards you, and you would Be big! no, I can not!No, young man, it's not really great that you do that, but we shouldn't blame your ideas, you were taught that in school, and those who hold office have fought valiantly.

I remember a peace rally in our city right after the Spanish War in America.I was told that as the pop procession came up Blow Street, a carriage pulled up at my gate, and Mr. Hopson was in the carriage, and all were throwing their hats up into the air, waving their handkerchiefs, and shouting "Long live Hopson!" I would have yelled the same if I had been there, because he deserves this great honor. But suppose tomorrow I go up to the university pulpit and ask everybody, "Boys, who sank the Merrimack?" There were a total of eight men who sank the Merrimack, and the other seven had been exposed to the Spanish fire because of their positions, and Mr. Hopson, as the commander, was likely to be out of the fire.

My friends, I have an intellectual audience here tonight, but I dare say not one of you can tell who the seven men who fought with Mr. Hopson were. Why do we teach history in this way?We must teach our students that no matter how humble a man's position, the people of the United States should do as much honor to a man as they do to a king, if he does his duty well. This is how most people teach children. Her youngest son asked, "Mom, what is that tall building?" "That's General Grant's grave." "Who is General Grant?" "He's the one who put down the rebellion."

How can history be taught like this?Think about it, everyone, if we only have one General Grant, can the war be won?Oh no.So why build a tomb on the Hudson River?That's not because General Grant himself was a great man, the grave is there because he is representative of the two hundred thousand brave men who lost their lives to the country, many of whom were as great as General Grant.That's the real reason that beautiful tomb stands on the banks of the Hudson. I remember one incident, which is the only one I can think of tonight, to illustrate the situation.I was so ashamed of the incident that I couldn't get it out of my mind.I close my eyes now and go back in time to 1863 and I can see my old home in the Berkshire Hills and see the bull market packed and the local church and town hall packed.

I heard the band playing, saw the flag flying and the handkerchiefs waving in the wind.I still remember the scene of that day.The crowd had come to meet a company of soldiers, and that company was also marching.They had completed one term of service in the Civil War and were due to be extended for another, and were now being welcomed by their hometown elders.I was just a young lad, but I was the company commander of that company.On that day, I was so proud that I was like a fully inflated balloon - just a thin needle can pierce me.I'm at the front of the line and I'm prouder than anyone else in the world.

We marched into the town hall, and they arranged for my soldiers to sit in the middle of the hall, and I sat in the front row, and then the town officials marched out of the crowd, and they went to the stage and sat in a semicircle. Next, the mayor couldn't sit in the middle of that semicircular seat.He was an old man with gray hair who had never held public office before.He thought that since he held public office, he was a great man.When he stood up, he first adjusted his pair of heavy glasses, and then looked around the audience with an incomparably majestic posture.Suddenly, his eyes fell on me, and the kind old man came up to me and invited me to sit on stage with the town officials.

Invite me on stage!Before I joined the military, no city official noticed me.I sat at the stage with my sword dangling on the floor.I folded my arms and waited to be welcomed, feeling like Napoleon V!Pride always precedes destruction and failure. At this time, the mayor delivered a speech on behalf of the people, welcoming our group of returning soldiers. He took out the speech from his pocket, spread it carefully on the podium, and then adjusted his glasses.He took a few steps back from behind the pulpit before walking forward.He must have studied his speech carefully, for he assumed the orator's stance, weighted on his left foot, moved his right foot slightly forward, pulled back his shoulders, and opened his mouth in forty-five degree angle to reach out. "Dear citizens," he began, "we are delighted to welcome back to their homeland these valiant...bloodless...soldiers. There is a young hero (meaning me)...the young hero, whom we have seen in our imagination lead an army in a mortal struggle against the enemy. We see his shining sword...in Blinding in the sun, he shouted at his troops, 'Charge'." God!The good old man knew nothing about war.As long as he knows a little about war, he will know one fact: it is a huge mistake for an infantry officer to run ahead of his subordinates in a critical moment.I actually held the command knife gleaming in the sun and shouted to my subordinates: Charge!I never did that. Think about it, will I run to the front and be flanked by the enemy in front and my own troops behind?Officers shouldn't have gone there.In actual combat, the officer's position is right behind the soldiers.Because I was a staff officer, when the rebels rushed out of the woods and attacked us from all directions, I always rode on my horse and shouted to our army all the way: "Stand back, officer! Stand back, officer!" Then, Every officer retreats to the back of the combat zone, and the higher the rank the further the retreat.Not because he lacked courage, but because that's the way combat works.If the general goes to the front and is killed, the battle is lost, because the whole battle plan is in his head, and he must be in absolute safety. How could I hold "that saber gleaming in the sun".what!Among the soldiers sitting in the city hall that day, some had died to protect me, a half-sized officer, and some had carried me across a very deep river on their backs.Others were not there because they died for their country.Speakers have mentioned them too, but they have not been noticed.Yes, people who really died for their country were not noticed, but my little boy was said to be a hero of the time. Why am I considered a hero?Simply because that speaker fell into the same stupid trap.This little boy is an officer, the others are just soldiers.I learned a lesson of a lifetime from this.A man is not great because he holds some kind of official title.The reason why he is great is that he has created a great cause with a small tool and completed his life goal as an unknown commoner.This is true greatness. An individual is great wherever he goes, as long as he can offer to the public wide streets, comfortable houses, elegant schools, stately churches, sincere admonitions, and genuine happiness, as long as he can obtain the gratitude of the native population.But he would not be a great man wherever he goes on earth if he is not appreciated by the local population. I want all of you here to know that we live in meaningful actions, not years; we live in feelings, not numbers on a phone button; we live in thoughts, not air; we live in Time should be measured in heartbeats with the right goal. If you forget what I said tonight, please don't forget what I said next: He who thinks the most, feels the most noble, and acts the most right lives the most fully!