Yan Shu, a poet in the Northern Song Dynasty, was known for his honesty. When he was fourteen years old, someone recommended him to the emperor as a child prodigy. The emperor summoned him and asked him to take the exam at the same time as more than a thousand Jinshi. As a result, Yan Shu discovered that the exam was one he had just practiced ten days ago, so he truthfully reported it to Zhenzong and requested that other questions be changed. Song Zhenzong admired Yan Shu's honest character very much and gave him "the same background as a Jinshi". When Yan Shu was in office, the world was at peace. As a result, officials of all sizes in the capital often went to the countryside to play or held various banquets in restaurants and teahouses in the city. Yan Shu's family was poor and he had no money to go out to eat, drink and have fun, so he had to read and write articles at home with his brothers. One day, Zhenzong promoted Yan Shu to the East Palace official who assisted the prince in his studies. The ministers were surprised and didn't understand why Zhenzong made such a decision. Zhenzong said: "Recently, the ministers often go out to play and have banquets. Only Yan Shu studies behind closed doors. He is so self-respecting and prudent that he is a suitable candidate for the East Palace official." After thanking Yan Shu, he said: "I am actually a person who likes to play and have banquets. It's just my family. It's just poverty. If I had money, I would have participated in the banquet." These two things established Yan Shu's credibility in front of the officials, and Song Zhenzong also trusted him more.
2． Comparison between Washington, Nixon and Clinton
Washington chopped down one of his father's cherry trees with a hatchet. When my father saw that his beloved tree was cut down, he was very angry and threatened to teach the man who cut down the tree a lesson. Washington admitted his mistake without hesitation in front of his furious father. The father was moved and said that Washington's honesty was much more precious than all the cherry trees. Similarly, US President Richard Nixon was forced to resign after being exposed for lying during the Watergate Incident; Clinton also narrowly escaped impeachment for lying during a disgraceful scandal. One was loved and respected for his honesty, the two were stained in political history for lying.
3． Comparison between Li Muweixin and Fenghuo Opera among the princes
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Shang Yang of the Qin State presided over the reform with the support of Qin Xiaogong. At that time, when wars were frequent and people were in panic, in order to establish prestige and promote reforms, Shang Yang ordered a three-foot-long log to be erected outside the south gate of the capital, and made a promise in public: Who can move this log to the north gate? The bounty is ten taels. The onlookers didn't believe that such an easy thing could get such a high reward, so no one was willing to give it a try. So Shang Yang increased the reward to 50 gold. There must be a brave man under the heavy reward, and finally someone stood up and carried the wood to the north gate. Shang Yang immediately rewarded him with fifty gold coins. Shang Yang's move established prestige in the hearts of the people, and Shang Yang's subsequent reforms soon spread in the Qin State. The new law made Qin gradually stronger and stronger, and finally unified China.
In the same place where Shang Yang "erected a tree as a sign of trust", 400 years ago, a ridiculous farce of "playing with princes by beacon fire" took place.
King You of Zhou had a favorite concubine named Bao Si. In order to win her smile, King You of Zhou ordered beacon fires to be lit on more than 20 beacon towers near the capital - beacon fires were a signal to alert the border, and were only used by foreign enemies. Invasion can only be ignited when the princes are summoned to rescue. As a result, when the princes saw the beacon fire, they hurried over with their soldiers and generals. After understanding that this was the king's trick to win over his wife, they left angrily. Bao Si finally smiled happily when she saw the helpless appearance of the usually dignified princes. Five years later, Youyi Tairong launched a large-scale attack on the Zhou Dynasty. King You's war was reignited but the princes did not arrive - no one wanted to be fooled a second time. As a result, King You was forced to commit suicide and Bao Si was captured.
An emperor who "stands tall to gain trust" can make promises worth a thousand dollars; an emperor who has no faith plays the game of "crying wolf". As a result, the former's reform was successful and the country became strong; the latter brought humiliation to himself and the country perished. It can be seen that "faith" plays a very important role in the rise and fall of a country.
4. "Yu Li" records a story about a man who lost his life due to breach of trust.
A businessman in Jiyang was crossing a river when his boat sank. He grabbed a hemp stalk and shouted for help. A fisherman heard the sound and went there. The businessman hurriedly shouted: "I am the richest man in Jiyang. If you can save me, I will give you 100 taels of gold." After being rescued ashore, the businessman turned his back on him. He only gave the fisherman 10 taels of gold. The fisherman blamed him for not keeping his word and going back on his word.
The rich man said, "As a fisherman, you have never made much money in your life. Aren't you satisfied with suddenly getting ten taels of gold?" Ganfu had no choice but to leave in dismay. Unexpectedly, the rich man's boat capsized again. Someone wanted to save him, but Ganfu, who had been deceived by him, said: "He is the one who doesn't keep his words!" So the businessman drowned. It was accidental that the businessman capsized and met the same man twice, but the bad news for the businessman was to be expected. Because if a person does not keep his word, he will lose the trust of others. Therefore, once he is in trouble, no one is willing to come to his rescue. Those who break their trust will have no choice but to sit back and wait for death if they are in trouble.
5. Ji Bu's "a promise of a thousand gold" saved him from disaster.
In the late Qin Dynasty, there was a man named Ji Bu who always kept his word and had a very high reputation. Many people had established a strong friendship with him. There was even a proverb circulating at that time: "It is better to get Jibu Yinuo than to get a hundred catties of gold." (This is the origin of the idiom "A promise of a thousand catties") Later, he offended Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, and was offered a reward for his arrest. As a result, his old friend not only was not deceived by the huge sum of money, but also risked the destruction of the nine tribes to protect him and save him from disaster. A person who is honest and trustworthy will naturally get a lot of help and can gain everyone's respect and friendship. On the other hand, if you are greedy for temporary comfort or small gains and break your trust with your friends, you will get "benefits" on the surface. But for this benefit, he ruined his reputation, and reputation is much more important than material things. Therefore, breaking trust with a friend is like losing a watermelon and picking up sesame seeds. The gain outweighs the loss.
(For more details, please refer to the "Youth Ideological and Moral Education Reader" Central Literature Publishing House)
6\The Story of Integrity
In the early years, the southern foothills of the Himalayas in Nepal Very few foreigners set foot. Later, many Japanese came here for sightseeing. It is said that this was due to the integrity of a young man.
One day, several Japanese photographers asked a local boy to buy beer for them. The boy ran for more than three hours.
The next day, the boy volunteered to buy beer for them again. This time the photographers gave him a lot of money, but the boy had not come back until the afternoon of the third day. As a result, the photographers talked a lot, thinking that the young man had cheated the money away. On the third night, the boy knocked on the photographer's door. It turned out that he only bought 4 bottles of beer in one place, so he climbed over another mountain and crossed a river to buy another 6 bottles. When he returned, he broke 3 bottles. He cried, holding the broken glass, and handed back the change to the photographer. Everyone present was moved. This story moved many foreigners deeply. Later, more and more tourists came here.
7\The Story of Integrity
In New York's Riverside Park stands the "Civil War Fallen Soldiers Monument", and every year many tourists come to pay homage to the dead. The tomb of General Grant, the 18th president of the United States and commander of the Northern Army during the Civil War, is located in the north of the park. The mausoleum is tall, majestic, solemn and simple. Behind the mausoleum is a large green lawn that stretches to the edge of the park and to the edge of the steep cliff.
Behind General Grant’s mausoleum, closer to the cliff, there is also a child’s mausoleum. It was a very small and ordinary tomb. In any other place, you might ignore its existence. Like most American mausoleums, it has only a small tombstone. On the tombstone and a wooden sign next to it, there is a touching story about integrity:
The story happened in 1797, more than two hundred years ago. This year, when the little owner of this land was only five years old, he accidentally fell from the cliff here and died. His father was so heartbroken that he was buried here and a small mausoleum was built as a memorial. A few years later, the family declined and the old owner had to transfer the land. Out of love for his son, he made a strange request to the future owner of the land. He asked the new owner to regard the child's mausoleum as part of the land and never destroy it. The new owner agreed and wrote this condition into the contract. In this way, the child's tomb was preserved.
A hundred years have passed.
I don’t know how many times this land has been sold and resold, and I don’t know how many owners it has changed. The child’s name has long been forgotten by the world, but the child’s mausoleum is still there. It has been completely completed according to one sales contract after another. Preserved without loss. By 1897, this geomantic treasure was selected as the General Grant Cemetery. The government became the owner of the land, and the unknown child's grave remained intact in government hands, becoming a neighbor of General Grant's mausoleum. The tomb of a great history-maker and the tomb of an unknown child next to each other may be a unique wonder in the world.
Another hundred years later, in 1997, in memory of General Grant, the then New York Mayor Giuliani came here. At that time, it happened to be the 100th anniversary of the establishment of General Grant's Mausoleum and the 200th anniversary of the child's death. Mayor Giuliani personally wrote this touching story and engraved it on a wooden plaque to stand beside the Tomb of the Unknown Child. Next to me, let this story about integrity be passed down from generation to generation...
8\Story about integrity
[Story 2] A soldier was very bad at long-distance running, so in one The troops soon fell far behind in the cross-country race and ran alone. After turning a few turns, we came across a fork in the road. One road was marked for officers to run on; the other road was marked for soldiers to run on. He paused for a moment, and although he was dissatisfied that being an officer even allowed him to participate in cross-country races, he still ran towards the soldier's path. Unexpectedly, when we reached the finish line half an hour later, we were ranked first. He felt incredible, as he had never achieved a ranking, not even finishing in the top 50. However, the officer who presided over the race smiled and congratulated him on his victory.
After a few hours, a large number of people arrived. They were exhausted from running and felt strange when they saw that he had won. But suddenly everyone realized how important it is to be honest and trustworthy at the crossroads.
[Story 3] The story of Zeng Shen killing a pig. Zeng Shen, a famous thinker and scholar in the state of Lu in the late Spring and Autumn Period, was one of the seventy-two sages among Confucius' disciples. He is erudite and talented, and pays great attention to self-cultivation and high moral character. Once, his wife had to go to the market to do errands, and the young children were clamoring to go. Zeng Shen's wife didn't want to take her child there, so she said to him, "You have fun at home, and when mother comes back, I will kill the pigs at home and cook meat for you to eat." After hearing this, the child was very happy and stopped clamoring to go. It's market time. This was meant to coax the children, but Zeng Shen’s wife forgot about it. Unexpectedly, Zeng Shen actually killed a pig at home. When his wife saw Zeng Shen killing the pig, she said, "I just wanted to let the child wait at home with peace of mind, so I said I would kill the pig and roast the meat for him to eat when I came back from the market. How could you take it seriously?" Zeng Shen said: "Children cannot be deceived. Children are young and do not understand worldly affairs. They have to learn from others, especially their parents as role models in life. Today you have deceived your child and soiled his heart. Tomorrow the child will deceive you and deceive. Others; today you are dishonest in front of your children, and tomorrow your children will no longer trust you. You see how harmful this is."
Comparison between Li Mu Weixin and Feng Huo Xi Zhu Zhu
During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, Shang Yang of the Qin State presided over the reform with the support of Qin Xiaogong. At that time, when wars were frequent and people were in panic, in order to establish prestige and promote reforms, Shang Yang ordered a three-foot-long log to be erected outside the south gate of the capital, and made a promise in public: Who can move this log to the north gate? The bounty is ten taels. The onlookers didn't believe that such an easy thing could get such a high reward, so no one was willing to give it a try. So Shang Yang increased the reward to 50 gold. There must be a brave man under the heavy reward, and finally someone stood up and carried the wood to the north gate. Shang Yang immediately rewarded him with fifty gold coins. Shang Yang's move established prestige in the hearts of the people, and Shang Yang's subsequent reforms soon spread in the Qin State. The new law made Qin gradually stronger and stronger, and finally unified China.
In the same place where Shang Yang "erected a tree as a sign of trust", 400 years ago, a ridiculous farce of "playing with princes by beacon fire" took place.
King You of Zhou had a favorite concubine named Bao Si. In order to win her smile, King You of Zhou ordered beacon fires to be lit on more than 20 beacon towers near the capital - beacon fires were a signal to alert the border, and were only used by foreign enemies. Invasion can only be ignited when the princes are summoned to rescue. As a result, when the princes saw the beacon fire, they hurried over with their soldiers and generals. After understanding that this was the king's trick to win over his wife, they left angrily. Bao Si finally smiled happily when she saw the helpless appearance of the usually dignified princes. Five years later, Youyi Tairong launched a large-scale attack on the Zhou Dynasty. King You's war was reignited but the princes did not arrive - no one wanted to be fooled a second time. As a result, King You was forced to commit suicide and Bao Si was captured.
An emperor who "stands tall to gain trust" can make promises worth a thousand dollars; an emperor who has no faith plays the game of "crying wolf". As a result, the former's reform was successful and the country became strong; the latter brought humiliation to himself and the country perished. It can be seen that "faith" plays a very important role in the rise and fall of a country.
"Yu Ion" records a story about a man who lost his life due to breach of trust.
A businessman in Jiyang was crossing a river when his boat sank. He grabbed a hemp stalk and shouted for help. A fisherman heard the sound and went there. The businessman hurriedly shouted: "I am the richest man in Jiyang. If you can save me, I will give you 100 taels of gold." After being rescued ashore, the businessman turned his back on him. He only gave the fisherman 10 taels of gold. The fisherman blamed him for not keeping his word and going back on his word. The rich man said, "As a fisherman, you have never made much money in your life. Aren't you satisfied with suddenly getting ten taels of gold?" Ganfu had no choice but to leave in dismay. Unexpectedly, the rich man's boat capsized again. Someone wanted to save him, but Ganfu, who had been deceived by him, said: "He is the one who doesn't keep his words!" So the businessman drowned. It was accidental that the businessman capsized and met the same man twice, but the bad news for the businessman was to be expected. Because if a person does not keep his word, he will lose the trust of others. Therefore, once he is in trouble, no one is willing to come to his rescue. Those who break their trust will have no choice but to sit back and wait for death if they are in trouble.
Ji Bu's "a promise of a thousand gold" saved him from disaster
In the late Qin Dynasty, there was a man named Ji Bu who always kept his word and had a very high reputation. Many people established relationships with him. Strong camaraderie. There was even a proverb circulating at that time: "It is better to get Jibu Yinuo than to get a hundred catties of gold." (This is the origin of the idiom "A promise of a thousand catties") Later, he offended Liu Bang, the emperor of the Han Dynasty, and was offered a reward for his capture. As a result, his old friend not only was not deceived by the huge sum of money, but also risked the destruction of the nine tribes to protect him and save him from disaster. A person who is honest and trustworthy will naturally get a lot of help and can gain everyone's respect and friendship. On the other hand, if you are greedy for temporary comfort or small gains and break your trust with your friends, you will get "benefits" on the surface. But for this benefit, he ruined his reputation, and reputation is much more important than material things. Therefore, breaking trust with a friend is like losing a watermelon and picking up sesame seeds. The gain outweighs the loss.
Li Mian was buried with silver
Li Mian was from the Tang Dynasty. He liked reading since he was a child and paid attention to following the requirements in the book. Over time, it becomes a habit and a gentleman's demeanor of integrity and elegance is developed.
Although his family was poor, he never took ill-gotten gains.
Once, he went out to study and stayed in a hotel. I happened to meet a scholar who was going to Beijing to take the exam and he also lived there. The two hit it off, so they often talked about ancient and modern times together, discussed knowledge, and became good friends.
One day, the scholar suddenly fell ill and was bedridden. Li Mian quickly invited a doctor for him, and helped him boil medicine according to the doctor's instructions, and watched him take the medicine on time. For many days, Li Mian carefully took care of the patient's daily life, including his diet. However, the scholar's illness not only did not improve, but worsened day by day. Seeing his friend who was getting weaker day by day, Li Mian was very anxious. He often went to nearby people's homes to look for folk prescriptions, and often went to the mountains alone to dig up herbs that could not be bought in pharmacies.
One evening, when Li Mian came back from collecting medicine, he first went to his friend's room and saw that the book seemed to look better.
There was a burst of joy in his heart, and he approached the bed with concern and asked: "Brother, do you feel better?"
The scholar said: "I think I don't have much time left. This may be a moment of reflection. Brother, I have one more thing to ask for before I die."
Li Mian quickly comforted him: "Brother, don't think too much. You look better today, don't you? As long as you rest calmly, you will be fine soon. "Please tell me something."
The scholar said: "Take out the small wooden box under my bed and open it for me."
Li Mian did as he was told.
The scholar pointed to a baggage inside and said: "Thanks to your meticulous care these days. This is one hundred taels of silver. It was originally used to pay for the exam, but it is no longer needed. I will trouble you after I die. Use part of the money to prepare a coffin for me and bury me, and the rest will be given to you. As a token of my gratitude, please accept it, otherwise, brother, I will not be at peace even under the Nine Springs."
In order to reassure the scholar, Li Mian had no choice but to agree to accept the money.
The scholar really died the next morning. Li Mian complied with his last wish, bought a coffin, and carefully arranged his funeral. There was a lot of money left, but Li Mian didn't use it at all. Instead, he carefully wrapped it and put it quietly under the coffin.
Soon after receiving Li Mian’s funeral letter, the scholar’s ??family rushed to the inn. After they removed the coffin, they found the buried silver. They were all surprised. After learning about the origin of the money, everyone was moved by Li Mian's noble character of being honest and trustworthy and not greedy for money.
Later Li Mian became a senior official in the imperial court. He was still honest, self-disciplined, honest and self-respecting, deeply loved by the people, and highly respected among civil and military officials.
Liang Guozhi taught his son
Liang Guozhi was born during the Qianlong period of the Qing Dynasty. He was smart and studious since he was a child. But his family was very poor, and his father wanted him to give up his studies and start a small business to support the family. Liang Guozhi begged his father to let him study for a few more years. When the neighbors met, they also felt that it was a pity that Liang Guozhi did not study, so they helped to intercede, and some were even willing to help him pay for his tuition. The father also hopes that his son will be able to make some achievements in the future, and the family's life will be better. So I agreed to let him continue studying.
The folks in the village are all loyal and honest people with good hearts. Although they are not rich, they often help the poor Liang family. The whole village looked forward to Liang Guozhi's future success so that he could bring glory to their village. Xiao Guozhi knew that he would not live up to the expectations of his fellow villagers, so he studied harder.
Because Liang Guozhi grew up in such a harmonious and friendly environment, he developed a kind, honest, and upright character from an early age.
In 1741 AD, Liang Guozhi won the imperial examination at the age of seventeen; at the age of twenty-four, he won the top prize again. After Liang Guozhi became an official in the imperial court, he never forgot his elders in his hometown and often used his salary to do things for the villagers. No matter where he was involved in a lawsuit, he always considered the people and was well received by the people.
Liang Guozhi was not only highly knowledgeable and of good character, he was also good at calligraphy and painting. Anyone who got his calligraphy and painting works would collect them as treasures. Influenced by him, his son became interested in calligraphy and painting at a very young age and clamored to ask Liang Guozhi to teach him painting.
One day, the son came to his father again with a paintbrush, and his face was covered with ink. Liang Guozhi wanted to laugh when he saw it, wiped his son's face, and then said to his son earnestly: "Before learning to paint, you must first learn to be a human being. Those without personality will never become good calligraphers and painters."
The son raised his childish little face and asked his father in confusion: "Just paint, what does it have to do with being a human being?"
Liang Guozhi said: "A true painter , you paint with your heart, not with a pen. If you are an honest and upright gentleman, your paintings will be full of righteousness and make people feel full of aura at first glance. ”
Son. Blinking his eyes, he seemed not to understand very well, so Liang Guozhi told the example of the traitor Qin Hui in the Song Dynasty. He said: "Qin Hui is actually a very talented person, his calligraphy is quite good, but he is a famous traitor in history with very bad conduct.
After his death, people gnashed their teeth and cursed him when they heard his name. No one wanted to collect the calligraphy works he left at that time. They all believed that keeping his handwriting would bring disaster. His works could not remain intact after being torn up. If you go to the cesspit, you will be burned with fire. There are very few of his words left. People hate his words because they actually hate him as a person.
The son nodded, as if he understood. Liang Guozhi added: "Integrity is the first step in being a human being. Only those who do not lie and are trustworthy will hold their chests high and behave openly." ”
The son listened, kept his father’s teachings in mind, and adhered to the character of integrity throughout his life. Later, he really became a famous and well-respected painter at that time.