Chapter 1953 - Questions (Part Two)

Fangshaodi's moral education curriculum remained at the elementary stage of "we are good, the enemy is bad." The Executive Committee preferred that naturalized citizens not think too deeply about these matters.

Feng Nuo pondered for a moment before answering. "The real world is complex, but the children in school aren't yet equipped to accept such complexity. In our education, 'worldview' must be 'correct'—meaning we must endow students with 'correct' concepts so they recognize what is 'right' and what is 'wrong.' This way, when they mature and come to recognize machinations and less glorious realities through their own experience, they can stand on the foundation of 'correctness' and reject 'error' as much as possible. We cannot from the very beginning educate children to be unable to distinguish black from white, right from wrong, good from bad."

"Then, the newspapers and broadcasts are for everyone to see—why do they only report positive news, without mentioning that most people have private thoughts or shortcomings, and avoid discussing... those erroneous things? Isn't this a kind of bias and deception?"

"At Fangshaodi, in moral education class, you should have learned about so-called 'truth,' 'goodness,' and 'beauty.' 'Truth' is good, and 'goodness' and 'beauty' are also good. The problem is, 'true' things are not always 'good' and 'beautiful.'"

Feng Nuo deliberately glossed over the fact that among "truth, goodness, and beauty," "truth" was actually ranked first.

"Therefore, in public opinion and propaganda, on one hand we must let the broad masses recognize the 'truth' of the world; on the other hand, we must also guide them toward 'goodness' and 'beauty.' When the two cannot be reconciled, choices must be made."

He explained patiently to Feng Shan, though some of his arguments made even himself frown. In the old timeline, he had been dismissive of such things. Yet now he had no choice but to offer these explanations.

Perhaps infected by Feng Nuo's patient and gentle tone, Feng Shan gradually relaxed. She clearly still struggled to understand some aspects of his words, but she was no longer as confused as before.

Feng Shan seemed to be digesting the meaning of what he'd said. Feng Nuo knew she certainly had other questions brewing, so he waited quietly while also reflecting on her earlier queries.

"Teacher, what is the Executive Committee's goal?"

"Well... I suppose it would be to establish a new world order."

Feng Shan shook her head. "I still don't quite understand... The teachers at school say the Executive Committee wants to create a new world for the people. Is that the same meaning?"

Feng Nuo smiled slightly and didn't directly answer her question. "When you truly understand the difference between the two, you'll have the answer to this question."

Then he said seriously, "However, what I can tell you is that under the new order established by the Executive Committee, the people will live better lives than under the Pseudo-Ming, the Later Jin, the European nations... better than under any of the current rulers in the world."

For an instant, he seemed to see brilliant radiance emanating from the girl's pupils.

Feng Nuo instinctively avoided meeting her burning gaze.

He thought: the transmigrators' awareness of the significance of building a new society and a new world is actually no stronger or deeper than that of the naturalized citizens. "Creating a new world"—a slogan the transmigrators themselves might not believe—the naturalized citizens truly and genuinely believe.

Feng Shan could spend entire days and nights thinking and studying, bearing heavy teaching responsibilities on ordinary days, and still coming here to assist with his development during her free time. She had almost no personal time or space whatsoever. Yet Feng Nuo had never seen her show any expression of impatience or weariness... only a gentle strength and stubbornness. Even he had not been able to fully understand such persistence before.

But at this moment, he seemed to grasp the reason—or rather, to feel it.

"Then, what are the transmigrators' goals? Is it also to let people live better lives?"

The girl really has grown up, Feng Nuo thought. She can perceive the difference between the two.

"Well, that's another question. Not every transmigrator will devote their entire selves to this, but every transmigrator is always striving toward it."

"Does every transmigrator think this way?... Do you think this way?"

"What they think... what we think isn't important, Feng Shan."

Feng Nuo thought for a while before carefully choosing his words. "The development of history and eras has its natural laws. Although it is people who create history, the changing of the world is not something that can be determined by people's thoughts."

He paused, considering how to articulate the issue.

"I can say without any modesty that in the coming decades and centuries, the ones who will play the most crucial role in changing this world will be us—the transmigrators. But the changing of the world is still not entirely the result of each individual's thoughts. On the contrary, our thoughts are merely following the currents of world change."

The meaning of these words was not easy to grasp, and the confusion in Feng Shan's eyes deepened.

"In the long river of history, human actions, besides producing the results they originally intended, usually also produce additional outcomes. People do indeed satisfy their own desires and interests, but that's not all. In their actions, results that were not their purpose—and that they themselves may not even be aware of—are also accomplished.

"Let me give you an analogy. Suppose someone, driven by a desire for revenge—perhaps even justified revenge—burns down his enemy's house. This act may produce results beyond his expectations. Though he merely set a small fire on one beam of his enemy's roof, because that beam was connected to other beams, and his enemy's house was connected to other houses, it may ultimately lead to a great conflagration. This fire not only destroys his enemy but also reduces many others' property to ashes, and may even cause casualties.

"Such results may not have been that person's original intention or thought, but they have destructive power far beyond his imagination. Moreover, this person must take responsibility for it and be punished—he will not be absolved simply because he never intended to cause a great fire.

"Now consider the opposite direction—those who have pushed forward historical development, such as Ying Zheng and Yang Guang, who unified the whole country, standardized writing and weights and measures, initiated the imperial examination, and built the Great Wall and Grand Canal—perhaps their original thoughts were only to live better and more comfortably, only to possess more power and authority, only to satisfy their own desires and ambitions.

"Yet when they accomplished their purposes, they also accomplished certain tasks required by the historical development of their time—or in other words, they followed the tide of historical and era development. Therefore, they became people who pushed history forward. Such people can be called 'heroes.' To call them heroes is not because their personal virtue was exemplary, or because they were particularly noble or kind, but because they made their contributions in the process of changing this world to better accord with the trends of the times and the internal laws of historical development."

He let that sink in. "So, what matters is not what we think, but how we act, what we do, and what we bring to the world when we achieve our purposes."

"Indeed, I can openly admit that we—the transmigrators—came here with many other passions and desires, and with various private purposes and schemes. But this is not a bad thing, nor can it become grounds for criticism from mediocrities."

Feng Nuo's tone turned somewhat stern.

"A mediocrity can say we are ambitious, want to rebel, are given to extravagance—that it's these desires that made us improve agricultural methods, establish industry, develop education, reform society—all arising from so-called 'incorrect, unhealthy' private schemes.

"From this view, one can immediately draw this conclusion: this mediocrity is superior to us, because he lacks these 'incorrect' schemes, and therefore he hasn't done any of these things that change the world. He merely lives his mediocre life, letting others live mediocre lives, while the world remains unchanged."

"This is a vulgar view, and such vulgar views are particularly prone to appear among one type of person." He paused deliberately.

"Life secretaries."

"We cannot help eating and drinking, we cannot help wearing clothes, we inevitably have friends and relatives, we have emotions and desires, joys and sorrows, and yes—we also have personal interests, hobbies, and even shortcomings. This is our private nature."

He drew breath. "'No man is a hero to his valet. This is not because the hero is no hero, but because the valet is a valet.'"

"A sage from... Australia once said: 'No man is a hero to his valet—but that is not because the hero is no hero, but because the valet is merely a valet.'"

"Life secretaries, as well as those naturalized citizens working at our side—they handle our food, clothing, shelter, and transport; they know our habits and shortcomings. They are too intimate with our private lives, so that in their eyes, they can only see trivial matters concerning us. And in such matters, we are ordinary people just like them—plain and unremarkable. Not only that—perhaps in their eyes, we have even more shortcomings, and our standards may even be several degrees below average."

Feng Shan's face grew hot.

"But, Feng Shan, I hope you won't be like them. You have the ability to view us—the transmigrators—from the perspective of world change, to view the Executive Committee's enterprise and understand its significance."

"Don't observe us from the perspective of a life secretary. Evaluate us from the perspective of how the world has changed. I hope you can become someone with the same vision as us, standing at the same height. I hope you won't become a servant, but a master. Master of yourself, master of the world." He looked directly into Feng Shan's eyes as he spoke.

(End of Chapter)