Liang Yong'an, who understands young people, said: I am proud that I "don't know". Ability | Story | Young People

Title picture: Still photo of "Out of Africa"

When we face our fragmented daily lives, we have the ability to penetrate it, knowing that we are not confined by it, and that there is a broader world in which we live, so that we can have a true beauty deep in our hearts.

Dialogue scholar Liang Yong'an.

"Gazing at the distance"

Go to the study: Mr. Liang Yong'an, you now have 1.14 million fans on Station B, 210000 fans on Tiktok, 117000 fans on the Small Universe Podcast, and "fans" are basically young people. I'm curious, as a parent, do you know how to keep your children informed?

Liang Yong'an: Basically not. My son is a post-90s generation who has their own independent ideas. He had a few years when he was a child, and when I was a visiting scholar overseas, I brought him with me. What I told him more was that the world is not just one answer. For example, the story of "The Turtle and the Rabbit Race" has been told by almost every parent to their children, and the ending always falls on the point of "The rabbit is too proud and underestimates the enemy, so it ultimately fails".

But when I tell this story to my son, I would say: Is there a possibility that the rabbit deliberately wants to make the turtle happy, so it wants to make it happy? The rabbit is willing to give the turtle a glorious memory of success. Is there a possibility that the rabbit just got drunk before the race and fell asleep halfway through? Is there a possibility that they didn't initially agree that this was a competition, didn't care about winning or losing, and just played with friends? Even a well-known story, I have told my son dozens of possibilities.

Going to the study: But when taking the Chinese language exam to test reading comprehension, you must still answer: The central idea of this article is that "the rabbit is too proud and underestimates the enemy, so it ultimately fails.".

Liang Yong'an: That's right, when answering the paper, you have to answer according to the requirements of Chinese language teaching. This is a basic skill. Compliance with the standard itself is not a problem, the key is that you know the scope of application of this standard, know that there are other possibilities beyond the standard, rather than being limited by the standard. I think any teacher, as an intellectual, would only feel delighted if you could still express some of your own thoughts after answering the standard answer, without frowning. Of course, this places higher demands on educators, both teachers and parents.

Now sometimes, some young friends and I complain that they are strictly controlled by their parents and teachers in the process of growing up, and become "answering machines" and "small-town swot". They feel that they cannot think in ways other than standard answers. I encourage them to say it's okay, you worked hard to solve the problems and eventually got into a good school. Now is the time for you to open up your life, the moment of your distress, and the moment when you are ready to liberate yourself. It's the present where confusion arises! It's time for you to think about the second possibility of the "turtle rabbit race".

Remember, society is real, and life is free.

Going to the study: This seems to be the central idea that your entire film "Liang Yong'an's Film Class" aims to express: to appreciate the freedom of life through the plots and character stories of the ten movies.

Liang Yong'an's Film Class by Eastern Publishing Center

Liang Yong'an: That's right, to open up the possibility of life.

Up to the study: including the sentence you used to summarize the experiences of the female protagonist in the movie "The French Lieutenant's Woman", which is particularly good. I saw that you also printed it on the back cover: I don't know why I pursue freedom, but I am proud that I don't know.

Liang Yong'an: Yes. If we lack the desire for distance, we will be desolate for a lifetime.

"A buffer interval"

Study Room: You said, "The secret of movies is that all you consume is yourself. When you watch movies, you invest in your own inner joys, sorrows, anxieties in life, and desires." By explaining movies, you encourage young people not to be subject to secular assessments and to have the courage to pursue their inner voices. So the question is: Suppose a newly adult student is no longer planning to take the college entrance examination or work, but is preparing to wander the world, okay?

Liang Yong'an: I will encourage those students to go to college first or gain the ability to be independent first. But at the same time, I want to encourage him to learn "spacing".

What is "interval" in the study room?

Liang Yong'an: When a person is young, their relationship with this world is still very vague. So at this time, you should maintain a certain distance from society and yourself, and not rush to make judgmental conclusions. This interval, in my opinion, is the living zone of the activity of thought.

When we are ready to immerse ourselves in this world, when looking at reality, we should not stick too tightly at once, but give ourselves a buffer zone for sedimentation. Don't easily sharpen the rebellion of adolescence into irreconcilable contradictions, as it can cause great harm to yourself. Learn to keep a little distance from the outside world and give yourself some consideration.

Our young people nowadays mature very early, and they may acquire more knowledge and information in their teens than an ancient person would know at the age of 60. On the other hand, young people nowadays are childish in their lives. Sometimes we need to learn to listen instead of rushing to make decisions, listen to the voices of society, others, and ourselves, and not rush to "achieve" - in fact, not only for students, but also for adults, we need a gap.

Because the world is so rich, and people are always childish.

"Nothing has been achieved, but people have been realized."

Going to the Study: In the movie "Out of Africa", the female protagonist Karen, seeing her age, quickly tackles a problem and gets married to acquaintances of the same class. She even spends money to buy her husband a baronet status. When she first arrived in Africa, she brought her porcelain, silk, and crystal vessels with her, and the social identity and lifestyle she valued at that time were completely the style of wealthy European women. But later on, she integrated into nature, labor, and ended her wrong marriage in Africa. After falling in love with hunting guide Dennis, she was completely transformed, and her strength was completely different from when she first came to Africa. Although in the end, her coffee plantation was destroyed by a fire, her lover died in a plane crash, and she appeared to have gained nothing by leaving Africa, you said she "achieved nothing, but achieved humanity.".

Still photo of "Out of Africa"

Liang Yong'an: Dennis gave Karen two things: the first is a pen, and he saw the independent core of this woman; The second is that the two of them took a plane together and looked at the grassland with God's eyes. The language of this scene in the movie is particularly beautifully processed. Such a myriad of phenomena suddenly opened up the previously closed state. How many people and women in that era could fly and overlook the ground from such a high perspective? What is life? Life is about flying, crossing through the mysteries of everyday life, to see the world.

The four key issues of this movie are: firstly, how traditional women can step out of the male track and open up their own world; Secondly, how to rebuild from loss; Thirdly, how to find someone who is at the same height as you; Fourthly, how to release the poetic meaning of life in freedom.

In the latter half of the film, Karen is already very independent and brave. She divorced and is with Dennis. The coffee plantation she runs also blooms and bears fruit. When everything is about to come to a happy end, everything is instantly destroyed. This world wants to solidify something, create it, and become the entirety of our lives. In fact, in this process, people spend their entire lives making themselves insignificant, and in the end, it is in vain.

When I used to watch "Out of Africa", I strongly felt that any one of us, whether great or small, is just a shallow pencil mark on Earth, which can be erased in such a short time. Dennis knows what Karen should do the most. A person spends their entire life writing their own story, creating their own life, rather than owning or transforming the outside world. Dennis respects the nature and characteristics of all things. He believes that Karen's dream of transforming thousands of acres of land in Africa, transforming this tribe, and making a great achievement would be a huge dream.

On the other hand, although we haven't entered or exited Africa, we can still see ourselves in Karen. Now our relationship with our material world is too tight, and we are climbing forward on the prescribed steps of the outside world and giving up the wilderness. But the vast wilderness we are heading towards contains unknowns and suffering. Is this the unknown and suffering we can bear? The wilderness requires you to pay something, and is this the price you are willing to pay?

When Karen arrived in Africa, she brought several carriages of supplies and auctioned them off when she left. She no longer needs those things. The news of Dennis's death was told by her ex husband because they already understood each other. Even clubs where women are never allowed to enter are inviting Karen to have a drink before leaving. These immeasurable things - independent spirit, courage, immense understanding and respect - make Karen's hands fuller than ever before. So even if she loses all the tangible things she has, after watching the movie, you won't feel pessimistic. Instead, you will think that perhaps some of the so-called goals and assets we have been striving for in life for a long time are insignificant.

The essence of human beings is still to be free, we need to be broader, and finally return to our own grand, distant, and vicissitudes of life in this world. At this point, our lives are different. When we face our fragmented daily life, we have the ability to penetrate it, knowing that we are not confined by it, and knowing that we have a larger world where we live, so that we can have a true beauty deep in our hearts and souls.

"Don't take possession, but innovate."

Going to the study: It feels like you are constantly calling on people to seek their own value non utilitarian by interpreting these movies, including through your daily lectures and sharing.

Liang Yong'an: China has long been an agricultural society. Farmers cultivate land, emphasizing the concept of "reap what you sow, reap what you sow." The underlying theme is a "gain and loss" perspective. The biggest characteristic of a heavy sense of gain and loss is comparison, and the core desire is possession. This will cause squeezing between people and a highly singular lifestyle.

Although today's society has flourished, in highly urbanized places like Shanghai, you can see various high-rise buildings and enjoy a variety of cultural and artistic performances. It seems that everyone's consumption patterns are completely in line with other international metropolises, and many young people have never cultivated land in their lifetime. However, our definition of life may not have gone beyond the thinking of farmers farming. We are still pursuing the standard of "two cows on thirty acres of land" - but now it may be replaced by a house and a car in the inner ring, or a few branded bags. We still live within a framework of the past, occupying, comparing, and doing old things according to old standards. Our imagination about life has not yet been fully unleashed.

My idea is that everyone has their own talents, and rural life is great, but there is no need for everyone to pursue the success of "two cows on thirty acres of land.". We should add some addition to society, add some new measurement standards, and make specific people lively and vivid. That is to say, everyone needs to do something new.

Shangshu: What's new about you?

Liang Yong'an: I am here to tell everyone about the various possibilities of this world.

I saw dancers dancing outside the city library on the streets of New York; In the market of Melbourne, you can see some girls drawing and selling hand-painted paintings. Even if you just stop and watch, you can see their joy, harmony, and satisfaction... There is no possession or comparison in this. When you look at yourself, you may feel that there is no need to solidify your life early.

busker

Going to the study: Street performers may be relatively poor.

Liang Yong'an: Let's see how you define "poverty". The current social development actually does not pose a significant problem for the majority of people to obtain food and clothing. The key is how to live after meeting the basic needs of survival. We need to see the romance and diversity of life. We need to use labor to create new things, rather than competing with each other to possess known and existing things.

I think true romance does not encourage people to become hermits like Tao Yuanming. I think people should still immerse themselves in the modern exchange system. The foundation of a person's standing still lies in their professionalism. In fact, just like the street hand-painted girl mentioned earlier, once you delve into it and come into contact with colors, composition, and characters, you need to study the frame, perspective, and details, and you will enter a huge knowledge gap. You cannot simply play, you must constantly learn. This kind of learning will greatly enrich your life. You may not be so wealthy, but you will definitely not be trapped.

Our society is now entering a stage of establishing a new way of life. We can all see that the material exchange lifestyle still dominates our lives. But now more and more people are beginning to realize that they have deep needs, and how to relieve anxiety in life is also a valuable exchange. If you can provide value at the level of the other person's spiritual needs, reflecting your uniqueness and professionalism, I don't think this person, even a street performer, would live in poverty.

Going to the study: So what you mean is to "immerse oneself in a passionate life" on another level.

Liang Yong'an: The key is whether you have found the point to understand this world, know what the world needs, and know what you can do about yourself. So what I mean by emotions, what I mean by romance, is not avoidance, inaction, or inaction, but precisely the need to provide higher levels of value.

What I mean by freedom is the unlimited outcome, the ability to feel the interaction between people and the world in the process, embrace the gathering, separation, and reunion with others, feel the unpredictability, and construct something new for the world.

"Go open, go pry"

Study Room: I saw that the majority of fans who interact with you online are young people, and many young people turn their most confused and conflicted questions towards you. Before I came to interview you, I specifically asked my middle-aged friends if they had any questions to ask you. But everyone says, "Middle aged people don't need to ask any more questions.".

Liang Yong'an: Middle age is a golden age. Everyone has two lives, one belongs to the body and the other belongs to the spirit. The spiritual life can still be young, and even in old age, it can still be innocent.

Going to the study: But the "life of the body" has settled in dust, and with the rotation of various gears, there is no longer the qualification to say confusion. Middle age requires a commitment to life obligations, rather than saying "I don't know".

Liang Yong'an: Middle age can be a new starting point, because you have spent your youth pursuing things such as education, work, wealth, etc. At this point, it has come to a temporary end, and you have enough experience to precipitate and sort out your past life. For another path that you have no choice, you may still have a little unwillingness. At this point, you are not yet old enough, so in the remaining time, this little unwillingness can still pry into the second half of your life.

Stills from "The Woman of a French Lieutenant"

Upper Study: How to pry it?

Liang Yong'an: That little bit of unwillingness gave rise to the lever principle, like a wrench being able to tighten a huge screw. Human nature is to simplify things and enjoy living in comfort zones and inertia. However, if one can step out, they must have found greater value in summoning themselves. The human consciousness of freedom will not have a moment when dust settles. In fact, many people's true lives start from middle age after experiencing difficulties, struggles, scrutiny, and choices.

Study Room: Many people say that you make good use of the latest social media platforms, and now you are a very fashionable internet celebrity. In fact, I think you are deliberately taking on the most traditional role of a literati: a teacher who teaches scriptures in a cave academy.

Liang Yong'an: I think what intellectuals should pursue is not to write like a book, because life is far greater than books.

I have carefully reviewed the data released by the country, and the Engel's coefficient of national residents has increased from over 63% in 1978 to only about 30% last year. This means that the proportion of meeting the importance of clothing, food, housing, and transportation in our lives will significantly decrease, and where will the enormous force released from it go?

What I have always wanted to do is encourage everyone to prepare for a true future world. When I say that young people should open up their cognition and pursue freedom, it is not encouraging everyone to live a carefree life, what I value is actually constructive. My ancestors who have experienced agricultural civilization, our generation who has experienced industrial civilization, and the young people of the post industrial era will live on Earth at the same time as never before. Such three different generations are seeing each other, and this is such an amazing moment.

I look forward to everyone being mentally prepared when the iteration time arrives in the future.