15 extremely profound teachings for children from a great Japanese thinker

15 extremely profound teachings for children from a great Japanese thinker

Some of his typical works include:Gakumon no susume(translated into Vietnamese with the titleEncourage learning),Fukuo Jiden(translated into Vietnamese with the titleThe Autobiography of Mr. Phuc),Bunmeiron no gairyaku (Outline of Civilization)...

In addition to the monumental works that have had a significant influence on Japanese thought mentioned above, Fukuzawa Yukichi also has short treatises discussing human dignity, habits, and lifestyles in society.

Especially to teach his two sons, he wroteHibi no oshie-Daily teachings,with thosevery profound lessonnot only in his time but even today.

Here are some teachingshis for his son:

1.When reading a book, we often forget the first part written in the book. Just like carrying water with a bottomless bucket, no matter how much water we carry, we still cannot get it, we must summarize after reading the book.Otherwise, we will forget what was written in the first paragraph.

If you are satisfied with having finished a book but forget the original content, you will not learn anything. Be aware of this.

2.Do not do cruel things like killing insects or hurting animals. When we do such things, we will lose our kind heart towards people and do more cruel things. We must exercise extreme restraint.

3.Even if you are a child, you cannot be a child forever. You have to grow up, you have to become an adult. Therefore, from a young age, you must not depend on or expect anything from others.

Brush your teeth, wash your face, dress yourself, put on your socks... In addition, you should do things yourself that you can do. In English, this is called "independent". "Independent" means "independent". Independence means being self-reliant, not relying on others.

Japanese children are taught to be independent from a young age. Photo: The Telegraph

4.The human heart, like the face, is different for each person. Some people have round faces, some have long faces. No two faces are alike. And the same is true for the heart. No two hearts are alike.

Some people are hot-tempered, some are patient. Some are quiet, some are loud. So don't look at other people's behavior and get angry because you don't like it. Try to control yourself. The important thing is to live in harmony with each other.

5.People who cannot see or hear are called disabled. You are lucky to be born without any disabilities. But disabilities are not only in the eyes and ears, there are also people who are mentally disabled.

Listening to a sermon without understanding it is worse than being deaf, and looking at a book without reading it is worse than being blind. Disabilities such as not being able to see or not being able to hear are not shameful. It is the disability of the soul that is truly shameful.

6.Whether cotton or any other fabric, wearing cheap clothes is not shameful. But dirty clothes, dirty hands and feet, and uncleanliness are shameful. From a young age, you must pay attention to cleanliness, hygiene, washing your hands and feet, and not dirtying your clothes.

7.People must have courage. Courage is strength. Courage is an attitude, a spirit of not being afraid of things. No matter what it is, whatever you decide, you must not give up. Even if there are hardships, you must overcome them to complete your goal.

For example, just because you can't remember everything in one go, don't give up reading. You have to show strength here. Read once, twice, ten times, twenty times, read until you absorb it. The important thing is to make an effort with a strong spirit and heart.

8.In this world, no one is as wonderful as our parents. No one is as kind to us as our parents. Parents being healthy and living long is the wish of their children, but we cannot know in advance. Today our parents are alive, but who knows, tomorrow they will be gone.

The life and death of parents is in the hands of the gods. Gods create parents and let them live, sometimes they kill them. All things in heaven and earth are created by gods. Therefore, from a young age, be grateful to gods and follow their teachings.

9.Every day we eat three meals, go to bed at night, and wake up in the morning. Every day is the same [...]Horses, pigs, and other animals can eat, drink, and sleep. Having been born as humans, how can we only spend our days like animals, horses, and pigs? How despicable that would be.

Once born as humans in this world, we must do things that birds and animals cannot do. We must show our difference from animals. That difference is to be imbued with morality, not to be lost in immediate desires, to write, to read books, to understand the vast world, to know the difference between the old world and the new world.

We can communicate with people in society, as a member of society, without doing anything that is shameful to our conscience. It is because we can do these things that humans are different from animals and are called the primates of all things.

10.If you get an injury on your hand or foot, you can take care of it, apply medicine, and treat it until it heals. If it is a small wound, it will not leave a scar.

Humans are creatures that do not lie. They are also creatures that do not steal. Therefore, just one lie, one theft will become a wound in the soul.

A wound in the soul is more terrible than a wound on the limbs. Because it cannot be cured with medicine or a patch, and it will become a lifelong wound. Therefore, we must be careful not to let the soul be injured.

11.Children always want to be loved by others. When interacting with others in society, of course they must be obedient and gentle, but even when at home they must be like that. When asking someone to do something for them, they must not say it in vain.

For example, when you want to drink water, instead of "give me a glass of water", if you know how to say "give me a glass of water", the person you ask will happily get you water to drink. Whatever you do, always pay attention to your words, do not be rude.

Fukuzawa Yukichi especially emphasized the importance of reading. Photo: Japan Times

12.In the past, people who did difficult work were respected, and people who did easy work were looked down upon. It can be said that reading books, thinking about things, and doing things that are useful to society are difficult jobs. Becoming a respected person or a looked down upon person depends on the difficulty or ease of the job.

In the past, people of high status such as nobles, nobles, warriors... rode horses and held swords, looking very elegant on the outside but empty on the inside.

Books not read, difficult theories not understood, just let the days pass by. Looking at people like that, there is no need to respect or fear their status. These people only have money and rice left by their ancestors, so they look flashy like that but are just like rickshaw pullers.

13.Look at others and think of yourself. Even if you don't lack food and clothing, if your soul is poor, your heart is evil, you don't read books, you don't study, then no matter how gorgeous your kimono is or how big your house is, you will still be looked down upon as a beggar by everyone around you.

14.[...] If you sow barley, barley will grow; if you sow beans, beans will grow; a wooden boat floats, an earthen boat sinks [...]So now, if you do good, good will come; if you do bad, bad will come.[...]Doing bad things will definitely bring bad consequences. Walls have ears, doors have eyes. Can you escape your sins by doing bad things? There is absolutely no way to escape your sins.

15.Once born as a human, one must do things that are useful to society. Farmers grow rice, carpenters build houses, merchants sell goods, doctors treat patients, scholars teach morality and improve people's knowledge, and political officials make life in society better...

Everyone has their own role. Every job is indispensable in society. As long as one does something useful for society, that person will be rewarded. And can also live a good life.

Yet there are people who only care about money, not thinking about the good or bad of society, just satisfying their own greed. People earn money by gambling, selling useless things to others, or deceiving women and children to earn money, doing evil things without feeling ashamed.

There are really many people like that. Such things not only bother others, are greedy, only care about their own interests, are not beneficial to society, but on the contrary, cause disaster to others, affect the country's economy and at that time, they themselves also suffer the damage.