Try to be a decent person.

(Baonghean) - At the end of his term, at his final meeting as head of the Government, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung bid farewell to the members of the Government and urged himself and his colleagues, whether they continue working or retire, to strive to be decent people.

If everyone lives a decent life, society will become a better place. (Image from the Internet)

A National Assembly delegate, before leaving office, in the concluding remarks of his speech to the National Assembly on the morning of March 28th, borrowed the Prime Minister's words, wishing all delegates of the 13th National Assembly good health, happiness, and continued kindness. This sincere and simple farewell is perhaps the most memorable and widely discussed statement in society recently.

First of all, that statement is impressive because of its ambiguity and the depth of its thought, with its value concentrated in the word "ráng" (to try/strive). "Ráng" is a word from the Southern dialect. Its basic meaning is to try, to make the utmost effort. People have to try, to strive, to make a great effort when their actual abilities and inherent strength are insufficient to fully accomplish something; only then might they succeed. Or, they might have the ability and strength to do it, but their character and moral conduct prevent them from easily achieving it. Therefore, they have to... try.

In short, one only has to struggle, to try, to make an effort when faced with something extremely difficult, something that is not easy to accomplish. The painful truth is that the most difficult task, one that requires such effort to succeed, is being a decent person. This means that being a decent person is not easy. Even among those who should and naturally be considered the most decent. Because since ancient times there has been a saying, "parents of the people," officials are like parents to the people. And as parents, they should treat their children kindly. That is the natural order of things, no need to force it. Yet… one still has to struggle. What could be more bitter and painful than that!

The profound meaning lies in the two words "kindness." So what is kindness? This is a word of Chinese origin. The word "tử" means small things. The word "tế" means ordinary things. The two words "tử tế" combined mean being careful in small matters, but over time, the meaning has changed. True kindness is not something that can be obtained with money or by wanting it. It must be learned, taught, practiced, inherited, and preserved. Kindness is like fragrant, beautiful flowers; it is indispensable to life. Kindness exists in every person, every family, every lineage, every nation. Let us persistently awaken it, place it on the ancestral altar or on the national stage. Because without it, a community, no matter how strenuous its efforts and how lofty its aspirations, will only amount to nonsense.

Let's first guide children and adults alike to learn how to be good people – decent people – before aspiring to and leading them to become powerful, talented, or extraordinary individuals... And decent people, of course, don't steal or rob. They don't take what belongs to others as their own. They don't take what belongs to the public as their own. They don't appropriate things that aren't the result of their own sweat and tears. And in that way, there will be no embezzlement or corruption.

Kind people on the road will know how to restrain themselves, be considerate of others, not push or shove, and not speed or overtake recklessly. If that were the case, there wouldn't be the daily problem of several people, like clockwork, losing their lives in traffic accidents. Kind people would never harm others for their own gain, such as spraying chemicals on vegetables and fruits, or adding growth hormones to livestock to make money quickly. If that were the case, there wouldn't be the deadly consequences of consuming toxic food on our people's tables…

A decent person will also live honestly and truthfully, without deceit. Therefore, it is unacceptable for hypocrisy to increasingly overshadow genuine morality, for pragmatism to become more prevalent in a segment of society, and for greed, selfishness, dishonesty, fraud, robbery, murder, and other social evils to create insecurity among the people.

In short, those messages are a message to the entire society, from officials to ordinary citizens, urging everyone to strive to live decent lives and be decent people. And to become a decent person, one must try hard and make an effort. Because being a decent person and doing decent things is not easy.

I remember that on the eve of the reforms, the talented director Tran Van Thuy made a film called "A Story of Decency" with the aim of...It sounded the alarm about the lack of kindness between people in contemporary society. It was a very kind film, yet it was banned from screening. Only after General Secretary Nguyen Van Linh – the architect of the reform movement – ​​intervened was the film allowed to be released.I'm just mentioning this small story to show that everyone desires and demands kindness, but not everyone accepts living kindly. Because being kind in a society where kindness hasn't yet prevailed means enduring much suffering and hardship. Therefore, if you want to be kind, you have to strive!

Buddha Mountain