The most fundamental ability is to recognize and adjust one’s own problems in a timely manner. No one is perfect; everyone has inherent flaws, shortcomings, and weaknesses. While congenital deficiencies may be difficult to change, acquired problems can be perceived, adjusted, and corrected through self-reflection. However, most people in this world either fail to realize or are unwilling to admit to some of their subjective problems throughout their lives, leading these issues to, in turn, dictate the course of their lives. If we fail to acknowledge and rectify the problems we can change, they will inevitably reappear repeatedly in our lives. This manifests as repeatedly encountering failures of the same nature, as if by fate, but it is, in fact, due to our own choices and avoidance.
A review of history shows that tyrannical and despotic monarchs almost all shared a common characteristic: a lack of self-reflection and an unwillingness to listen to advice or accept counsel. Even if some rulers were capable of this in their youth, they often failed to maintain it in their old age. These rulers often destroyed their dynasties merely because of their own obsessions or personality biases. We may ridicule the short-sightedness of these rulers, thinking that if we were in their position, we would have performed better. Little do we realize that most of us are often incapable of self-reflection and humbly accepting counsel in our daily lives.
Although ordinary people may be insignificant in society, this relative humbleness can sometimes cultivate a twisted and stubborn sense of self-esteem deep within their hearts. This may be a psychological self-preservation mechanism, but in an inappropriate context, this mindset can destroy a person. One only needs to look at how people on the internet immediately lose emotional control and resort to verbal abuse when they encounter a slightly different opinion. If they are completely unable to accept different views from strangers online, how much self-awareness and conscious reflection can they possibly have regarding their own persistent, habitual mistakes and problems in daily life?
This issue is particularly pronounced among older generations in China, but the younger generation is no different, merely expressing it in a different form. Just as people in some developed countries may appear more civilized due to long-term post-war prosperity, a closer look reveals that most people, regardless of gender, class, or race, still possess ordinary human nature. When faced with a disagreeable opinion, they also resist and reject it. When confronting their own persistent problems and faults, they will also deny, refuse to accept, or even evade them, though their manifestations may be more subtle and complex.
Of course, unprincipled “self-reflection” that harms one’s own interests is not advisable. Any self-reflection and acceptance of counsel must be aimed at improving one’s situation and abilities, ultimately for the purpose of increasing and protecting one’s own interests. Otherwise, before you can harm yourself, you might already be eliminated by external challenges. This principle holds true for individuals as well as for nations and ethnic groups. For a nation or a people to have a future, they must be diligent in self-reflection and in accepting counsel, but this must be for the purpose of strengthening themselves and better defending and promoting their own interests. Nations and peoples who fail to recognize this will eventually be eliminated by history.