The height of ambition determines the level of life. From the poems of Li Bai and Su Shi, we can see their aspirations and feel their different life realms. Let's first look at Li Bai's "Let Bai Di City Go Early" ("Farewell to Bai Di, Jiangling can be returned in one day. Apes on both sides of the strait can't stop crying, and the canoe has crossed Chung Shan Man. ), this poem was written by Li Bai when he was on his way to Yelang for political reasons in his later years and suddenly received the news of pardon in Baidicheng, and returned by canoe and passed by Jiangling. Being demoted is Li Bai's life situation. At this time, he is in the low tide of his life, but it is not easy for him to "say goodbye to Bai Di with colorful clouds and return in one day" with ambition and confidence. Explore Li Bai's life: he grew up in Sichuan, studied Taoism at the age of 5, and watched hundreds of schools at the age of 10 ... His life goal was to become the emperor's teacher, and he had great ambitions. So he was more frustrated by the political demotion. When he entered Chang 'an at the age of 40 to meet Emperor Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty, he thought that he was miraculous and would be properly arranged by the emperor. However, Kun Peng's ambition is difficult to display, and he can only sigh that "the road is as wide as the sky, and I can't be alone" ("Three Difficult Poems II"), which is a strong sense of talent failure. However, he still thinks highly of himself. In the words of Du Fu's poem, it is "the son of heaven can't get on the boat and calls himself Brewmaster" (Song of Drinking). Therefore, although Li Bai was repeatedly demoted in his later years, his poems still showed lofty ambition and never fell into the sky; Although I never gave up my ideals and was exiled in the low tide of my life, I never exiled my integrity and mind. Li Bai embodies the pride of "Oh, how can I bow and scrape to the dignitaries, and no one will suffer" ("Climbing Mount Tianmu in Dreams"), the confidence of "Going out with a long smile, are we Artemisia people" ("Nanling children go to Beijing"), and "One day I will ride the wind and waves, and set my cloudy sail straight and bridge the deep, deep sea" ("Three Difficult Songs"). He takes poetry and wine as his companions and mountains and rivers as his friends.
The life realm of ancient intellectuals in China is dynamic. From Li Bai, through Du Fu, Bai Juyi and others, to Su Shi, one of the "Eight Masters of Tang and Song Dynasties", the life realm of ancient intellectuals in China experienced a process of gradual development and perfection. By the time Su Shi lived in the Northern Song Dynasty, the intellectuals in ancient China had made great progress in dealing with people. Su Shi is not only knowledgeable and versatile, but also has high attainments in calligraphy, painting, poetry and prose. More importantly, his personality development showed an unprecedented comprehensiveness. Su Shi's life realm is not as paranoid as Li Bai's in Tang Dynasty, and his life ideal and realm mainly conform to nature. This is reflected in Su Shi's dialogue with Fo Yin monks and in his own poems.
"The heart is like a tree of ashes, and the body is like a boat that is not tied. I heard that you have made great achievements in your life, Huangzhou Huizhou Danzhou. " (Self-titled "Portrait of Jinshan"), Su Shi fell into a trough after his career reached its peak. At the age of 44, he was demoted to Huangzhou for opposing Wang Anshi's political reform, and his life took a major turning point; "Huangzhou, Huizhou and Danzhou", he experienced such three exiles in his life, which can be described as a tragic situation. However, this never destroyed his will. Su Shi really achieved what Fan Zhongyan said, "not to be happy with things, not to be sad for himself", and to take pleasure in suffering through self-adjustment (The Story of Yueyang Tower). When life is hard, Su Shi is still natural and unrestrained, which truly embodies the demeanor of a generation of Confucian scholars. Su Shi has long understood that "people have joys and sorrows, and the moon is full of rain and shine, so it is difficult to accomplish anything in the past" (Mid-Autumn Festival), so he can also send out "A misty rain will last a lifetime" and "When you go home, there will be no rain or shine" ("Rain in Lu Yu, Hu Sha on March 7") and ". Su Shi vividly embodies the self-cultivation realm of "combination of static and dynamic" of Song Confucianism (Xuelue), and also achieved his eternal reputation. The modern philosopher Feng Youlan divides the realm of life into four realms, namely, the realm of nature, the realm of utility, the realm of morality and the realm of heaven and earth. Undoubtedly, Su Shi should belong to the realm of heaven and earth, and be integrated with heaven and earth and nature.
In short, from the Tang Dynasty to the Song Dynasty, we can grasp the life realm of ancient intellectuals in China as a whole, and we can find that the Tang Dynasty paid more attention to fame than moral cultivation; In the Song Dynasty, scholars began to pay equal attention to achievements and spiritual cultivation. The common ground of China intellectuals in Tang and Song Dynasties is that they all have a strong sense of social responsibility and independent personality, both of which are indispensable. Only the coexistence of social responsibility and independent personality is the sound personality of intellectuals; And a sound personality is always the guarantee of a sound life. Whether in prison or in prosperity, we should respect the dignity of live high and never lose our ambition, which is a theme worthy of our repeated thinking today.