The Rise of the Writers of the Republic of China

As the saying goes, all dharmas return to the ancestors.

Sometimes, different disciplines, different theories, different sects, and different religions, despite their various differences, often reach the same conclusion in the end.

What Freud said is actually a bit like the Confucian idea of ​​benevolent governance, and it is also somewhat similar to Lao Tzu's saying that "governing a big country is like cooking a small fish". However, he expresses it more objectively and generally, and only mentions the theory without giving the actual operation method.

Zhou Hexuan admired this very much, but soon lost his admiration, because Freud's thinking tended to be pessimistic.

"It is very difficult to achieve an ideal balance," Freud continued. "Although human beings have ego and superego consciousness, they derive rationality and morality. However, human beings are often dominated by instinct. The influence of my consciousness far exceeds the ego and superego. So war is inevitable, so society is always in an irrational state, which is uncontrollable and unavoidable.”

One of Freud's great achievements in psychology is to discover that personality is composed of id, ego and superego.

To put it bluntly and popularly, the "id" is the natural character, desire, and instinct, such as eating when hungry and drinking water when thirsty. "Ego" is rational consciousness, such as the things in the store should be bought with money instead of robbing directly. The "superego" is more perfect, and it is the self in morality and ethics, such as respecting the old and loving the young, saving lives and helping the wounded, and serving the country faithfully.

To put it more simply, the "id" is "I want to do this", the "ego" is "I can do this", and the "superego" is "I should do this".

The most criticized point of Freud is that he magnifies the "id" to an extreme, and believes that the individual, society and the country are all the "id" at work, and instinctive desires promote the development of individuals and society. So he talked about so many reasons, and finally came to the conclusion that rationality and morality are often difficult to work. Under the domination of instinctive desires, individuals and groups will always choose irrational behaviors, so things like war cannot be avoided. Individual and social mistakes are also unavoidable.

Romain Rolland was the first to refuse. He argued: "The reason why people are human is because they have lofty morality and the pursuit of a bright future. In ancient civilizations, human beings were drinking blood, and then there were slaves and the feudal system. And It is the pursuit of beauty and kindness that gradually leads to freedom and democracy. Instinctive desires always bow before lofty morality instead of being enslaved by desires. I believe that one day, all human beings in the world will be free Free life, eradication of poverty and disease, and no fear of war."

Freud said with a smile: "If you have been engaged in psychological research for a long time, you will find that instinctive desires are like the sea, while rationality and morality are just small lakes and rivers. Lakes and rivers can never compete with the sea."

Einstein asked Zhou Hexuan: "Zhou, what do you think?"

Zhou Hexuan said with a smile: "I don't agree with Mr. Romain Rolland's theory of moral victory, nor Mr. Freud's theory of instinct dominance. I think the most precious thing for people is reason. Morality cannot last long, and instinct can be suppressed. It is the core weight that drives human and social progress."

Einstein laughed: "Like me, I am also a rationalist."

Freud retorted: "People will always lose their reason and morality at critical moments, and act on their instinctive desires."

There is no way to continue talking about this topic. Freud valued the "id", Romain Rolland supported the "superego", while Zhou Hexuan and Einstein advocated the "ego".

This is the case because their starting points are different. Freud has dealt with mental patients all the year round, and he is well aware of the terrifying dominance of instinctive desires; while Romain Rolland belongs to the Virgin Mary (praise), he has abandoned personal and national interests, and pursues the happiness of all mankind.

As for Einstein and Zhou Hexuan, although they also love peace and oppose war, they always maintain their own rationality and will never be as crazy as Romain Rolland. They have their own principles and bottom line, and all behaviors are carried out in accordance with this bottom line, which is very typical of the rational school.

Romain Rolland is still insisting on his own opinion. He said: "The brilliance of human nature is great. Take this international non-war conference as an example. Why is this conference held? It is because human beings pursue justice and light, and desires must be restrained, so we can Unite together."

Floyd poured cold water: "You belong to the few people who can transcend, and people like you are very rare. You can't stop the coming of war, just like morality can't overcome instinct. I don't think that you have this non-war meeting. Look, there's nothing to talk about."

"There is no result in the discussion, and it is not because the instinct is too strong," Zhou Hexuan said. "All countries in the world have their own interests. For example, Japan's invasion of China violated the interests of European and American powers. But why is appeasement prevailing in the world now? It is because the national conditions of the great powers are bad, and no one is willing to fight under the Great Depression. There is also a lesson from the European War (World War I), which will bring terrible consequences. Therefore, under rational judgment, the great powers chose appeasement."

Romain Rolland asked: "Zhou, don't you like this meeting?"

"Yes," Zhou Hexuan nodded and said, "I can only appeal for peace as much as possible, but this kind of appeal must be explained to the great powers in advance, explain the harm caused by the spread of fascism, and let the great powers weigh the pros and cons themselves, so that they Come to a sensible judgment."

Einstein echoed: "Zhou is right. Only when countries see the horrors of war spread will they stand up to stop wars. It is useless to talk about peace and beauty. Morality is just a set of conventional rules, and Rules are often made to be broken."

Romain Rolland insisted: "No matter what, we must work hard for peace and freedom. I believe that the future of mankind is beautiful, but it has not yet reached that historical stage."

A saint and holy fighter like Roman Roland, no matter how naive and unrealistic he is, Zhou Hexuan must be admired.

Human civilization needs such people. The good qualities they represent are the ultimate pursuit of the general public and represent the bright future of mankind. Like a lighthouse in the dark night, the light they emit guides mankind on the right path.

Zhou Hexuan chatted with the three masters all day, and Freud went to The Hague to attend a medical conference the next day. Einstein and Romain Rolland stayed in Amsterdam to wait for a non-war conference.

Anti-war activists from all over the world gathered in Amsterdam one after another.

Zhou Hexuan soon met another respectable woman—the mother of the country, Mrs. Sun.