Sometimes people have to learn to be humble for their whole life. Humble ourselves, so we can see our mistakes, our imperfections, and correct them. Lift ourselves up, who knows, we might be floating aimlessly without a solid footing, and fall without knowing it.
"Learning humility is learning the virtue of the earth. Later, no matter who you are, where you go, what you do, if you have the virtue of the earth, you will never fall or lose yourself." My father taught me that. The words of a man who had just left his soldier's uniform and became a diligent farmer in the field. Without any academic title or degree, but the wise lifestyle of a simple person is the virtue that I have to learn all my life.
The first days of summer are also the days when schools are bustling with gratitude ceremonies for teachers and parents for their graduating students. Attending my child’s gratitude and maturity ceremony, I suddenly remembered my contact books from all three levels of school.
I cannot remember all the scores, achievements, certificates, or old teachers and countless compliments. I only remember my father's comments. His stern and serious handwriting - every time I looked at it, I felt like I was looking at him. A student whose academic performance was never below excellent, I even ranked first in the whole school in literature. However, in my report card from grade 1 to grade 12, in the "parents' opinions" box, my father only wrote one comment: "He is still immature, his knowledge is limited, he needs to learn and improve more, I respectfully ask the teachers to guide him to become a good person" along with a respectful thank you. My father was not a man of few words. It was not until later, when I grew up, started working, and encountered many obstacles, that I understood my father's message.
I used to feel upset and disappointed when reading that line from my father during my 12 years of school. But decades later, I am grateful to my father for that.
My father never praised me too much, never bragged about my achievements or compared me to my cousins of the same age. My certificates of merit, he carefully framed, displayed on the bookshelf, and occasionally polished them until they were shiny. After each school year, my reward was always a sparkling smile of joy, and a meal full of my favorite dishes, which could be called the most "sumptuous" meal of the year, second only to the New Year's Eve meal. My father always reminded me to try harder, not to be complacent about my current achievements, to be negligent for a minute and fall behind for a long time, there will always be a higher mountain.
Looking back over half my life, what makes me proud is not what I have, but what I don't have: no jealousy, no competition, no envy, no judgment, no resentment, no stepping on others to lift myself up... The luggage I carry with me for the rest of my life, because it doesn't contain those things, will be extremely light.
After more than half of my life, looking back at everything like flowing water and drifting clouds, I realized that "the happiness of the earth" - humility is a reliable map for my feet to not get lost. Thank you, Dad, for not giving me pride, so that I can have the simple yet lasting happiness of life.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/nhan-dam-khiem-ha-de-truong-thanh-185250607183509852.htm
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