Letter from Xu Qiyao to his son: Principles of Being an Official
On October 8, 2000, Xu Qiyao, the director of the Jiangsu Provincial Construction Department, was arrested by the local procuratorate for embezzlement and bribery of over 20 million yuan. During the investigation, evidence such as a "diary" written to his son by Xu and 146 mistresses was discovered. In the letter, Xu expressed his experience as an official and summarized the principles of being an official. The full text of the letter is as follows:
Child:
I have received your letter and I am pleased with your performance in university. You must continue to work hard. Since you have chosen the path of being an official, you must remember the advice I am about to give you:
- Do not pursue the truth or seek the true nature of things.
Leave the exploration of truth to intellectuals, as it is their job. Remember this creed: what is beneficial to you is correct. If you cannot grasp it, simplify it to: what your superiors advocate is correct. - Not only must you learn to tell lies, but you must also be good at it.
Make telling lies a habit, no, make it a career, to the extent that you believe in what you say. Prostitution and being an official are the most similar professions, except that officials sell their mouths. Remember, after becoming an official, your mouth does not belong solely to you, so say whatever is necessary. - You must have a diploma, but you must not actually have knowledge, as it will harm you.
With knowledge, you will think independently, and independent thinking is a taboo in politics. Don't be fooled by the fact that current leaders have master's or doctoral degrees, they are all fake. Some people graduate with a doctorate and immediately become civil servants, showing that they never intended to pursue knowledge from the day they started studying, and they definitely lack ability. Remember, a true doctorate can never become an official.
(Note: This is the interpretation of Mao Zedong's famous quote "The more knowledge, the more reactionary.") - What is the purpose of being an official? It is for personal gain.
You must tirelessly seize various benefits. Some people now call this corruption. Not only must you clearly make seizing benefits the purpose of being an official, but it must also be the only purpose. Your superiors promote you because you can bring them benefits; your subordinates obey you because you can bring them benefits; your colleagues around you take care of you because you can bring them benefits. You can do without it yourself, but you must give it to others. Remember, if the purpose of seizing benefits becomes vague, you are not far from failure. - Being a good person must come first, and then being good at work.
Do not interpret being a good person and being good at work as having both virtue and talent. Being a good person means managing relationships. Doing work is the actual job, and whether you are good at it or not doesn't matter. Being a good person means weaving yourself into a network, becoming a part of it. Remember, when people say someone has strong work ability, it doesn't mean they are good at their job, it means they are good at managing relationships. Ha, those who understand ability as work ability are truly clueless. - Regardless of the external changes in our society, its essence is still a peasant society.
Whoever caters to the peasants will succeed. Regardless of their appearance, everyone around us is a peasant at heart. The characteristics of peasants are short-sightedness and a focus on immediate benefits. Therefore, your methods and approaches to work must have peasant characteristics. You must focus on short-term benefits and have a narrow vision. Once you broaden your horizons, you no longer belong to this group, and the consequences can be imagined. Learn more about the feudal system, such as forming brotherhoods, it's not excessive. - Believe that flattery is a high art.
Do not think that flattery only requires thick-skinnedness. There are many women who can do that, but only a few can marry rich men or sell themselves for a good price. This is the same principle as flattery. Flattery is done to gain the appreciation of superiors. In a society ruled by individuals, the appreciation of superiors is the only way to get promoted, everything else is just a formality, and this should not be overlooked.
(Note: Throughout history, China has been a society based on personal relationships, customs, and rules, rather than a society based on credit, commerce, and regulations.) - All laws, regulations, and policies do not need to be strictly followed; in fact, they can be flexible in implementation.
The creators of laws, regulations, and policies never intended to use them to restrain themselves, but rather to restrain others. However, you should know that not everyone can violate them. When to strictly follow them and when to secretly violate them, and who should violate them, depends on the situation. Otherwise, both leniency and strictness will lead to mistakes.
Letter from Barack Obama to his daughter: Dreams Have No Limits, Nothing Cannot Be Achieved
As the President-elect, Barack Obama wrote a heartfelt open letter to his two underage daughters, apologizing for not being able to be with them for most of the past two years and explaining why he chose the path to the White House. This letter was published in Parade Magazine, and the translated text is as follows:
Dear Malia and Sasha:
I know that over the past two years, you both have had a lot of fun accompanying me on the campaign trail - picnics, parades, visits to state fairs, and eating all kinds of junk food that your mom and I probably shouldn't have let you have. But I also know that there were times when being with me wasn't easy or convenient. The new puppy helped, but he can't make up for all the time we've been apart. I know I have missed a lot of moments during these past two years, and today I want to tell you why I decided to take our family on this journey.
Discovering potential and challenging oneself
When I was young, I believed that life should revolve around me: how I could navigate through the world, succeed in my career, and get what I wanted. Then, both of you entered my world, bringing curiosity, mischief, and smiles that always fill my heart and brighten my days. Suddenly, the grand plans I had written for myself seemed less important. I quickly realized that the joy I saw in your lives was the greatest joy in my own life. And at the same time, I recognized that if I couldn't ensure that you both have every opportunity to pursue happiness and self-fulfillment in your lives, then my own life wouldn't have much value. In short, my daughters, this is why I ran for President: I want both of you and every child in this country to have what I want to give them.
I want every child to attend schools that allow them to discover their potential; schools that challenge and inspire them, and instill in them a curiosity about the world they live in. I want them to have the opportunity to go to college, even if their parents are not wealthy. And I want them to find good jobs - jobs that come with high salaries and health insurance, jobs that allow them to spend time with their children and retire with dignity.
Responsibility accompanies rights
I want everyone to push the limits of what they can discover, so that in their lifetime, they can witness new technologies and inventions that improve our lives and make this planet cleaner and safer. I also want everyone to challenge their own social boundaries, to transcend the racial, regional, gender, and religious barriers that prevent us from seeing each other's strengths. Sometimes, in order to protect our country, we have to send young men and women to the battlefield or other dangerous places. But when we do, I want to make sure that we have exhausted all peaceful means to resolve disputes with others, and that we have done everything possible to ensure the safety of our servicemen and women. I want every child to understand that the well-being defended by these brave Americans on the battlefield cannot be obtained without cost: while enjoying the great privileges of being citizens of this country, they also bear great responsibilities.
This is the lesson my grandmother wanted to teach me when I was your age. She recited the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence to me, telling me that some men and women marched and protested to fight for equality because they believed that the words written on that piece of paper two centuries ago should not be empty words.
She made me understand that America is great not because it is perfect, but because we can constantly make it better, and the work of making it better falls on each and every one of us. This is the responsibility we pass on to our children, and with each passing generation, America gets closer to our ideals.
Have compassion and hold onto ideals
I hope both of you are willing to take on this work, to identify what is wrong and find ways to make it right, to strive to help others have the opportunities that you have had. It is not just because our country has given our family so much, and you have an obligation to give back, although you do. It is because you have a responsibility to yourselves. Because only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself will you truly realize your own potential.
These are the things I want you to have: to grow up in a world where dreams have no limits and nothing cannot be achieved, to become women with compassion and ideals who can contribute to building such a world. I want every child to have the same opportunities as you to learn, dream, grow, and develop. This is why I embarked on this great adventure with our family.
I am proud of both of you, and you will never know how much I love you. As we prepare to start our new life together in the White House, there is not a day that goes by when I am not grateful for your patience, poise, wisdom, and humor.
Love, Dad