On Being Born at the Right Time
Yuan Longping was born at the right time, cultivating hybrid rice and saving countless people from famine; Yue Fei was born at the wrong time, possessing the ability to resist the Jin invaders, yet he was unjustly executed in prison on a baseless charge. Throughout history, how many heroes’ lifelong unwavering pursuits of achievement are summarized by the four words “born at the right time”; how much pain from countless attempts and failures is obscured by the four words “born at the wrong time.”
Prosperous and declining times are certainly important, but what is more crucial is the will to “be.”
“There will be a time to ride the wind and break the waves.” During the chaotic Spring and Autumn period, Confucius, who knew “the Way does not prevail,” failed to restore the rites throughout his life, yet he left behind twenty chapters of the Analects. In the prosperous Han Wudi era, Dong Zhongshu promoted the ideas of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness, leading rulers to exclusively exalt Confucianism. In the Middle Ages, the heretic Giordano Bruno raised his arm and was burned alive in Rome’s Campo de’ Fiori, but the fire of truth of the heliocentric theory was not extinguished. In modern times, with academic freedom and open thought, Kepler and others perfected the heliocentric theory, enabling people to predict the universe. Prosperous or declining times are merely temporary difficulties; only with Confucius’s will to “do something even though one knows it cannot be done” can one leap beyond the constraints of “being born at the right/wrong time” and the confines of “prosperous and declining times,” and “hoist the cloud-sails directly and cross the vast ocean.”
“If one achieves one’s ambition, one acts with the people; if one does not, one walks one’s own path.” Principal Zhang Guimei, despite her immense popularity, remained steadfast in her position as principal of Huaping High School for Girls, leading generations of children out of the mountains. Fan Zhongyan, in an era of “good governance and harmonious people,” left behind the saying, “To be concerned before anyone else is concerned, and to enjoy oneself only after everyone else has enjoyed themselves,” which perfectly embodies humility despite being born at the right time. Wang Anshi’s reforms did not cease due to lack of success; Sun Yat-sen’s revolution did not end due to restoration. Qu Yuan, the Grand Master of Sanlü, was exiled yet proclaimed, “The road ahead is long and arduous; I will strive to seek truth high and low.” This is the spirit of not being disheartened despite being born at the wrong time.
“When at one’s limit, one changes; change leads to breakthrough; breakthrough leads to longevity.” Historical materialism tells us that the people are the creators of history. One should not be afraid of changing times. Lu Xun said, “Frown in scorn at the pointing fingers of a thousand men, bow my head to be a willing ox for children.” Chen Zi’ang wrote, “I see no ancients before me, no future generations after me,” embodying the robust style of the Han and Wei dynasties. Lu Xun cried out, awakening the slumbering populace; early Tang poets represented by Chen Zi’ang went against the current, reversing the light, delicate, and ornate style of the Qi and Liang dynasties prevalent in the early Tang. Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech, “I Have a Dream,” with his single voice, awakened the entire American civil rights movement.
Yuan Longping, in a prosperous era, braved the scorching sun, searching for male sterile plants one by one, for four years. Yue Fei, under a court seeking peace, organized the Yue Family Army and almost single-handedly recovered the territory south of the Yellow River. Therefore, “being born” is by no means a gift of timing, nor is it hindered by timing. As Mencius said, “Though there be tens of thousands, I will go.” With “will” as the foundation, one can transcend “being born at the right/wrong time” and rush towards a higher and more distant future.