Nicknames got started during military training, things like “XX Man.” Someone—one of my closest friends, no less—actually said that I “are the most principle-abiding person in the philosophy department,” and called me “Principle Man.” I found this extremely uncomfortable, alas.
In fact, I don’t think I’m a person who talks about principles. It would be more acceptable to say I’m “the least principle-oriented” person, because what I value is the word “go with the flow.” I not only advocate “making peace with whatever comes” and “adapting to circumstances,” but as for things like “playing along with the situation,” I’m not averse to them either; I even think they are necessary in many cases. I’m all about flexibility—how could I be the most principle-abiding person?
Perhaps other people take the word “principle” too lightly. For example, I always insist on arriving early for meetings, and when I hear the national anthem I always stand at attention. Can these things count as principles? Suppose that when the anthem is being played, a friend suddenly collapsed beside me—would I still insist on standing at attention? If something can be broken so easily, can it really be called sticking to principle? That is merely sticking to certain habits.
Also, “talking about principles” and “upholding principles” are different things. I am absolutely a person who upholds principles, but not one who talks about principles, because for me there are not many principles available for me to uphold. Without principles, how can one talk about principles? I’m not even sure whether I count as having principles. If I do, then probably only one: “being devoted in love.” Right now, this is the only thing I can think of that I would not be willing to break even if the sky were to fall. But so far I still have no subject on which to test this principle, alas.
Why do I seem like someone with a very strong sense of principle? Perhaps it is a misunderstanding: on the one hand, I do hold fast to some of my habits; on the other hand, what I talk about is not “principles,” but “responsibility.” This is something I value greatly. In dealing with people and affairs, there is no need to be rigid and rule-bound all the time, but no matter how one adapts, one should be responsible for one’s own words and deeds. Don’t say things you cannot stand behind; don’t play roles you cannot bear. Nor is it that one must be responsible for other people. In being a person, what one ought to be most responsible for is oneself: being able to bring back, years later, the things one has said and done without feeling ashamed or regretful—that is enough.
Translated from the Chinese original with AI assistance. The original text is authoritative.
Leave a Reply