history of human
The book mainly tells the story of the protagonist Robinson was born in a middle class family, all his life to roam around. He met a storm on the way to Africa again. He drifted to a deserted island with no one and began a secluded life. With his tenacious will and unremitting efforts, he survived tenaciously on the desert island. After 28 years, two months and 19 days, he returned to his hometown.
In fact, after reading this book, I thought it was a missionary book. However, I still have a lot to think about in this book, especially for us teenagers. Because I have mixed feelings about this book, I will present my reflections in several parts.
A. The young.
"... the best state in the world, the most suited to human happiness, not exposed to the miseries and hardship, the labor and sufferings of the mechanic part of mankind and not embarrassed with the pride, luxury, ambition, and envy of the upper part of mankind. He told me I might judge of the happiness of this state by this one thing, viz., that this was the state of life which all other people envied; that kings have frequently lamented the miserable consequence of being born to great things, and wished they had been placed in the middle of the two extremes..." Robinson's father told him not to ask for trouble, that he had made all the arrangements for him. How much like our parents, they try their best to arrange everything for us, hoping that we can eat less bitter. But we always do not want to follow the paved road. We are always restless in a steady state. We are young and we want to go out on our own and pursue what we want. However, we often don't think about the difficulties we will encounter in pursuing our dream and whether it is worth spending so much time on it. We love, desperate to explore the world, but often in the end hit the head. Both let down oneself, also let down parents. But it is difficult for us to admit our mistakes, as Robinson said, "... that they are not ashamed to sin, and yet are ashamed to repent; not ashamed of the action for which they ought justly to be esteemed fools but are ashamed of the returning, which only can make them." Life is our own and we have to take responsibility for ourselves. So we should follow what Marx said to make our choices. It is never our mission to obtain the most ostentatious occupation, because it is not the kind of occupation in which we can go on for a long time without ever getting bored, without ever getting loose, without ever getting depressed. If we recognize the full weight of our chosen profession and its difficulties through sober research, we are still passionate about it and we still love it. We should choose it when we think we are suitable for it, when we are neither deceived by enthusiasm nor rushed into it.
B. About human.
"The middle is not worn out by extravagance and corruption, as the rich do; Nor will they be worn down by toil and want of food and clothing like the poor. Only the middle class can enjoy all the happiness of the world. To be honest, that makes sense to me. But if you look at postmodern society, misery or happiness has very little to do with class. Especially today, when food and clothing are no longer the main problem for people, mental distress is common. It has to do with how people view their lives and how they view their relationships with the people around them. If you put yourself in opposition to the people around you, then it is difficult to achieve happiness. If you follow the crowd without knowing what you want to do, it is hard to be happy." I could not be content now but I must go and leave the happy view I had of being a rich faster than the nature of the thing admitted; and I cast myself down again into the deepest gulf of human misery that ever man fell into, Or perhaps could be consistent with life and a state of health in the world ".
C. Civilization and barbarism
Friday is a grateful and honest man, even if he has no talent or knowledge. In the use of these talents and conscience, the civilized man is very despicable. Throughout history, there have been people who claim to be civilized to conquer so-called "barbaric" areas. Like the westward movement of America, like the slave trade. Those "civilized" people use their wisdom to do the meanest things. How many people can be armed by the talents but separated from the distance between people? As civilization develops, are we less and less able to be honest with each other? Is there more and more bickering between us? “For that gratitude was no inherent virtue in the nature of man; nor did men always square their dealings by the obligations they had received so much as they did by the advantages they expected.”
D. Contentment and diligence
People have another common disease, that is dissatisfaction. At least half of their sufferings are the result of discontent. Isn't that what Robinson is all about? He had been a famous planter in Brazil, but because of dissatisfaction, he had been living on a desert island for 28 years. Yet this is the common fate of young people. They will not understand their folly without years of experience and costly experience.
Robinson did a lot of work on the desert island and changed his living environment through his hard work. In his work, he not only harvested the products of life, but also thought in his work. Labor shapes people in all directions, such as intellectual improvement and emotional soundness. In the book, Robinson thinks many times about the method of making bread and the philosophical problems of human beings. Experience sweating and exhaustion, enjoy the fruits of labor, people can really understand what is cherish and love.
E.Religion and Belief
There are several references to religion. The essence of religion is the spiritual comfort that man gives himself. Because there are so many things that can't be explained, people tend to comfort themselves by attributing such mysterious situations to divine intervention. No doubt religion adds comfort to Robinson's life on the desert island. The thought of "man has original sin" restricts him to kill savages, and the thought of "atonement" urges him to help people in trouble. But religion is also a tool of rulers. The ruler interprets the doctrine to suit his own interests and thus controls the minds of the people. Religion has become a political tool. And, after all, religion is not real. Why else could Robinson not answer Friday's question? Why can God do anything but kill the devil?
So it's more like people need faith. Faith sustains people's search for answers in life. People's life does not necessarily need religion, but must need faith. This belief determines how we choose our life path. People's life always want to believe something, such a life has taste. Perhaps a lot of people's faith may not be able to achieve in their own life, but it is because people believe that can be achieved to see the results, such as the socialist faith.
The reason I don't like this book is the ideas of exploitation that permeate it. All the fruits of Robinson's labor belong to him, so such work is not uncomfortable. A bad job may be that you work for someone else. Robinson was very happy to build a house, but the workers on the construction site were not happy, because the buildings they built were sold to others, and they could not afford to buy them. I think, if the means of production are in the hands of man himself, there should be few people who would resist working. "Robinson Crusoe", have the taste is changed a lot after Friday, production data in hand, Robinson on Friday but there is no production information, in fact is Robinson's servant, only very clever written in the book, written the supervisor relations of slavery to the affection, friendship, though materially rich, later returned to Europe, On that desert island, he raised a group of convicts and savages to work for him, and built a plantation. There was no longer the previous plot of their own labor and enjoyment. Several times in the novel, Robinson compares himself to the "king" of the island, while the captain describes himself as the "consul" of the rebels. At the end of the novel, the island is starkly described as a "colony." Isn't the master-servant relationship Robinson and Friday? Civilized Robinson brought barbaric Friday into Europe, isn't it like civilized Europe brought primitive humans into "civilization"?
In a word, Robinson makes pragmatic optimistic and grateful people. He is a man who dares to go beyond himself and loves thinking and labor. His 28 years on a desert island epitomized the development of human history, from primitive society to capitalist society. But, from today's point of view, it is outdated.
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