Wang Yangming’s Family Instructions and Rules: How to educate children, only in these three things

When it comes to education, it is easy for us to think of schools and teachers. In fact, this is not the case. Children have already started learning since they were born. And parents are their first teachers. Where is a child\’s future? In family education. Parents are the most important people in their children\’s education. -01-Being a good person is more important than anything else. An old saying goes: \”Morality is passed down to the family for more than ten generations, farming and reading are the second best, poems and books are the next best, and wealth is passed down to the family for only three generations.\” Maintain good moral character, It is the foundation for the prosperity and continuation of the family. Wang Yangming was once chased by Liu Jin and attacked by villagers in Longchang. He experienced the dangers of people\’s hearts, but he was still willing to believe in kindness. He repaid evil with kindness and helped villagers build houses, study, and farm. In Wang Yangming\’s letter to his children, he said: \”Being a human being depends on your heart.\” Being a good person is more important than anything else. Kind people are clean and warm. They tend to have better popularity and more friends. Kind people have a bottom line. They will not do things that harm others, and they will naturally not cause disaster. Kind people have light in their hearts, and there is a warmth in their hearts that no one can take away. -02-Studying diligently is the lowest threshold for nobleness. The ancients said: Poems and books will last forever. The first of Wang Yangming’s family mottos is: study diligently. Reading is the main way for people to obtain knowledge. It was in the past and it is still today. Wang Yangming studied hard all his life. When he was a child, he would study until midnight every day. So tired that I vomited blood. His father, Wang Hua, was worried about his health and knocked on the door every day to force him to turn off the lights and sleep. Of course, trusting a book is not as good as a book. Books need to be read, but they cannot be read to death. Children must be taught to absorb the spirit from them. Wang Yangming read a lot of military books, but he thought that although these military books taught many methods, they only taught him one thing: \”Don\’t be tempted.\” The second is to read the classics. There are tons of books in the world, and if you read them all, you won’t be able to finish them in a lifetime, so just read the classics. Although other books have different opinions, they are just footnotes to the classics at best. As long as a person develops the habit of lifelong reading, it is equivalent to using the wisdom in human history for his own use. A child who can read has knowledge, vision, and structure. As long as he keeps his inner kindness, what do parents have to worry about? -03-The unity of knowledge and action, the courage to practice kindness, is not an adjective, but a verb. When we say a person is kind, it must be because he has done good deeds. All talk without practice is just a lie. The same goes for reading. What I have learned on paper is ultimately shallow, and I know that I have to do it in detail. Many things can only be accomplished through practical actions. Children should be taught hands-on skills and practical habits from an early age. Wang Yangming made many achievements in his life, including poetry, painting, calligraphy, military art, education and military affairs. This is due to his practical wisdom of integrating knowledge and action. When you encounter problems in life, you might as well let your children do it first. Rather than thinking twice before taking action, it is better to take small steps and boldly try and make mistakes. Constantly adjust your understanding during action, and then change your strategy based on your new understanding. The meal must be eaten one bite at a time, and the road must be walked step by step. Haste makes waste. Practice makes perfect, and only children who persist can have a fulfilling life.