Selected Works of Mao Zedong: Fearless Top-Level Thinking

1、

Cognition: All anxiety,

The core is failing to grasp the main contradiction

"People who see through the essence of things in half a second,

and those who cannot see the essence clearly in a lifetime,

are destined to have completely different fates."

When we always deal with problems superficially,

without grasping the essence,

problems will keep recurring.

So,

what exactly is the essence of things?

From the perspective of contradictions,

Mao Zedong gave a definition of essence:

What is the essence,

can only be said to be the main contradiction and its main aspects.

— “Collected Comments on Mao Zedong’s Philosophy”

“On Contradictions” tells us,

things are driven forward by contradictions,

the process of resolving contradictions is the process of development of things.

Understanding and resolving contradictions,

are key to facing all challenges.

Many times,

anxiety stems from our misunderstanding and avoidance of contradictions.

Only by bravely facing contradictions,

can we find ways to solve problems.

For example,

during the Anti-Japanese War,

Mao Zedong applied the ideas from “On Contradictions”,

and wrote the military and political work “On Protracted War.”

In “On Protracted War,”

Mao Zedong divided it into two main parts:

First,

a comprehensive analysis of the era of the Sino-Japanese War and the basic characteristics of both sides,

elaborating the general strategy of the protracted war in China,

and refuting the theories of “national destruction” and “quick victory.”

Second,

dividing the Anti-Japanese War into three stages:

First stage,

the period of enemy strategic offensive and our strategic defense;

Second stage,

the period of enemy strategic conservatism and our preparations for counterattack;

Third stage,

the period of our strategic counterattack and enemy retreat.

These three stages,

are critical turning points in the Anti-Japanese War,

and similarly, our lives will also encounter important turning points.

So,

during these turning points,

how should we make decisions?

Taking the Anti-Japanese War as an example,

“On Contradictions” mentions distinguishing primary and secondary contradictions based on “the imbalance in the development of contradictions,”

and the main contradiction determines the direction of the development of things.

So,

what is the main contradiction that determines the future course of the Anti-Japanese War? Obviously, it is the strength comparison between China and Japan,

after all, strength is the most fundamental factor in determining victory or defeat.

Therefore,

in “On Protracted War,”

Mao Zedong conducted a detailed analysis,

and identified the core contradiction:

"All those who want to shorten the war,

must strive to increase their own strength and reduce the enemy’s strength."

So,

how to strengthen our side? The analysis in the text suggests two methods:

"First is the completion of the Chinese united front against Japan; second is the completion of the international united front against Japan.

The great unity of the Chinese people is the main one."

How to reduce the enemy’s strength? There are also two methods:

“One is the rise of revolutionary movements among the Japanese domestic people and colonized peoples; this is a passive means. The other is our proactive measures to make it happen.”

“On Contradictions” also discusses the “movement of contradictions,”

which means viewing contradictions dynamically,

when the main contradiction changes,

we must anticipate and adjust our strategies in advance.

Thus,

“On Protracted War” applies the methodology from “On Contradictions,”

analyzing the continuous changes in the strength of China and Japan during the war,

and finally concludes:

"China moves from disadvantage to balance to advantage,

Japan moves from advantage to balance to disadvantage,

China from defense to stalemate to counterattack,

Japan from offense to conservatism to retreat—this is the process of the China-Japan war,

and the inevitable trend of the China-Japan war."

With such thorough analysis as a foundation,

the article refutes the theories of “quick victory” and “national destruction,”

and concludes: the victor of this war will be China,

but it will also be a tough “protracted war.”

Returning to the present,

when we feel anxious,

confused,

and in pain,

we often cannot distinguish between the main and secondary contradictions,

making things a mess.

So,

what should we do?

Combining “On Contradictions,”

it can be divided into three steps:

First,

understand that the confusion,

anxiety, and pain we experience are manifestations of contradictions themselves.

Accept the existence of contradictions,

and do not panic or deny ourselves when encountering problems.

For example,

when we feel confused in career development,

uncertain whether to choose a stable job or pursue a challenging new opportunity,

we should realize that this dilemma is normal,

everyone may face similar contradictions at different stages of life.

Second,

analyze the particularity of contradictions.

Specific problems require specific analysis,

deeply explore the unique causes of our confusion,

anxiety, and pain.

If work pressure causes anxiety,

analyze whether it is due to excessive workload,

tension in interpersonal relationships,

or career bottlenecks, etc.

Based on different causes,

adopt different solutions.

Finally,

among many contradictions,

identify the main contradiction that plays a leading role.

For example,

when facing economic pressure, family conflicts, and health issues simultaneously,

analyze which problem is the most urgent and has the greatest impact on us.

If economic pressure is the main contradiction,

then focus on solving economic issues,

by improving professional skills to increase income,

and planning expenses reasonably to ease pressure.

Once the main contradiction is resolved,

other contradictions may also ease accordingly.

2、

Action: Practice,

is the only criterion to test truth

Seeing contradictions,

grasping the main contradiction,

can it solve the problem?

Without action,

it’s useless.

As Tsinghua professor Peng Kaiping said: all anxiety,

hesitation,

fear,

can only be resolved through action.

Lying in bed,

hiding at home,

ruminating,

is meaningless,

and ineffective.

"1. No investigation and research,

there is no right to speak

Before acting,

be sure to conduct investigation and research.

Without this step,

any effort is blind.

Mao Zedong pointed out in “On Practice”: all true knowledge originates from direct experience.

Investigation and research,

may seem time-consuming and laborious,

but only by immersing oneself,

touching the truth of facts,

and conducting systematic investigation and research,

can we better approach the essence of the problem,

and draw more reliable conclusions.

The so-called “systematic”—

in Mao Zedong’s words:

"First,

it is to start contacting external matters,

a feeling stage.

Second,

it is to organize and transform the feeling data,

a stage of concepts,

judgments, and reasoning."

"We not only need to propose tasks,

but also solve the methods to accomplish them.

Our task is to cross the river,

but without a bridge or boat, we cannot cross.

Without solving the bridge or boat problem,

crossing the river is just empty talk.

Without solving the method problem,

the task is just nonsense."

2. Only practice,

can solve one difficult problem after another

"Practice,

recognition,

then practice again,

then recognition again,

this cycle,

repeats infinitely,

and each cycle of practice and recognition,

advances to a higher level.

This is the entire epistemology of dialectical materialism,

and the unity of knowledge and action in dialectical materialism."

“Practice: On the relationship between knowledge and practice— the relationship between knowing and doing”

Most people want to improve cognition first and then act,

but fall into endless theoretical preparation and delay action,

ultimately wasting life.

In fact,

for ordinary people,

action accounts for half of success.

Because a person’s cognition,

will never be perfectly prepared,

what you think is high cognition,

before engaging in action,

and before testing in practice,

are all illusions.

Unless it’s a matter of life and death,

just do it first.

We have lived for decades,

and most people actually know the basic principles of living well.

However,

our biggest obstacle is procrastination and hesitation,

difficult to take that crucial first step.

If we don’t act,

knowledge and action cannot interact,

and thus,

not only can we not solve problems,

but also cannot truly improve our cognition.

So,

don’t worry about how to improve cognition,

just focus on doing things well,

solving problems clearly,

and in the process of doing, understanding will come.

3、

Mental strength: Firmly believe that all difficulties have solutions

When we have grasped the main contradiction,

and started practicing to solve problems,

there is still a question: can your mental energy (mental strength),

support you to the end?

For example,

when Ren Zhengfei founded Huawei,

he thought, “Huawei will surely have a place in the world’s telecommunications industry.”

This idea cannot be realized in a short time,

it involves a long-term process.

During this process,

various difficulties and setbacks will be encountered,

testing the mental strength of the leader,

and the cohesion of the team.

The early Red Army,

also faced such problems.

At that time,

some members within the party and army,

disobeyed orders,

did not follow rules,

and the old warlord atmosphere of officers and soldiers scolding and beating soldiers had not been eradicated,

the entire organization was in a state of chaos and looseness.

By the end of 1929,

Mao Zedong, Zhu De, Chen Yi, and others held the Ninth Congress of the Fourth Army of the Chinese Red Army in Gutian,

also called the Gutian Conference.

At the Gutian Conference,

Mao Zedong contributed original ideas and proposed practical measures.

However,

the real situation then was that the Red Army was still very weak,

the Kuomintang reactionaries were preparing to launch the “Encirclement and Suppression” campaigns in Fujian, Guangdong, and Jiangxi provinces,

enemy forces approached from all sides,

forming a siege,

with a fierce momentum.

A slight mistake,

the weak Red Army could be destroyed at any time.

In the face of powerful counter-revolutionary forces:

where should the Red Army go?

How long can the red flag fly?

Is there still a future for the revolution?

This was a common pessimistic view among the Red Army at that time.

Lin Biao, then commander of the First Column of the Fourth Red Army,

was a typical representative of this pessimism.

He thought the hope of victory was so slim it could be ignored.

Lin Biao was confused,

not knowing what to do,

but seeing Mao Zedong’s firm will and stance of "the enemy besieges a thousand layers,

yet I remain unmoved,"

he became curious,

wanted to ask Mao Zedong,

to understand his thoughts.

So,

in January 1930,

under the guise of a New Year greeting,

Lin Biao sent Mao Zedong a card.

The main content was to ask:

“Does the revolutionary cause we are engaged in still have hope and a future?”

Mao Zedong realized,

to boost the Red Army’s confidence and morale,

one Gutian Conference was not enough.

Next,

it was necessary to further consolidate and strengthen the results of the Gutian Conference,

so that the Red Army would not fear strong enemies,

stand firm,

see hope,

break through encirclement.

Otherwise,

a team shrouded in pessimism,

would have greatly reduced combat effectiveness.

Although Mao Zedong and Lin Biao lived very close at that time,

he still decided to reply seriously in letter form,

actually,

also to sincerely reply to every member of the Fourth Red Army.

This letter,

Mao Zedong wrote over 7,000 words.

The full text can be divided into three parts:

First,

a brief analysis of the current situation,

pointing out the characteristics of the Chinese revolution,

the rationality and necessity of the existence of Chinese revolutionary forces;

Second,

a deeper analysis of the current situation,

especially China’s political situation,

from the perspectives of revolutionary subjective forces,

objective conditions,

and counter-revolutionary forces,

revealing the underlying reasons why a revolution could rapidly reach a climax;

Finally,

based on the above analysis,

offering countermeasures in the face of difficulties.

Regarding countermeasures,

there are mainly three aspects:

namely:

avoid impulsiveness,

do not commit “revolutionary acute illness”;

avoid excessive pessimism,

fall into the quagmire of surrenderism and escapism;

and adopt good strategies based on practical lessons,

such as "enemy advances, I retreat,

enemy stays, I disturb,

enemy fatigues, I strike,

enemy withdraws, I pursue" guerrilla tactics,

and developing the Red Army and base areas step by step through establishing bases and wave-like expansion.

In summary,

the logic of this letter’s writing is a process of “discover problems—analyze problems—solve problems.”

After meticulous analysis,

at the end of the letter,

Mao Zedong poetically wrote:

"My assertion that the Chinese revolutionary climax is about to arrive,

is not some empty hope as some say 'there is a possibility of arrival,’

it is like a ship’s mast already visible on the distant sea,

like the morning sun rising from the eastern horizon, radiating and bursting forth,

like a baby in the mother’s womb about to be born."

For this poetic elevation,

if further simplified,

it is eight characters: a spark can start a prairie fire.

It’s no exaggeration to say,

this letter is like a shot of strong heart medicine on the revolutionary road,

a beam of light in darkness,

a compass forever moving forward on the vast sea.

So,

for ordinary people,

how should we think when facing difficulties and setbacks?

First,

do not be negative.

By overcoming small difficulties,

enhance self-efficacy.

Second,

seize opportunities.

The greatness of great figures lies in their ability to bravely and wisely seize opportunities at critical moments,

to change circumstances and even history.

Waiting passively,

even if a pie falls, it won’t land on oneself.

Conditions are created by oneself,

the situation is shaped by oneself.

Finally,

do not waver in faith.

The greatest fear is doubting oneself when encountering setbacks and difficulties,

not believing in oneself.

But we must understand: not everything can be done with impatience,

it requires great persistence and patience,

to achieve final victory.

This waiting process is painful,

and the turning point often comes in the last perseverance.

4、

Conclusion

Cognition allows us to see the essence of things,

grasp the main contradiction,

and thus find the key to solving problems.

When we encounter confusion,

learn to apply the ideas from “On Contradictions,”

stay calm,

do not self-denigrate,

analyze specific problems specifically,

identify the main contradiction and resolve it fully,

only then can other contradictions ease.

Action is the key to achieving goals.

No investigation and research, no right to speak,

we must deeply understand things,

test truth through practice.

Don’t fall into endless theoretical preparation and delay action,

be brave to take the first step.

Mental strength is the source of support to go to the end.

In the pursuit of goals,

we will encounter various difficulties and setbacks,

at this time, we must firmly believe that all difficulties have solutions.

Finally,

by continuously doing these three points well,

believe that after the twists and turns,

we will surely see the light!