Humility and contempt are two opposite qualities like water & fire, yin & yang, morning star & evening star. Contempt is simply understood as arrogance, insolence towards superiors and inferiors, the habit of looking down on the sky, looking down on the sky as nothing but a lid or a jackfruit leaf.
Modesty, with officials and elites, means being unpretentious, simple, close to the people, integrated with everyday life, from the way they speak, to their love and affection. In the fall - August Revolution & National Day September 2, a group of young intellectuals organized a discussion on the topic "Close to the people - Respect the people". One morning, twenty opinions participated in the discussion - most of them were empty talk, without a text, and recited in chapters. They sharply explained that Uncle Ho was a great leader of the Party, class and nation, an exemplary model of "respecting the people", "close to the people". The discussion mentioned examples of Confucian intellectuals, writers, journalists, political writers such as Xuan Thuy, Thep Moi, Hong Ha... who were close to the people, approached the people's lives, reflected in the works they wrote about the people's lives.
Xuan Thuy is a prestigious leader of the Party, a talented diplomat, an excellent journalist and poet. In the verses "To Comrade Xuan Thuy" when he was the Head of the Delegation of the Government of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam at the Paris Conference on Vietnam (1968 - 1973), poet Song Hong described Xuan Thuy's talent, virtue, faith and composure: "Every week a tough match / Several months have not finished a game of chess / Firmly grasping the motto to win / He still leisurely strolls in the garden of poetry". In Paris, Xuan Thuy took the opportunity to meet overseas Vietnamese, the elderly and children, listening to intimate stories about current events, the country and the homeland. With overseas Vietnamese student Nguyen Thu Thuy, who is good at studying and well-behaved, Uncle Xuan Thuy was very happy, with simple and humble poems to send to her: "I am the green Xuan Thuy / You are Thu Thuy, shining with a clear mirror / Tomorrow I will visit the Red River again / We will meet and enjoy the country".
Thep Moi was a talented writer and journalist, before 1975 he was in charge of Giai Phong newspaper, after 1975 he was Deputy Editor-in-Chief of Nhan Dan newspaper - directly under the Central Committee of the Party, author of the famous essay "Vietnamese Bamboo Tree" which many generations of students know by heart. The daily stories recounted many touching events about the simplicity and non-conformity of Thep Moi. When it was time to eat, but he had not yet had anything to eat, he happily went down to the sidewalk with some cyclo drivers, three-wheelers to make a bowl of noodles, a bowl of porridge, and a balut egg, and then he smiled and said: "It's delicious". In front of thousands of people, Thep Moi borrowed Xuan Dieu's poems, Nguyen Tuan's essays... to discuss life and career, occasionally going down to the classroom, to each row of tables to ask questions, confide, and pass on the passion for the profession to the young, impressive and cute.
On July 20 and 21, 2023, Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim visited Vietnam. He has a simple, unpretentious lifestyle. Observe him eating, going to the Hanoi book market, stopping to shake hands and greet anyone, the way he attended a discussion with the press and businesses at a 5-star hotel by Truc Bach Lake, Hanoi. Attending the discussion with the press and businesses, he said: "I respect Ho Chi Minh; his works have been translated and will be available in Malaysia". Leaving the podium, the Prime Minister of the Islamic country went down to the rows of seats to visit, chat, and freely invite everyone to take souvenir photos.
Please do not discuss the simplicity and lack of formality of politicians Xuan Thuy, Thep Moi... and recently the Prime Minister of a neighboring country when he officially visited Vietnam. Suddenly I thought, those who have a habit of contempt, formality, distance from the people, consider the sky as nothing - everywhere - will feel something that needs to be cultivated in terms of morality and ethics in public service?
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