live for work

 　　Since the end of 2009, the "European Debt Crisis" has brought serious disasters to countries in the euro zone. Greece, Spain, and Italy all suffered serious losses, and their economies were on the verge of collapse. Especially in Greece, the economic situation is grim: with huge debts, the domestic unemployment rate has greatly increased, and the unemployment rate of young and middle-aged people is even as high as 40%. The strong economic development of Germany has always been the main bright spot of this 17-country region, accounting for 1/4 of the total economic volume of the euro area, and has become a veritable "savior" of the euro area. This stark contrast, apart from the economic foundation and strength gap between the two countries, is probably also closely related to the very different work outlooks of the two ethnic groups. The Greek nation advocates freedom, liberation, and reckless behavior, hates being bound by rules and dogmas, and pursues individuality. They lack a clear concept of work, so even in an economic downturn they will not give up any recreational activities, preferring to spend a lot of time sunbathing on the beach, marching on the street, and living on welfare rather than working hard for low wages . The result was that Greece was heavily indebted, unable to pay its debts, and forced to seek aid from Germany. So much so that German Chancellor Angela Merkel said they "have to tighten their belts to get aid". At the same time, the German nation has a high degree of self-discipline, the principle of collectivism, and advocates rigor. They have a clear view of work: work first, conscientiousness, obedience to authority, conscious compliance with norms, and prudence. Under the guidance of this view of work, a large number of small and medium-sized enterprises in Germany can stand proudly in this storm. As Ms. Bolling-Vlad, the CEO of the world-renowned German Bolling Parts Factory, said not long ago, "The machine I bought has been paid in full, and I have no bank loan... You have to plan ahead", she said. This is a piece of advice for companies that don't hesitate to borrow for blind expansion. Bolin Parts Factory is only a typical representative of them. In fact, famous German brands such as Siemens and BMW will not expand their production scale or produce other products at will like other national enterprises. They still follow the principle of prudence to seek safety, so Still maintain the original scale, keep improving this line. As the Chinese proverb goes, "Be careful sailing the boat for ten thousand years", people are often surprised to find that the world-renowned German brand, whose production scale is not large, has lasted for hundreds of years. Germans are risk-averse and prefer steady, slow growth, a disposition that often annoys Germany's neighbors and economists who expect Germans to spend more to stimulate growth in the rest of the eurozone, but this is precisely what Germany does not have. The reason for following in its footsteps. A German proverb sums it up: "You can only wear one pair of trousers, the second is in the closet, and you don't. Article 3 is not required. "

　　1. This view of work of

　　the German nation has a long history, which originated from the public morality of work first in the medieval city handicraft guilds. During the Middle Ages, the city was both a center of craftsmanship and a center of commerce. Long before the opening of new shipping routes in the 15th century, there were two major trade areas in Europe: the Mediterranean trade area and the North Sea and Baltic trade areas. Germany was already located in the North Sea and Baltic Sea trade zone, with developed industry and commerce; the opening of new shipping routes greatly accelerated the pace of German industry and commerce development. Many old cities expanded rapidly, and new cities continued to emerge, such as Lübeck, Hamburg and Bremen in northern Germany. By the late Middle Ages, guild production had changed, and a division of labor had begun to appear internally. This form of production often gathers a larger number of workers together in order to complete some contingent work, and organizes the production of a certain product according to the principle of division of labor and cooperation. This form was later called "simple collaboration" by Marx. In this form of production, errors in any process will adversely affect the production of the entire product. Therefore, each guild worker is required to perform their duties and adhere to the principle of work first, in order to produce a perfect product, which is also the public morality of the medieval guild. one.

　　Second, the unique educational model of medieval Germany contributed to the establishment of this view of work. The content and purpose of learning in medieval German schools were very different from those in Western European countries. At that time, the educational system of the French and other nations was mainly controlled by the church, and the famous universities such as the University of Paris in the Middle Ages were all established by the church. Under this education system, students first study the seven arts (grammar, rhetoric, logic, arithmetic, geometry, astronomy, music), and then enter university for further study. Most people will become priests and other clergy, with a strong religious color. Blidunq (education) in German has the dual meanings of Education (education) and clutiate (cultivation). The educational model dominated by the German Handicrafts Guild aims to cultivate the skills needed for the development of students from apprentices to masters. Tends to be secular.

　　Third, Martin Luther's religious reforms cast a sacred religious cloak on the German nation's view of work. The work-oriented public morality derived from the medieval handicraft guilds is work morality. People obey it only because it is a constraint, and many people are reluctant in spirit. Luther, on the other hand, got people to see work as sacred from the heart. Luther believed that "every Christian community is baptized into a common body corpus Mysticum Christi (Chinese translation for the Mystic Body of Christ)". The Church, the "Body of Christ", is a whole, divided into three parts: missionaries, defenders, and laborers. So each part of it is an entity in the service of the whole, and therefore the role of the peddler and the priest is equally important and noble. This kind of thinking of his directly affects the shaping of German people's work attitude and professionalism. Since doing one's own job well and fulfilling professional requirements well is an act of serving God and accepting God's callinq (inspiration) - this makes the conscientious and conscientious work attitude of Germans internalized into a kind of faith.

　　2.

　　The German people's dedicated and absolute obedience to work has left a deep imprint on German politics, economy and culture.

　　The work view of the German nation promoted the unification of modern Germany. The "servant spirit" that prevailed in the First German Empire, obedience consciousness, the army must obey the orders of the officers, and the officers obey the emperor's assignment, so a strong military force and autocracy was established from top to bottom. The unification of Germany is in line with the trend of historical development, and it can be said to be in line with the times; Germany is located between Austria and France, and the iron-blooded prime minister Bismarck used the Fao conflict to mediate the process of unification. It is reflected in the German soldiers abiding by the law, completely obeying the arrangements of their superiors, and being loyal to their duties. From this point of view, Italy, which is proud of freedom and romance, has no such strong support when it wants to complete the great cause of unification at the same time. As a result, after three dynastic wars, Germany established the first unified German Empire in history, and achieved unification as desired.

　　It is undeniable that this German work concept of absolute obedience to the superior is also flawed. The straight-line thinking of the Germans makes them obedient to the madman-like rants of the "authority", so that they do not hesitate to execute cruel and absurd orders. Therefore, Karl Moser, the German publisher of Württemberg, ruthlessly criticized the shortcomings and weaknesses of the Germans: "Every nation has its own characteristics. In Germany it is obedience, in England it is freedom, in Holland it is Trade, in France, is the king." The performance of many Germans who provoked two world wars that killed countless lives in modern Germany was also based on such a concept. According to the recollections of veterans who participated in the "World War II", one second before Germany surrendered, the German soldiers fighting in the tanks still obeyed the order and spared no effort to frantically pull their machine guns. However, the Germans after the "World War II", after profound reflection, recognized the tragedy caused by this blind obedience to authority, especially the murder of the Jews, the inhuman crime. On December 7, 1970, Chancellor Brandt of the Federal Republic of Germany "kneeled" in front of the tomb of the murdered Jews not only allowed the Germans to gain the understanding of the Jews, but also had the opportunity to announce to the world that the Germans had recovered. Think rationally, no longer blindly obey.

　　This view of work of the German nation has repeatedly recovered the German economy from heavy losses. As mentioned above, the Germans' diligent work and absolute obedience to work originated from the medieval handicraft guilds, that is, the economic field. At the same time, the formation of this spirit had an extraordinary impact on the German economic development process. In Germany you will hear the proverbs, "Work makes people happy" and "Work first, enjoyment second". This concept will improve production efficiency, and then increase economic efficiency, which is conducive to economic development. Take Germany's rapid economic development after World War II as an example. After the "World War II", the victorious countries such as Britain and France were reduced to second- and third-rate countries, and their economies were in dire straits. "Even the British royal family could only spend the cold winter in a cold room." At that time in Germany, the economy was even more dilapidated. In 1945, a reporter from the American "New York Herald" wrote in Berlin: "There is nothing on the streets of Berlin, shops, houses, etc., some are just ruins." Despite this, the Federal Republic of Germany However, a good situation of rapid economic development appeared earlier than that of Britain and France.

　　At that time, other Western European countries such as Britain and France generally adopted Keynesianism: raising import tariffs, implementing state monopoly capitalism (especially in some basic industries and public utilities, implementing state ownership), strengthening economic intervention and regulation, and implementing social welfare systems. Erhard, a well-known economist and Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany, resolutely gave up the policy of protecting tariffs, and instead encouraged free competition among enterprises, emphasizing the conscious feedback of enterprises to the society. The Federal Republic of Germany became an example of the rapid economic rise after World War II, and was thus known as the "economic miracle". Erhard dared to implement this policy because he knew the Germans' view of work. After the assignment of tasks, workers will complete the task with seriousness and dedication, without having to consider the problem of mobilizing the enthusiasm of workers as in other countries. As a result, the production efficiency of the company is high, and the cost is also reduced. As a result, German companies have an advantage in competition with companies from other countries. In addition, Germans abide by the law, and enterprises will automatically donate part of their wealth to the society. Such high-quality workers and law-abiding enterprises are the best explanation for Germany's rapid economic recovery after World War II.

　　The German national view of work also permeates every aspect of their culture. Germans strictly abide by laws and regulations. Usually the mantra of German people when they meet is "Is everything in order?" A person who once lived in Germany told a story that one day he went to a post office in a small town in Germany to send books to the country, but the post office staff insisted on the concept of "all for the benefit of customers" and thought that the international postage was too high and persuaded him to do so. Don't send it and ask others to take it with him. He had no choice but to go home. After a few days, he went to the post office again and the answer was to use ordinary mail. It is well known that the speed of ordinary mail is slow, and this book is urgently needed. Again, without success; until he went to the post office for the third time, almost begging to tell him about the emergency and his willingness to pay extra for postage, etc., and the staff gave up. He said that although the Germans felt a little pedantic at the time, they firmly adhered to the service concept of "everything is based on the interests of the customer", which was really admirable. It is said that there are few invigilators in the examination rooms of various German exams, because they believe that every German has a strong self-discipline and does not need to be monitored by others.

　　In terms of daily life, Germans strive to make their daily life orderly. They are particularly evident in their daily life, environment arrangement and life rhythm. Both the bedroom and the living room are kept in good order and spotless all year round.

　　In short, the German national view of work has become part of its national character.