Lesson from President of the People's Republic of China (PRC) Xi Jinping

As a child, I was a selfish child. I always think of myself first with good things, never consider the feelings of others. As a result, the companions left me one by one. I am very upset over it, and laid the blame to others.

One night, my father cooked two bowls of noodles. There was a white egg on one bowl and none on the other. My father asked me, which bowl you prefer? During then, eggs were very precious food. It was only on a festive or occasion like a birthday that we had the privilege of having an egg in a meal. I would not miss such opportunity and with no hesitation, I chose the bowl with eggs. My choice was wrong. I was surprised that my father’s bowl actually contained two eggs underneath the noodle. I regretted it and hated myself for being too impatient.

Noticed my reaction, my father smiled and said to me: “Son, you must remember, what is visible to the eye might not be true, one who wants to take advantage of others will eventually suffer a big loss.”

The next night, my father cooked two bowls of noodles again. There was still a white egg on one bowl and none on the other. My father asked me to choose. I learned from the previous experience and chose the bowl with no eggs on the surface. The father watched me silently and did not utter a word. I quickly picked up the chopsticks, stirred the noodles to find the eggs underneath it. I was disappointed that there was no egg except the soup and noodle in the bowl.

At this time, my father said to me thoughtfully: “Son, you must remember, do not trust too much in previous experience, as life sometimes deceives you. However, you don’t have to worry or be sad over it. Life experience is something you cannot learn from a textbook.”

On the third night, my father cooked two bowls of noodles. It looked exactly the same as the previous nights. My father asked me to choose and I did not act rashly. Instead, I said to my father: “Dad, you have sacrificed so much for me and this family and you get to choose out of my respect for you!” The father did not decline and chose the bowl with an egg on it. I guessed there was definitely no egg in the other bowl. To my surprise, I had two white eggs underneath the noodle in the bowl.

My father looked up and his eyes were full of kindness. He said to me lightly: “Son, you must remember, when you think about others, good luck will bestow upon you.” I was stunned.

Since then, I have taken these three lessons as my principles of life. Regardless of whether it is for people or things, the first thing that comes to mind is always the interests of others. As my father rightfully said it, luck bestows upon me one after another. My career testifies to the principles of life I learned from my father.

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