Don't try to prove yourself | Uncle Tom's Lazy Book

In the vast world of literature, there are countless classic works, but rarely does a book have the power to influence the course of history in its era. Among these, the novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe is one of the most profoundly influential works of the 19th century. It was the best-selling book of its time, translated into dozens of languages, and sparked a wave of abolitionism across America. When I first read this book, I saw the tragic and tumultuous life of Uncle Tom. I felt deep sorrow for the oppressed fate of black people in the southern United States. I also clearly heard the voice exposing the dark crimes of slavery. However, upon a second reading, I grasped another layer of meaning—a philosophy of life hidden beneath the political surface of this novel. Therefore, in today’s video, Battle Vision would like to share with you some profound insights from this classic novel, "Uncle Tom's Cabin." I hope it will leave you with much contemplation and help you draw lessons on survival wisdom in life, enabling you to live with true courage and happiness in the best possible state. Now, let’s listen to today's content.

Excellence is like underwear; it shouldn’t be flaunted. A truly strong person never boasts. A noble life doesn't need to be decorated with a sense of superiority. In life, some people rely on a sense of superiority to build an invisible class, thinking that this will make them seem more elite, skilled, or superior to others. Conversely, there are those who always receive genuine respect from everyone around them due to their humility and equal-mindedness. Reading this novel, you'll realize that true superiority does not come from appearance, knowledge, lineage, wealth, status, achievements, or power. It stems from ignorance and a needy heart.

The story begins in the 19th century, before the American Civil War, in the southern United States, where white people predominantly ruled and black people became the exploited labor force. The main character, Uncle Tom, a black man, had to survive in this harsh and dark environment, going through many ups and downs. At a slave auction, Uncle Tom was sold to a plantation owner named Simon Legree, an extremely brutal man. Like all those who owned black slaves or profited from the slave trade, Simon saw people as nothing but material to be used for profit. During a cotton harvest, to prevent the black slaves from slacking, Simon appointed Sambo and Quimbo, also black, to oversee and manage the other slaves. It was assumed that they would empathize with their fellow black people's plight. However, Sambo and Quimbo, given a bit of power, developed a strong sense of superiority. They abused their privilege to flaunt their superiority by whipping anyone who did not pick enough cotton, mistreating those they didn't like, and forcing a beautiful black woman to be their concubine, ruining her marriage and family.

Sambo and Quimbo became so arrogant, acting as if they were the true rulers of the plantation, oppressing all the other black slaves. The French writer and diplomat, Alexis de Tocqueville, once said that no one can look at others with hatred and contempt while demonstrating their superiority. In fact, as the psychologist Alfred Adler pointed out in his classic book "What Life Should Mean to You," the sense of superiority is a desire for an ideal self, a feeling one experiences after achieving their ideal self. It only arises after one has experienced feelings of inferiority and then strived to attain a superior sense over others. This process is merely to affirm one’s existence in this world. In other words, the sense of superiority comes from lack and inferiority, and everyone has it.

Sambo and Quimbo, from being slaves to supervisors, developed a sense of superiority. The top student in the class will feel superior. The best employee of the year will feel superior. Having a beautiful partner will make one feel superior. Even in daily life, you will find it familiar—city dwellers often feel superior to those from rural areas, those with higher education levels feel superior to those with lower education, those earning more money feel superior to those with less income, and the beautiful often feel superior to the average-looking. Indeed, having a sense of superiority is understandable when humans are born with a physical body and live in a materialistic society. However, what's worrisome is that many people display their superiority by any means to prove it to others. Only when many people recognize it can they experience their own value.

In relationships, proving superiority can be seen through bragging, comparing with others, comparing houses, cars, spouses, children's academic achievements, or at work, it could be the veteran employees bullying the new ones, teaching them a lesson. In schools, it might be bullying, isolating friends, competing for achievements, etc. There’s also a way to demonstrate superiority by assuming moral high ground, like expecting friends to help just because of a long-term relationship, or expecting financial aid from wealthier friends. Some people even have an inexplicable self-confidence, viewing others from above with a condescending attitude. In reality, flaunting superiority only makes others feel repelled.

We need to understand that the more someone lacks, the more they flaunt. The more they seek validation, the more they feel the need to prove their worth. In psychology, there is the Dunning-Kruger effect, where people overestimate their abilities compared to their actual competence. This is true for many, including Sambo and Quimbo, who in the eyes of the plantation owner, were nothing more than pawns, tools to be exploited. Once a better option for supervision arises, they will be discarded immediately. In the end, the sense of superiority is just an illusion. Only those with superficial and shallow inner selves believe that having visited many places, dined at upscale restaurants, known influential people, or having high academic qualifications and wealth, places them above others. As the philosopher Osho aptly said, "Arrogance is merely insecurity standing on its head."

The more we want to prove ourselves, the narrower our life path becomes. Uncle Tom’s second master, Augustine, unlike most cruel plantation owners, did not discriminate against black people. However, his wife, Mary, was the opposite. Mary came from a wealthy family, lived a happy married life with servants at her beck and call, and should have been the most content person in the mansion. But she constantly sighed and complained about the lack of genuine care from those around her. This all stemmed from her habit of valuing her superiority and looking down on others to elevate herself. She enjoyed the benefits of an unjust slavery system while proclaiming herself the savior of black people, believing they would die without her supervision. After marriage, to ensure the best service, she manipulated and separated a black servant’s family, forcing the servant to follow her. Mary's hobby was making her servants stay up all night, then complaining about her headaches, demanding everyone's attention. One day, a female servant overslept and didn't notice Mary's headache in time, resulting in Mary’s furious outburst, accusing the servant of selfishness and blaming herself for being too lenient with black people. When Augustine advised his wife to empathize with the servants and stop separating their families, she sneered, saying a black person couldn't have rich emotions like hers. However, in others’ eyes, the truly selfish, heartless, and hypocritical person incapable of caring for anyone but herself was Mary.

Over time, her husband saw through her, no longer seriously listening to her complaints. The servants, familiar with her unreasonable demands, began to serve her perfunctorily. Thus, Mary was trapped in her sense of superiority, gradually isolating herself from the real world. In reality, we often encounter many people like Mary. When returning home from living abroad, some start speaking with a foreign accent, mixing Vietnamese with English. On social media, many live in a virtual world, always showing off. Conversations with those having a strong sense of superiority often focus more on "I" and less on "you," always finding ways to turn the spotlight on themselves.

People who like to show off their superiority will have a clear state in social or intimate relationships: denying everything about the other person, focusing on others’ shortcomings, often criticizing and embarrassing them, while skillfully finding opportunities to showcase their strengths and concealing their own flaws. But because they don't see or pretend not to see their own shortcomings, they can never truly progress in life. Those with a strong sense of superiority often lack empathy and can't put themselves in others' shoes. True superiority never makes them feel satisfied because they don't pursue genuine excellence but only want to prove themselves better than others. Thus, their instinct is to praise themselves and believe others can't match them. Consequently, arrogance becomes their habit. However, they don't realize that adorning themselves with false superiority only blinds others, not warming them.

Only by controlling the sense of superiority and treating people with an equal mind can you earn genuine respect and sincere treatment from those around you. That’s when your life truly opens up, becoming genuine and resilient.

The highest level of character is not boasting when looking down, nor feeling ashamed when looking up.

According to Mary’s viewpoint, only force could tame all the black people on the plantation. When Augustine visited his brother’s estate, he saw his brother chasing a runaway black man. This slave, longing for freedom, was named Cpio. He was tall and extremely strong, single-handedly overpowering the supervisors trying to use force to control him, and then escaping. Augustine’s brother, enraged, sent people and dogs to hunt Cpio, but Cpio fought back, preventing anyone from approaching until he was shot and injured. To stop them from killing the innocent Cpio, Augustine stepped in, protecting and claiming Cpio as his slave. He brought Cpio back, prepared a comfortable bed, bandaged his wounds, and personally took care of him. Once Cpio fully recovered, Augustine granted