pjbooks Chapter 21, Lesson 1
Chapter 21, Lesson 1
Johnny nodded as if he understood, though he didn't fully grasp the meaning. However, he remembered every word his brother-in-law said.
"But brother-in-law, I still don't quite understand. Why did you tell me this first?"
Luther smiled and said, "Because this is the kind of concept that your current school education lacks the most."
"Extravagance, shortsightedness, vanity, and wastefulness—that's not what I want you to learn. I want you to become a real man, John."
"A true warrior dares to face the bleakness of life and the dripping blood; that is what you should pursue."
Upon hearing this, Johnny nodded and carefully wrote down the two sentences.
The lesson didn't last long. Afterward, Luther briefly explained a sentence and then let young Kennedy "practice" it on his own.
Because the essence of learning is practice.
The next morning, Luther had just finished breakfast when little Kennedy came running over excitedly.
"Brother-in-law, I understand. You're saying that you can't speak without investigation. From yesterday to today, I've been investigating every day—investigating how many cookies are left in the kitchen, investigating why Catherine always locks herself in her room, and I've even investigated..."
At this point, he chuckled softly, adopting a mysterious air.
"Brother-in-law, I've also investigated who the women in my eldest brother's house are..."
Luther nodded: "Young man, you've done a very thorough investigation."
"So, brother-in-law, now I finally have a say, right?"
"Of course, you can say it."
"I discovered the cookie jar in the kitchen was empty. Ruth was sneaking two cookies every day, one in the morning and one in the evening, and Jacques would replenish them, but he also ate some himself. Then I found out that Catherine was keeping a lizard in the house. I saw it with my own eyes; it was green and looked terrifying. As for the woman in my brother's room..."
At this point, he paused like a little adult, sighed, and said, "It's different every time, and I can't remember the names."
Upon hearing this, Jia almost burst out laughing.
This little guy is indeed smart and has a strong ability to observe; he truly deserves to be my prized student.
However, what he said could only be described as "taking a look," and was far from being an "investigation."
However, Luther did not deny him.
He walked to the bookshelf, randomly pulled out a thick yearbook, which contained various economic data for the United States in 1926.
He turned to one of the pages, pointed to the densely written picture of his cousin, and said, "John, look at this."
Upon hearing this, Johnny Jr. came over, but after only a couple of glances, his brows furrowed.
The numbers were densely packed, like a swarm of unruly ants, making one dizzy.
"Brother-in-law, what is this?"
"These are the annual income figures for American farmers." Luther put down the book, pointed to the lines of text, and slowly said, "You see, in 1920, a farmer could earn fifteen dollars for one acre of wheat. By 1926, the same acre of wheat could only earn four dollars."
"Why?" Kennedy Jr. asked.
"Good question." Luther nodded approvingly. "Most people, when they see this number, will just say, 'The farmers are so pitiful,' and that's it. But you're different; you've asked a good question. Why?"
Johnny was a little embarrassed by the praise, and his vanity was greatly satisfied.
There's no one better than my brother-in-law in the world!
"Then why, brother-in-law?"
"Because Europe recovered after the war," Luther said, hitting the nail on the head and stating the truth directly.
"In the years immediately following the end of the war, Europeans couldn't grow anything and had to buy food from the United States. At that time, food prices were very high. When farmers saw that growing food was profitable, they frantically bought land, machinery, and expanded production. But now that Europeans can grow their own food and no longer buy American food, they can't sell their food."
He paused for a moment, then continued, "But the problem is, the farmers don't know about this change. They only know, 'Last year, grain sold for fifteen dollars, why did it only sell for four dollars this year?' They don't know the reason, so they can only blame the government, the banks, and God. Some people simply stop farming, leaving the land to lie fallow, and everyone has gone to the city."
Johnny listened intently, his brow furrowed slightly, as if he was trying to process the information.
Although he was very young, living in such a family and being constantly exposed to old Joseph's influence, he quickly grasped the meaning behind it all.
"Brother-in-law, is the 'investigation' you're talking about about finding out 'why'?"
"You're half right." Luther held up one finger. "An investigation isn't just about knowing 'why,' it's also about knowing 'how.' Like when you go to the hospital, the doctor first asks where you feel unwell, takes your temperature, and then does various tests—that's called an investigation. Only after they find out you have a cold can they prescribe medicine. If a doctor doesn't even look at you and just prescribes a bunch of medicine, would you dare take it?"
"I wouldn't dare," Johnny shook his head.
"So, do you think those experts who haven't even conducted any research are qualified to write articles in newspapers teaching farmers how to farm, workers how to do their jobs, and ordinary people how to live their lives?"
Johnny Jr. hesitated for a moment, then shook his head.
But the way his eyes were darting around indicated that his heart was beginning to lean in one direction.
Luther saw through his thoughts and pressed his advantage: "Do you know how many people like that are around now?"
"How many?"
“Very many,” Luther said. “Open a newspaper, and eight out of ten columnists have never been to the fields, never been to a factory, never been to the countryside, but they teach others how to live every day. They sit in office buildings in Manhattan, New York, enjoying air conditioning and drinking coffee, and then write articles saying ‘farmers should farm like this’ and ‘workers should live like that’.”
He paused, lowered his voice, as if revealing a secret: "Even your father was harmed by this kind of person."
Johnny Jr. suddenly looked up: "Really?"
"Of course it's true." Luther nodded, then recounted a past event.
"Your father invested in a shipyard back then. Do you know what he did? He hired a lot of people to write reports. Those experts wrote a lot of things, saying how great and promising the shipyard was. But your father didn't just listen to them. He went to the shipyard himself, talked to the workers, and saw how the ships were built. Later, he discovered that the shipyard was actually outdated, still using technology from more than ten years ago. If he hadn't gone to see for himself and had only listened to those experts, his two million dollars would have been wasted."
This example is well chosen and is quite vivid.
Although John F. Kennedy Jr. was only twelve years old, he already had a vague idea of what "two million dollars" meant.
That could buy several thousand of his sister's Chevrolet.
"Therefore," Luther concluded, "no investigation, no right to speak. This is not just a slogan, it's a principle for survival. If you don't understand something yourself, don't express your opinion. Because if you express a wrong opinion, others may be misled by you, or even suffer heavy losses because of your words."
Johnny Jr. sat there, motionless.
His eyes were fixed on the carpet in front of him, his lips moving slightly as if he were silently reciting that sentence.
After a long while, he slowly raised his head, and there was an indescribable light in his eyes.
"Brother-in-law," his voice was strained, as if he had been struck by something, "you speak much better than the school teachers."
P.S.: Happy May Day everyone! Go have fun and go hiking! Also, please vote and add to your favorites. Thank you so much to all the big shots who stole my votes these past few days, I'm a newbie and I'm extremely grateful.