The death of the camphor tree reminds me...

  The big camphor tree at the village entrance has died, and the villagers and passersby are all regretful. This camphor tree had luxuriant branches and leaves for decades, providing shade and shelter from wind and rain to travelers, bringing much convenience.

  This camphor tree has always been cold and drought tolerant, with a strong ability to resist nature. It was originally living well, so why did it suddenly wither? How did it die after all? People can't figure it out.

  To investigate the cause of death, someone suggested cutting down the tree and splitting it open to determine whether the root or trunk was the reason.

  The proposal was approved by everyone, so they cut down the tree, split open the main trunk of the tree, and found that there were a large number of woodworms gathered inside the main trunk of the big tree, almost several thousand.

  "What a pity! Such a good big tree was killed by this small worm."

  "If it weren't for these vines entwining and the green leaves covering the trunk, this big tree wouldn't have died."

  "Yes, everyone often comes here to cool off, rest their feet and avoid the wind and rain. If there really are termites, everyone will also be aware of it. Just apply some lime water where the termites are found and that's it."

  "It's all because of these vines. If they hadn't wrapped themselves around the tree trunks, the borers wouldn't have had a chance to harm the camphor trees, and the trees wouldn't have died."

  "Yes, this vine is indeed wicked. If it hadn't dressed the big tree in this seemingly beautiful coat, the big tree wouldn't have been deceived and would have guarded against it beforehand. At least there's Dr. Woodpecker to treat its illness, so it won't be killed by the borer."

  “……”

  People were talking about it.

  I saw that the heart of a large tree was completely hollowed out by insects, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness. If it's like this in the plant kingdom, how can humans be any different?

  Last year, I heard and saw that a big tree five miles away from our home in the neighboring county was sentenced to death due to a huge amount of corruption and bribery. When the big tree fell, many of his brothers, sisters, relatives, and friends were implicated and all went to prison. His parents could not withstand this sudden blow, one died and the other was disabled. It can be said that "the city gate is on fire, and the fish in the moat are affected". I think that when the big tree was in its prime, he signed a few hundred million yuan for the whole town to build a cement highway, solving the traffic problem, and then signed again to solve the drinking water problem of the hometown. He was kind to the countryside, and all the old people in the county were grateful. It is true that "one person gets the Tao, and the chicken and dog fly up". His whole family's worth increased by hundreds of times. Even the leaders of the prefectural and county committees came to visit his parents at home every year. However, after a few years of prosperity, the big tree was hollowed out by countless large and small insects, and finally walked towards the road of destruction. It is said that the amount of corruption and bribery he received was in the billions, and he had villas in Shanghai, Henan, and other places, as well as enterprises he invested in. The cash found alone was worth tens of millions of yuan. The amount was so large that it was astonishing. What a big insect, almost emptying the national treasury!

  The author visited local residents and a local news media outlet to learn the truth. It turned out that the withering of the large tree was closely related to those flattering reports. The refined person who blew his trumpet also had an inescapable responsibility. According to legend, the large tree came from a poor background, had good mental quality, was kind and generous, and handled matters impartially and selflessly. One year, he returned home for a family visit, and a reporter interviewed him, writing a lengthy article that treated him like a god. The large tree was promoted three ranks due to the report, truly creating a brand through advertising. However, because of the reporters' exaggerated praise, he became arrogant and lost sight of what morality and integrity meant. His brothers, sisters, relatives, and friends would all come to him for money when they needed it, whether it was for starting a business, getting married, buying a house, or hosting a banquet. He always readily agreed and took care of the matter with a stroke of his pen. Over time, he became accustomed to this and never thought about whether such behavior was right or wrong, or whether it was an abuse of power.

  Recently, I saw another thought-provoking news report that portrayed a deeply hidden social parasite as a model of integrity and dedication. Isn't this absurd? News reports are photojournalism, but photos can't distort the truth.

  What is called photography is to photograph real people and real things, face society, reflect life, expose darkness, criticize the ills of the times, promote positive energy, rather than advertising, propaganda, for those who harm the public and benefit themselves, seek fame and fortune.

  In today's society, science is advancing, productivity is increasing, and people's thinking is constantly changing. The spirit of seeking truth and pragmatism is being carried forward. However, there are still some people who, for the sake of their own careers, cling to a big tree, blowing trumpets for it while climbing up, doing everything they can to flatter and exaggerate.

  Here is the translation:

  Yesterday, Zheng Banqiao responded to the prevailing trend of corruption and sycophancy in officialdom with the four words "difficult to get a good reputation". Zhou Qingyuan sighed: "The world values hypocrisy over sincerity, if you want to be serious, you will lose people." There were such people in ancient times, and there are still some today. Those who fawn and flatter have them, and those who point at a deer and call it a horse also have them. They sacrifice their integrity and conscience for personal gain, intentionally confusing right and wrong, whitewashing the truth.

  I am not talented, but I have been crawling on the road of literature for over 30 years, and still have no achievements to speak of. The reason is that I was born straightforward, not good at flattering or fawning, nor skilled in speaking with forked tongue or currying favor. My only preference is to seek truth from facts and discuss things based on reality.

  I once wrote a poem "Ode to the Land" which offended the local land god, and another poem "Xing San Shen" which was heavily criticized. In the early years of this century, I wrote an article about real-life elderly living conditions, which was submitted to regional and county newspapers, but after sending it out, there was no response.

  I didn't give up, and resubmitted the article without changing a single word to "China Elderly News". As a result, my article was published within a month, and even won an award. After being published in national-level publications, municipal and county-level publications followed suit. I couldn't help but sigh.

  From this, it can be seen that not only officialdom has dark places, but the literary world also has its dark side. Some local publications frequently publish articles by so-called famous writers, either praising their own achievements or writing about their leisurely lives. In short, every time they publish, it's always the same old works, without any new faces or new works.

  I have never seen those good articles that expose darkness and criticize the times being published. Occasionally, there might be a hint of such flavor, but it's always just a passing mention, as if to save ink. And yet, those special reports on how certain leaders are clean and honest, how they reform with great courage, and how they wholeheartedly serve the people, are like bamboo shoots after rain, emerging one after another.

  However, many years later, these famous figures who were once reported on in special features have all been imprisoned for corruption. Those so-called model officials, their fate suddenly plummeted from heaven to the 18th level of hell.

  The reason is that those writers and scholars who were used by them at the time only sang their praises, elevating them to a high pedestal, ignoring the teachings of "having something to do and something not to do" for gentlemen. And the saying "having power but not using it is a waste of being an official" became their mantra.

  As public servants, they don't serve the people, don't use a sincere heart to win the trust of the common folk, or establish the party's glorious image. Instead, they tarnish the party's reputation.

  Only knowing how to extend a hand for something, where is the reason in this world? Even if it's "giving", there must be giving before receiving. Without sowing, how can there be reaping? Without real skills, relying solely on some elegant words of praise to soar, will only lead to a more severe fall, even to the point of being shattered into pieces.

  ………

  The big camphor tree may be dead, but it didn't die in vain. At the very least, it can serve as a warning to humans.

  The big camphor tree died, and people cut down the vines that entwined it, chopping them into a thousand pieces.

  The fate of the camphor tree is miserable, but the fate of the wisteria is even more miserable. It not only died, but people also hated it.