鐘允香.單益波
一個從前名不見經(jīng)傳的小村,在短短幾年里成為全國聞名的仁孝之村,吸引了新華社、中新社、《人民日報》、《浙江日報》、《中華孝文化》雜志、《春暉》雜志、香港《文匯報》、澳門《華僑報》及美國《中國日報》等近百家媒體的持續(xù)關注和深度報道。
這個村叫東溪單村,位于浙江省臨海市東塍鎮(zhèn)。據(jù)記載,單姓村民的先祖是隋唐人物單雄信,他與哥哥單雄忠讀書練武,以孝賢仁義聞名于世,備受敬仰,人稱二賢。唐宋間,單雄信的后人從山東輾轉(zhuǎn)遷徙,定居臨海。東溪單村民風淳樸,傳承了先祖遺風。
孝文化的傳承與重構
孝道倫理是東溪單村的道德核心和文化基礎,千百年來,在族人間起著維護穩(wěn)定、增強凝聚力、協(xié)調(diào)復雜微妙關系的作用。隨著歷史發(fā)展,東溪單村的孝文化發(fā)生了嬗變,開始從單純血緣的家庭、家族、宗族關系向公眾同構的社會模式轉(zhuǎn)化。聽老人們說,東溪單姓人重孝道早就出了名,但形成一種文化氛圍卻是從近年開始的。
東溪單村在當?shù)厥且粋€典型的老齡化村莊,全村2048人,步入老年的有508人,且空巢居多。這種現(xiàn)狀成了村兩委的棘手難題。為此,村兩委決定重構孝文化,改建家庭式孝道為公眾模式,把集體的大愛送給老年人。因此,他們發(fā)動150多位在外工作、經(jīng)商的鄉(xiāng)賢及全村村民捐款,籌得50多萬元善款,設立全國第一個村級孝心基金,給老人們一定的物質(zhì)幫助,在村里形成一種愛老、敬老的文化氛圍,讓全村的老人都過上幸福晚年。
村孝心基金會理事長單堅說:“一個人若不能敬愛生他養(yǎng)他的父母,那么他也就很難為他人、集體、國家做出什么貢獻。倡導孝敬長輩,是弘揚感恩精神、善化人性,也會起到和睦鄰里、穩(wěn)定社會的作用?!彼J為“孝”是形成現(xiàn)代和諧人際關系的價值淵源,是形成和睦社會風尚、保持社會穩(wěn)定的精神措施之一。
以前,村里宗族祠堂有壁畫《廿四孝圖》,其核心是要求子女順從父母意志、侍奉父母天年并追終慎遠、紀念祖宗,內(nèi)中夾雜一些封建糟粕。村孝心基金會倡導以家庭美德為著力點的尊老養(yǎng)老,培養(yǎng)人本意識,促進孝文化的傳承與重構。在子女愛父母之道德感情的推動下,孝文化在社會主義新農(nóng)村建設的過程中,以嶄新的姿態(tài)存在并影響人們的思想和行為,從而凸顯其巨大活力和深厚價值。為此,村孝心基金會制訂了“十佳孝星”評選表彰制度,每年評選若干名孝子、孝媳。
孝敬成為時尚的風氣
村兩委的舉措和孝心基金的設立使村民們實實在在感受到,孝敬之風在村里悄悄蔓延。以前,村民家庭難免有矛盾,婆媳之間難免吵架,現(xiàn)在,調(diào)解吵架的幾率小了。孝敬長輩在村里成了時尚的風氣。
村書記戴榮華說,孝星們的行為影響著周邊村子和好媳婦們的娘家人。他印象最深的是村里有個外村嫁過來的媳婦,對公公婆婆是出了名的孝順,小姑出嫁后常說:“嫂子對我爸媽好,我也要學她孝敬公婆?!?/p>
有一位叫盧誠的青年說:“我從母親身上讀懂了‘孝字的真義。孝敬父母是一個人最基本的道德責任,愛父母才會愛他人、愛社會和愛國家。一個人對家庭有責任感,才會對國家社會盡職盡責。媽媽待爺爺這么好,當上孝媳,很榮耀!將來我結了婚,也要和老婆一起待爸爸媽媽好?!?/p>
戴榮華說:“榜樣的力量是無窮的!近年來我村不斷涌現(xiàn)出孝星,去年和今年,村里給八位孝星發(fā)了銅牌和證書,并給孝媳的娘家發(fā)去喜報,送去賀匾。這份禮物,讓孝媳的娘家人驚喜、驕傲?!?/p>
向孝媳的娘家發(fā)喜報、送賀匾,是為了擴大影響力,在村內(nèi)外形成比孝心、比奉獻和學孝敬、當孝星的濃厚氛圍。在給予“孝星”現(xiàn)金獎勵的基礎上,村兩委會同當?shù)剞r(nóng)村信用聯(lián)社,授予孝子孝媳家庭“金牌信用戶”稱號,享受優(yōu)先貸款權、免擔保和最優(yōu)惠利率。村兩委編印了孝文化鄉(xiāng)土教材—《人間孝道》和《百善孝為先》,發(fā)放給全體村民,用身邊事教育身邊人;并在村小學開設了鄉(xiāng)土孝敬課程,讓青少年學會感恩,懂得責任,樹立回報家庭、社會的理念。村里還設立了臨海市青少年生活道德體驗空間。
把村莊辦成溫暖樂園
村主任單國取說:我們設立孝心基金,最根本目的就是對老人實行精神和物質(zhì)援助,解老人燃眉之急,使老人老有所樂,老有所養(yǎng)!
東溪單村孝心基金是老百姓自發(fā)幫扶老人的一種行為。它的設立,推進了東溪單村的老齡工作,填補了老人精神上的一些空虛,受到老人們的稱贊。屈優(yōu)蘭老太太日子維艱,靠加工彩燈賺些生活費。去年農(nóng)歷四月十九是屈優(yōu)蘭八十壽辰。那天,東塍鎮(zhèn)一家蛋糕店的店員突然把生日蛋糕送到她家。屈優(yōu)蘭喜出望外。聽說這是孝心基金會送的,老人更激動得直掉眼淚。她說:“我活到老,還沒吃過生日蛋糕?,F(xiàn)在老了,反而過上了生日?!?/p>
單國中老人同樣對村兩委充滿感激,認為孝心基金的設立造福于老人。單國中家境貧寒,孫子在讀大學。前兩年,他家里不慎著火,急需建新房子。村里商量后決定,免費提供地基,再湊些錢給老人買建材,并給他添置了一些必需的家具和生活用品。去年,單國中還從村里領到了幾筆錢,前兩筆在春節(jié),高齡生活補助300元,困難戶慰問金500元;第三筆在重陽節(jié),也是500元的慰問金。另外,每次領錢還附帶米、油、點心等物。這對普通家庭算不上什么,但對單國中家來說,卻是一種相當溫暖和有力的幫助。
東溪單村建立高齡老人生活補貼制度,從兩年前設立的孝心基金里,給予全村47位80周歲以上老人每人每年300元生活補貼,并在春節(jié)、重陽節(jié)等節(jié)日發(fā)放社會各界捐贈的生活用品;建立困難老人生活補助制度,對困難老人每年在春節(jié)和重陽節(jié)分別發(fā)放500元現(xiàn)金及節(jié)日禮品;建立醫(yī)療援助制度,每年重陽節(jié)邀請衛(wèi)生系統(tǒng)志愿者開展義診活動,對全村老人實行免費體檢,并邀請大醫(yī)院的專家到村里開展專家門診,使老年人的生活得到保障。對于突發(fā)事件導致生活困難的老人,由理事會成員幫助聯(lián)系相關部門進行救助。
東溪單村無愧是村鎮(zhèn)孝文化一面旗幟,東溪單姓人用自己的善良展示了傳承千年的孝義,以自己的真情詮釋了孝字的含義,用自己的熱情和努力感召著更多的人共同譜寫這動人的大愛之歌!□
Village Takes Care????????of the Old
By Zhong Yunxiang, Shan Yibo
Dongxi Shan Village has put itself on the national map by creating and running a village foundation for taking care of the old in the village. Over the past few years, nearly 100 media at home and abroad have covered the village project.
The village is in Dongchen Town, Linhai City in southeastern Zhejiang. Most of the villagers are presumably the descendants of Shan Xiongxin, a rebellion hero who set out to overthrow the Sui Dynasty (581-618) and ended up getting killed later. It is said that the hero was a man of filial piety and virtue. About 1,000 years ago, the descendants of the hero migrated from Shandong Province and came to Linhai and settled down. The descendants have carried on the family tradition of respecting and taking care of the elderly people.
The filial piety has been the core of the village culture for more than centuries. The culture holds families and the village together. The culture has evolved, spreading from a single family to the clan and the whole village community. The old people recall that the Shan clan has long been renowned for respecting and taking care of the elderly among local villages, but promoting the tradition is a new cultural movement started a few years ago.
The village is home to quite a few empty nesters. At the last count, it had a population of 2,048; 508 were elders and most of them were empty nesters. How to take care of these elderly people became a big problem for village managers two years ago. They decided to promote the family filial piety on the village scale and to let the whole community act as a family and take collective care of the elders. Donations came in from more than 150 villagers who had moved away and made it in the outside world and from other villagers. The donations amounted to 500,000 and came into a village foundation for taking care of the elderly people. It happens to be Chinas first village foundation that helps the elderly.
Nowadays, 47 senior citizens at Dongxi Shan Village who are above the age of 80 years receive an annual subsidy of 300 yuan in cash from the village foundation and household necessities from the public. The village evaluates the financial situations of all the elderly villagers annually and gives 1,000 yuan in cash per year to individuals who qualify for the poverty aid. The foundation also provides medical aids to the elderly and gives them free physical examinations.
In addition to financial aids, the village government encourages family members to take care of the old and honor those who perform their filial duties well. The village honors sons and daughters-in-law who take exemplary care of their elderly people. These star sons and daughters-in-law are role models and many people are willing to emulate.
The young people in the village respond warmly to the project initiated by the village piety foundation. Lu Cheng says that he has got to understand filial piety through his mothers good care of his grandpa. He is proud of his mother being a model daughter-in-law and he promises that he and his future wife will be nice to his parents when he gets married. A woman in the village is well known for her good care of her parents-in-law. Her husbands younger sister is now married and says her sister-in-law is her role model and she will do all she can to treat her parents-in-law well.
Over the past two years, the village has certified eight filial sons and daughters-in-law. For the families of these women, it was surprise, honor and pride when people from Dongxi Shan Village arrived and publicly announced the honor and delivered the honor plaque.
To promote the family values, the village government has put together, printed and distributed two booklets to educate villagers on why and how to treat the elderly respectfully. The project has greatly reduced family tension and promoted harmony among villagers.
By doing all these things, Dongxi Shan Village has created a role model for villages across the country. □