Mi_Mang's reading plan

[螺丝钉]

I have always been someone who indulges in pleasure and studies little, lacking proper learning. My theoretical study has been scattered and I have never systematically studied books. Even when I have studied, I did not adopt an attitude of “not seeking thorough understanding” when encountering problems; I just brushed them off carelessly. This has made me a half-baked theorist. When responding to members of the leftist circle, I can still reply with a few words of condemnation when it comes to non-theoretical remarks (such as the fascist comments under the article “Critique of Plants vs. Zombies”), but when it involves theory, I get confused (the articles from the Bilibili Attack Association also use many Marxist-Leninist terms, which confuses me). At the same time, my lack of learning and preparation caused me to make a fool of myself at the reading group, and the things I wrote (refer to my school diary) were also very exaggerated and empty, resembling party-style rhetoric.

Therefore, to change the current situation, here is my reading plan:

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Currently, the books I have on hand are “Outline of Marxist Philosophy,” “Introduction to Political Economy,” “Small Dictionary of Philosophy,” and “Modern Chinese History Draft.” I have read up to the second chapter of the “Outline of Marxist Philosophy” (read carelessly, planning to reread), my progress in “Introduction to Political Economy” is out of sync with the reading group, having only carefully read up to chapter one, section two, and I have not yet read the other books.

I plan to align my study as much as possible with the reading group’s content:

Monday, Tuesday: Marxist Philosophy
Wednesday, Thursday: Political Economy
Friday, Saturday: Materialist Historiography

That is, on Monday and Tuesday, I will reread the “Outline of Marxist Philosophy,” one section per day (if a section is too long, split into half sections), using the “Small Dictionary of Philosophy” to aid understanding, and ask on forums if I really don’t understand. On Wednesday and Thursday, since the textbook is “Introduction to Political Economy,” I will directly study it alongside the reading group, and after the meeting, preview one section myself (also splitting if too long). On Friday and Saturday, I will read “Modern Chinese History Draft.” On Sunday evening, I will set aside time to communicate with people available on the forum, and also use this time to organize my reading notes on the forum.

I will try this plan for one week, starting tomorrow (April 23), to see if the schedule is reasonable. I will adjust if there are problems later. Comrades, if you have any suggestions, please share.

[Hughes]

@螺丝钉

At the same time, I am unskilled and did not preview in advance, which also caused me to make a joke at the reading club, and what I wrote (refer to my school diary) is also very exaggerated and empty, making it look like a party propaganda article.

Remember to preview in advance next time. If you don’t preview, the learning效果会大打折扣。

@螺丝钉

This plan will be tested for a week, starting from tomorrow (April 23), to see if the plan arrangement is reasonable. If there are issues later, we will adjust it. Comrades, feel free to share any suggestions.

Some study-related advice is to hope that Mi Mang asks more questions, even if it’s not “really unable” but just not fully understood, you can ask. You can also write about how you think through and clarify the process of understanding the problem. When reading and understanding books, it is recommended to give more examples for comprehension. Applying one example to understand others, the theory itself is also used in practice. If you can think of real-life examples and problems, it proves you understand.
Additionally, I want to ask what form you use for your reading notes. It’s best not to leave paper, especially the content that is easy to smudge; if you use electronic devices, it’s better not to save them in online memos, but to write, cut, and clear the clipboard after finishing.

[螺丝钉]

Understood, I will prepare in advance. I used to keep quiet and not ask questions, and in the end, I understood nothing, only knowing that there were words and phrases like this. For reading notes, I plan to write the weekly summaries in a txt file on the computer, post it on the forum once, and then clear it; for daily reading, due to device issues, I still have to use paper. But on paper, I only record my own understanding and examples. It shouldn’t be a big problem as long as I don’t write sensitive content, right?

[Hughes]

How to study well is not just a technical issue, but also related to one’s mindset. You not only need to find ways to change your living conditions and live a planned life, but also engage in ideological struggle to find out why you are not studying seriously and overcome it. Only through persistent struggle and effort can you achieve results. Keep it up.

[螺丝钉]

It has been more than ten months since I started this reading plan. To be honest, due to my personal selfish interests rooted in parasitism and pleasure-seeking, my nostalgia for the old life and resistance to revolutionary discipline have led to little progress in the past ten months. Aside from some superficial understanding of Marxist philosophy (but I’ve forgotten most of it), I have made almost no progress in political economy and historical materialism. As the post “Different Attitudes of Classes Towards Marxism” recently posted by Fenghuo mentioned, I do not participate in labor, have a narrow vision, and even if I have learned some of it, the purpose of learning is just to increase my “capital” for showing off. What I have learned is dogma, and I cannot apply it in life. However, the recent changes in the forum (mainly the increase in theoretical posts and forum members) have made me feel more and more that the revolution is developing, and the situation is increasingly not allowing me to continue maintaining my old rotten lifestyle. I am indifferent to other comrades on the forum, careless, do not follow organizational discipline, and during reading meetings, I indulge in screen masturbation. Moreover, the old life is becoming more and more boring and uninteresting to me—scrolling videos every day, going back and forth, just those cheesy jokes and petty bourgeois right-wing stuff. What’s the point of it all? Every day seems to be a repetition, and I have already wasted countless days. Now, to change my life, even if I cannot participate in productive labor immediately, I must at least plan my life. The free and casual life of doing whatever I want is no longer allowed. Looking back at this reading plan now, I feel it is still feasible to continue. Just some of the reading lists need to be replaced. For Marxist philosophy, I will read the first volume of Dialectical Materialism and Historical Materialism compiled by the Philosophy Department of Wuhan University (the original Marxist philosophy outline has been borrowed). For political economy, I will continue reading Introduction to Political Economy edited by Xu He. For historical materialism, I will read Concise World History: Ancient Part from the History Department of Peking University. Besides these theoretical books, I also have some books to replace videos for relaxation and rest: Memoirs of Lenin, the novel part of Morning Glow, and Following Mao’s Long March.