Dedication Burns Like a Torch, Illuminating Mountains and Rivers
■ Tan Tingting
● Without dedication, soldiers cannot bear the weight of their mission; without dedication, the army cannot secure the peace of mountains and rivers.
Chairman Xi has emphasized: "We must actively promote the spirit of dedication and rally the powerful force of hundreds of millions of people striving together in the new era." Dedication is a spiritual pursuit embedded in the bloodline of the Chinese nation, and even more so an intrinsic spiritual quality of the people's army and an indelible red gene that will never fade. Without dedication, soldiers cannot bear the weight of their mission; without dedication, the army cannot secure the peace of mountains and rivers.
Looking back on the nearly one hundred years of extraordinary history of the people's army, dedication has burned like a torch, illuminating the path of original aspiration (初心之路) for generation after generation of soldiers, and becoming the spiritual code passed down through the people's army from one generation to the next, enduring and inexhaustible. In the era of revolutionary war, dedication meant sacrificing one's life for righteousness amid a hail of bullets, and pressing forward without hesitation in the face of life-and-death trials. In the period of peaceful construction, dedication means yielding not an inch on the frontline at the border, toiling in silence at grassroots posts, and stepping forward in moments of danger and crisis. Countless soldiers have kept their pledge to the nation and homeland with the heart of a devoted son, built a steel Great Wall with flesh and blood, and through every word and deed have given meaning to the solemn oath of "dedicating oneself to the nation and serving selflessly" (以身许国、无私奉献), together forging the spiritual monument of the people's army—those who join the military must defend the territory; dedication forges loyalty; the original aspiration is reflected in mountains and rivers; hot blood answers the call of mission.
For the officers and soldiers of our military, dedication has never been an empty slogan. It is a steadfast faith embedded in the bloodline and carved into the marrow, a mighty force that protects our mountains and rivers, and an ever-burning spiritual torch on the journey to build a strong nation and a strong military. It is the wholehearted loyalty of "dedicating oneself to the nation, with no fear of life or death"; it is the lofty bearing of "persisting in silence, with no regard for personal gain or loss"; and it is the mission and responsibility of "being responsible for defending the territory, taking responsibility for defending the territory, and fulfilling responsibility for defending the territory" (守土有责、守土负责、守土尽责). Zhang Chao, a Grade-One pilot of a naval carrier-based aviation unit, was piloting a J-15 carrier-based fighter during training when the aircraft suffered a sudden fly-by-wire malfunction. At the critical moment, he took decisive action and made every effort to save the aircraft, and died heroically—interpreting the dedication and responsibility of a soldier with twenty-nine years of youth. From Dong Cunrui, who cried "For the sake of New China, advance!", to Yu Shuchang, who called "For victory, fire at my position!"; from Lin Junde, who concealed his identity and took root in the Gobi Desert for decades, devoting his entire life to the cause of national defense science and technology and remaining at his post until the very last moment of his life, to the group of heroes of the new era who guard the nation's borders on the Karakoram Plateau, fearing no sacrifice in defense of the homeland—countless heroes and models have proven through actions that shake the mountains and rivers that dedication has never been distant or abstract. It is a practice of loyalty woven into every sentry duty, every training session, and every mission; it is the most moving quality and the most noble pursuit of a soldier.
However, under the impact of the market economy and diverse currents of thought, a small number of comrades have gradually lost the spirit of dedication. Some have become mentally unbalanced in weighing personal interests, attaching excessive importance to personal gain and loss, and have diluted their sense of responsibility; some have indulged in pleasure and shied away from hardship and difficulty, gradually abandoning the fine tradition of hard struggle and willingness to dedicate oneself… The existence of these phenomena is, in essence, a manifestation of the weakening of the spirit of dedication. This not only affects conduct and image but also departs from the original aspiration and mission. This warns us that dedication is to the spiritual world what a torch is to the dark night—without a torch, the road ahead loses its light and direction.
"Great achievements rest on great aspirations; broad undertakings rest on diligent effort." Soldiers must treat the spirit of dedication as a lifelong required course, cultivating it with perseverance and practicing it with earnest action, allowing the soul of dedication to merge into the bloodline and the strength of responsibility to take root in the heart. One must consolidate the foundation of faith—study deeply the Party's innovative theories, especially Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, profoundly grasp the contemporary connotations of the spirit of dedication, consolidate the foundation of faith, replenish the calcium of the spirit (补足精神之钙), and steady the rudder of thought, firmly holding to the conviction of "dedicating oneself to the nation and serving selflessly," and making dedication a conscious pursuit and a set of values. One must temper the virtue of dedication—drawing spiritual strength by taking heroes and models as a mirror, using negative examples as a warning to remain vigilant and self-examining at all times, tempering one's will in arduous environments, holding the line in the face of temptation and trials, not coveting fame or personal gain, always upholding the original aspiration and mission, and forever preserving one's political character. One must faithfully fulfill the responsibility of commitment—genuinely carrying out the duties and mission of a soldier, standing firm at one's post, being down-to-earth and working with real effort, shouldering responsibility, doing every piece of work to the utmost, allowing the spirit of dedication to permeate daily life and become a constant practice, interpreting loyalty through hard work and writing commitment through contribution.
In the new era and on the new journey, the bugle call for building a strong nation and a strong military urges us forward, and the mission rests on the shoulders of revolutionary soldiers. Strengthening the spirit of dedication among soldiers is an inevitable requirement for advancing the modernization of national defense and the military, an important guarantee for meeting risks and challenges and consolidating the security barrier of the nation, and a powerful driving force for rallying the morale of the military and realizing national rejuvenation. Let us take dedication as a torch, kindle the fire of loyalty, gather the strength to build a strong military, guard the peace of the nation and homeland with the heart of devoted sons, bear the mission of the era on shoulders of steel, carve the spirit of dedication into the marrow and merge it into the bloodline, protect every inch of the motherland's territory with youth and sweat, and defend the nation's sovereignty and dignity with hot blood and loyalty, writing the magnificent chapter of dedication belonging to revolutionary soldiers of the new era. May the light of dedication illuminate the journey of building a strong military and shine upon ten thousand li of mountains and rivers; may every soldier's steadfast perseverance find its echo and every measure of contribution reflect its value; and with the combat posture of sleeping with weapons at the ready (枕戈待旦) and the spiritual character of selfless dedication, may we press boldly forward toward the magnificent goal of achieving the centenary goal of army building and building a world-class military.