Shallow Talk On The Truth Of Life
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This blog post was translated by Mistral
Since losing in high school information contest, followed by failing the college entrance exam, a series of setbacks left me struggling to prove myself. I dropped out of college to work, then started my entrepreneurship during my college years, with ups and downs for three years. I met many people and did various things, gradually understanding life and humans. I’d like to share my perspective on the truth.
We are often looked down upon by people or society, evaluated by schools, companies, and society. But why should we be evaluated by them? When I exerted myself based on societal evaluation, I found that success and failure evaluations were often irrational. This is due to various historical reasons, the masses being gradually brainwashed, malicious people making us ignorant and naive, and some people’s selfish intentions.
If someone looks down on you, that’s their mistake, not your failure. For instance, someone looks down on vocational school students compared to college students, but do their parents and relatives all have college degrees? Are all their close relatives college graduates? Do they even respect their own relatives? If someone disrespects their own relatives, you don’t need to care about their respect. Similarly, someone looks down on your poverty, but have they ever been poor themselves? If someone disrespects their own past, you can certainly disregard them. Furthermore, someone looks down on your ignorance, but how much knowledge does their knowledge occupy in human knowledge? How impressive is the doctorate degree in their name? Such an unaware and arrogant person, you can also ignore them. every person has their own life. Life experiences are not comparable, and people cannot be compared. All measuring standards are man-made, and these standards did not exist before humans and will disappear with the extinction of humans.
A happy life firstly does not care about negative opinions from others. If others look down on you, it is their problem, a lack of moral cultivation on their part.
In the 20 or so years of life, especially from middle school onwards, I also tended to admire people like Newton, believing that one should strive to be the best version of oneself, to become the most excellent version. Parents and schools all taught us this. However, I later found that Newton and Einstein told us not to care about others’ evaluations, to follow our hearts, and to sincerely do what we are interested in, with the quality of doing it being secondary.
When you want to be famous, you work hard to write many articles you believe to be of high quality, struggle for several years to gain several million readers. However, several funny videos on TikTok can be watched by several million people in one night. So, is it worth struggling and suffering so much to become famous?
When you want to make a lot of money, you struggle for 20 years to buy a house in Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou. However, Buffett and Gates made several hundred houses’ worth of money in one night, and Zuckerberg became a billionaire before the age of 20. Is it worth struggling and suffering so much for one house? We all want financial freedom, but if everyone needs financial freedom to stop, is that realistic. Kobe had over 20 billion US dollars in wealth, but he still couldn’t save his life.
The truth of life is, life is the most important. Health of life is more important than anything else. When life is healthy, wealth has some meaning. Wealth and status are not that important.
The truth of life is, no matter how rich or poor you are, whether you won the lottery or had a misfortune and got into a car accident that required amputation, besides the momentary happiness and sadness, your life will gradually return to tranquility, and you will still have joy, anger, sadness, and sweetness. The next ten years will be like the last ten years, although you do different things, but you will still have joy, anger, sadness, and bitterness.
The truth of life is, no matter how much money or status you have, no matter how many places you have been, your days will still pass by. No matter how much you understand life, your days will still pass by.
The truth of life is, when you truly be yourself, not caring about others’ opinions and judgments, you will live a happier life. And those who truly control their own lives without worrying about gains and losses, without being anxious and afraid, and without feeling humiliated will.1. The truth of life is that we should all be masters of the world, owners of the world, each of us should have our own freedom. As long as we don’t harm others, we can walk in this world according to our own thoughts. We cannot be forced. No one has the right to judge us as long as we don’t infringe on their freedom.
The truth of life is like what wars have shown us. When the Fascist empire invaded us, we didn’t do anything wrong, it was the evil and greedy nature of the other side. Falling behind is not our mistake, it’s just different from being advanced. The scientists since the Renaissance were all very kind. They were willing to selflessly give knowledge to everyone. Gradually, advanced technology was used by some bad people, making us suffer. We don’t need to blame and punish ourselves for others’ mistakes.
The truth of life is that you don’t have to do anything to please women, you don’t need a car or to be more successful or excellent, you only need to be kind, sincere, and brave. Men in their youth work hard to pursue success, subconsciously, one of the goals is to be able to gain the attention of the opposite sex. When you become a kind, sincere, and brave person, but no female attention comes your way, it’s a problem with this world. If it’s like this, it’s because people are too utilitarian, looking at others only based on strength, assessing whether they fit or not, that kind of world is animalistic.
When I heard about a man who was clumsy in every way and directly went to invite a model out to eat without paying for the bill or the fare, asking her what he wanted to do and finally got her number, I realized that since junior high school I had been looking up various love techniques and materials on the internet, and had a lot of confusion and struggle in this area. I was lacking only courage. I was filled with insecurity in my heart and was very afraid of being rejected. I believe that for today’s middle and high school students and college students, the real secret of love is to have the courage to confess your feelings to all the girls you have a crush on. It doesn’t necessarily have to be this way, but having this courage to pursue a girl is very simple. For women, pursuing the attention of their preferred men is the same.1. The truth of life is that, even if the world remained the same for the past ten years, without the rich application of games, movies, books, music, and all else, this world would still be going on. This world could still continue. Many people pursue the development of science and technology today, believing it to be the correct path, but this is not necessarily so. The development of science and technology, along with capitalism, is gradually turning all the natural resources on Earth into money, leaving behind a world that is increasingly only money and garbage for future generations. Unrestrained development of science and technology, and unrestrained pursuit of material wealth is not a good thing.
The truth of life is that, apart from the truths in mathematics and physics, there is nothing that is absolutely right. Only questioning is right. If you say that something or other is always right, that society is always right, then that is wrong. Or if the majority agree and like something, then that is not necessarily the case. If we question and doubt everything, and feel that everything is not quite right, and make adjustments based on practice and feedback, we are more likely to approach the truth. And if practice shows that there are negative results, then it is wrong or not good, no matter who says it. This is the essence of science. This is the characteristic of the new type of people who emerged during the Renaissance. Michelangelo’s sculptures, Leonardo da Vinci’s paintings, Galileo’s heliocentric theory, all reflect the spirit of science. They sought knowledge, did not presume, strived for perfection, and were practical.
Looking back at human history, overall, the world has been developing in a good direction. Humanity has pursued equal freedom, respect, and happiness in life, wanting to live happily and freely, wanting to express themselves freely without interference from others. Some things have spread quickly around the world because they reflect the common values and aspirations of humanity, such as the internet and smartphones, cars and televisions, WeChat and Douyin, they make people more equal, free, and happy.
In Chinese history, the market economy is so good because it has freed people from large pots and planned economies, allowing them to create and trade freely. Since the founding of the country, there have been repeated liberation of people’s thoughts, allowing people to live better lives. But each time there has been monopoly, self-centeredness, and the need to listen to only one voice, it has led to disaster after disaster. There is nothing that is always right, and no one can always be right. Some leaders in the past have made great achievements, but that does not mean they were never wrong or always right. The Great Leap Forward, Cultural Revolution, and Anti-Rightist Campaigns have all shown this truth. Reform and opening up is good because it encourages people’s freedom, loosens their restraints, and allows some areas to implement “household responsibility for production,” the results are very good.
For individuals, companies, and countries, the same principle applies. When we don’t know what to do, we should try different methods and see the results, and make adjustments and improvements accordingly. There should not be only one voice, and there is no absolute truth.
Truth is truth. Facing truth, society can make mistakes for several decades, keep walking down a dark alley, but eventually cannot reach the correct direction, you must follow the truth. For natural science, theories must be based on real experimental results, if experiments prove to be wrong, then the theories are not correct. For society, if everyone is happy, free, and joyful, that is the truth. If it is impossible to make everyone happy, there will be various contradictions and conflicts, unless most people are eliminated.
The truth of life is, after you have persistently pursued the things you want in life and finally obtained your beloved girlfriend, your own car, your own house, your own profitable company, and became the idol that people admire, you will find that it is not as wonderful as you imagined. Happiness is fleeting, and it is more like a release of pressure and pain. This kind of happiness is harmful, it requires us to have continuous targets and continuous pain to feel this kind of happiness. The happiness that comes at the cost of pain is not healthy.
The truth of life is, we today are all richer than the world’s richest person 10 years ago and the emperors of past dynasties. We can freely use many apps and various open-source software, watch countless free TV dramas, movies, books, novels, comics. Today, we should be content. We should see what we have. Instead of envying the stars and celebrities, desiring what we cannot have, desiring what is packaged and beautified in their illusory beautiful dreams. We will always have material and experiential things, but we cannot have them. But the material and experiential things we can freely have are countless, and our short life cannot enjoy them all.
The truth of life is, we create everything outside of ourselves, and everything else is what we have created, because we want to be famous and earn a lot of money, have insatiable desires, and are not firm enough in ourselves, and are drawn into social competition, resulting in our endless affairs. Outside of ourselves, we have the ability to eat well and sleep well. Everything else is what we have created. No company forces us to join, and no one is constantly watching us. If we plan to idle for a year, that’s perfectly fine. Idleness and busyness are just different. Today, the people who are working hard may make the earth worse, and their descendants may suffer even more.
Today, many common people are still struggling for three mountains - housing, medical care, education. Let’s talk about the housing problem first. The price of housing in China compared to annual income is already the second highest in the world, according to Wikipedia statistics, the Chinese people need 30 years to own a house. We work so hard to have a house. Is this our mistake? Is it because our earning ability is insufficient or lazy? No, it’s not our mistake. It’s the result of the government’s powerful development of real estate and construction industries, and the issuance of a large amount of currency. This requires the use of real estate to absorb excess currency and act as a water reservoir to prevent massive inflation. This is not our mistake. We don’t need to blame ourselves for not having a city house. When everyone starts buying houses that they can’t afford, house prices will naturally drop, or there will be no market. Don’t let others’ mistakes cause us to bear too much pain and pressure.1. The truth of life is that doctors and medicine cannot save every sickness, and there are sicknesses that have no cure. We have enough savings for now. If we really get a serious illness, our relatives and friends can chip in some money. If we need more money for a serious illness, we may not be able to recover. We work hard to earn more money to protect against risks, but working hard may shorten our lives. The truth about death is that you can never predict how or when it will come. Although there are statistics, for an individual’s health, the cause and time of death are unpredictable. During this epidemic, how many people cried for help on their balconies in their hundreds of thousands of dollars’ worth of houses? Who came to save us? Therefore, for unpredictable situations that occur throughout life and have a very small probability, we should be content and grateful for all experiences, without worrying about death.
The truth of life is that children are not necessarily taught well just because we buy houses in good school districts, sign up for all tutoring classes, and help them write homework every day. Going to foreign language schools and studying abroad can make children look good. But whether they have truly learned anything, enjoyed their lives, or appreciated these experiences as valuable gifts rather than burdens is another matter. When they lack the ability to do academic work and are forced to take this path, will they cheat or deceive? When they lack the ability to take on responsibilities, will they use every means to achieve their goals, no matter how harmful? Changing a person is difficult, and forcing someone to learn is even more difficult. Encouraging a child to learn freely and allowing them to learn comfortably may be more effective.
The truth of life is that everything should follow its natural course. Forcing things will inevitably create conflicts and will not last. The flow of traffic, forced friendships, forced earnings, or actions driven by status and wealth are all transient like the tide.
Historical trends will not change because of any one person. Some people seem to have deeply influenced the world, but in reality, they have only followed the historical trend, responded to public sentiment, and adapted to the development of the world, making people’s lives more free and happy. I believe that the leaders in power at the time and the scientists who invented technology would not have changed the historical trend significantly. The world today is the result of countless generations of billions and billions of people. Why did the world not have a cultural and artistic renaissance, an industrial revolution, an information revolution, or a commercial society thousands of years ago? Why could the hunting age not end sooner and let the agricultural age take the stage? I think this is the result of a series of random events and human subjective actions.
Therefore, do not try to change the world. Instead, calm down and study scientific theories or conduct in-depth research among the masses. It is difficult to change oneself, let alone others. Others’ thoughts are not something we can change. We can only accommodate, accept, and empathize with them, and gradually help them understand our perspective and gain their trust. We cannot use our own products for a long time, let alone make others use them and pay for them. Many startups have failed over the years, and many arguments and fights with friends and family have not ended well, all showing that forcing things never brings good results. Let everything follow its natural course. Doing well for yourself is not easy.所以， based on what was said, do we all feel that I have been saying life has no meaning, that nothing is meaningful. Meaning exists in the rational minds of people, emotions are what we can perceive, and the dots and dashes of Earth’s history and human civilization have indeed occurred.
Albert Einstein said that living one’s life as if there is no meaning is bound to be painful. On the positive side, life does have meaning. We live in a fiercely competitive society where we are subjected to much suffering and pressure, gradually forgetting the real joy, losing passion and curiosity. Did Newton and da Vinci consider life enjoyable and worthwhile? Their lives left behind only 15 and 150 paintings respectively, yet they were willing to spend many years for a single painting. To them, life could be interesting and enjoyable. They were engrossed in their own worlds, focusing on their work without caring about others’ opinions or even publishing their works, let alone considering the impact on future generations.
In the past 20 years, especially the last 10 years, I have experienced much suffering and setbacks. I have made all my experiences public, organized articles, and let everyone see my life, see how I valued others’ opinions, and gradually stopped caring. I have learned a profound lesson. I hope my friends don’t have to go through the suffering I have experienced. I don’t blame or resent anyone. Just like Zhuge Liang in his later years said, “On my journey, I had no enemies, only friends.” I gained many memories and rewards. If only I had been more determined about myself, less afraid of rejection, less concerned about worldly things, and less concerned about my worth, I might have been able to live a happier life.
I’m not encouraging everyone to stop working and come play, but if you truly love money and your work, that’s great. If you love your work and do it well, earning millions or even billions, that makes me happy. I don’t appreciate those who toil for fame and fortune, fearing falling behind or failing, or those who act selfishly for personal gain.
Therefore, the truth about life is that health is most important, followed by happiness, and joy is most important. Take life lightly, don’t be overly concerned with material things, face your inner self, and constantly ask yourself if the current life is what you want, if all these material possessions are what you want, ponder deeply about life and the world, why there are so many desires, why teachers, parents, authorities, companies are always right, and what all my experiences tell me, why I do these things, why I associate with these people. I believe, TikTok truly gave us a lively lesson in life, various types of videos may go viral, sometimes mysteriously so, with many simple and primitive video creators among them, sweating it out under the hot sun. When we toil hard to make a living, struggling among a heap of recording and editing techniques to become a TikTok influencer, while some people casually create content and end up going viral, unwillingly gaining the fame we desperately crave. Li Ziqing initially started making videos just to sell his homemade food products, not intending to make that much money, but ended up earning more than many companies that desperately sought wealth. Warren Buffett has all that money, yet he just reads books and lives in a simple house, eating burgers and drinking Coke for decades.
All of this is the natural power at work. Many new netizens born from short videos and live streaming have never even thought of going viral, let alone like it. Many people who follow their passion wholeheartedly lead simple lives, even doing charity. So, we really don’t need to be too preoccupied with wealth. As long as we genuinely enjoy what we’re doing in the present, I believe, we truly don’t need any extra wealth. Scientists like Feynman received the Nobel Prize but didn’t feel particularly happy or forced to accept it, saying, “I enjoyed the process, the award didn’t matter.” Meanwhile, mathematician Paul Erdős lived a simple life, relying on his mother’s support, but when the million-dollar prize came knocking, he refused it.
It’s difficult to truly let go of wealth. Yang Jing says, “Growing up, I realized that without experience, books are unreadable.” That’s right, no one can change things overnight. I wanted to drop out, start a business, and prove myself, but my parents couldn’t stop me. People can only change themselves, and they can only do so by gaining more experiences and thinking more deeply. Share this, so that friends who resonate with it remain steadfast in their uniqueness and are not swayed by external judgments.
Truth is always relative, what I’ve said may not be entirely true, and there may be some one-sided aspects. Yes, there’s no such thing as an absolute truth. Even the seemingly immutable laws of physics, as Newton discovered, were later proven incorrect by Einstein. More importantly, how to live our lives and what is the correct worldview, life philosophy, and value system are not clear-cut. But since I started believing in these ideas, I’ve lived a freer and happier life.
I hope we all have a happy life.