Have you ever calculated a shocking timeline? From the unification of the six states by Qin Shi Huang to today, 2245 years is merely the harvest of wheat 2245 times; since the reform and opening up in 1978, it has only been 66 years since the fall of the Qing Dynasty; if a person lives for 70 years, 2245 years is just the lifetime of 32 people connected end-to-end. When you stand in a wheat field watching the waves of wheat rolling, you suddenly understand: what we call prosperity through the ages is merely the crops changing on the land beneath our feet, while the moon above has gone around a few more cycles.
when I was young, I recited 'The Qin Dynasty's Bright Moon and the Han Dynasty's Pass', not understanding why ancient people stared blankly at the moon.
Only one day, when I looked up to see the round moon that Li Bai once gazed upon, did I realize: the yellow earth that Qin Shi Huang trod is still under your feet, and the river breeze that Su Shi sighed over is brushing against your cheek.
The bricks of the Great Wall are still laid on the ridge, but the dragon robe of the First Emperor has long turned to dust. The most fair thing in this world is that time does not care whether you are an emperor or a commoner; it only gives you a few decades of harvest time.
But modern people love to compete with themselves. Scrolling through the Forbes rich list can cause anxiety and insomnia, seeing internet celebrities flaunt luxury cars leads to life doubts, and there’s always a feeling that those in the spotlight are born with advantages. In fact, if you peek behind the scenes: some bosses can’t even understand PPT, relying solely on secretaries; some stars stutter on their lines, depending on post-production editing. Their success often comes from "catching the right wind + enduring long enough"—just like the couple selling breakfast at your doorstep, working until three in the morning, until the whole street recognizes their sign; this is also a kind of skillful 'success'.
The most heart-wrenching truth is: those who make you look up with a sore neck may not be as virtuous as you, nor have a bigger perspective. A friend in investment banking said he has seen too many rich second-generation bosses who can’t even read financial statements, relying entirely on their fathers to pave the way. But they dare to thump their chests at the dinner table and say, 'This matter is on me,' and they blow their own horns in the conference room—what you lack is never ability, but this kind of courage to 'sell a comb to a monk'.
So stop fighting with yourself. Treat life like a game of chess, and making moves without regret is true elegance. Look at those who live transparently; which one of them does not view 'success' as an experience rather than a burden? Just like the old man selling candied hawthorns on the street, who happily persists through wind and rain; does he understand what GDP means? No, but he knows that if the sugar is evenly coated and the hawthorn is fresh, it can make the kids laugh when they get out of school—this is more genuine than any grand narrative.
Next time you feel anxious, look up at the moon. When Li Bai raised his head to gaze at the bright moon, he was not thinking about mortgage or car loans, but about
The thrill of 'spending all wealth but still having it return'; when Su Shi was exiled to Huangzhou, he was not worried about promotions or salary increases, but about 'when will I return to be a carefree person'. Life is like the wind in a wheat field, blowing through the palace of Qin Shi Huang, blowing through Tang Bohu's Peach Blossom Temple, and ultimately blowing past your window—rather than being tangled up in how many walls the wind can blow down, it’s better to enjoy the moment when the wind passes through your fingers. After all, wheat ripens and turns yellow, the moon wanes and waxes, and your life is merely about finding a comfortable position to live through these few decades of harvest time in a decent manner.
To all of you, life is a smooth road, and every path is a scenery!$BTC
