Live a simple and quiet life.

by iface001 on 2011-03-22 17:03:47

Speaking of living a detached life, it is actually not that serene. Why? Because of the entanglement of love, hatred, and grudges against enemies, one forces oneself to be detached due to things that cannot be obtained or have already been lost. Otherwise, in such a world, why would one bother to be serene?

Recently, I've been following the hostage crisis in South Korea. Thinking about the first person who was shot, among more than twenty people, why was it him? In society, we don't know what kind of person he was—whether he was handsome or ugly, generous or stingy, whether he loved fame and wealth, or lived a detached life. But I think living a detached life is unlikely for him. If he had been detached, he wouldn't have taken the group to Pakistan for tourism. But as the first person to be killed, at that time, he was either selected or he stepped forward voluntarily. I prefer to believe that he stepped forward voluntarily. At that moment, being the leader meant much more than just making jokes or handling logistics—it was a heavy responsibility. Right at that moment, he took it upon himself. Whether he left calmly, I don’t know, but he surely left without regret. During the 9/11 incident, it was said that one plane crashed into the ground due to the passengers' voluntary action. Why? Just because they didn’t want their symbols to be destroyed.

Mr. Lu Xun once asked, "Who are the backbone of China?" I would say these people are the unique backbone of humanity.

Why talk about backbones? What does this have to do with detachment? It's because before these actions, they were not perfect, they were not gods. They were just ordinary people in society, perhaps even those who were not content with their lives. But they are still our heroes. Like Lü Bu and Zhuge Liang, two completely different people, yet both are heroic figures in history. In this kind of society, we always hope that Lü Bu could possess Zhuge Liang's wisdom, and Zhuge Liang could have Lü Bu's martial arts skills. So we end up with unfulfilled desires. Detachment might mean being within the world, seeing Lü Bu as a hero, and also seeing Zhuge Liang as a hero. We realize that we will become our own heroes. Then, the people around us are all heroes. Detachment is not about leaving the world behind, but rather being in the world, recognizing its rules, and respecting certain virtues. Why indulge in excessive demands!