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#WritingOutput/Newsletter

Random Walk Newsletter, Issue 12#

Observations & Insights#

1. Last weekend, I got together with my high school classmates and had a rare and happy day. This was the first time I left the community since the May Day holiday, which was considered the start of the lockdown. Three families, all with children, ate and drank together, and the kids had a great time playing. We talked about how next year we will have known each other for 20 years. Time flies, and I can't believe I've reached the point where I measure things in units of 10 years. I'm grateful that after all this time, we can still gather together and enjoy each other's company. Let's cherish it.
2. Let's talk about the epidemic this week. There are signs of improvement, but starting from the weekend, the management of the community has become stricter. Now, a nucleic acid test result within 48 hours is required. Maybe because there have been social cases for almost a month now, we still haven't been able to eliminate the virus completely. There are more and more voices of doubt, which is understandable. After all, the impact has been significant for many industries, even affecting their survival. For example, the catering industry has started setting up stalls to save themselves. The big pear is selling cooked food, and the lamb scorpion shop is selling breakfast. It's really tough, and if this continues, another wave of unemployment is likely to occur. However, in my understanding, with such a large population in China, if everyone just stays at home, the collapse of the medical system is inevitable. And recently, there have been cases of children with hepatitis, and evidence shows that it may be related to having had COVID-19. This worries me even more as a parent. So everyone is struggling, and in this context, no one can thrive alone.

Audiobooks & Books#

Methods of Reading

I finished reading Professor Luo's new book "Methods of Reading" this week. Before I started reading it, I saw a comment saying that the title of this book should be changed to "The Pleasure of Reading," which would be more appropriate. The book lists some of the pleasures and benefits of reading in several aspects. Here are some of the highlights that I found interesting. For example, there is a story in the book that illustrates the concept of "heaven and hell in one thought":

A believer asked a priest, "Can I smoke while praying?" The priest glared at him and said, "No." Another believer who was smoking also asked the priest, "Can I pray while smoking?" The priest approvingly said, "Yes."

I found it amusing because is there really any essential difference between the two behaviors? Both involve praying and smoking at the same time. The difference is that the first person is seen as not devout, thinking about smoking while praying, while the second person is different, not forgetting to pray while smoking. It's not a profound realization, but it's interesting.

Furthermore, the book mentions the doctrine of the mean. It says that if all extremes are left unchecked, human disasters will be endless. So, how can we control extremes? It is definitely not by adopting another extreme, but only through the doctrine of the mean.

Then, the book quotes a passage from Professor Yu Qiuyu's "The Way of the Gentleman": The doctrine of the mean requires "holding both ends and using them for the people." This means that by controlling both ends and only using the "mean" between the two ends, it may be beneficial to all people. This "mean" is a suitable fulcrum located in the middle. It is different from both ends, but it takes care of both ends, restraining them from "falling off the cliff." Therefore, this "mean" not only avoids the harm of both extremes but also saves both extremes, making it the highest morality.

Regarding work and life, in the modern social structure, work and life are mostly separate; otherwise, there wouldn't be the concept of work-life balance. We often come across articles or books discussing the meaning of work and how to find happiness in work. This book provides an insightful explanation:

Before the Industrial Revolution, a farmer would go to the fields with his whole family to cultivate the land. He was both working and living. He was not bound by strict working hours and labor discipline. He could greet and joke with his neighbors in the fields, teach his children skills, enjoy the joy of family, and see the crops grow well when wiping off his sweat, feeling a sense of honor.
However, in the era of large-scale industrial production, he had to go to work on time, and work and life became separate. In the roar of machines, he was just working for money. The meaning of work itself disappeared, and the warm relationships between people disintegrated.

Some time ago, I also came across a similar question. In the present, our material conditions in life are obviously better than before. We don't have to worry about basic needs, but our sense of happiness has not significantly increased, and it may have even decreased. We have more possessions, but they haven't made us happier. Is it because our desires are harder to satisfy? I can't draw a conclusion because I don't know either. It might be just like what Arthur Schopenhauer said: "Life swings like a pendulum between pain and boredom. When desires are not satisfied, there is pain; when desires are satisfied, there is boredom."

Regarding whether to give advice to others, the book says, "You can speak, but you can only talk about how you handled a similar situation in the past. Whether this experience is useful, let the other person judge for themselves."

"Everyone's advice is poison, and everyone's experience is a treasure."

The author also provides a method for making decisions, the 10+10+10 rule. What does it mean? Before making a major decision, ask yourself three questions:

1. How will you view this decision 10 minutes from now?
2. How will you view this decision 10 months from now?
3. How will you view this decision 10 years from now?

Personally, I think this method sounds useful, but 10 minutes might be fine. I just need to calm down and not make hasty decisions. As for the other two questions, how can I know what my future self will think in 10 months or 10 years? 😄

Finally, I would like to end with a quote from Stephen Pinker: "The difficulty of writing lies in transforming a network of thoughts into a linear structure expressed in sentences."

Writing a newsletter is not easy, after all. 😄

That's all for this issue of the Newsletter. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me. Thank you for reading.