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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, when the lockdown began. Three families, all with children, gathered together to eat and drink, and the children had a great time playing. We talked about how we will have known each other for 20 years next year. Time flies, and I can't believe I've reached the point where I can measure certain things in units of 10 years. I'm very grateful that after all these years, we can still get 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 it's because there have been social cases for almost a month now, and 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 huge 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 sheep scorpion restaurant is selling breakfast. It's really tough. 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 lies down, 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 previous infection with COVID-19, which makes me, as a parent, even more worried. So everyone is in a difficult situation, and in this context, no one can thrive alone.

Audiobooks & Books#

Methods of Reading

I finished reading Mr. 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 rewards of reading in several aspects. Here are some of the contents that I found quite good. For example, there is a story in the book that illustrates the concept of "Heaven and Hell in a Single Thought":

A believer in prayer had a craving for a cigarette while praying, so he asked the priest, "Can I smoke while praying?" The priest glared at him and said, "No." Another believer was smoking and asked the priest, "Can I pray while smoking?" The priest approvingly said, "Yes."

I found it amusing. In fact, is there any essential difference between the actions of the two individuals? Both are praying and smoking at the same time. The difference is that the first person is not devout, as he thinks about smoking while praying, while the second person is different. Even while smoking, he doesn't forget to pray. It may not be an enlightening revelation, but it's interesting.

Furthermore, the book mentions the doctrine of the mean. It says that if all kinds of extremes are left unchecked, human disasters will be endless. So, what can control extremes? It definitely won't be another extreme, but only the doctrine of the mean.

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

Regarding work and life, in the modern social structure, work and life are mostly completely separate. Otherwise, there wouldn't be the concept of work-life balance. We often see various articles or books discussing the meaning of work and how to find happiness in work. This book includes a passage that I think explains it quite thoroughly:

Before the Industrial Revolution, a farmer would go to the fields with his whole family to cultivate the land, which was both work and life. 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 family happiness, and wipe away the sweat of his brow while looking at the thriving crops, 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 and affectionate relationships between people disintegrated.

Some time ago, I also came across a similar question. In the present, 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, but it hasn'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 may be just as Arthur Schopenhauer said: "Life swings like a pendulum between pain and boredom. When desires are not satisfied, there is pain, and 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 dealt with similar situations in the past. Whether this experience is useful or not, 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 feel that 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 tree-like structure, embodied in linearly unfolding sentences."

Writing a Newsletter is not easy either. 😄

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