Lao Dongyan 2004 | Over the years, I have clearly felt a force dragging almost everyone down

Over the years, it’s been obvious that there’s a force in society dragging almost everyone down, and this force is getting stronger. Many beautiful things are ruthlessly shattered and destroyed. Openly expressing vulgarity is considered genuine, and this vulgarity connects online, echoing each other, with increasing momentum. In such an environment, those who are unwilling to fall together are considered guilty simply for wanting to stay in their original position.

Therefore, it’s normal for a person with normal cognition and empathy to feel a strong sense of powerlessness, and thus feel pain and oppression. Many of my friends, including myself, have had such emotions to varying degrees, some even needing alcohol to barely quell their anger and alleviate their pain. In the current environment, if someone doesn’t feel pain, doesn’t feel oppressed and pressured, and just wants to live a peaceful life, from a psychological perspective, there’s actually a bigger problem: they seem happy and calm, but are actually very sick. To put it another way, even if they’re not seriously ill, they’re also incredibly insensitive.

Excerpt from the China Digital Space entry “Going Backwards”

Many people will transform the pressure and pain they feel into hostility, transferring it to individuals they can bully, with the tendency of “if we’re going to rot, let’s all rot together.” I can understand this kind of emotion; it’s a weakness and instinct of human nature, but I don’t approve of this kind of attitude and behavior of giving up. Because this will only cause a bigger avalanche, and when that day comes, they will not be innocent either. This atmosphere in the public domain of the internet cannot be said to have no impact on me; sometimes I inevitably feel a sense of weariness, but fortunately, since I’ve stopped taking things to heart, it’s hard for it to substantially hurt me anymore.

From another perspective, experiencing a harsh environment may instead help personal growth, and revitalize one’s inner vitality, just like Scarlett O’Hara in “Gone with the Wind.” If she hadn’t experienced the American Civil War, Scarlett would probably still be a shallow and naive plantation owner’s daughter. Under the test of time, who can truly withstand the erosion is also a major test for oneself. I’m by no means defending the harsh environment, but since there’s no way to change the environment, we can only choose to reasonably adjust our mindset, and look at and deal with the impact of the bad environment on ourselves from a positive perspective.

At the same time, facing that force that has been dragging us down, we must consciously apply a counterforce, otherwise we will definitely be conquered by that falling force. It’s like a person standing in a rapid current; just standing there, sooner or later they will be swept away by the current. So, first of all, we must learn to stand firm in the rapid current, maintain a stable core. On the premise of standing firm, remember to find like-minded people and work together to build a dam. Not using brute force, but learning to make strategic efforts; the importance of persistent effort is important, and strategy and tactics are also very important. Don’t be swayed by momentary anger, don’t be dragged down by the other side to give up together, and don’t despair because of being defeated a few times, because what we care about is not the victory or defeat of a single battle, but the final outcome of the entire war.