The news I saw today about youth unemployment, marriage rates, birth rates… and the unseen number of cremations in the fourth quarter of last year, none of it is pleasing.
Friends in the catering industry and those who run bookstores all say that they don’t know why May was so bad—it suddenly went downhill. Maybe many people, after months of hope, suddenly got tired of it.
In this atmosphere, the couple at Taikoo Li still make people feel happy. At least they have a sense of disregard for the end of the world.
More than a decade ago, someone said: Confidence is more important than gold. At the time, I thought he was putting on an act. Later, I realized that confidence or hope is really a precious thing.
I feel that many people’s hearts are becoming desolate, not very interested in anything. Tired, lying flat, or whatever other words, are actually talking about the inner desolation.
But today in Beijing, a young man’s running made us all feel shocked. He jumped down from the high steps, ran into the field, and embraced Messi.
Two security guards came to chase him. He made a beautiful escape, and a security guard fell directly. The young man continued forward, and the two security guards were panting behind him.
These two security guards are us: sticking to conventions and taking this as our own responsibility, but the daily fatigue makes them exhausted. Aren’t we like this?
And that young man is our opposite, our dream, and what we fear—freedom.
The young man left them far behind. He ran over and high-fived Argentina’s goalkeeper, Dibu Martínez, and then kept running. The security guards closed in, and the young man made another feint, then turned back and ran.
He ran to Messi’s side again. More security guards joined the chase, but the young man was like a steed, running faster than everyone else.
Later, perhaps because he was too tired, he fell to the ground himself—otherwise, he would have left the entire era far behind. Several security guards came over and carried him away.
High-definition photos show that he was smiling brightly when he was “arrested.” He fulfilled his wish, and more importantly, he was a runner, and in this unrestrained running, he discovered the most precious thing in life—which is actually life itself.
I’ve only had such an experience of running once. One afternoon in the summer of 2020, I was running on the street. I was running in the bike lane, and a traffic policeman and an order keeper shouted at me, telling me to run on the sidewalk.
I ran past them, stuck out my tongue, and cheered myself on. I felt like I was whistling past, or as fast as Bolt, but in fact, my speed was only 10 kilometers per hour.
Today, I saw my most satisfied self in the young man. If it weren’t for him, I would have forgotten that I had also run like that.
I hope he is the true “new generation,” like the wind, without any burden.
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