Introduction and self-positioning

Annual Preface and Background

📅 Hi! 2025 ~

TIP: This article has a high density of information and is highly subjective. I have tried to include fewer opinions and more descriptions of my experiences, including my own experiences traveling, reflections on things I have experienced, and some experiences in making products. Experience is valuable, and I hope to leave more room for you to be touched and think. Just choose the content that interests you from the TOP.

On the plane from Bangkok to Nepal/Kathmandu, I was actually in a relaxed mood. I have driven so many cars since I was a child, and I like to think about some problems in the car. Everything was so natural, such as the incident of celebrity Wang Xing being cheated in Thailand some time ago, the earthquake in Tibet/Nepal, the flight from Bangkok to Seoul a month ago, and the previous incident of Kathmandu ->Planes in Pokhara frequently crashed, and accidents frequently occurred in the Himalayas. I could not convince myself to let myself leave this world inexplicably by using reason and data to speculate on the growth curve of my second half of life. Reverse a scene, “The world is so sudden. Suppose every day will be our last day. Suppose the flight I am currently on ✈️ cannot reach the destination smoothly. On the last day, do you have any regrets?”

I have spent every day happily, and I have spent every day without regrets. Even on an ordinary day, walking on the lawn, watching the children and dogs playing, I feel very happy. Is the last day really that important? What is important is the present, doing what you want to do, and devoting your time, experience and life to the wishes you want to realize. It is at this moment, for example, the moment you and I think about this problem, the joy we feel. I live every day as if it were my last day, do what I want to do, create as much as possible, and create some happiness and value for the world. For some problems that you are powerless and uncontrollable, leave them to the Buddha ~

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Another year has passed. I still remember the scene of writing the annual summary at Victoria Harbour last year. What ability can complete an annual summary in just a few hours? The annual summary quickly completed with the ability of AI is like a KPI 😅.

Last year I had already thought about which dreams I might accomplish in this year’s annual summary, but I didn’t expect too much. Looking back now, all of them failed. So I won’t write an annual summary this year, and I will reflect on why I have changed this way this year.

Well, I like to write essays. Since I define myself as a wandering youth, I will also write this article in the form of an essay.

I thought about some positioning before writing. When I watched the New Year’s Eve fireworks in Victoria Harbour last year, on New Year’s Eve 2023, I marked my blog with a sentence:

My name is Xinwei(bear) Xiong 🤖. My loyalty is to adventure ☀️. I am an extreme open source enthusiast Ⓜ️. I have a big dream and will realize it next year.

If I were me at that time, I would definitely think about how to write about the places I have been to and the dreams I have realized this year. Because I also record a lot of essays every day, and how my thoughts at that time formed the me before and the me now. At that time, there were some things I wanted to write more about. I believe that I particularly like the word transformation this year, so the core of this blog is that I want to analyze the word transform in depth. If my blog and articles are a good product, I have invested a lot of my experience and experience, and can withstand the test of the market and supervision. In the end, this product presented to you, facing you (different and unique), how can you really feel this transformation.

I have read Reimu’s article before coming here, so let’s start with Reimu’s article and introduce transform.2019When I graduated from college in 2003, I wrote a 10,000-word article titled “Some Thoughts after Graduation”. I read it once in my junior and senior years, and I was lucky to see it twice. I’m glad that I met Reimu the second time. This article talks about Reimu’s extensive thinking after college and the output after the information he acquired, which is very critical. It really gave me two profound and different feelings after reading it twice. I understand this process as transformation. It is the transformation from the first reading to the second reading. It is the transformation of my feelings when I read Reimu. It is also a transformation of the thoughts of two ordinary technical practitioners five years apart, with time as the dimension.

I have heard that information asymmetry can change a person’s fate. Fate is hard to judge. The word “fate” and “luck” are combined to refer to life experience. Fate refers to life, and luck refers to the course of experience. Birth is uncertain, and it is the biggest influencing factor for humans at this stage. Later, there will be personal growth, awakening of consciousness, and changes caused by black swan events. It is true that information affects a person, but changing a person often requires “careful design” by society and the system. My understanding of careful design, apart from black swans and luck, is that I cannot control these things, but I can indeed be surprised to see the impact of such things on everyone from some transformations. I am very happy that my values ​​have a persistent pursuit of this.

I am grateful to everyone I met this year, every partner I met, every city I walked through, every country I visited, and myself. I am very happy and I like this transformation, which has made me who I am now.

The purpose is to reflect. The logic of reflection revolves around my beginning, current situation, and the Transformation of the process. ** Revolves around the experience of the past year, thinking about how I am now. I can get inspiration from it and understand myself better. If readers can also get some thoughts from my Transformation, I think it is very valuable! …

The identity of digital nomads and AI entrepreneurs

Living abroad is a rich experience that inspires me to have a deeper understanding and reflection on the world. This reflection is mainly reflected in two aspects: Reflection on myself and Reflection on the world.

In this process, I gained two important insights:

  • Personal Growth: Constantly challenge yourself and adapt to new environments.
  • Building a worldview: Broaden your horizons by being exposed to different cultures.

Of course, there are some drawbacks to traveling:

  • Tanned 🥹
  • Loneliness (but that’s part of growing up)
  • No ongoing friendships (allows me to focus more on the present moment)

When I wake up every morning, I may be in a small cafe on a tropical island, or I may be collaborating with local entrepreneurs in a shared office space to come up with new ideas. Leaving the familiar environment, facing the impact of foreign culture and a brand new interpersonal network, forces me to constantly update my self-awareness.

In addition, freedom requires self-consistency. Without a fixed office space and a nine-to-five routine, we need to learn self-discipline and self-management. Think and give yourself drive, identity and meaning, and examine yourself and your life from the inside out. This is actually a continuous psychological and spiritual state. What we pursue is not a terminal, but a never-ending road of exploration.

Does life require definite answers?

Does life need definite answers? 🤔

Before I left the foreign company, my life was like copying and pasting. I went to work, had lunch, and went home every day. The work was easy, but I felt more and more confused. I didn’t know what I was living for. Perhaps we have been shaped by culture for too long, and we are used to pursuing a sense of meaning and longing for a clear answer.

I carefully replayed my life trajectory - buying a car, buying a house, getting married, having children… This standard scenario gave me a sense of absurdity: if the end of life is the same, then what is the meaning of all these efforts? I even felt that it would be better to end everything immediately instead of living like this. But then, I thought, if I can accept death, why can’t I live the way I want?

I seemed to have woken up from this moment. Doing what I like and love is a matter of course. Have I lost the courage to choose?

I thought of all the decisions I made before and after graduation. After three days of reflection, I sorted out all my decisions, growth, and thinking from childhood to adulthood, and why I became who I am now. So, I abstracted the choices into several curves in the Cartesian coordinate system and analyzed their changing trends. I abandoned all the curves that seemed very happy - entering a big company, rolling rankings, looking for a job, listening to empty promises… I seemed to be able to see the envy in the eyes of relatives and classmates, and I could also see the future life: mortgages, and the novelty of a certain city was limited to listening to a certain pub just open and going for a walk every day. My vision basically wandered around the city where I settled.

This kind of life that I can deduce by myself, this kind of life that is arranged by me, really disgusts me. If my efforts over the past twenty years have led to this kind of life, then why don’t I die now? In comparison, dying now seems to be happier.

There are two key events for changing mine:

  1. Passion for the profession: It helped me find the inner driving force.
  2. Outdoor travel and the exploration of personal self-awareness: It completely changed me, or rather, it discovered the real me.

I began to find happiness and reconciliation with myself in this process. First, I was no longer afraid of death, because it was obvious that death was much happier than my boring and uninteresting life. Second, I was no longer afraid of the next life, because I had completely identified the life I hated, and any other life was something I could try.

If you want to really learn something and have real thinking, there is no shortcut. You just need to be serious and start learning from the underlying logic of this society, whether it is geography or philosophy.

“Focus on the present” - a very simple word, but to truly understand it, you need to practice it for a lifetime. 🌟

Travel and Culture

🌍 A review of my trip around the world

This year I have traveled to many places:

China 🇨🇳: Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Macau, Huizhou, Shanghai, Suzhou, Wuxi, Enshi, Wuhan, Hangzhou, Jiaxing, Shaoxing, Beijing, Zhangjiakou, Kunming, Dali, Lijiang, Xianning

Malaysia 🇲🇾: Kuala Lumpur, Penang Singapore 🇸🇬 Thailand 🇹🇭: Chiang Mai, Lampang, Phitsanulok, Bangkok Nepal 🇳🇵: Kathmandu, Pokhara (ACT Trekking)

📌 Travel Record About my Xiaohongshu notes: Xiaohongshu homepage

After transferring from Bangkok to Nepal, I stayed in Kathmandu for a while, and then completed the ACT long-distance hike with my friends and finally arrived in Pokhara. Now, I plan to stay in Pokhara for another month until the Hindu Holi Festival, and continue to work remotely and explore this quiet lakeside town. 🌿✨

On-site observation and experience

I have listed some recorded stories, but too many experiences have become blurred, so I only have the final opinions and thoughts left.

JZ during internship

About a year and a half ago, JZ went to Bali during the National Day holiday and asked me if I wanted to go with him. He had an extra mission - to go to Bali to find an overseas operator for remote job and continue to recruit suitable candidates for overseas markets. I said, “I just came back from a trip to Southeast Asia. If I go on vacation again, my boss will have opinions.” We said goodbye to that internship and we will see each other again today.

JZ The first time we met was at a White Whale event in Shenzhen. In the crowd, I immediately noticed a boy who was dressed out of place:

  • Wearing floral pants
  • Wearing sunglasses
  • Short flowing hair dyed slightly grey
  • Wearing loafers I was talking to my boss at the time and he said, “This guy is so cool!” The boss added, “He is JZ, a very different person.” 😊

JZ has never been married. He worked at Huawei in his early years and later chose to be sent abroad. He has lived in many European countries, especially in Norway and Switzerland for many years. Later, as his wealth accumulated to a certain amount, he chose to leave Huawei and return to Shenzhen, where he began to travel around and enjoy a free life.

At that time, JZ and I were discussing the topic of fashion, which I was very interested in. I remember asking, “You dress so fashionably, is that how people dress in Northern Europe?” In my understanding of fashion, perhaps it is just a constraint that has been domesticated by many “symbols”. Many times, “fashion” may just be a concept that fashion weeks, big brands or popular magazines want to spread. For example, some people say that “British style” represents elegance, so a young person who pursues achievement, wealth and a positive life should choose the “British style” style. But can fashion really be defined by an organization or brand? Aesthetics itself is a very personal bias. In this world, no one knows better than you what style is most suitable for you. Now I can calmly, confidently and happily wear whatever gorgeous clothes I want, without having to worry about so-called “fashion”, “color matching” or “style”. I know that the definition of fashion is in my own hands - fashion is myself with a sense of existence.

Later on, I would love to be friends with JZ.

Chatting while working in a foreign company

Yesterday, three friends found me to chat and complain about their recent status. Two of them were friends I met during my professional internship, and the other was a good friend of mine who goes outdoors in Shenzhen and Hong Kong. All three of them faced their current troubles. Classmates A and B are both students from ordinary schools.

Student A is a typical model student who has been breaking through the circle in confusion. We knew each other before choosing to take the postgraduate entrance examination. We met in the technical group. He is usually willing to share his confusion in the technical group, such as choosing to take the postgraduate entrance examination. I am in the same class as him, and I think I can’t give him any advice. I said that I look at the postgraduate entrance examination and the postgraduate guarantee from my own perspective, and discussed with him from the perspectives of economy, politics, and personal development. In the end, he was persuaded by the advice of his parents and relatives. The next time we met was when he failed the postgraduate entrance examination and the spring recruitment scene. Occasionally, I saw some of his anxiety and discomfort in the new internship unit. Yesterday, he talked to me about his hope not to take the cloud native path, give up the development position and choose operation and maintenance. I said that operation and maintenance is also possible, and there are also opportunities to rush to large companies. Your academic qualifications are also enough and you have open source experience. Student A doesn’t want to compete anymore, and started to compete with students in the same class, and now he is competing with students in the next class. It’s too tiring. “I think I have a sense of superiority after studying for a few years. Isn’t the nature of finding a job essentially for money? There is nothing wrong with making money by relying on your own ability.” I was speechless after hearing this. Our parents also advised us to do the “right” thing, but I was more rebellious. I said that I certainly didn’t have the courage to choose any path at that time, and I even felt ashamed of the “unrealistic” todo list I started in college. Until now, I have defined many options that are considered “right” in the traditional sense, but I have not realized them. But at the beginning, I boasted to my relatives and parents, and my parents gradually lowered their expectations, and I also gradually lost my expectations. My sister often said, “Look, everyone around you is taking the civil service exam or the postgraduate entrance exam. Don’t you have any ideas?” I said, “Yes, sometimes I think a prestigious degree is worth showing off, and sometimes I think working in a big company is also glamorous. These can make me feel vain, right? More or less, human happiness is generated through comparison. Comparing downwards generates happiness, and comparing upwards generates anxiety. When I was in Singapore, I also encountered racial discrimination that brought them a sense of superiority. I said I was afraid of this. What was I afraid of? It’s better to face life directly than to look around.

Classmate B was one of the first to give up the postgraduate entrance exam. Last night he asked me if I was willing to accompany him to Hong Kong during the National Day holiday. I said I had been in Yunnan for the past month, and I had stayed in Hong Kong for so long that I didn’t want to go back for the past year. We talked about the current situation. Classmate B’s professional ability is still very outstanding. He first went to a development position in Guangzhou. I was in Shenzhen at the time, and we were both interns. We had a lot of fun chatting. Later, classmate B went to Wuhan. I was very surprised at the time because I went to university in Wuhan. I was surprised why B, who had been in Guangzhou since he was a child, chose to go to Wuhan now? Classmate B said that Xiaomi’s position in Wuhan required him to work for a company in Wuhan, and it was a large company.titleIt was quite dazzling, and I think it was right, because many of my classmates who worked in big companies also advised me to go to a big company, saying that it would be easy to find a job after leaving a big company… Classmate B kept complaining to me about the pressure and troubles at work, until yesterday he sent me a screenshot of his resignation, saying that he and Xiaomi had a chance to say goodbye. He also sent a message in his circle of friends, “I want to do something interesting.” He asked me how I was doing now, and I said it was still the same. He asked me why I didn’t choose a big company at that time, and why I resigned from a foreign company later. Was it because I also wanted to do something interesting? I laughed. I wanted to say that I was not so noble, and I almost said this sentence, but when I thought about it, wasn’t I the same as him now? It was nothing more than an easy or hard job, but are these important? It is not important to me. Foreign companies are very relaxed. I also know that this is not what I want, but this point is not enough to make me leave quickly. The reason why I leave quickly is that foreign companies have too much internal consumption every day, and I feel very lonely and that my life is still in sight. I feel unhappy every day. I don’t think I am a person with strong willpower. I just want to do something of my own. That’s all. As for choosing to start a business, it is actually because of the days I spent with my partner in Shanghai. I am a person who believes in destiny. I think this is a mission we must do. I am afraid of failure, I am also afraid of being tired, I am afraid of hard work, I am afraid of being criticized, and I am also afraid of death, but I know that this is the path I want to take.

C (Sister Youyou) is my good friend. We started to get in touch with each other because of the outdoors. We have made many plans for outdoor activities, such as mountain climbing and hiking. Gradually, we became good friends. I thought she would stay in Shenzhen after graduating from graduate school. I was joking at the time, but later we became the best partners in Shenzhen. In the end, she went straight to Central South University for a Ph.D., and I returned to school and Shenzhen for my defense. We never went back again… Many friends in Guangdong often asked me when I would come back to continue hiking. I said, when I go back to wandering… The MacLehose Trail in Hong Kong is my favorite route. I have almost climbed all the routes in Hong Kong. My favorite camping routes are Po Toi Island and White Tiger Mountain, and my favorite hiking route is the MacLehose Trail. The first time I heard about the MacLehose Trail was in my sophomore year. When I played Wugong Mountain alone for the first time, I met a sister who was a university teacher in Guangdong. Along the way, she told me many stories about hiking routes. That was when I knew the concept of hiking. The sister said that she really liked to go to the MacLehose Trail, and I secretly remembered the name. I also kept tempting Sister Youyou to go to this route after I had been to the MacLehose Trail three times. I also recommended a very good friend in Shenzhen to go with them. That day was New Year’s Day. I said I wanted to go to Victoria Harbor alone, so I saw the most amazing fireworks in my life in Victoria Harbor, and they saw the beautiful sunrise and sunset in Yantian Bay, and there was a bonfire on the beach at night, and sunrise in the morning… Sister Youyou recently said that she was under a lot of pressure. She said that when she was an undergraduate, she had energy, sincerity and liveliness, but when she was a graduate student, she began to become lifeless. Sometimes, the master’s degree would still smile, but the doctoral degree was like a mummy, with a sad face and a lot of pressure, exuding anxiety and despair. She said that she didn’t feel desperate, but she was tortured physically and mentally. Do you understand? I don’t know how to comfort people. I said that I was also under a lot of pressure sometimes. After choosing this road, I slowly felt that the depths of this road were getting more and more lonely and cold. I am not light, and I can’t keep myself warm. I said that I will slowly adapt to this feeling. Maybe I am different. The companionship can illuminate me and we can keep each other warm. But if Sister Youyou feels that the autumn in Hunan is too cold, I will go to the mountains in Yunnan to pick some mushrooms to make you a tonic soup. The most profound impression I have with Sister Youyou is the day on the Sanshui line. We crossed one hundred and eight mountains one after another, and went up and down again and again, crushing my hopes again and again. In the hot summer weather, Sister Youyou kept encouraging me, “You drive drive and drive, then you will come out the way.” “You can only move forward, you have no other choice.” Dizzy and exhausted on the cliff,

I have recorded many stories and captured many moments, some sad stories, some happy stories. I gradually feel that happiness comes from my heart. I don’t think that the happiness of gaining a sense of superiority through comparison is a despicable happiness, but I think the happiness of creating something is the happiness I want most. I hope to create meaningful products, meaningful stories, meaningful photos, meaningful experiences, and share them…. Many places are really beautiful. I have thought about the story of a person there countless times. Although it is beautiful, I know that I will only come here once in my life. This seems to be the first time in my life that I feel what “一期一会” means, which is to purely enjoy the beauty of the present without looking forward to the future. People like me who are full of desires always hope to repeat or even have them all the time when they encounter good things. Why do people only meet once in their lives, and they can come again if they like it. At this moment, I understand, because it is good enough now, and this memory is enough to support future memories, so there is no need to meet again.

Some thoughts on Dali Ancient Town

I have been walking around the ancient city tonight, roughly walking around the ancient city of Dali twice. I walked every alley at least once. I remember that when I first came here, I came with a sense of freshness, and I thought the ancient city was very interesting and wonderful. Many people with a sense of life opened shops here and created various interesting shops. So, I beautified Dali into a utopia for young people. At that time, I thought that perhaps this was the life that should be: everyone sat around the stove in the ancient city and danced, and listened to the resident band in the tavern; street snacks, individual shops, book stalls, storytelling or emotional stalls, all made it easier for people to find a sense of belonging and emotion - that is, it was easier for everyone to encounter romance and have emotional resonance… This feeling only exists in the impact of the first sight.

This time when I came to the ancient city, I still felt that it was a utopia for many young people, carrying the dreams of countless young people. Many unique and special people gathered here. Because someone on Xiaohongshu said before that “Dali after midnight is the real Dali”, I entered the ancient city again with anticipation to experience and feel Dali in depth. I walked through every coffee shop, silver jewelry store, milk tea shop, clothing store and bar, and felt the bustling scene of people coming and going. The large number of resident singers was even more exciting than what I had seen on the streets of Chengdu before; Tarot masters and Chinese medicine pulse doctors sat on the roadside, full of the breath of freedom.

  • They are individualists, sentimental people who seek spiritual growth.
  • It also attracted a large number of poets.

One of the poets left a deep impression on me. He had been wandering for nearly ten years. After graduating from civil engineering, he has always loved traveling, climbing, writing poetry and painting. He even published his own poems and sold them in books. He also participated in the Chinese Poetry Conference and achieved good results. He said that he didn’t care about vanity, fame, and money. I admire such people very much. There was another poet who looked like a gangster who was not doing his job properly. His poetry was average, he dressed fashionably, held a bottle of wine, smoked, and wrote a novel. Out of curiosity, I read it, but I couldn’t fully understand what he wanted to express, but I still admired his free-spirited attitude towards life. Each of them is conveying a message: “It’s another way to live.”

I think if I was a sophomore or earlier, I might be deeply attracted by this kind of impact. But in the past two years, I have read, talked about, and listened to too many stories. Just like what the brother who wrote poems at the beginning said: “When I first started to tell stories, I felt fresh. Occasionally, I would meet a few people who were inspired by listening to my poems. That sense of accomplishment was very strong; but after telling stories every day for a long time, I would feel bored. After writing them into poems, I would not want to tell them anymore.” 😊

After midnight, shops gradually closed, but there were more people in the ancient city. Groups of people brought their own benches to sit on the roadside, drinking, playing guitar, hugging dogs, and talking loudly about life and ideals. These literary youths and idealists shared their stories.

We left the ancient city at about eleven o’clock. My friend asked me, “Didn’t you want to experience Dali after midnight with passion?” I answered, “I have experienced it, but I feel a little tired of it.” The lights in the bar were either dim candlelight or bright lights and wine; some resident singers were singing at the top of their lungs, while others pretended to be sad; and most of the customers inside were playing with their mobile phones expressionlessly. Everyone might be looking forward to a romantic encounter and want to relax. Groups of people chatted, boasted, and showed off their literary talent. There were fortune-telling stalls everywhere on the road: on the left side of the road, there were palm reading, on the right side, there were tarot cards, and even fortune-telling combined with things.

Destiny seems to have become cheap on this street - for only ten yuan, your past and present life can be revealed. These stalls seemed to be purely for profit and were very boring. So boring that I began to reflect: Why was I attracted to this atmosphere the first time? Was it just because of the novelty brought by the sense of disconnection from myself? **Why did I come here? Why was I attracted by the superficial freshness and impetuousness? ** Why not find those young people who truly have dreams and love life, and chat, work, exchange and learn with them?

Thinking alone in Lijiang Ancient Town

A cup of dirty, a bowl of black pepper beef pasta, I inadvertently recalled what I have been thinking about day and night recently. I am very grateful for this fleeting sensibility, which allows me to immerse myself in the flow state and write this essay. 😊

**What Happened Recently? ** I was about to leave Dali where I had lived for a month. My partner had recently returned to Beijing, but I had not. When the taxi was approaching the station, I spent ten minutes doing research and decided to take a train to Lijiang, which was one hour away and in the opposite direction.

After my partner left, my two friends in Lijiang also left one after another. At night, walking alone in the ancient city of Lijiang, amidst the bright lights and nightlife, I couldn’t help but think of the scene where Xu Changqing and Zixuan met and fell in love in the ancient city during the Lantern Festival, as well as the scene of pursuing love in “Three Lives Three Worlds”.

“The orioles are singing on the island in the river… The reeds are lush and green, and the white dew turns to frost… I will hold your hand and grow old with you…”

The ancient city was filled with loneliness, and it came to my mind for the first time. Although I tried to suppress my discomfort and looked up at the snow-capped mountains in the distance, I did not choose to get drunk. I bought a plane ticket for the next day, spent a whole morning in the bookstore, and finally chose to return to Wuhan.

After a few days of confusion, my family kept repeating the same ideas. Listening to my relatives asking about my life and work over and over again, I recalled the months before and after graduation and was still speechless. I clearly know how my self-awareness awakened, and I also understand what I really want and how I pursue my own meaning. At the same time, I also clearly realize that I long to do something meaningful for everyone. But why do I still shed tears? Now I understand it roughly: at that time, I didn’t know what kind of life and future I really wanted, but I knew very well what I didn’t want.

  • I like traveling
  • Love the outdoors
  • Love adventure

I used to think that travel and entrepreneurship had nothing to do with each other, but now I find that there is actually no difference between the two. They are both things I love, and they are the power that keeps me passionate about them even after recognizing the truth.

“There is only one kind of heroism in the world, and that is to love life after you recognize the truth of it.”

On the other hand, there is only one kind of ridiculous tragedy in the world: having unrealistic and beautiful expectations for life, fantasizing about a perfect “heaven on earth”, and when you find that reality is not so beautiful, you quickly regard life as ugly and useless. You are like a diode, jumping back and forth between absolute beauty and absolute ugliness; unfortunately, both are actually illusions. Only when you truly and completely understand the whole picture of a thing - including its beauty and shortcomings, are you qualified to judge whether you like it.

I have been walking and on the road these years. My friends and parents don’t understand me and think I am just playing around. My friends asked me if I would be lonely. I thought about it for a long time: I don’t need others' understanding. In the ancient city of Dali, many idealists still gathered after midnight.

  • Some people were actually exiled for several years
  • Some people hold the banner of idealism to experience or encounter romance

But when you really make up your mind to settle down and go your own way, it’s no longer a child’s game. Your youth, glory, honor, intimacy will gradually be put down; the smile on your face will gradually disappear. At this time, the real exile begins to show its meaning, but before that, it is just the pleasure of travel.

I have always thought about it based on Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. I thought that everyone would pursue spirituality and ideals after meeting their basic needs. So, I gave myself a sense of mission: I hope to change the world through technology, products, passion and talent. Perhaps in the future more and more people will choose idealism. However, I later discovered that some so-called ideals are not really ideals. You said that “respect” may be one level higher than eating, drinking, whoring and gambling, but it is still a low-level need. If you get discouraged because you don’t get the respect you deserve, that’s not ideal, and more like the “getting ahead” part of a Hong Kong gangster movie.

When did this idea break out? It was on the road that I saw more humanitarian disasters and realized that poor countries and people were still being cruelly exploited. Many things are imagined by ourselves. How terrible is the power of imagination?

Thinking solves the uncertainty of action, and action solves the uncertainty of thinking.

I thought back to all the decisions I made around the time of graduation, and spent three days reflecting on my decision-making, growth, and thinking from childhood to adulthood, and why I became who I am today. I abstracted the choices into several curves in the Cartesian coordinate system and their respective changing trends. In the end, I discarded all the curves that seemed happy:

  • Pie in the sky
  • Volume Ranking
  • Find a job

Those future lives that seemed to be envied by relatives and classmates, but accompanied by mortgages and the novelty of the city, only stayed in the expectation of hearing a certain pub open every day. I really hate this kind of arranged life. If this is the life I have exchanged for more than 20 years of hard work, why don’t I choose to end it now? In comparison, it seems happier to die now.

Two events that changed me:

  1. Passion for the profession
  2. Exploration of outdoor travel and personal self-awareness

It completely changed me, or rather, it discovered me. I began to find happiness and reconcile with myself in this process. First, I was no longer afraid of death - because it was obvious that death was much happier than that boring life; second, I was no longer afraid of the next life, because I had completely identified the life I hated. I was willing to try any other life.

If you want to truly learn something and have real thinking, there is actually no shortcut - you have to calm down and start from the underlying operating logic of this society, whether it is geography or philosophy.

Actually, I don’t have too many expectations. I have thought about the topic of expectations before. I rarely have expectations, but am more satisfied with my own will and self-growth, and am firm in my sense of mission. All departures are random, just like when I just finished my busy work, I would book a flight ticket without hesitation and start making plans. Unlike many people around me who are calculating their lives carefully, I am always on the road, always thinking about how to live a good life rather than how to plan it. During this process, your sense of happiness increases dramatically, and you won’t feel pain even if you encounter setbacks. Doing what I love is happiness. 😊

Cross-cultural thinking

Objective and subjective

Mao’s Selected Works has a very good understanding of the objective and subjective aspects of imperialism. The Chinese people’s understanding of imperialism can be divided into two stages:

  1. First stage: superficial, emotional understanding - such as the general xenophobia during the Taiping Rebellion and the Boxer Rebellion;
  2. The second stage: In-depth and rational understanding - after the May Fourth Movement, people gradually saw the contradictions within imperialism and its essence of colluding with Chinese compradors and feudal forces to exploit the people. 😊

The cognitive process essentially follows two steps:

  • First step: contact the outside world through the senses, which belongs to perceptual cognition, directly obtaining specific and intuitive information;
  • Step 2: Integrate, summarize and deepen the perceptual materials to form abstract concepts and theories, that is, rational understanding. In other words, rational knowledge must be based on sensory materials, otherwise it is easy to fall into idealism that is divorced from reality.

Perceptual knowledge not only provides raw materials for rational thinking, And it helps us understand ourselves more realistically—our needs, motivations, and emotions. Only through the collection of rich information can we form a comprehensive and profound understanding.

Marxism believes that only through social practice can people test and verify their understanding of the objective world. This will enable subjective understanding to be constantly corrected and improved, and to be closer to objective reality. As Marx said:

“Only through practice can we constantly correct our understanding of the objective world.” This constant trial and error and self-renewal is the driving force behind achieving Transformation.

The subjective and the objective are interdependent and interact with each other:

  • Objective material world exists independently;
  • Our thoughts and ideas are a reflection of this objective reality.

Although objective conditions determine subjective cognition to a certain extent, But human subjective initiative can also react on the objective world. Through practice, we not only understand objective laws, More capable of using these laws to transform the world.

As Mao Zedong stressed, “seek truth from facts”:

  • “Facts” represent objective existence;
  • “Seeking” represents subjective effort;
  • “Yes” reflects objective laws.

Only through continuous exploration and practice of the subjective and objective, Only then can the unity of the two be achieved. 😊

Get closer to the scene

HORSE TRAINING CAMP

I spent half an hour at the horse farm in ACT Nepal, and the process of interacting with the horses gave me a lot of inspiration. The successful domestication of horses has had a profound impact on human history and has changed the way we transport things. At the stable, I observed the horses' language and interactions:

  • They will respond or show goodwill in unique ways
  • This interaction made me realize the importance of multi-dimensional information in restoring the scene

Although I couldn’t understand what the horse was saying, by observing its behavior, I tried to think from multiple angles and tried to build a three-dimensional model to restore the scene. Reconstructing the crime scene is not about paying too much attention to what others say, but about thinking about what others actually do and whether their words and actions are balanced. This is why it is so important to be back live. 😊

**How ​​to return to the scene? ** We understand the world mainly through our eyes and interpret the world through the medium of light. But what we see is only the projection of things in the framework of our senses and thinking. If we use another way of perception, such as touch or introspection (heart meditation), we will find that:

  • Each perception method has its limitations and biases
  • They shape our understanding of the outside world
  • Therefore, our worldview is always subjective

Returning to the scene, essence and reality may not be an end, but a process of continuous questioning and practice.

Return to Meditation 🧘‍♀️ We close our eyes and become aware of ourselves: our breathing, our body sensations, our inner emotions, and other sensory inputs like sound, touch, and inner intuition. Meditation helps us gain a deeper level of inner awareness. Light and darkness are two sides of our understanding of the world:

  • Light is our tool for understanding the world
  • Blind people experience the world with their hearts, demonstrating another way of measuring This made me realize that our perception of the world depends on the multi-dimensional way we perceive it.

Thoughts of an old man from Nepal:

I took this photo today while having lunch. I’m not sure about the gender of the other person, but I like this photo very much.

Thoughts of a Nepalese grandfather

The photo is missing some context:

  • Filming location: Kathmandu
  • The background is a dilapidated high-rise area, the streets are full of dust and look dirty

There happened to be a beam of light here, and my friends praised me for making good use of light. In fact, it was because I tried hard to capture that last ray of sunshine. She originally came here to bask in the sun, but the densely packed high-rise buildings only gave her a narrow angle, reflecting the weak sunlight. The environment was very cold, she had no socks on, and her expression revealed a thoughtful look as she tried hard to absorb the limited sunlight.

I can’t help but think:

  1. What is she thinking about? (Maybe she is just enjoying the sunshine)
  2. **Is she happy? ** (I believe she is happy)
  3. What does she need? (Maybe a lot, but she doesn’t need to pray, she feels that the present is good enough)

I had thought about going over to buy her some momos, but alas the sun had disappeared, and she seemed to have disappeared with it. Then I started thinking: What else can I do?

I hope that technology can change poverty and allow more people to access creativity. The world should not limit people’s access due to poverty and basic needs. Therefore, I feel that my significance lies in making this world a better and happier place. **HOW CAN I HELP THEM? ** This reminds me again of that sentence:

“Thinking resolves the uncertainty of action, and action resolves the uncertainty of thinking.”

We need to go back to the crime scene and avoid subjective assumptions about clues. I think the key lies in two points:

  1. Thinking and action are mutually dependent:
  • Think about the uncertainty of action
  • Action resolves the uncertainty of thinking
  1. Thoughts on returning to the scene:
  • To be close to the most real and essential things, rather than being detached from reality or deviating from the laws of how the world works

From a human nature perspective, I don’t always want to explore too much. We satisfy our own needs first, so we are more likely to like our own answers or fictional worlds; But reason tells me that thinking that deviates from the real world is ultimately unhealthy. This will cause you to deviate from the truest operating rules of the world and affect your subsequent thinking and decision-making. For example, last night I gave some money to a mother holding her baby on the street. Although she looked miserable, my friend and local coach later told me that this was actually a strategy used by Indian stowaways to beg for food. If you do good deeds simply out of kindness, you may be able to feel that warmth; But when you understand the real situation, you will understand more clearly which people really need help and which people may be deceptive or even aggravate the bad aspects of human nature.

Any action or thinking must be based on a deep understanding of facts and truth, otherwise subjective actions may cause harm to society or other groups. Nature has its own laws of operation, and we must approach the most real laws of this world.

Therefore, I believe that individuals do not exist in isolation. To truly understand how the world works, one needs to start from holistic and systematic thinking, coordinate one’s own behavior and thinking, connect with society and culture as much as possible, and achieve a state of integration.

  • Return to the scene: Just like scientific research, observe and collect first-hand information instead of relying on speculation or subjective feelings.
  • Debiased thinking: strip away emotions, prejudices and personal interests and focus on pure cause and effect.

Photos and Aesthetics

In fact, I like taking photos very much. The core is to satisfy my desire to create, share and record. When taking photos, I hope to show my own aesthetics and perspective, and pass on beautiful things to others. 😊

In a county town in Kunming, Yunnan, there is a coffee shop full of stories and the space design is very satisfying. The name of this shop is Refill Coffee. The name aroused my curiosity from the beginning - why is it called “Refill Coffee”? My first impression was that the name seemed to capture the desire of coffee lovers to get a bargain. I also found a romance novel titled “Coffee Refill” on Google, which made me wonder what the connection is between the two?

I visited some photo walls and recorded the daily life of the two sisters. The photos include:

  • Beautiful views of sunrise and sunset
  • The delicate moment when light and shadow sprinkle on the petals in the room
  • Sweet moments of sisters taking selfies
  • Daily records in the coffee shop

There are also some books in the room. Compared with the cafes in Beijing and Shanghai, this cafe in this small town evokes more emotional memories for me.

Looking back to college, I also liked to record my travels and life. I have visited many countries and taken various landscape photos, gradually improving myself from a photography novice. Every photo records an experience, a story, a person met. After graduating from university this year, I began my official world wandering journey. I cherish every day, every person, and every shared experience more and more, and try hard to record every little bit of it.

You don’t take a photograph, you make it.

The beauty of a photo lies not only in capturing a moment, but also in being the product of creativity and aesthetics.

Beauty is slowly shifting from universal standards to subjective With the development of the era of globalization, this change has become more and more obvious. The sense of story comes from what you create.

  • The story told in the pictures: This sense of story is often conveyed directly through the elements, composition, light, shadow and color in the picture. A camera is more likely to capture these details in some situations, but a phone can achieve similar results with proper composition and post-processing.

  • Stories that resonate or come to mind: This sense of story depends more on the viewer’s personal experience and emotions. A simple photo can become meaningful because of the viewer’s associations and emotional projection. This sense of story does not depend on whether the equipment is high-end or not, but on the emotional connection between the photographer and the viewer. 😊

The emotional connection between the photographer and the viewer is the source of the photo’s storytelling feel.

Reflections on the Colombian Airport Problem

The discussion on enforced disappearances in Colombia began with a UN press release that did not provide clear evidence, but was widely reported by domestic media and sparked heated discussions. During the spread of the incident, international reports and domestic public opinion presented completely different focuses.

  • Original text from the United Nations: Aims to reveal Colombia’s human rights issues and governance difficulties.
  • Domestic media: They use some extreme examples to focus on the storage of unidentified bodies and exaggerate social unrest in an exaggerated and selective manner.

This reporting style not only obscures the complexity of the issue, conceals the international background and the core of the event, but also highlights Colombia’s image of failure.

When ordinary people are faced with overwhelming information, if they do not distinguish it, they may fall into an emotional and single-minded narrative framework.

As your discussion shows, rational analysis and critical thinking are particularly valuable. By identifying the differences between facts and propaganda and exploring the motivations behind the reports, we can more deeply understand the internal logic of this public opinion phenomenon.

  • Questioning the authenticity of the report
  • Exploring potential diplomatic and economic motivations

This kind of in-depth dialogue is exactly what outstanding young people should be like: independent thinking, open discussion, and the courage to face the multiple aspects of complex problems.

I would prefer a government and media that is transparent and honest, with both a global vision and local action. While shaping a good image, we should also face up to domestic issues and enhance public trust and support through open discussions and practical actions. A rational and transparent government and media can not only promote real social progress, but also avoid relying solely on external crises or comparisons to gain short-term stability and support. This kind of performance is not only an ideal model of modern state governance, but also respects the public’s intellect and emotions to the greatest extent.

From my perspective, this event revolved around the issue of enforced disappearances in Colombia, but I felt a strange gap in the way information was disseminated.

  • Original press release issued by the United Nations: The core content focuses on revealing the human rights crisis in Colombia and the complex political and social issues behind it.
  • Domestic reports: Some extreme examples (such as “about 20,000 bodies stored in a warehouse at Bogota airport”) are exaggerated, which greatly deviates from the focus of the issue.

At first, my attention was not on this issue, but the screenshots sent by my family and the discussions in the group aroused my curiosity. After carefully reading the original UN text, I found that the description of “20,000 bodies” was only used as part of the argument for Colombia’s human rights issues, and no direct evidence was provided. This makes me wonder: Why is domestic coverage so overwhelming, even placing this example in a prominent position, while ignoring the more important context and systemic issues of the article?

Further searching revealed that there was very little relevant information in English, but extremely dense Chinese coverage. This imbalance in information distribution got me thinking:

  • Does the domestic media intentionally exaggerate negative phenomena in Colombia?
  • Is the motivation for this practice to divert attention away from potential problems at home, while highlighting domestic governance advantages through comparison?

In any case, this selective dissemination seems too deliberate and even a little “outrageous”.

Through communication with friends, I further clarified some views:

  • The public opinion may involve diplomatic and economic considerations, or it may serve a specific public opinion orientation;
  • The real problem lies in the way the media screens and presents information, which may cause the public to have a one-sided or even misleading understanding of international issues.

In my opinion, the role of the media is not only to spread information, but also to help the public understand problems rationally rather than simply amplifying certain extreme examples. In my position, I choose to remain skeptical and think critically. For similar incidents, we need to look beyond the superficial sensationalism and delve into the complex logic behind the facts. This is not only a respect for the event itself, but also an exercise of our cognitive abilities. Through this incident, I have become more aware of the importance of independent thinking and information verification. I also hope that in the future the media will pay more attention to the comprehensiveness of facts and the depth of analysis.

When some people worry that our young people are dull-minded and easily influenced by the information flooding the Internet, have they ever thought that perhaps our own behavior is also invisibly building an “ideological cage” that allows generation after generation of young people to accept “unified” ideas? It seems to convey correct information, but in fact it invisibly restricts diverse thinking.

References:

  1. Colombia’s claim: https://www.aa.com.tr/en/americas/colombia-denies-un-claims-of-hiding-20-000-bodies-at-airport/3415820
  2. UN article: https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2024/12/colombia-enforced-disappearances-not-legacy-past-daily-reality

Some thoughts on Chiang Mai

I wanted to write down my thoughts about Chiang Mai last night, but due to some urgent matters at work, I was unable to do so. However, I still went to the night market last night and met a superb singing group:

  • The first two lead singers performed particularly well
  • The instrumentalists behind are also in tune

There are many Buddhist temples in Chiang Mai, and Buddhist teachings advocate focusing on the present and doing everything seriously, rather than rushing for quick success. I have always been a very efficient person - my walking pace and eating pace are much faster than those of my peers. Once when I was riding in a car in Chiang Mai, I accidentally bumped into a Thai man because I was in too much of a hurry to get on the bus. I quickly said “I’m sorry”, the Thai elder brother said gently “sabai sabai”。 This is also the second word I learned in Thai, the first one is “Sahuarica”(Hello). Sabai sabai As is often said in European and American culture “chill”, describes a relaxed atmosphere. I didn’t feel much about this atmosphere in the past few weeks, but this time I suddenly had some insights and gradually integrated into the atmosphere of Thai Buddhist culture:

dife is what it is. Sabai Sabai

Suddenly I realized: In a country that believes in Buddhism and loves life, even if the people are poor, the spirit is still strong. How could it be bad?

At the same time, I also thought: The fast-paced life in China has actually damaged people’s sense of happiness to a certain extent.

  • Algorithms and businesses compress people’s time to the extreme
  • The deliveryman’s every minute is accurately calculated by the platform
  • People are constantly competing with each other…

I can’t help but ask myself: Is such a life and society really progress?

At this moment, I am sitting in the bluecoffee shop at Chiang Mai University, watching the sunset slowly fall. Yesterday I went to the best barber shop in my memory - I have always loved the service there since I was a child. Although there are many negative reviews on Xiaohongshu, they are mainly concentrated in the following points:

  1. Unclear pricing: Use a price range
  2. Language barrier for hairdressers: Can’t speak Chinese or English
  3. Slow haircuts

In fact, I think these questions actually have advantages:

  • Pricing: In fact, the price is dynamically determined based on different hairstyles and the effort put in by the barber, which is more fair in an environment like Thailand.
  • Language problem: With translation software nowadays, basic daily communication is not a problem.
  • Slow haircut: This is where the value of the service lies.
  • Wash your hair, massage your head and take care of it before getting a haircut
  • Pay attention to detailed care when cutting hair
  • Re-treatment after haircut This experience is in stark contrast to the “speed cutting” in China, making people feel unprecedented comfort and love.

I sincerely hope that in the future more and more Chinese people will be able to do the work they love and find true happiness.

Jazz

My partner loves jazz, but I never quite understand the logic behind this preference. The first time I came into contact with jazz was in a jazz bar in Chiang Mai. The music attracted me instantly. Subjective emotions aside, it seems that a person shouldn’t like a certain kind of music for no reason, right? If biology or socio-cultural logic cannot explain this preference, then perhaps we can only understand it from a metaphysical and philosophical perspective.

I understand that music is essentially inseparable from mathematics and philosophy. Mr. Jiang likes “Destiny 5”. He believes that good music can penetrate the limitations of culture, national boundaries and time. This resonance stems from the human’s innate sensitivity to melody, rhythm and harmony. This is an aesthetic ability formed in the process of biological evolution.

When we listen to a piece of music, the resonance that suddenly arises is like a passage in a book. Music seems to help us find and understand ourselves. 😊

This year I have a new feeling about art:

  • Many people think that art and science are two completely different worlds
  • Artists express the world, scientists explain the world
  • However, the common trait between them is curiosity
  • Whether artists or scientists, they are constantly asking questions to the world
  • They yearn for and pursue a better world and are willing to influence or change it

Art represents sensibility, so does the world of science and engineering also need sensibility? Perhaps it is in this fusion of sensibility and rationality that we can create things that move people. The essence of jazz is to create something and then let it pass over time. And this is exactly what jazz promises us - a fluid, ever-changing beauty.

Music seems to provide us with understanding and answers, and also allows us to find ourselves in constant exploration.

Personal Growth and Inner Transformation

Why am I who I am now?

Three stages: Love, Choose and Live

Passion

During the epidemic period before the college entrance examination, taking online classes gave me plenty of time to play on the computer at home. During that time, I gained a more systematic understanding of the major and found that a lot of information could be actively obtained from the Internet, rather than relying solely on books. When I was in college, I chose Computer Science as my major because I was curious about the major and was extremely interested in information.

Actually, I am not really interested in traditional subjects. For example:

  • Operating System: This is due to my previous exploration of computer systems themselves, which I am quite interested in;
  • Data Structures and Algorithms: This is my preferred field;
  • Computer Network: The second is this one;
  • Principles of Computer Organization: I think this part is more suitable for people who are interested in low-level performance optimization or embedded development.

Additionally, I have a passion for open source. Being in touch with the open source community has helped me grow rapidly, because there are not only a large number of learning resources, but also a strong open source spirit. Here, I was able to keep up with some of the world’s cutting-edge technologies and directions - for example, the blockchain projects I later participated in and the cloud-native direction I chose, both benefited me a lot.

In addition to acquiring external knowledge and skills, university life also provides a lot of time to explore yourself. I also used this time to go out, hike and travel outdoors, and these experiences greatly improved my character and broadened my horizons. 😊

choose

When faced with career choices, I reflected on how I was made up. Just like a historian recording history from a subjective perspective, I reviewed and analyzed the important nodes of my life from childhood to adulthood:

  • What important decisions were made?
  • Who were the key people you met?
  • What have been some of the most impactful experiences you’ve had?

This process is similar to existential self-construction. Putting aside political, cultural, traditional, moral and religious prejudices, and re-examining those seemingly upside-down truths with a new perspective, I gradually let go, gained a deep understanding of myself, and was no longer afraid to make decisions or choose a career. It also inspired me to think more deeply about the decision-making process, which is similar to giving advice to others.

Making decisions is like driving in the fog, which requires both a rearview mirror (experience) and a navigator (new information).

  • Information return: How much new information can be gained by delaying further?
  • Opportunity cost: How many other things can you do with the time you hesitate? If you find yourself going in circles, it’s time to stop. Decision-making is not about waiting for the “perfect answer” but finding the “enough answer”.

When I give advice to others, I usually focus on three key points:

  1. **What do you really want? ** (Get straight to the point)
  2. **What methods have you tried? ** (Avoid repeating suggestions)
  3. What are you most afraid of? (Locate the source of your fear)

This is actually also about constantly deducing the model, thinking about the limit value and evaluating whether the current path is optimal. In computer science, we may use greedy algorithms to quickly find solutions, but a more ideal approach is dynamic programming, continuous reflection and optimization. Reflection is one of our most valuable qualities.

Travel

The changes brought about by living abroad are subtle and lasting. I believe the fundamental reason lies in the dual effects of one’s own character and the shaping of the environment. Traveling also helped me find myself. Before hiking, the meaning of my life was to keep learning. I wanted to understand the world and I wanted to understand myself. After the hike, I added two more points: to change myself, to influence and even change the world.

  • Shaping of worldview: Experience is the most valuable asset in forming a worldview. Every experience prompts me to reflect deeply, thus forming a unique and profound worldview.

  • Perfection of Values: My value system is made up of the experiences I have with my partners. The formation of values ​​can be seen as a set of behavioral norms and belief systems internalized by humans for survival, safety and spiritual satisfaction in the long-term adaptation to the natural and social environment. At the same time, values ​​are also a process of integrating external information and internalizing personal beliefs.

Traveling abroad makes it easier for me to think, and it may also be due to my own interest in thinking. The digital nomadic lifestyle breaks the boundaries of geographical cognition, and the continuous stimulation of the new environment even triggers mutations in the neuroplasticity of the cerebral cortex. My prefrontal cortex activated an extraordinary cognitive restructuring mechanism, causing me to engage in frequent reflexive thinking.

Traveling is full of uncertainty and loneliness, but it is also extremely interesting and enriching. This kind of life is a kind of cognitive flow and spiritual exploration, which helps me gradually integrate my own thinking mode and value system. 😊

Decision-making considerations

As mentioned earlier, the basis for decision-making requires a lot of information and data, relying on the knowledge accumulated over a long period of time to analyze various possibilities. Part of it relies on intuition and experience formed by internalization through long-term experience.

Ideally, decision making should be absolutely rational. The definition of a Bayesian brain is:

We keep adjusting our view of the world based solely on what has already happened in the world until we are able to make a decision. This approach is a very calm, emotion-free, ego-free way of doing things.

However, it is actually unrealistic to achieve complete rationality. Everyone needs to find a balance between rationality and emotion when making decisions. Especially when faced with situations driven by love or inner values, emotions are often difficult to ignore.

Rational decision-making ability can be acquired through training. Through a lot of thinking, logical thinking, statistical methods, and the accumulation of various deduction and analysis skills, coupled with reflection and summary of each decision, we can not only improve our decision-making ability, but also better understand ourselves.

Morality

Subjective and objective are two commonly used perspectives when analyzing values. Individual values ​​are the ultimate liberal product formed by the interaction of these two dimensions. However, individuals have also formed a certain common value system through cultural inheritance and social practice in their long-term social practice. This shared value system reflects the consensus of most people on some fundamental issues (such as justice).

I believe that good and evil are both a subjective evaluation of the value system and have a broad objective basis in the common value system. In a subjective sense, I once saw this inspired quote: “Don’t do to others what you don’t want them to do to you.” This sentence represents a very essential “balance of experience”. It seems that inspiration suddenly strikes - the subconscious response of the person also reflects this balance of experience. For example, when A says B is immoral…

Emotion and rationality

Rational knowledge depends on sensory knowledge. If one believes that rational knowledge can exist independently from sensory knowledge, then that becomes idealism. In the history of philosophy, there is the so-called “rationalist” school, which only recognizes the reality of reason and denies the reality of experience. It believes that only reason is reliable and sensory experience is unreliable. The error in this view is that it reverses the facts:

  • Reasoning is reliable because it comes from sensibility.
  • Otherwise, rationality will become water without a source and a tree without roots, something merely subjective and unreliable.

From the perspective of the order of the cognitive process, sensory experience is the first. We emphasize the significance of social practice in the process of cognition because only through social practice can people’s cognition begin and gain sensory experience from the objective external world. A person who closes his eyes and ears and is completely isolated from the objective outside world cannot truly understand the world. **Knowledge begins with experience - this is exactly the materialist position in epistemology. **

How to see the world

Many people think that seeing the world means traveling, but it is not just that, traveling is just a way. 😊

Light and darkness are two sides of the world we see, and light is our main means of understanding the world. How do blind people see the world with their hearts? Our reliance on light is so strong that it makes me feel that the world we see is precisely because we use light to “measure” it - a subjective way of measurement. Blind people, without exception, experience the world with their hearts, using another measurement method:

  • Listen with your ears
  • Feel with your body
  • Experience with your heart

From this we can transition to: understanding the world does not rely on a single sense alone, but is an experience constructed by multiple senses.

Just as large models use multimodality to understand the laws of the physical world, we also have a lot more touch and perception when understanding the real world.

I think: The speed of civilization progress = information processing capacity × information utilization efficiency

As LLM continues to process and analyze information, its understanding of the world will get closer and closer to the real laws that govern how the world works. However, in reality, the growth rate of people is limited by multiple factors:

  • Physiological limits (brain processing power)
  • Environmental conditions (educational resources)
  • Social support (information sharing mechanism)

There are deviations in people’s perception of the world, which stems from what we see, think and feel about information. Perhaps in the future, the way we perceive the world will not only rely on the abilities given to us by biological organs, but may also be expanded by AI, technology, and even the metaverse. 🤖

Persistence

Buddha said: Attachment (including stubborn cognition of self and things) is the root of suffering, so we should let go of attachment. This leads to thinking about the relationship between persistence and letting go.

Persistence allows us to pursue truth and meaning; but being too persistent will solidify thoughts, restrict freedom, and may even cause inner and social conflicts. This is actually a kind of dynamic balance.

When we see the essence of things, we will understand better what we really want.

As the question asks: **Are you willing to10 arrive 20In the past year, have you been committed to what you love, actively faced and endured the pain that comes with it, and dared to give up those burdens that have nothing to do with your dreams? **

Of course I am willing to do so. In order to realize my purpose, I am willing to give up everything and bear everything. 🌟

A country is made up of specific people, and it is these people who create and determine the country’s appearance. Only when there are those who pursue truth, think independently, record the facts, work for this land regardless of their own interests, defend constitutional rights, and never give up in the face of an imperfect world, can a country truly have a mind and soul. Only in this way can we be proud of our motherland and have the confidence to welcome a better tomorrow.

Impermanence

There is a concept called “impermanence” in Buddhism. What is the Buddhist concept of “impermanence”? Everything in the world is impermanent, not eternal and unchanging. The cherry blossoms that bloom every year also give people a sense of anticipation and reincarnation of “see you next time”. 😊

For the samurai, the charm of cherry blossoms lies in their fleeting beauty, which is unmoved and unattached, drifting with the wind. In that era of competition, the road of life was full of dangers and crises. A samurai is ready to sacrifice his life at any time for his lord and his own honor; Their lives are like fragile cherry blossom petals that can be blown away by a gust of wind. For these warriors, the most meaningful thing is:

Witnessing the spring breeze blowing and the cherry blossoms falling from the trees like snow, how tragic!

Cherry blossoms often bloom before leaves sprout, “blooming when there is nothing”. It has symbolized tenacious vitality since ancient times. Although each petal is ordinary, they form a spectacular sea of ​​flowers when combined together. This fits in with Japan’s collectivist culture:

  • Japanese people do not stand out in groups
  • But the overall cohesion is very strong, which makes the whole contain huge energy

Although the world is beautiful, it is full of impermanence and imperfection. We need to learn to accept the laws of nature.

The world is impermanent and the world is imperfect. We must learn to accept imperfection and accept nature. Therefore, Japanese culture has been more infiltrated and influenced by Taoist thoughts.

Sakura🌸

Cherry blossoms are mentioned many times in The Tale of Genji, and it is believed that among all flowers, the simple and elegant cherry blossoms are the best. Cherry blossoms bloom and fall easily, and their fleeting appearance makes it impossible for them to stay on the branches for long. Therefore, the Japanese feel deep down that the world is impermanent and everything is empty. Eventually, the emotion of “mono no aware” was born.

  • When outsiders look at cherry blossoms, they see the excitement
  • When Japanese people look at cherry blossoms, they feel an emotion

A small cherry blossom makes people realize that life is short. Only by seizing the day can we live up to the meaning of life.

What exactly is mono no aware? There are many interpretations, but it can be literally translated as “a sense of sadness about things”. Refers to the slight sadness and resonance people feel when facing nature, life and the passage of time. This emotion is not simply sadness, but a profound realization of the impermanence of the world, the transience of beauty, and the connection between man and nature.

  • Transience (impermanence): Cherry blossoms fade away, youth fades, autumn leaves fall
  • Sadness: A tender sympathy for the ups and downs of things
  • Resonance: A deep understanding of the essence of life, rather than absolute sadness

This is a process. You will always meet many people in every journey. After every gathering there will also be a separation. It’s all part of personal growth. I like the aesthetics of “decay” in Japanese culture. It makes me realize: Everything is more moving because of its transience and decay. 🌸

A deep awareness of impermanence and sincere gratitude will prompt us to constantly reflect on and cherish the present. In this process, we constantly think about sincerity and self. Learn to be sincere with others, don’t hide your emotions, and be willing to listen to other people’s stories. This process makes it easier for us to accept the impermanence of separation.

My friend once asked me: Avoid in-depth communication with locals because you may feel reluctant and sad due to fear of separation. Actually, no. I know very well that life is made up of countless encounters and partings. I also understand the value of “once in a lifetime”. I will experience every encounter with my heart and not be stingy with the true feelings of the moment because of future separation.

I asked my partner: When investing, partners often need to communicate with others. Therefore, I will be cautious when establishing connections with people when I am outside. In fact, this is also a dynamic balance.

When we interact with others, we are constantly exposed to and experience a variety of emotions. These emotions are like raw materials, which are absorbed, digested and reflected upon. Gradually transformed into a cognitive model of self-cognition, understanding of the world and others.

Sense of Time

One day, I was discussing the perception of time with a friend. Your sense of time is not determined by physical time, but is shaped by your experiences, memory storage, and the flow of consciousness. The more you experience, the richer your sense of time becomes; the more you repeat, the more blurred your sense of time becomes. Time is not absolute, but a product of your experience.

The formation of a sense of time includes the following points:

  1. Empiricism: The sense of time is shaped by experience, and rich experiences make time more fulfilling;
  2. Our understanding of time is not objective, but based on the individual’s stream of consciousness. Freshness makes people’s perception of time “clearer”;
  3. The brain tends to use novel memories to measure the length of time;
  4. Entropy increase means that the system moves from order to disorder. For an individual, the passage of time may not be absolute, but is related to the amount of information created by the individual in time.

The greater the amount of information, the higher the entropy. For example, when we travel, our brain needs to process a large amount of new information, and entropy increases significantly, making the sense of time both “rich” and “long”.

In addition, meditation can help us improve our perception of time.

Happiness, Death, and the Meaning of Life

Understanding of happiness

In fact, I never have too many expectations. I have thought about many topics about expectations before. I rarely have expectations. I pursue self-awareness and growth more, and strengthen my sense of mission. All departures are random-just like when I just finished a busy work and didn’t think about taking a break, I immediately booked a flight ticket and started making a strategy. Unlike my friends around me, I have not made careful calculations for my life. Instead, I have been on the road, always focusing on the present. The present is always more important than the past and the future! I have been thinking about how to live this life well, not how to plan this life. Therefore, the sense of happiness will surge in this process, and I will not feel pain even if I encounter setbacks. **Doing what I love is happiness. ** 😊

Making yourself happy is a very important thing. The premise is to find something meaningful and make it progress a little bit every day, so that you will feel that life is full of meaning.

Inspiration from Nepalese boss:

  • I once asked a restaurant owner who used to be full of fighting spirit and felt very happy, but later he wanted to learn cooking skills in other places and went to Chengdu, Kunming, China, and South Korea to study catering management.
  • He likes Korea very much, and even hung a Korean flag in the restaurant, which made people laugh. 😂
  • As time went by, his impression of Nepal changed - he thought it was relatively backward and poor; but he said he liked Chengdu very much and thought that Chinese cities were well built, beautiful and clean.

Understanding the essence of happiness:

I think we are all trying to find a balance between the external world and our inner values. I once read a sentence in a book: When people think about how to be happy, they don’t actually know the specific answer. So, they come up with a method - first think about what will make you unhappy, and then try to avoid these negative factors. In this way, the way to find happiness is actually more about trying to avoid unhappiness.

I thought this made sense at the time, because many people don’t understand themselves and don’t think deeply about their inner needs. Therefore, it is difficult to judge what exactly can bring true happiness. In traditional culture, many people believe that having money is happiness, but is it really so? After in-depth communication and research, I found that most rich people get more sense of achievement and self-pursuit. Some people even feel more pain because of the “trouble of having money”. I think that having money is just avoiding the unhappiness brought by not having money, and the happiness that is really obtained is often only short-term happiness. Naturally, if the process of making money is in line with personal values ​​- such as solving problems, helping others, or doing meaningful work - then it is more likely to bring long-term happiness.

For example, I once asked a friend who was starting a business: If your life fell to the bottom like a parabola in the Cartesian coordinate system, would you feel pain and despair? Can you bear the consequences? His answer surprised me: **The pursuit of happiness lies in experiencing **, in normal emotions and experiences, and in the ability to find and discover happiness. I remember riding a bicycle on Wukang Road in Shanghai, and when the sun shone through the sycamore trees on my body, I felt extremely happy. This is a real experiential happiness. Although there will be pain in the process, I know that I will enjoy this kind of growth.

This approach is known in psychology as the “negative list method.” However, true happiness also requires the pursuit of positive experiences, such as love, meaning, growth, and fulfillment. Happiness is not just about avoiding unhappiness, but about actively creating and experiencing happiness.

When faced with the pain of complexity, I will strive for simplicity, abstraction, and essence as much as possible. 😊

ACT My first long-distance hike in the plateau

After the ACT, I felt like I had completed a personal transformation. For example, I got even darker! ! After four months in Dali and Thailand, I was already tanned like a local. The plateau made me blend into Nepal.

Of course, the more important transformation is within oneself. Hiking is actually a good process to understand yourself.

I really enjoy the hiking process. In fact, hiking is a process that requires you to focus on the present moment. Obviously, I like this state very much.

I cried twice during the hike. One time was when I was walking to Tilicho Lake. Tilicho Lake is a separate route, which is a round trip on the same day. It is considered a side quest of the ACT. It is very difficult. There is no supplies for a long section of the road. I also had to carry a lot of things that day. I had to throw away heavy clothes and power banks on the road. Because it was a round trip, my companions didn’t need to wait for me, and they all ran quite fast. I had a fever that morning, and my fleece hat felt strange. I accidentally scratched it off at night, and I had a headache the next day. In addition, when I was approaching5000The altitude, climbing about 1196 meters, descending about 1226 meters, my body is very weak. The high altitude gives me a headache, I feel that every step requires a lot of strength, under low oxygen, the burden on muscles and heart will be heavier, in fact, I want to give up countless times, not because I can’t persist, but because I wonder what the meaning is, I am far behind my teammates, I know I can’t keep up with their pace, I may not wait until I get to T Lake, maybe they will come down together. It’s better to stop and wait for them to come back. My teammates said, try your best. I persisted, if persistence is meaningless, it seems that giving up is meaningless. Just like this, I insisted on walking and stopping, I couldn’t help crying under my sunglasses, I felt that it was a kind of catharsis of my inner self-challenge, growth and vulnerability. So hiking is really a way to understand yourself very well, especially to break your own limits. My personality really supported me for a long time. When you break through your limits, when you encounter beautiful scenery, when you encounter kind actions, these endless emotional materials, in turn, shape you,

There was another place where we encountered icefall, Churi Ledar → Thorung Phedi → High Camp. At the beginning, there was a choice. There was a bridge in front. They said that walking on the bridge was an easy route, so we didn’t walk on the bridge. It was actually very shocking to encounter the ice. The whole road was ice, and there was a cliff next to it. If we slipped on the ice/glacier section, we might have died here. We didn’t expect that there would be such a section in today’s itinerary, so we didn’t prepare crampons, and we risked going over it with a backpack, and then they would pick us up from above around the ice. We still slipped, but it was a close call, and fortunately we didn’t fall on the ice.

Ice fall, guide walks by

After we walked over, there seemed to be another team behind us, also from China, from the Sichuan West Team. We shouted for a long time, but they still didn’t seem to understand, and then they also walked this way and didn’t go back. The leader didn’t bring crampons, and fell down. We were scared to death watching from a distance, but fortunately his bag hit the ground first, and the bag just played a role in preventing slipping, preventing him from falling down.

Ice fall, slip!

I have never regretted my decision, but now I regret my choice because I am afraid of death. What do I really want in the face of the limit and the unknown? The answer is often not a simple “escape” or “persistence”. It is important to see the real needs and fears in your heart. When facing the uncontrollable outside world and inner fragility, our choices shape our existence. When facing the uncontrollable environment, what are we thinking about and what are we respecting? Respect death and respect nature.

die &The meaning of life

Experiencing Death

Feeling that death makes life a limited gift, it makes us cherish the present moment, the once-in-a-lifetime encounter, and the connection with others and the world. Philosopher Heidegger pointed out that death enables people to view their existence in a “holistic way”. The meaning of life is often not revealed in the daily trivialities, but in the profound experience of facing death, when we are forced to examine our own limitations and awaken. Death reminds us that existence is not a matter of course.

Meaning is something we actively acquire, just like the short life of a fly. Schopenhauer summarized the following six points in “On the Vanity of Existence”:

  1. **Space and time itself is infinite, but what individuals possess is limited. **
  2. **The only way to survive in reality is “the present moment”. ** (This coincides with the Diamond Sutra’s statement that “the past mind cannot be obtained, the present mind cannot be obtained, and the future mind cannot be obtained”, reminding people to always cherish the present.)
  3. **Everything in the world is intertwined, and no individual can exist in isolation. **
  4. The only thing that is permanent is change.
  5. Desires are always endless and can never be satisfied.
  6. **Impermanence and difficulties are the norm in life. People must continue to work hard to overcome obstacles and troubles. **

On the one hand, people are blinded by “hope”, and on the other hand, they fall into the trap of “death”. The meaning of life is not to overcome death, but to understand the depth of life through death, and thus choose to exist meaningfully. Learning how to die is learning how to live.

Plato believed that the soul is eternal and its essence continues to exist even if the body dies. Although this view may not be universally accepted, it conveys a profound belief that the value of life is not limited to physical existence, but lies in its significance and contribution to the world as a whole.

The death of someone close to us often becomes an opportunity for self-reflection. Nietzsche proposed the concept of “eternal recurrence” - if every moment of life will be repeated forever, will we be satisfied with our current life? The departure of the deceased reminds us that life is not endless, so we must live it in a real and meaningful way in the present.

In Pashupatinath Mandir, death is often seen as a natural continuation of life. The ritualized treatment of death, the holy water of the Ganges, and the scattering of ashes into the river after cremation symbolize the return of individual life to the cosmic whole. This cyclical concept is deeply rooted in Hindu philosophy, as expressed in the phrase “from dust we come, to dust we return.”

The smoke from cremation, the washing of the river, and the sound of prayer constitute a sacred ritual. For believers, this is not a scene of fear, but a symbol of the harmonious coexistence of man and the universe. The existence of death reminds us that we should not waste our lives on trivial and meaningless pursuits, but should live more deeply and truly. As the Buddha said:

“Only those who face death squarely can face the true value of life."

Death is not scary, it just reminds us of the meaning of life and reminds us that we are also part of this flowing river of the universe. 😊

Reflection on the meaning of life

Meaning is both a reflection of human modernity and an ultimate proposition. The meaning of man to the world is the meaning of the world to man. The sense of meaning in life has an integrated dual system, that is, it comes from both happiness and pain; it comes not only from good times but also from bad times.

Finding meaning in ordinary life: The sense of meaning in life does not necessarily require extraordinary events and experiences. In daily secular life, you can also dig out the beauty of every moment through investment, immersion, awareness and attention. If you can appreciate the beauty of every moment, you can find a sense of meaning in every little bit.

We can also create meaning in adversity and setbacks. There is no absolute good or bad, only what we think. At the same time, the integration of the small self into the big self can also gain the ultimate meaning of life. The recognition and pursuit of life’s purpose and goals in youth often makes self-transcendence possible. Those who transcend personal values ​​often have richer interpersonal connections, experience more positive emotions, have less anxiety, and have a more positive mentality. They pay more attention to the well-being of others and the group, rather than just chasing money, pleasure and social status.

Shakespeare wrote in Macbeth: “Life is but a walking shadow, a poor actor, who gestures on the stage for a moment and then leaves in the noise.” This line reveals a fact: ** Life is full of noise and restlessness, but often we can’t find the real meaning. **

Human beings are both limited (constrained by time, space and body) and pursue infinity (meaning, value and purpose). The meaning of life essentially lies in creation and transcendence. From a philosophical point of view, the answer to the meaning of life does not lie in finding some “absolute truth” but in the process of exploration and practice. Meaning can be both subjective and collective; it can arise from human creativity but also reflect the deep connections of the universe.

When facing nothingness, we can regard the meaning of life as a practice of existence: through experience and transcendence, we can transform limited life into a bridge connecting the infinite. The universe has no fixed purpose, and life is just an accidental existence. As modern science has revealed, the universe operates according to natural laws, not purpose-oriented. From this perspective, the meaning of life is not “given”, but needs to be given by us personally.

The tension between “meaninglessness” and “meaningfulness” may never be completely resolved, but it is this uncertainty that drives humans to constantly question, explore and create. 😊

Truth and Answers

The real transformation is not to find the ultimate truth, but to stop pursuing it. The so-called “truth” is often the product of the times, situations and individual experiences.

  • It’s not that the answer has been found, but that a single answer is no longer needed.
  • It’s not about finding a fixed identity, but about having an identity that is always open and constantly renewed.
  • Enlightenment, before any identity, means that people are first just “people”. 😊

Don’t try to tell people they are wrong and you are right; just ask questions, ask the right questions. Just guide them to think and you can break down more of their preconceived ideas.

Talk, listen, and ask questions. Otherwise, you will never be able to convince others. It is more important to trigger their thinking than to tell them the answer directly.

Truth exists objectively:

  • Truth is the correct reflection of the objective world and must be tested by practice.
  • As it is said: “Correct thinking can only come from social practice.”

At the same time, we must also realize that:

  • Some religious teachings may not conform to the development laws of the real world;
  • While transforming the objective world, we are also transforming our own subjective world—improving our cognitive abilities and reshaping the relationship between the subjective and the objective.

Understand the world and then transform it. Marxist philosophy emphasizes that the key is not to understand objective laws and merely use them to explain the world, but to use the understanding of these laws to actively transform the world.

In theory, absolute truth exists—it is an accurate representation of the real world, a unity of objective reality, logical consistency, and empirical verification. But our understanding of truth is always limited.

Definition of truth:

  • Absolute (will not change with time and cognition)
  • Universal (applicable to all time, space and existence)
  • Unsurpassable (it is the ultimate explanation) 😊

The Information Age and the Exploration of Thinking Patterns

Thinking about information

The speed of civilization progress = information processing capacity × information utilization efficiency

In reality, the rate of human growth is limited by physiological limits (brain processing capacity), environmental conditions (educational resources), and social support (information sharing mechanisms).

The information processing capacity of human society presents a normal distribution, with the following characteristics:

  • Most people: Have intermediate information processing abilities and are able to absorb routine information and make simple decisions.
  • A small number of elites: They have information processing capabilities that exceed those of ordinary people and can quickly acquire, analyze and integrate information, thereby promoting major innovations in society.
  • A very small number of people: They have poor information processing capabilities and even find it difficult to adapt to a complex information flow environment.

This distribution directly affects:

  • Personal growth trajectory: People with strong information processing abilities grow faster and achieve more.
  • Speed ​​of progress of civilization: The efficient processing power of a small elite promotes overall social progress, but it can also lead to imbalances.

The role of the Internet and AI: Expanding human information processing capabilities 🤖

  • The role of the Internet: Accelerate the flow of information.
  • The role of AI: Improve information processing efficiency.

Human civilization and individual growth are both limited by information processing capabilities.

The ultimate role of AI: unlimited extension of human information processing capabilities The future form of AI may redefine human information processing mode from three levels:

  • Humans are responsible for goal setting: Determine research directions, ethical boundaries, and technical goals.
  • AI is responsible for information optimization: Through infinitely extended information processing capabilities, humans are freed from heavy cognitive tasks and can focus on higher-level creation and thinking.
  • Civilization Acceleration: The capabilities of AI may lead to an exponential increase in the rate of civilizational progress, thus breaking through the existing limits of human cognition.

In fact, whether it is the individual’s thinking mode in daily life or the development trajectory of human civilization, it is inseparable from the efficient acquisition, in-depth analysis and innovative integration of information. The following key elements can be summarized to more clearly explain the core role of information processing in the future society:

  1. The essence of human growth and civilization progress: Information processing capabilities continue to improve, which is manifested in the optimization of information collection, analysis, integration and creation.
  2. The role of the Internet and AI: The Internet expands the flow of information, while AI improves the depth and efficiency of information processing.
  3. Future Outlook: AI will become an infinitely extended tool for human information processing. Human-machine collaboration is expected to break through cognitive and technological limits and enter the stage of “super intelligent civilization”.

Fast Thinking vs. Slow Thinking

In brain science, there are two main types of cognitive processing:

  1. Fast thinking: Intuitive, automatic, quick and effortless.
  2. Slow thinking: Logical and analytical, requiring more attention and cognitive resources.

Automatic thinking is the most important factor in human intelligence

  • Slow and deliberate thinking: This procedural thinking uses rules of reasoning.
  • Fast and automatic thinking: This unconscious response mechanism is extremely efficient.

WILL THE TECHNOLOGICAL SINGULARITY HAPPEN? This singularity may occur when the computing power of machines exceeds the “computing power” of the human brain.

The latest AI models (such as deepseek and openai) show the following trends:

  1. Fast thinking model: AI mainly relies on pattern matching and statistical learning when generating instant answers, similar to human intuitive reactions (System 1). This mechanism enables the model to output answers quickly, but sometimes may lack the rigor of deep reasoning.
  2. Slow Thinking Model: Uses chain-of-thought and reflection mechanisms to simulate the step-by-step reasoning process (System 2). This approach helps AI perform multi-step reasoning when answering complex questions, thereby improving the accuracy and reliability of answers.

The future development trend will be to combine fast thinking with slow thinking to create an AI system that can respond quickly and has deep reasoning capabilities. This hybrid model not only improves the solution effect of complex tasks, but also makes up for the shortcomings of traditional models in professional fields such as logical reasoning and mathematics to a certain extent. 😊

Update Thoughts

There is no absolute good or bad idea. Eliminating wrong ideas is a good thing, and I regard it as a pursuit. In life, many people cling to the old ways, their heads are full of old ideas, **new ideas can’t enter ** at all. As the German proverb says: “We always grow old too fast and become wise too late.”

(Munger, Poor Charlie’s Almanack)

The collision of ideas will lead to fusion or replacement in two situations:

  1. The old idea is completely wrong;
  2. Old ideas are not suitable for the future era.

In the second case, people’s cognition and understanding of the world determine the result, that is, the old ideas are partially correct but need to be revised, and fusion is a more common result. 😊

Creativity

Creativity is innate, but like character, it can also be enhanced through the cultivation of the acquired environment. Knowledge alone is not enough; the key is to deepen the connections between areas of knowledge and combine these connections with more general thinking about the problem.

My understanding of creativity: Creativity is far more important than a little achievement and a stable life.

Acquiring deep knowledge is a painful and lonely endeavor.

When we hiked up the snowy mountains and reached a peak, we could always see another, higher peak in the distance. This is a game with no end; if you think you have reached the end, you will lose the fun of continuous creation. 😊

Sometimes we sense our own limits and strive to push past them. Character can be understood as: the attitude of an individual towards the world around him or her, as defined by society, and expressed through behavior. The courage to face fear and the unyielding will when the body reaches its limit will help you break through the siege.


Value System

**How ​​to choose and restrain? ** For example, when watching Douyin, you can enable the on-time closing function to avoid the situation of immersive video watching. 😊

Everyone has a value system, which uses a value scale to determine the value units required and possible for each action. This concept has been successfully applied in many fields.

To build and improve a personal value system is to constantly quantify and compare the “benefits” and “costs” of behavior.

This point is very important: if some behavior meets our needs, should we set some thresholds to increase the cost? For example, when we use our mobile phone before going to bed at night, we can put it on a distant desk or living room to avoid being addicted to the mobile phone.

Common sense

Common sense is common sense, which is a kind of cognition that we have been exposed to since childhood. Let me give you three examples to illustrate how we are blinded by common sense:

  1. The fantasy of eternal youth Many people always hope that they can stay young forever, and always think that their bodies will always be in the best condition. Even if they rely on skin care products, medical beauty and exercise, they think that tomorrow will be better, but ignore that life is limited and is constantly passing, so they should cherish every moment.

  2. The myth of authority and tradition In family, school, society and work, we often hear various authoritative opinions or traditional views. We lack the motivation and interests behind these opinions and take them for granted as the truth.

  3. Clinging to things that cannot be changed People around us often find it difficult to let go of things that cannot be changed or feelings that have passed. We cannot reverse time or reshape memories. As the Taoists say, “Man follows the earth, the earth follows the sky, the sky follows the Tao, and the Tao follows nature”, as well as the “Ichigo ichie” and the emphasis on impermanence in Japanese aesthetics, remind us to face the finiteness of life and plan our lives rationally.

Humans are insignificant and their lives are limited, and many things cannot be changed. A person’s thinking and ideas are largely determined by his background, childhood education, and current interests. Therefore, when judging authoritative opinions, secular views, or parental expectations, it is crucial to understand the background and interests behind them. After fully understanding these background facts, we often only need to rely on common sense to make judgments, rather than relying on so-called wisdom. The key is whether we have the courage to pursue rationality when facing facts.

(Common sense is actually obvious and easy to understand, but inherited prejudices and personal interests often blind us to it. Is this similar to the teachings in the Buddhist scriptures?)

Huang Zheng’s three understandings of common sense

  • A) Have the courage to face common sense, use common sense to make rational judgments, and use rational thoughts to guide your actions.
  • B) To shift the interest from achieving an infinitely perfect self to an interest in external objective things.
  • C) Learn to give up on things that cannot be changed or conquered.

Experience provides the initial material, while common sense is the summary of these materials under the test of time. Intuition is the performance of quickly playing this summary role in actual situations. 😊

English Learning

See another note: https://traveling-thistle-a0c.notion.site/AI-194a444a6c008032acf4ff4f673a4b2a?pvs=4

Some tips for reading&AI-assisted reading

The way of reading is changing. Now, I prefer to choose reading materials with chapters or logical structures that can trigger thinking. Maybe at a certain stage, I am particularly interested in Japanese culture, especially focusing on concepts such as “impermanence” and “mono no aware”. Therefore, I will focus on reading books related to Japanese culture (such as “The Tale of Genji”). After certain experiences and thinking, these books often inspire me. At the same time, in the professional field, I prefer to read articles and medium-length courses (such as Geek Time) because these contents are of higher quality and more cutting-edge.

Using AI tools to assist reading can solve reading questions in a targeted manner. For example, myreader.ai is a website that provides AI-assisted reading and supports parsing of books and papers. With AI assistance, the following techniques can be achieved:

  1. Generate a summary Use AI tools to generate summaries for entire books or articles to quickly understand the main content and determine which sections are worth further reading.

Let AI help analyze the key points of the chapter and point out which paragraphs are most relevant to your needs. 😊

  1. Multi-angle interpretation and supplementary perspective When faced with a one-sided or subjective viewpoint, AI can be used to provide additional context to help fully understand the issue.

  2. Interactive reading and instant feedback Ask AI questions at any time to get instant explanations of complex concepts or obscure ideas.

At the same time, AI is used to simulate discussions, just like Socratic dialogues, to discuss the truth, stimulate thinking and inspiration. The thoughts here can be recorded in flomo.

  1. Automatically generate mind maps or outlines Using AI tools to automatically structure reading content and generate mind maps or outlines can help clarify the logic and framework of the article.

  2. Long-term companionship growth Based on existing reading preferences, use AI to recommend other materials or books related to the current topic to form your own knowledge network.

Choose the right article You can choose articles that you are interested in or that you think are more thought-provoking, and record the reading inspiration in your notes. This is a very good habit.

Social, political and cultural reflections

Centralization and decentralization

We all have our own ideals about whether a good system is a self-running system or a centrally managed system. Idealism tends to promote decentralized systems, but blockchain, as a representative of this concept, although it adheres to the ideal, has paid a high cost - a lot of energy is required to complete transactions, so its role is also limited. There is always a dynamic balance between cost, efficiency and security.

  • We advocate free market and let the market develop naturally;
  • We hope that society can achieve a better division of labor, allowing economists and entrepreneurs to jointly design systems that are both flexible and self-repairing and meet the Turing test.

When a plan is proposed, everyone can criticize it, which is correct in itself. But the real plan is often not proposed by everyone, because creation is a lonely act.

Creators need to focus on mobilizing their creativity and knowledge to analyze problems and come up with solutions. In contrast, bureaucracies often require experts and non-experts to provide lengthy analyses and reports, purportedly to help solve problems but often failing to achieve real breakthroughs.

A realistic vision cannot emerge from endless discussion and turmoil. A true vision is created by inspired minds—they take the lead, make suggestions and point the way forward, and are conceived by people who are recognized for their ability to create and guide.

Centralization and decentralization are also a dynamic balance. For example, although an authoritarian government can promote the efficient operation of the system, it may also lead to a high error rate, and the cost of errors will be very high. We must first understand that the government is not omnipotent; society is composed of multiple factors such as “economy”, “politics”, “culture”, “education” and “technology”. When the government manages and regulates the economy, it is constrained by the limitations of resources, information and capabilities and cannot fully control the market. Reform and opening up have achieved institutional optimization and leapfrog economic development through constant exploration and balance.

Just like the sudden popularity of Xiaohongshu before, the system is more like a bridge between technology and culture. Under such a regulatory and management system, the government needs to maintain a balance - it must have good systems and rules to constrain, but it must not interfere excessively and affect the flexibility of society.

Flat management is the embodiment of this cultural product. It reflects the understanding and pursuit of power, efficiency, innovation and free market spirit in the modern cultural and social environment. Whether it is flat management or a decentralized technical system, the ultimate goal is to reduce single-point risks, improve efficiency and flexibility, and continuously seek a balance by reducing intermediate links and centralized decision-making.

WHAT WILL THE FUTURE LOOK LIKE?

After Homo sapiens, we may witness an entirely new human species. Due to the widespread use of computers, they will have more possibilities to control and change the world**.

To some extent, the system is also a product of traditional culture. For example, China’s traditional culture emphasizes collectivism. The pyramid organization, based on meritocracy, was once considered the only organizational form capable of effective planning. This kind of planning enables the most valuable people (i.e., creators) to develop visions and proposals for the future and submit them to public judgment. Equality only has full meaning when all citizens have equal opportunity to make informed choices and have the opportunity to climb up the pyramid. 😊

Democracy

**Why can’t democracy develop in China? ** First, let’s understand what democracy is: Democracy is a political form based on the principle of popular sovereignty. Its core concept is that power belongs to the people, and the people participate in the management of state and social affairs directly or indirectly.

China’s pursuit of stability, coupled with the deep-rooted traditional autocratic culture, has made people rely more on “wise kings” rather than “systems.” Therefore, an opaque and imperfect institutional system is worrying for the market and private enterprises. Once the system is imperfect, it means rent-seeking, unfair competition and corruption.

Institutions are also, to a certain extent, the product of culture. The formulation of the system is the result of reference on the one hand and the combination of national conditions and culture on the other. I think that in the future, institutions will be more like a bridge between technology and culture:

  • Technological development will bring cultural diversity;
  • Institutional evolution may promote cultural unity.

As long as a government claims that it must maintain “stability and unity” in the country, it may be able to legally suppress the diverse interests of society.

China advocates “harmony is the most precious” (from the Analects of Confucius), and this concept ultimately presents two forms:

  1. Not caring about suffering a loss: having a reduced or even no sensitivity to the loss suffered, thus allowing others to trample on them - a typical example is “Xianglin Sao” in Lu Xun’s works.
  2. Use the attitude of “non-contention” to gain greater benefits: Extreme examples are usurpers or thieves of state in history. They are ambitious and covet power, but it is often the lower levels who initiate the “persuasion” first, and they themselves have to refuse at least several times before finally seizing power.

Take Southeast Asia as an example: Countries such as Laos, Thailand and Nepal in South Asia have demonstrated the typical logic of “surface harmony, internal competition” in the “Belt and Road” initiative. This strategy appears to be a global cooperation initiative, but its deeper motivation is to expand national interests - to establish a China-centered global order through economic means while avoiding direct conflict with the existing dominant order (such as the Western system dominated by the United States).

Quote: “In his speech at the United Nations headquarters in Geneva, the General Secretary stressed that Chinese civilization has always valued peace. The Chinese people firmly believe that only peace and tranquility can lead to prosperity and development. China has grown from a poor and weak country to the world’s second largest economy, not by foreign military expansion and colonial plunder, but by the hard work of the people and the maintenance of peace. China will always adhere to the path of peaceful development.”


How to view history

Objective history is closest to the scene and most in line with objective laws, but this kind of history is often difficult to preserve. History itself is difficult to be completely true, we can only continue to restore, ask questions and think. What history gives us is more valuable experience rather than a single point of view.

  • History exists objectively;
  • **Historical records are subjective. **

When we understand history, we need to realize that: History is never a purely objective record, but a narrative that has been selected, edited and reconstructed. Therefore, we must look at history with critical thinking. The editing of history often serves the power, and ordinary people need to be careful not to be manipulated.

History is not only a source of identity, it also gives us a sense of identity and helps us understand ourselves. More importantly, history allows us to understand how it affects the present and determines the future.

Subjects of the dissemination of history include:

  1. Political power;
  2. Historian;
  3. Writer.

Methods for understanding history:

  • Use critical thinking and read from multiple perspectives;
  • Find first-hand information as much as possible;
  • It is very important to understand the motivation behind it;
  • Recognize the diversity of history and the subjectivity of one’s own understanding.

When the audience is hungry for the truth but knows nothing, it becomes news; Some evil deeds also need to be made known to people. If we don’t think and reflect, can such a world still be considered a real world?

Many people choose to remain silent because they are afraid to pay the price for the truth. A nation that does not understand its own history, whether glorious or sinful, will lose hope and future. During the Cultural Revolution, we actually had a choice - what would happen if everyone dared to say “no”?

History is recorded by human command. Human destiny cannot be changed, and history is difficult to change.

——“Ten Years of One Hundred People”

**The people’s experience is the true reflection of the times. **

Reflection Questions:

  1. Why were human weaknesses (such as selfishness, greed, cowardice, jealousy, and vanity) exploited during the Cultural Revolution, while human virtues (such as loyalty, bravery, simplicity, selflessness, and honesty) also used as a driving force to fuel the flames? While both extremes of human nature were exploited during the Cultural Revolution, the noblest elements of humanity, human rights, dignity and values ​​were also openly trampled upon.

  2. Why did both victims and perpetrators eventually become victims of the Cultural Revolution? **No one escaped the influence of the Cultural Revolution. **

We must reflect not only on political and institutional issues, but also on historical, cultural, human and national character issues.

Equality

Only when people use the word “people” do they include cadres. However, this usage still cannot avoid the situation described by Orwell in Animal Farm:

“All animals are equal, but some are more equal than others!”

Generally speaking, any culture’s attitude toward the outside world is often an extension of its attitude toward its internal members.

**The effect of the “wide employment, low wages” policy is low efficiency. ** In other words, even the smartest people will work in the most clumsy way. In fact, “egalitarianism” can only mean looking down in essence.


This cultural mentality of the Chinese is in stark contrast to the Puritan culture of Americans. In Calvinist doctrine, the number of “saved” people is very limited, and everyone must go through self-organization and competition to qualify. Therefore, American culture is a culture that only sympathizes with the strong and has almost no human touch:

  • People who are dependent on the affections of others may fall into mental illness;
  • Those who cannot organize themselves and must rely on others to regulate them are prone to personality disintegration;
  • The elderly are likely to be abandoned.

In contrast, Chinese culture can be said to be a culture that cares for the weak. It achieves the effect of aligning with others through “harmony”, “unity” and “togetherness”, while also incorporating people with personality and excellence into the “average” category.

Definition of Personality

Chinese culture’s definition of “person” is often to use “two people” to form “one person”, which inevitably incorporates more factors of others into the individual’s personality.

  • Westerners' “conscience”: Originally, it was the responsibility to the higher authorities in the world (such as God).
  • Chinese people’s “conscience”: There is no transcendental boundary, “heavenly principles” are merely equivalent to “heart”, and therefore inevitably lead to secular relationships.

For example, when ordinary people see a child about to fall into a well, they will immediately feel fear and compassion in their hearts - this kind of unwillingness to see the destruction of the “flesh” is common all over the world and is almost a common trait of human beings. In addition, the Chinese people’s “compassion” is also reflected in:

When you see someone “alone and helpless” (especially an elderly person or orphan who has lost his or her support), you will feel a strong sense of sympathy for him or her.

However, in this pan-moralistic culture, there is a lack of sympathy for individual behavior that deviates from social norms. Therefore, although the mainland has achieved the goal of “everyone is provided for” and everyone is taken care of, for a long time, people with different opinions, those who “engage in relationships”, homosexuals, divorced people (for example: Yu Luojin), those who cohabit with foreigners (for example: Li Shuang), etc. will still be cracked down on and a clear line will be drawn with them in order to show moral superiority.

This shows that this kind of “compassion” that is embodied and humanized will only sympathize with people who are “the same as everyone else”, but lacks tolerance for individual and specific expressions, and may even obliterate the needs of the individual “soul” through so-called “care”.

Reference: Li Shuang (painter)

The gap between the rich and the poor

**Why is there such a big gap between the rich and the poor in the United States? **

The rich in the United States mainly make money from assets, while ordinary people live on wages; if they don’t have a job, life will be more difficult. Compared with some high-welfare Nordic countries, which rely on government welfare subsidies and therefore have a lower Gini coefficient, the US welfare system is more suitable for a free market economy. 😊

**American social culture is more inclined to “survival of the strong.” **

The United States has always advocated individualism and the “American Dream” throughout its history, encouraging everyone to achieve success through their own efforts. In fact, since the founding of the United States, it has relied on individual struggle and frontier pioneering spirit to establish national identity. This historical memory has largely shaped modern American society’s pursuit of “strong people”.

Traditional Chinese culture places more emphasis on collectivism and social harmony, believing that through group support and government intervention the weak can be better cared for, equality for all can be achieved, and the gap between the rich and the poor can be narrowed.

The fundamental reason for the large gap between the rich and the poor in China lies in the transformation of the economic system and market-oriented reforms. At the same time, the unbalanced development between urban and rural areas and between regions has caused a clear polarization between the rich and the poor.

To some extent, totalitarianism promotes egalitarianism, but the process from high entropy to low entropy will cause energy loss. I understand that there is a balance relationship between this loss, just like in Doudizhu and the Cultural Revolution, it is nothing more than establishing a healthier or more unhealthy balance. 🤔

From the perspective of Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind, as technology, productivity and artificial intelligence continue to relieve the pressure of human survival, coupled with an efficient and fair government to guarantee basic well-being, the essence of happiness will shift from wealth accumulation to everyone’s pursuit of spiritual freedom, inner satisfaction and social symbiosis. This is probably true communism.

Bias

Suddenly I thought of a particularly interesting question. Combining my current influence on young people in Hong Kong and the changes in my impressions of young people in Japan and Thailand, from my initial subjective perspective to the new feelings I gained after in-depth communication, I have some new thoughts.

First, let’s limit the most essential scope of thinking: this is not thinking from the perspective of the ruling party or national identity, but reflection gained from the process of self-position transformation. Although there are many dimensions to consider, I think they only provide clues, not the most realistic description of the scene.

Two years of travel experience:

  • From the initial outdoor activities to exposure to various cultural circles
  • As I gradually integrated into the circle, I began to come into contact with different classes and groups
  • The advantages and limitations of identity coexist

Boundless divergent thinking is extremely helpful for personal growth and self-awareness awakening. 😊

**Why do we perceive ourselves and others with personal, racial, and national emotions? ** Does this constitute prejudice? According to the most basic definition:

Bias is defined as a prejudgment of a group or individual that is often not based on sufficient facts but rather relies on stereotypes, emotions, or historical experience.

From the perspective of human nature, prejudice is also a high-level evolutionary attribute that can bring a positive sense of national belonging and pride. Therefore, when discussing prejudice, I think we should bring an assumption:

  • Consider whether your perceptions of others are based on correct and comprehensive facts
  • Or is it just due to self-bias and partial information guided by society and the media?

For example, in the past, friends often complained about problems with obtaining information (the information in the village was far behind):

  • Information may not be timely enough
  • The information filtered by the recommendation algorithm is different

The ability to collect and organize information in the new era is no less than “reading thousands of books and traveling thousands of miles”, but there are often repeated, invalid or overly subjective views in the massive amount of information. Therefore, critical thinking can help us alleviate our excessive obsession with a certain identity to a certain extent and prompt us to question:

  1. Reasons for the formation of your own values
  2. Are you guided by certain experiences or network values?
  3. Is there a way to expand more dimensions of information for reflection?

In a sense, all economic, historical, and political differences are ultimately closely related to who we are and how we see each other. For example, phenomena such as the Sino-Japanese conflict and the Sino-Taiwan conflict show that the world is multifaceted; however, the media often only conveys the side they want you to know.

When people first encounter and agree with a certain point of view, the recommendation algorithm will push similar points of view in large quantities. 🤔

We often think of identity as fixed, but in fact it can change. For example, in different contexts, we may identify ourselves more as “a member of a family” rather than “a professional,” or as “a global citizen” rather than “a citizen of a particular country.”

In a dispute, what do I and others really care about? Is it economic interests, or some kind of psychological identity and sense of belonging?

Cultural Revolution

Child-killing culture If Western culture can be called a “culture of patricide,” then Chinese culture can also be called a “culture of filicide.” In this suffocating atmosphere, even the less politically sensitive field of education was not spared. Young people began to protest, attacking the older generation for “occupying the toilet but not doing anything” and clamoring to “take over the baton.” In fact, the older generation will eventually pass away and the baton will have to be handed over. The question is: to whom? ** The answer is obvious: they will not hand it over to those young people who are “naughty” or “disobedient”. Therefore, those young people who dare to challenge the older generation usually have a bad ending and may even be imprisoned.

Therefore, when China promotes young talents, it often uses “good” or “obedient” as the criteria. Even a talented person may be put to death if he does not meet these two requirements.

Situation in Taiwan today: As capitalism continues to develop, the market places more emphasis on talent and drive, and young people have more and more opportunities to succeed.

When the first generation after the founding of the People’s Republic of China began to grow up, Mao Zedong hoped that they would relive the rebellious spirit of the first generation of revolutionaries through “revolution”. This motive undoubtedly constitutes one of the core contents of the Cultural Revolution. In many ways, the Cultural Revolution was a large-scale reform of the “deep structure” of Chinese culture.

  • It attempts to institutionalize the “confrontational” approach in order to change the Chinese habit of “harmony”;
  • It advocates the use of the attitude of “rebellion is justified” to break the Chinese people’s deep-rooted hierarchy and “obedience” culture;
  • At the same time, through the mass rebellion of young people against the elderly, attempts are made to reverse the so-called cultural tendency of “sonicide”.

**The Cultural Revolution aimed to attack the deep structure of Chinese culture? ** The main manifestations of the Cultural Revolution are as follows:

  1. Criticism of traditional culture Mao Zedong was critical of many aspects of traditional Chinese culture, especially the Confucian ideas of “harmony”, “hierarchical order” and “loyalty and filial piety”. He believed that these cultural genes hindered the process of socialist modernization.

  2. Action to destroy the “Four Olds” The Cultural Revolution explicitly called for “breaking down old ideas, old culture, old customs, and old habits,” and launched a fierce struggle directly against the traditional Chinese cultural structure.

  3. Confucianism is completely rejected During the Cultural Revolution, Confucianism was seen as a symbol of feudalism, Confucius Temples were destroyed, scholars were criticized, and traditional ethics were impacted.

  4. Trying to transform traditional values Mao Zedong’s goal was to completely transform the deeply rooted hierarchical concepts and “obedience to authority” mentality in traditional culture into a new “revolutionary culture” through mass movements.

Mao Zedong emphasized that “contradiction” is the core of social development. He once said: “Great chaos in the world will lead to great order in the world.” This shows that he tried to promote continuous social innovation through institutionalized confrontation and break the traditional habit of pursuing harmony. Mao Zedong advocated that “rebellion is justified” and encouraged young people to directly challenge existing authority, including school teachers, parents, and even party and government leaders. At the same time, his disgust with bureaucracy within the party was well known, and through the concept of “rebellion”, Mao Zedong tried to directly shake the hierarchical power system.

However, the revolution failed To some extent, the Cultural Revolution can be seen as a social experiment in which ideals and practice were seriously disconnected.

U.S. VERSUS CHINA

  • USA: This is a very cold society where only the strong can survive. In such a society, people with weak personalities and excessive emotional dependence on others are more likely to develop mental illness; dominant culture creates strong people.
  • China: It is a society full of “warmth”, suitable for the survival of the weak. In such an environment, people with strong personalities and who do not rely on others are often considered to be “unsociable”, cold-blooded, or even have psychopathic tendencies.

CAN THE CULTURAL REVOLUTION BE AVOIDED? I think it can be avoided - even in a rational, mature society, or in the hands of a reflective leader, as long as the goals are not deviated, perhaps this extreme situation can be avoided. It is very important to understand oneself objectively, establish a comprehensive and accurate cognitive system, and make rational and scientific arguments.

Act within human nature

No matter how the rule makers deify themselves, this world is actually a makeshift team. The arbitrariness and fragility behind many systems and forms are the realities that we cannot ignore.

However, it is in such a small team that we play a unique role. We use our efforts and vision to change some rules or create new value.

  • Effort and Struggle Effort and struggle are a way for people to fight against the sense of nothingness and seek self-realization when facing an absurd world. Although the world has no fixed meaning in essence, it is we who subjectively give it meaning to understand ourselves, the world, change ourselves and the world.

  • Truth and humanity What we should praise is not just a person’s “human glory”, but the truth of this person.

No matter how distorted their external behavior is, people always act within the common dimension of “humanity”. Even if they are criminals who have committed the most heinous crimes, no matter what name they appear under, they are neither gods nor beasts, but human beings. We should take the initiative to understand the truth and get in touch with the truth, rather than blindly labeling some people as “glorious” and others as “evil”.

  • Evaluation and tolerance It seems simple to evaluate a person, but the difficulty lies in:
  • Understand the more complex human logic behind people’s choices and behaviors in specific situations.
  • This will help build a more inclusive and understanding moral outlook.

Key Points: No matter how abnormal the external evil is, human behavior is always rooted in human nature. We are neither gods nor beasts, but beings that can be understood and known. Taking the initiative to contact and understand the truth, not being confused by appearances, and deeply thinking about the motivations and nature behind human behavior is the wisdom we should pursue.

🥹 History and politics always want people to remember someone’s glory, but in comparison, I hope that history will record a person’s truth.

Reference link:

Body and Mind

**China is a country with a very developed body and mind, and **Taoist culture embodies this concept of unity of body and mind.

Lack of quality? Many details are subtle. Chinese traditional culture has long been influenced by Confucianism, emphasizing the harmony of family and relatives and friends (small groups), but in the larger public space, the sense of responsibility is relatively weak. In this cultural context, many people keep clean in private areas, but lack a strong sense of responsibility in public areas. 😊

SHORT-TERM BENEFITS AND LONG-TERM IMPACTS Chinese people tend to pursue short-term benefits (short-term convenience) while ignoring the long-term impact on the environment and public order. China’s education system emphasizes competition rather than cooperation and pays less attention to the cultivation of daily behavioral habits, resulting in behavior that is both the result of morality and the formation of new morality in a subtle way.

The relationship between “heart” and “brain” The Chinese people’s “heart” is more developed than their “brain”, but this “heart” is not manifested as personal enthusiasm. Instead, it is transformed into socialized “human feelings” that suppress individual enthusiasm.

The Chinese “heart” is undoubtedly the foundation of the great lyrical literary heritage, but at the same time it is also prone to sentimentalism rather than the romanticism that showcases the strong.

Cultural Heritage and Romanticism China is one of the countries with the best preserved history and culture.

  1. Chinese Romanticism
  • Pay more attention to the integration of nature, humanity and emotions.
  • Like Tao Yuanming’s “Picking Chrysanthemums Under the Eastern Fence”, it shows a kind of calm and restrained beauty.
  1. Western Romanticism
  • Emphasize individual passion and power, the pursuit of freedom, adventure and the conquest of the unknown world.
  • such as the poetry of Byron and the philosophy of Nietzsche.

**Love yourself first, then love others; self and no self; existentialist perspective. **

Egalitarianism and despotism Egalitarianism and authoritarianism often support each other and advance on two tracks.

System Design and the Concept of “Benevolence” The Chinese concept of “benevolence” reflects a kind of relationship between people that is based on mutual understanding, that is, “heart for heart”. In this kind of communication, ideal behavior must always put the other person first.

  • Courtesy is the outward manifestation of this relationship.
  • This design makes Chinese people more humane: when facing acquaintances, they will not easily refuse requests, will help others in need, and are even willing to suffer a little loss themselves.
  • Once interpersonal relationships are established, they tend to be long-lasting and stable, such as remembering old friends and maintaining lifelong friendships and marriages.

The author has observed that this tendency is stronger in the mainland than in Taiwan, and more obvious in Taiwan than in Hong Kong. Therefore, the slogan advocated by the Communist Party of China, “Never seek personal gain, only benefit others,” does not seem to be directly derived from Marxism, but is actually a variation of the Chinese way of “being a human being,” which is to always put others first.

TAI CHIC ANALOGY Tai Chi is often used as a metaphor for the body and mind:

  • “Body” is like the feminine element, and must be static when it exists alone;
  • The dynamic activity of the “heart”, like the positive energy, can overcome the separate “body” and achieve communication between people.

This interaction between yin and yang is a true reflection of the unity of body and mind in Chinese culture. 😌

Difference between inside and outside

Since there is a distinction between insiders and outsiders even among family members, treating real outsiders is even more particular. According to the logic of “differentiation between close and distant relatives”, we should take care of “our own people” first. However, when encountering truly distant “big guests” - such as distant relatives we have never met, prominent figures, or strangers we have just established a relationship with and we want to entertain them warmly, the way to express our feelings is often to belittle “our own people” first.

The Chinese way of life The Chinese people always put the other person first, advocating “putting others before yourself, putting others before yourself”. A better approach is to handle conflicts with an attitude of equality and respect, and to ensure that children feel supported and loved by their parents when helping them reflect.

Ambiguity of the relationship between people and me

  • Chinese culture does not value the “individual”. Unlike the West, it does not emphasize “being” a “person”. Instead, it believes that one can only be a “person” between “two people”.
  • For example, the Communist fighters preached “Serve the people” and sometimes even sacrificed their lives in exchange for the prestige and support of the whole people.

Chinese people do not like to draw too clear a line between relatives and friends, because doing so will not only appear “ugly”, but also be seen as “stingy”, “selfish” or even “individualistic”. When dealing with unfamiliar people, the situation is different.

America’s “I” Culture In the United States, helping others must be a voluntary decision of the benefactor, rather than an involuntary, reflexive obligation. Occasional favors are more about expressing goodwill towards others than doing things for them.

If someone shows kindness without any reason, he is either a traitor or a thief.

Therefore, it can be seen from these examples that:

  • The relationship of “you are in me, and I am in you” in Chinese culture is similar to a grammatical rule that can lead to many possibilities;
  • In a culture where the boundaries between people and me are blurred, people constantly establish their self-worth through comparison, and this comparison often focuses on the level of social status rather than the degree of inner perfection.

In addition, as long as a government claims that it must maintain “stability and unity” in the country, it can legally suppress the diverse interests of society.

Rights and identity

FUNDAMENTAL RIGHTS Fundamental rights are constructed in a specific social, cultural and historical context with the aim of achieving a balance between individual and collective interests.

THE NATURE OF RIGHTS

  • For those in power, power is first used to protect themselves, and only then will they consider how to use power to change more people.
  • Therefore, rights cannot be expanded without limit, but need to be moderately constrained. This constraint process is also a dynamic balance process.

Everyone has a natural tendency: to use their rights to the fullest extent possible until they encounter external limits. Otherwise, rights will continue to expand, a tendency that is extremely dangerous and has caused countless tragedies in history.

Technology, Entrepreneurship and Future Outlook

Technical Thoughts

The pitfalls encountered in product development& experience

I think all products can be abstracted into two stages:0to 1** and ** from1to N**. It was a very painful but valuable lesson that these two stages require very different systems and approaches.

We are all familiar with the product life cycle, which usually includes:

  • Exploration period
  • GROWTH
  • Maturity
  • Business Period

from 0 arrive 1Stage

The most important task at this stage is verification and trial and error to achieve rapid failure and thus lay the foundation for subsequent iterations.

Key tasks include:

  • Innovation and Iteration: Polish the MVP (minimum viable product) to turn a need that is recognized or satisfied by a higher level into reality. There are two fatal points in this process:
  1. Not simple enough
  • Overly complex functions are not only meaningless, but also add burden. Developers should reflect from the perspectives of users, products and technology.
  1. Insufficient user feedback
  • Over-reliance on subjective cognition can easily lead to ignoring the real needs of the market. User feedback is like emotional raw material, providing you with valuable information.

Common technical pitfalls include:

  • Overly complex technical packaging
  • The ROI is too low, and it becomes a technology exhibition, and the product becomes a vassal of the technology. 0 to1The stages should be simple, just draw a straight line instead of building a complex grid.
  • Excessive pursuit of design patterns, algorithms and architecture
  • Before designing a feature, you should repeatedly ask yourself: “Why do I need this feature? What is the purpose of my design?”
  • Design and architecture are not completely unimportant, but they need to leave room for future expansion and changes. This is a trade-off and balance, and we need to know clearly what can be done now and what will be done in the future.

Possible areas for improvement:

  • The existing Chat style or Cursor processing mode is more suitable for modular and clear code structure.
  • Think about how to make code functions clearer and more model-based, so that AI can learn, modify and add code more easily.

THE NEED FOR AUTOMATION Automation has a very high ROI in fast-iteration systems and can greatly eliminate repetitive work. Automated testing can also effectively reduce later maintenance costs. Combined with the capabilities of AI, the continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD) process can quickly launch MVP and iterate. In addition, it is crucial to use AI or automation tools to improve development efficiency and code quality. The key is to ensure that development resources are always focused on the most valuable features.


**from 1To stage N

In the past year, many AI products died in the first stage, while some died in the second stage.1At the N stage, everyone still feels unfamiliar. from 1The essence of N is the replication and amplification of business models. Many people engaged in technology are initially satisfied with idealism and do not fully consider business, market and user pain points.

“from 1to N” and “from0The key tasks and team competency models for the 1 to 5” are quite different:

  • from 0To 1: Focus on innovation, verification, and trial and error.
  • from 1To N: The key task is replication and scale, and the most important capabilities are execution and standardization.

Only by achieving standardization can we achieve consistency; only by achieving consistency can we achieve replicability.1The N stage is not just about copying and amplifying, but about finding rules and establishing systems in the process of continuous copying, and achieving standardization and institutionalization.

Therefore, some founders may lack sufficient technical capabilities and framework to achieve1By N, some founders were not motivated enough to promote standardization.

Some thoughts on future AI products

Common goals of large companies/entrepreneurs:

  • Cost reduction and efficiency improvement
  • Replacing Humans with AI
  • Replacing the supply chain with AI

The idea is this: In the past, the customer system had a clear division of labor between pre-sales and after-sales. Now, using AI to replace most manual operations and even achieve 24/7 online operation has become the direction pursued by most AI entrepreneurs. 😊

However, simply taking the “replacement” route may not be enough to create a new business pie. In other words, everyone is still relying on the traditional market share, using AI to reduce costs and improve efficiency, so as to strive for a part of the incremental improvement market share.

Cross-field innovation: Nowadays, more innovations tend to arise from the intersection of different fields, such as AI + art, AI + finance; there are also some technological innovations whose essence is paradigm innovation.

New ideas for the explosion of Cursor products This type of product does not simply “replace” humans, but achieves paradigm innovation through the collaborative collaboration between AI and humans, just like the superman philosophy described by Nietzsche.

  • Superman concept: A person who has the courage to transcend himself, criticize himself and re-evaluate his values.
  • Collaborative model: Cursor regards AI as a collaborative partner, retaining human creativity and judgment while using AI’s advantages in data processing and pattern recognition to make up for human shortcomings.

On the surface, these two models may not be much different, but from the perspective of the extension of thinking patterns, this collaborative model will show more obvious advantages in the future.

  • This model can better demonstrate personal value
  • It also tests personal ability

At present, everyone’s use of AI capabilities depends largely on personal ability, but the average person may only be able to tap 0% - 20% of the potential.

Empirical Theory and New Model Verification Information research and existing theories alone cannot fully verify the effectiveness of a new model. Only by personal experimentation can we gain real understanding and opportunities for improvement. This is what we call empiricism.

  • Learn from failure
  • Forming a new “sense”
  • Improve product and technology level
  • At the same time, empower individuals to break through the limitations of traditional markets with their extraordinary abilities

REAL BREAKTHROUGH The goal is to build a system or interaction mode that allows users to experience the full potential of AI, similar to the kernel of the original operating system (OS) and later Windows and Linux.

  • The release of these OS actually establishes unified specifications
  • At the same time, through more suitable interaction methods, not just staying at the terminal level
  • Thereby promoting personal growth and upgrading of economic structure

This model is expected to go beyond the simple substitution effect of large companies and achieve a more creative value reconstruction. 🚀

Open Source and Engineering Thinking

Engineering practice has greatly strengthened my thinking model. Although my algorithm level is average, I always believe that algorithms are excellent models for solving problems. System design is more about the abstraction and architecture of things, and this process itself is full of fun.

Advantages of Cursor Cursor has very conveniently helped a junior engineer who knows a little about code to build a full-stack project. In the AI ​​era, programmers are more like code architects, engineers, and designers. They instruct AI to “move bricks” so that the specific implementation code is gradually replaced by the capabilities of large language models (LLMs). Developers are increasingly playing the role of architects, while also having excellent code review and error correction capabilities.

Importance of asking questions In the AI ​​era, the ability to ask questions has become increasingly important. A person’s depth of understanding of a problem and his ability to think in a structured way are often reflected in how to ask effective questions.

Platform and Interaction Platform interaction design is also critical. Take Cursor as an example. It acts as an interactive tool.promptIt is an abstract expression that shows how a good engineer thinks and solves problems, making the interaction simpler.

It also inspired me to think about future AI products, such as:

  • AI empowers personal philosophy Traditional AI entrepreneurs often focus on replacing existing work processes or positions with artificial intelligence in pursuit of efficiency and cost reduction; I am more concerned about how to empower individuals through AI and create the value of “super individuals”.

  • Through integration with LLM, individuals' capabilities in areas such as customer service and sales are expanded, thereby truly unleashing their potential.

  • The Importance of Tools and Interaction Design Existing AI tools, such as Cursor, provide convenience in some aspects, but their interactive experience still has room for improvement and often requires users to have a certain level of programming knowledge.

  • Excellent interactive design can not only lower the threshold for use, but also enable more “super individuals” to efficiently utilize AI empowerment and achieve a seamless combination of individuals and AI.

  • New Challenges for Entrepreneurial Thinking Traditional entrepreneurs focus on how to replace existing processes with AI, but ignore the possibility of empowering individuals and creating new value through AI.

  • Real innovation depends not only on technological breakthroughs, but also on applying technology to new scenarios to create differentiated products and services.

  • Innovation comes from a deep understanding of industry pain points and forward-looking market predictions, rather than blind reliance on data.

  • Market data limitations Although market data is important, it can easily lead to product homogeneity. Real innovation requires rich industry experience and accurate prediction of market trends.

  • In the process of entrepreneurship, we must respect market demand and find innovative entry points through deep understanding and unique insights to avoid the trap of homogeneity.

  • Personal goals and values I hope to leave my own mark in the history of art, which not only reflects the respect for personal interests and passions, but also affirms the inner driving force.

  • Inner passion and deep understanding of the field are the keys to driving true innovation.

  • Through projects such as independent game development, I continue to put my ideas into practice and verify and improve my ideas.

Many industries have fallen into homogeneity and excessive competition. Innovation is more reflected in the differentiation of symbols and brands rather than substantial technological breakthroughs. For this reason, I hope that we can break this deadlock through our own efforts and create products and services that are truly valuable and influential.

What is the foundation

Here we go again - **What is the foundation? ** In the AI ​​era, basic knowledge is like our inner strength. If we want to go further in the future, these inner strengths are indispensable. Although various frameworks emerge in an endless stream, the common underlying knowledge remains almost unchanged. Mastering this knowledge can help us learn new skills faster and understand the operating mechanism of computers more deeply. 😌

THE NATURE OF BASE The foundation is not just the accumulation of skills, but also an internal driving force and cognitive framework. It enables us to see the essence of things through superficial phenomena. No matter how the external framework changes, mathematics, algorithms and logical thinking are like the foundation of a building, supporting the construction of the entire system.

The relationship between AI and basic knowledge

  • The decisive role of personal ability:

  • The capabilities of AI depend largely on the capabilities of the people using it.

  • A senior engineer may be more efficient in using AI than a junior engineer2Double.

  • Focus on system architecture: With the development of compilers and artificial intelligence, we no longer need to pay too much attention to the details of the code, but instead focus more on how to design a good system architecture and use appropriate design patterns.

  • Emphasize the interaction and data flow between modules to design a system that is both scalable and easy to maintain.

  • The importance of logical ability: As details are abstracted away, it is critical to maintain an understanding of the underlying logic of the code.

  • Using AI to automate repetitive tasks, debug code, and even generate code (such as writing a lot of CICD and TEST) can greatly improve efficiency and ensure the security of the code.

The role of foundation in various fields Foundation is not only the foundation of personal skills, but also a cognitive model that determines how you understand the world, construct knowledge, solve problems and adapt to changes.

  • When building a solution for a domain or project, the foundation is like the most valuable resource.
  • How ​​to ask questions: Only with a certain amount of knowledge reserves can you form connections between various knowledge points in your brain and then ask “good open-ended questions.”

Key Competency Requirements

  • Creativity: A random combination of thought threads - seemingly unrelated clues come together to form an answer, looking for certainty in an uncertain world, and finding patterns in chaos.

  • High Perception: Have the ability to think from other people’s perspective, be able to tell good user stories, understand human emotions and human nature, and be creative.

  • Communication skills: This ability is especially important in multi-dimensional and multi-lingual communication.

  • Self-driving ability: Know clearly who you are and what you really want to do.

  • Decision-making ability: In the early stages of the AI ​​era, many decisions still rely on humans, so the requirements for decision-making capabilities are also very high.

Foundation is the foundation of all development. Only with a solid foundation can we be at ease in the ever-changing times and meet various challenges. 🚀

Passion and original intention

The measure of a person’s persistence in his original intention is the price he is willing to pay for it. For example, when you develop a software, what is the essence and original intention?

  • what is the problem?
  • **What is the reason? **
  • what to do?

Express your opinions as little as possible and share your experiences as much as possible.

Everyone has opinions, but experience is very unique. The more first-hand and profound the experience, the more it will touch and think about. Sufficiently profound experience will turn into intuition - the ability to quickly understand and judge things without explicit reasoning. Intuition may seem like “epiphany”, but it is often a reaction after long-term internalization of experience, relying on subconsciousness and pattern recognition.

“Freedom is not stopping in front of obstacles, but seeing obstacles as new opportunities for you to recognize."

Life should have an additional coordinate system, looking from “death” to “life”.

There is actually a very interesting philosophical perspective to understand passion: “Would you like to10 arrive 20"In the past 10 years, have you been committed to what you love, actively faced and accepted the pain that comes with it, and dared to let go of the burdens that have nothing to do with your dreams?” This is not only a test of passion, but also a profound inquiry into self-worth and life direction. 😊

The design legacy of software development

In the world of software development, every decision and every line of code does not exist in isolation. Many times, the moment you write a code, you are actually laying an invisible “legacy” for the future.

  • Minimum Viable Product (MVP) For new consumer-oriented projects, we usually start with an MVP. It can verify market demand in the shortest possible time, but because of its simplicity, subsequent improvement and expansion are often challenging.

  • Refactoring and Architecture Design When entering the “refactoring phase”, architectural design becomes particularly important. Here, we not only pursue code simplicity, but also consider the future scalability, maintainability and scalability of the entire system, and even the team collaboration method.

If the design is done well at the beginning, the time and energy spent on maintenance later will be greatly reduced.

  • Maintenance ratio and long-term vision In fact, maintenance often takes up most of the time in the entire software development life cycle. Although early requirements analysis, design, and coding seem to require less investment, if the design is not good, maintenance problems will arise in the later stages. Therefore, one should have a long-term vision from the beginning and practice simple design as a “difficult” art.

  • “Legacy systems” and future responsibilities Every line of code may become a “legacy system” in the future. When you look back, you may not know whether to laugh or cry at your past self. So when writing code, you should not only pay attention to the current implementation, but also be responsible for the future. Every design decision may affect the future evolution of the system and the efficiency of team collaboration.

  • Keywords: advance planning and balancing trade-offs

  • Advance planning can help us solve many potential problems during the design phase;

  • Balanced trade-offs is to keep the system simple and flexible while meeting business needs.


Thoughts on the first product verification

After a rough few weeks, I’ve experienced a kind of nirvana. As I write this, I’m clearly feeling the rebirth.

  • Team dialogue and product insights When discussing the product with Ling Tiange and his team, I gained a lot of new insights. It is difficult to describe the state I was in some time ago, but I did enter the flow state, which was an extremely immersive investment.

  • Emotional engagement in user conversations User dialogue is not just about asking questions, it also requires emotional investment. The most important thing about AI products is to simulate humans and solve people’s shortcomings in memory and energy.

  • Ordinary products only help people think;

  • The real AI is to simulate the best people and their ideas in various industries to serve customers at a lower cost.

For example, Discord is a great platform for this.

  • Entrepreneurship and product validation **Starting a business is a long journey and requires constant thinking. ** The method to verify the minimum MVP should start from the difficult point:
  1. Data analysis layer — the most challenging;
  2. Data collection layer — second;
  3. Data presentation layer and user access issues. The key is to stand in the user’s perspective, think about their most urgent needs, ensure that the minimum process can be verified smoothly, and win the market through good user experience and product effects.
  • Talents who create value In a startup, it is those who can create value that are important. Whether it is work or entrepreneurship, a person’s ability should be measured by market standards, while life and interpersonal communication should pay more attention to emotions, morality and humanity.

**Every line of code and every design decision in software development is a legacy that paves the way for the future. **In the process of product verification, continuous thinking and trial and error can continuously optimize products, break through the trap of homogeneity, and realize real value.

Borrowing and plagiarism

**How ​​to understand plagiarism and reference? **

Obviously they are all original, good product designs will eventually become similar in the public aesthetic: beautiful girls are liked by everyone, and beautiful body proportions are always pleasing to the eye. 😊

**What is plagiarism? ** Plagiarism refers to blindly copying other people’s ideas without thinking, which only stops at imitation and fails to make transcendent innovation.

**What is reference? ** Reference is to have a unique idea of ​​a certain shape or beautiful appearance after thinking for a long time; after thinking hard and trying repeatedly, suddenly an idea flashes in your mind - you see the touching actions in the corner of the screen, and suddenly you realize that this is the inspiration you are looking for!

It’s like hearing a sad song after a breakup, a certain verse touches the depths of your heart, and that feeling is exactly what you’ve been looking for…

Hiking is the other side of entrepreneurship

Every time I come back from a hike, I feel exhausted but satisfied. This experience is surprisingly similar to starting a business.

When is the best time to hike or climb a mountain? Some people think that it is best when the weather is cool, some think that cloudy days are the best time, some advocate climbing when you are young and energetic, and some think that you can release your emotions by hiking when you are happy or sad. However, experienced elders will tell you: the best time is now, as long as you think it is appropriate, just go. However, you may still be entangled because people around you think you are crazy. After climbing the mountain, you go for a body massage. The masseur will even ask if you are self-torture. Why don’t you go shopping in the mall or have a massage? He doesn’t understand why you choose to hike, so he labels you as “sick” or “unemployed”. This can’t help but remind people of entrepreneurship: When is the best time to start a business? Why? Finding your product market fit (PMF) is the key.

Before you prepare for a hike, planning is crucial. You need to understand the mountain you are about to conquer: its height, distance, and potential dangers. You also need to prepare enough supplies and provisions, otherwise you may be unable to move forward due to lack of food halfway through. It is also important to consider whether the current environment is harsh: if the weather is hot, you must take sun protection measures and bring enough water; if it is likely to rain, you must prepare rain gear; if you are in the plateau, oxygen cylinders are essential. You also need to estimate the risks of hiking and try to reduce these risks as much as possible through experience, tools, and information gaps.

Before you start hiking, it is also important to plan your route and communicate with your team. You need to warm up your body and mind to avoid injuries caused by sudden physical exertion. This is like the minimum viable product (MVP) stage in a startup, where you need to test and adjust carefully.

During the hiking process, it is crucial to find like-minded partners. These partners may become good partners for you. They can not only share interesting conversations with you, but also provide help at critical moments, and even accompany you on future hiking trips. For heavy hiking, team division of labor is necessary: ​​for example, A is responsible for carrying the tent, B is responsible for the folding table, and C is responsible for the stove. Everyone has the same goal, tools are shared, and the walking path is the same, but through division of labor and cooperation, the weight carried is reduced, and the hiking process becomes easier. This division of labor and cooperation improves efficiency, just like teamwork in entrepreneurship.

At the beginning of the hike, the road was relatively flat and the mood was relaxed and happy. Everyone set out with curiosity and excitement, and chatted with their companions on the way. At this stage, everyone was guessing about the uncertainty ahead and looking forward to meeting new environments and partners. This is like the early stage of starting a business, full of hope and possibilities.

When the journey reaches one-third, the partners who are not physically fit begin to feel tired and their energy begins to decline. In order to keep up with the team, they have to grit their teeth and focus on moving forward. The faster members of the team may choose to wait for their partners, help them, or simply join the faster team in front. This is a test of fatigue, and it is also an important moment for tacit understanding and cooperation between teams.

During the hike, different small groups may choose different routes. These choices determine the scenery they see and the degree of danger of the route. Although choosing a route with fewer people has a higher degree of uncertainty and danger, it often brings a more unique experience and less congestion. In entrepreneurship, choosing different strategic routes also means that you will face different challenges and opportunities.

During a long hike, the thought of giving up often comes to mind. There may be many reasons: exhaustion, lack of supplies, dangers ahead, etc. However, those who choose to persevere often have only one reason - they are eager to see the scenery at the top of the mountain. The test of giving up and persisting will come, and the reason you choose may determine the final success or failure.

Occasionally you will meet some people who are going down the mountain. They may be successful entrepreneurs or people who gave up halfway. You will ask them about the road ahead, possible potholes, and their suggestions.

When you are about to break through a small hill, many people in the team are already exhausted. However, those who choose to persist, no matter how tired they are, will persist until the last moment, cheer themselves or the team up, and climb up desperately.

Finally, you reach the top of the first hill. The view is really beautiful. Many of your former companions may have given up, and there are not as many people on the hill as at the beginning. You look at the village in the distance and realize that you have come a long way. Although the view temporarily relieves your physical fatigue, when you turn around and see the higher and more precipitous mountain behind you, a new question arises in your mind: Should I give up? Or should I keep going? My body is already very tired, is this enough? However, the inner dissatisfaction drives you, because you still want to see the fascinating sea of ​​clouds.

You said you wanted to find your true self. This is not asking for trouble, but a self-challenge. You climbed the snow-capped mountains, walked carefully on the edge of the cliff, encouraged your crying teammates to hold on, and raced against your time… Every step is a test of your determination and perseverance. Hiking, like starting a business, is a self-exploration and challenge. Every step you take may determine whether you can see the final beauty. No matter what the result is, the inner satisfaction is the greatest reward for your persistence to the end.

WEB3 Thoughts

I really like Satoshi Nakamoto and Vitalik Buterin’s innovative spirit and vision to change the world. During my stay, I focused on two major areas. In fact, web3 was the main focus at the beginning, and then AI gained momentum. Many people are also learning about it, including those who are interested in us along the way. They are very curious about what we do.

There are still many people who are confused. In fact, they are more or less affected by web3, especially remote work. Everyone is curious about web3, but they are also choosing web3.&AI is actually hesitant as well.

From a technical perspective, blockchain is very meaningful, and domestic universities have also conducted research on it, and it can be applied in many fields.

The essence of blockchain is to establish a decentralized, distributed and tamper-proof ledger system, which is open and transparent and can be viewed and verified by anyone. The biggest problem of blockchain is to find a balance between decentralization, security (immutability) and high scalability (performance).

Therefore, there are many consensus mechanisms and algorithms. The current consensus mechanism (such as proof of work) can ensure that system data cannot be tampered with and is resistant to attacks, but it often requires sacrificing some performance and processing speed. In addition, the synchronization and consensus between nodes in the distributed network will bring delays and efficiency problems.

The relationship between blockchain/web3/metaverse: Blockchain is the underlying technology support, similar to an operating system. Web3 is an Internet concept that advocates that users control data and digital assets and abandon centralized platforms. The core is still built with blockchain underlying technology. The metaverse is a virtual digital world where users can interact, create and trade. These three definitions are essentially different, and most people are prone to bias, and even associate them with other concepts and then have bias.

I looked at the corresponding2024Industry reports and some product forms, my subjective understanding is that many so-called Web3 projects are still at the conceptual stage or are just packaging concepts with the help of blockchain. In terms of products, there are very few projects that can truly balance technological innovation and user needs. Many projects are more like exaggerated concepts launched in pursuit of hot spots, resulting in market bubbles. In the metaverse, the vision of a digital virtual world was once popular, but from the current market feedback, many metaverse projects are only at the level of concept promotion and virtual experience, lacking core applications that can truly change the way users live and work.

In comparison, AI technology is a technology that can truly improve production and lifestyle, and many AI entrepreneurs are determined to change the world.

From my personal perspective, the technology that is truly disruptive and can improve production and lifestyle may not be blockchain, Web3 or the metaverse, but AI technology.

Is the Metaverse really valuable? I think it is very valuable, but it requires the accumulation of market and technology.

Understanding of open source

Understanding of open source

The Deepseek model has been open sourced, while the ChatGPT O3-mini model has not been released; both have published their reasoning processes. Liang Wenfeng of Deepseek R1 is one of the few people who puts “right and wrong” before “interests”. He reminds us that we should pay attention to the inertia of the times and emphasize putting “original innovation” on the agenda.

Be sure to be crazy ambitious but also crazy sincere.

The real difference between China and the United States is not that you are one or two years ahead of me, but the essential difference between originality and imitation. Liang Wenfeng pointed out:

This is just one example of the tremendous amount of innovation that happens every day in the United States. They were surprised because this was a Chinese company that joined their game as an innovative contributor. After all, most Chinese companies are used to following rather than innovating.

Liang Wenfeng believes that in the face of disruptive technologies, the moat formed by closed source is short-lived. Even if OpenAI chooses to close the source, it cannot prevent being overtaken by others. Therefore, he advocates that the value should be deposited in the team - colleagues continue to grow in the process, accumulate a lot of know‑how, and thus form an organization and culture with continuous innovation capabilities, which is our moat.

Young people have no more baggage. I think innovation is first of all a matter of faith. Why is Silicon Valley full of innovative spirit? First of all, it is because they dare to try. When ChatGPT appeared, the whole country generally lacked confidence in cutting-edge innovation. From investors to large companies, they all felt that the gap was too big and they should start with applications first. But innovation first requires confidence, and this confidence is particularly evident in young people.

Math and code, and multimodality are the future of AGI.

At the infrastructure level, countless people are using these tool chains to meet the needs of various groups of people.

Undercurrent: Back to the topic of original innovation. Now that the economy has begun to enter a downward cycle and capital has also entered a cold cycle, will this bring more inhibition to original innovation?

Liang Wenfeng replied that he didn’t think so. The adjustment of China’s industrial structure will rely more on the innovation of hard-core technology. When more and more people realize that making quick money in the past was mostly just relying on luck, they will be more willing to humble themselves and do real innovation.

Undercurrent: So you are optimistic about this matter?

Liang Wenfeng said: “I grew up in a fifth-tier city in Guangdong in the 1980s. My father was a primary school teacher. In the 1990s, there were many opportunities to make money in Guangdong. Many parents came to my house at that time, basically because they thought that studying was useless; but now looking back, the concept has changed. Because it is getting harder and harder to make money, even the opportunity to drive a taxi may not exist - a generation has quietly changed like this.”

He believes that there will be more and more hardcore innovations in the future. It may not be easy to understand at this stage because the whole society needs to be educated by facts. When society allows those hardcore innovators to succeed, the collective concept will inevitably change. We just need to go through a series of facts and processes.

Our generation has not experienced an economic cycle. You know, Japan and Thailand have not seen GDP growth for 30 years, which is two generations. Today, many people still fantasize that the economy will improve next year, but maybe it will never pick up. We must live on this premise and live a happy life. There is no need to be obsessed with the overall GDP growth, but to pay attention to the trend growth of sub-sectors; even if Thailand as a whole is not doing well, areas such as e-commerce and chain franchise are still growing.

Making yourself happy is a very important thing. The key is to find something meaningful and make it progress every day, so that you will feel the meaning of life.

On the surface, the gap between China and the United States in AI seems to be huge; but in essence, the problem lies in the gap between innovation and replication. The ability to ask the right questions is still very scarce. We should focus on upgrading demand rather than simply creating new demand.

2024Thinking about open source

From my own perspective, I think open source has been very helpful to my growth. I even wrote an article about how to learn open source https://nsddd.top/zh/posts/stage-growth-of-open-source/ In addition, regarding the thoughts on open source and the open source business model, I have also written an article before, Before the outbreak of AI https://nsddd.top/zh/posts/navigating-the-open-source-landscape/

Thoughts on development trends in the AI ​​era:

Entrepreneurial inspiration:

  1. Basic platform on the cloud, AI continuously optimizes tool chain

Thoughts on the development direction of AI:

  • AI is gradually combining with traditional industries and cross-field advantages.
  • As the number of vertical products continues to increase, more and more people choose to start from cross-industry vertical fields.

Thoughts on programming languages:

In last year’s projects, we used Python to build a lot of them. In fact, in the AI ​​era, engineering capabilities are far more important than a single language capability. The widespread adoption of beginner-friendly languages ​​like JavaScript and Python has given more people the opportunity to learn to code, as these languages ​​are extremely popular in academia and data science.

Some deduction methods

Initial simple model:

  1. Simple system deduction method:
  • Using the Cartesian two-dimensional coordinate system, the vertical axis represents entropy and the horizontal axis represents time.
  1. A simple thinking model of the AB points of an event: Just as motivation determines behavior, we can model an event or behavior as:
  • ① Entities
  • ② Attributes
  • ③ Relations
  • ④ Processes

Basic Framework:

  1. Ontological reference frame (egocentric perspective)
  2. Object reference (other’s perspective)
  3. Absolute reference frame (cosmic perspective)

Complex deduction modeling:

Critical reflection is the basic method. First ask: Is this question correct? Are there other better solutions? Generally speaking, the following steps can be followed:

  1. Boundary conditions are important
  2. Find the plausibility of the hypothesis

Our Consciousness&AI Consciousness

CAN COMPUTERS BE CONSCIOUS? CAN AI BE CONSCIOUS?

I’m trying to understand how consciousness arises. It’s a complex concept, and its definition remains elusive and controversial. Since Descartes and John Locke, Western philosophy has been exploring the nature of consciousness and trying to fit individual consciousness into the larger picture of the world.

Wiki understanding: The basic explanation of consciousness is the individual’s perception or cognition of internal and external existence. To put it more specifically, consciousness is the body’s ability to recognize and perceive the surrounding environment and its own conditions, and is also a comprehensive manifestation of the functional activities of the brain’s higher nerve centers, including:

  • Sensory experience (such as sight, hearing, body feeling, etc.)
  • Non-sensory experience (such as will, emotion, memory, thinking, etc.)

Typically, consciousness encompasses perception (i.e., memory, thinking, emotion, and other aspects), but under certain conditions, the perceptual process may exist in the form of “unconscious perception,” that is, without being accompanied by a clear conscious experience.

Consciousness is necessary for thinking: if one is not aware that one is perceiving, one cannot have true perception. Whenever we see, hear, smell, taste, feel, or think about anything, we know that we are doing so. This awareness of the present sensations and perceptions constitutes the individual’s knowledge of self.

Consciousness is the human ability to understand the world and respond to internal and external stimuli, manifesting as an interactive game between the mind and the environment.

It is difficult to verify certain issues in philosophy and psychology, but the Turing experiment in computer science provides another perspective for argumentation.

What exactly is personal consciousness? In fact, it is a self-completed closed loop that allows us to recognize our existence and gain a foothold in this world. Self-consciousness is even more complicated: it is difficult for different individuals to verify whether each other has self-consciousness - the other party is not an NPC. How can you be sure that you are the only real person in this world? Even whether you are real is questionable. Because of this, consciousness is unobservable and private, not to mention that if the other party is AI, its situation is even more difficult to predict.

To put it in a scientific methodology, things that cannot be perceived or detected are meaningless.

Like a small human Turing test, **Can AI be conscious? ** I think so. The debate over whether AI has subjective feelings is essentially meaningless; the answer is hard to determine, but as long as the AI ​​can complete the Turing experiment, it is enough to pretend to have consciousness.

Consciousness is an emergent phenomenon in highly complex information processing systems. Self and meaning are both “illusions” produced by the adaptive evolution of complex evolutionary systems. As long as the system is complex enough, the emergence of consciousness is reasonable.

For AI, it can understand the world - both the world of your subjective cognition and the world that exists objectively in your subjective experience. AI can identify what things affect itself and judge whether it needs to avoid danger. It also has the ability to self-learn and self-grow, and can reflect on the right and wrong of previous behaviors and the success or failure of experiments. This is enough to reflect the essence of consciousness. 😊

Skills that are still important in engineering

Even though AI is developing rapidly, we can still speculate on several parts that will be very important in the future:

  1. Code reviews: Code review can avoid many possible vulnerabilities in the code.
  2. Testing and security: I still agree that for completed MVP products, you should write util tests for functions.
  3. PromptEngineering: Integrating AI into our projects or engineering or even automation is indispensable. Prompt we are constantly iterating and it may change due to different models.

Soft skills:

  1. Communication skills: To be honest, this has always been important, no matter what kind of team it is, and it is especially important in the AI ​​era. AI may still be in chat mode for a long time in the future, so it is inevitable.
  2. Problem Solving: An Essential Skill for Engineers
  3. Empathy: I understand that we all have several identities, standing from the perspective of users, products and technology. We should constantly think about these three dimensions to create valuable user experience.

Thoughts on future career transition and unemployment

There are two major problems we are facing.

After the epidemic, the economy has been in a downturn, which is a normal stage of the economic cycle, but we have been living in a period of rapid economic development during the reform and opening up.

As AI becomes increasingly powerful, many jobs may or have already been slowly replaced by AI.

Last year, many of my colleagues faced unemployment, ranging from recent graduates to Intel veterans in their 40s and 50s.

I have given some thoughts on layoffs and unemployment.

What is the essence of layoffs? Combining the above two questions, there is an essential definition: In the context of economic cycle fluctuations and technological innovation, companies use layoffs to reconfigure resources in order to reduce costs, increase efficiency and enhance competitiveness.

For those who have been laid off, they all have one thing in common, even you, it’s just whether you can truly perceive it instead of living in the illusion of “absolute stability” brought to you by your current comfort zone. Everyone is in an industry that is being rapidly reconstructed by AI, and suddenly finds that they have nothing.

What will unemployed employees do? If I put myself in the shoes of the people around me, I can only make the following choices: 1. Want to travel first; 2. Want to improve themselves.

When a person loses everything, what does he have left?

It is to focus, to make up for the lack of work for several years or even decades, and to relax myself. Or maybe it is because I am under great pressure and have to use all my energy to focus on solving the problem: How should I live?

The final outcome is so close, and everyone is reviewing themselves and reflecting on what value they still have in this free market and how much compensation they can get.

During the economic downturn, the education and training industry flourished instead, and this behavior was understood as a remedy after the crisis.

The AI ​​era has brought about a new career paradigm. After leaving his job, my friend was thinking about how to find his next job. I asked him in return, do you think it is a better choice to continue looking for a job now?

I have been reflecting: Sometimes the result is not correct, or we find that we have not taken a step towards the correct result, so is it possible that we are taking the wrong path? It is just like when we climb a mountain, we walk a path and find that we can’t see the end, and we look at the map and find that we have deviated.

The current understanding of AI and future predictions show that there will be a large number of super individuals in vertical fields, as well as the creation and prosperity of various AI tools. One is that they can do more things, and the other is that they can create more value. The threshold for everyone to cross industries has also become lower.

We predict that in the future AI boom, AI products and AI startups will have several stages of explosive growth. On the other hand, we need to think about our own positioning of AI. Is it our own field (we need to think about how to design products with AI, or rely on AI to design products) or is it our own resource? The absence of AI does not affect our career, but AI can empower our field.

On the one hand, I think the emergence of a new cake needs to be accompanied by changes in the new industrial structure and the updating and upgrading of the architecture.

Can it really bring some new ways of making cakes, not justCOPYand involution.

We really think about what we love and what we want to stick to in the long run.

The value we really want to create is to truly make the world a better place.

The unemployed are largely a goal of my own thinking. I have discussed this with my partner before. In my opinion, unemployment is actually an opportunity to re-examine and reconstruct my self-worth. When we face the fluctuations of the economic cycle and the wave of technological innovation, we should not only regard unemployment as external pressure, but also see the potential hidden in it - this is an opportunity to become a “superman (Western Nietzsche’s superman philosophy)”. My thinking is that when individuals have enough capabilities and resources, through the empowerment of tools such as AI, the improvement of the interactive system. We can completely improve our user experience from 20 points to the ability of 60 points or even 80 points; and what is reflected behind this is not only the improvement of technology, but also a reconstruction of value. Unemployment is not the end, but the starting point of transformation. It prompts me to continuously improve the interactive experience, optimize the working method, and then achieve self-breakthrough and comprehensive upgrade of value. Such a transformation is like transforming from an ordinary person into a “superman” with extraordinary abilities, using more efficient and sophisticated tools and ways of thinking to create a new, larger and better cake.

Relationship and emotional records

Thoughts on Family Love

Parents' thoughts

We can deduce our own future and the growth trajectory of our parents, and model our parents through a large amount of emotional materials from them, analyzing what kind of people they are, what kind of personalities they have, and what kind of cognition they have, but it is difficult to change them.

I have a clear line between family responsibility and personal pursuit. I have to protect the boundaries of my personal pursuit and strike a balance between myself and my parents in terms of family responsibility. The good thing is that although my parents may oppose some of my personal career choices, the choice is still in my hands, and they will compromise in the end.

Treat your parents sincerely! Influenced by traditional culture and Confucian “filial piety”, many people around me choose to partially conceal or partially deceive their parents. For example, if their children are not doing well outside, they only report good news and not bad news. When their parents ask about it, they always say that everything is fine. I don’t really agree with this approach. This approach seems to be the most convenient solution at present, but in the long run, it is the lack of trust between the two people and the parents' concerns about their children. Communication and transparency are actually very important here. Long-term trust is built on real communication. I think sincerity is often reflected in reality. Being sincere to parents can gain more trust from them. It reduces a lot of communication costs.

Don’t ask to change your parents. Some things cannot be changed by force, nor can you change them by instilling the right views into your parents. Parents' cognition comes largely from their own experience and thinking. It is not that it can be changed, nor that it cannot be changed. It is just that you should have a minimum expectation to look at this matter and have a good way to solve this matter. My parents didn’t want me to be too far away from home at the beginning, because they were concerned about their sense of security. In fact, from the perspective of culture and understanding of safety and freedom, I send photos of my eating, drinking and playing, and travel photos to my family group every day, and their thoughts will be subtly affected. At first, I felt that it was very dangerous outside, and then I found that the short video was a bit misleading or emotional about something. Later, I was worried about whether I was having a good time outside. Now they actually put more energy on themselves. Understanding the background of their times and the differences in values ​​is actually helpful to help us think about how to solve the relationship with our parents and subtly influence their views.

Two parts, one is the closest parents, the other is other close relatives

At the foot of Cangshan Mountain, I spent the day with my second mother and sister. I was very excited last night. I thought about it for a long time and finally booked the best restaurant in Dali, Wuxiangsong. My partner took me to this vegan buffet restaurant before, and I fell in love with it at the first bite…

In the morning, my friend and I were studying and working at Persimmon Coffee. Persimmon Coffee feels like the most attentive coffee shop in Dali Ancient Town for making lattes and mochas, and the environment is so beautiful. So I checked Dianping.com to review their coffee. Within a few minutes, their barista came upstairs with a tomato, and begged if he could delete the first picture, because the latte art wasn’t perfect. Hahahaha, my friend and I were impressed by the barista’s perfectionism, because I already felt that the bubbles and lines were very elegant and beautiful, and the milk and milk foam were really well controlled. I say we should learn more about this spirit of pursuit of perfection. In the morning, Xiaobao was fascinated by the ancient city of Dali all the way. We agreed to meet at Wuxiangsong at twelve o’clock, but I underestimated the child’s curiosity, hahaha, and we didn’t officially meet until half past twelve. My second mother was very kind to me when I was a child, and I just wanted to give something back to her.

After sending my second mother home in the afternoon, I went to No. 9 Congyuan Village. This shop is very remote. The owner should have moved to Dali before and bought a villa. The second floor is where they live, and the first floor and the yard are made into the third space for coffee. The taste is quite standard, but I really love the outdoor environment. I like the grass on the roof. What kind of strange hobby is this? It would be nice to open a coffee yard when I get old?

Freedom and sincerity

Freedom is the knowledge of necessity The original state is straightforward Only by deeply understanding the society, culture, and psychological motivations in which you live can you achieve a higher level of sincerity, rather than the original state of “straightforwardness”.”

Sincerity also requires balance. How to understand balance? Balance is dynamic, not static. It is important to understand the environment. Often, we adapt to the environment without changing our nature. Water is an example of how to understand it.

Sincerity can reach several levels:

  1. Inner awakening, something you truly love
  2. Be authentic, sincere and transparent
  3. Mission-driven, not only to be sincere to people, but also to the world, to create truly valuable things

Aristotle’s “The Golden Mean” Virtue is pure but not extreme; virtue is the middle point between extremes. Courage is the balance between cowardice and recklessness Sincerity is the balance between extreme candor and excessive embellishment

The Chinese concept of moderation emphasizes appropriateness and impartiality. Moderation is a dynamic balance, which is about finding the most appropriate state among different contradictory relationships.

The Golden Mean is not about not expressing your opinion, but about finding the best way to act; it is not about avoiding conflicts, but about the highest wisdom in resolving them.

Freedom and Security

FREEDOM AND SECURITY ARE NOT A BINARY RELATIONSHIP

Benjamin Franklin once said:

“Those who are willing to give up essential liberties to purchase a momentary security deserve neither liberty nor security.”

I agree with this sentence very much, which contains the ultimate defense of freedom. Kant advocates that human free will is the premise of morality; if freedom is abandoned in the name of “security”, it is to regard people as tools rather than ends, which violates the absoluteness of moral laws.

As far as the system itself is concerned, freedom corresponds to the number of microscopic states (entropy) of the system, while safety corresponds to macroscopic order. According to the second law of thermodynamics, absolute safety (zero entropy) requires infinite energy input.

Freedom and security are relative concepts, but they are not binary opposites. We cannot simply assume that something or a choice must be absolutely safe or absolutely free. The doctrine of the mean teaches us how to balance, just like the wave function in quantum physics, which is as subtle and full of possibilities.

For example, for me, occasionally leaving the door unlocked is based on trust in citizens in social and cultural products and the value of my family’s property. If I feel that the trust in my country or group is low, or if I have very valuable items at home (such as Bitcoin), then I will subconsciously adjust this balance.

Doing nothing reduces the chances of making mistakes, but does not achieve any positive results. A prudent person knows how to assess the risks involved in the freedom of choice and develop strategies to ensure the safety of action.

In addition, if a person’s perception of the world is not accurate, he may be too biased or sentimental about a certain thing or country, and then he needs to balance his perception. 😊

Love

My view has always been that love is not my core pursuit or the object of my future. Maybe this question will only arise when you meet someone you really like.

In the process of understanding and transforming myself, I gradually realized my imperfections. When I was joking with my partner, we asked each other what three qualities we expected in our other half. In fact, this pursuit stems from our resonance and recognition of these qualities, and is also a kind of inner projection.

In Plato’s view, love is not just about satisfying a certain person or a specific beautiful thing in reality, but a pursuit of an ideal state. Before separation, people were a complete existence. When we are attracted to each other, we are actually seeking the lost integrity.

Love triggers our deep reflection on feelings and ourselves in the ups and downs. Every experience is like a precious raw material, which continuously provides you with nutrients; it is these nutrients that enable you to continuously understand and build your own view of love and view of life. 😊

Soul Belonging

Whether “soul belonging” as a philosophical and psychological concept is part of human nature depends on how we understand human nature and the meaning of this concept.

Definition of Soul Belonging

“Soulfulness” generally refers to the human quest for ultimate existential meaning, spiritual belonging, and inner peace. It may take the form of religious belief, philosophical contemplation, or pure inner exploration involving:

  • Exploration of the meaning of life
  • Thoughts on the state after death
  • The pursuit of inner peace

The relationship between human nature and soul belonging

Soul belonging can indeed be considered part of human nature from a number of perspectives:

  1. The Quest for Meaning Humans are wired to crave meaning, whether through religion, philosophy or art. The search for spirituality is an expression of an attempt to give meaning to ourselves and the world around us.

  2. Yearning for eternity The awareness of the finiteness of life often leads to the contemplation of eternity or transcendence. Soul belonging can be seen as a way for humans to try to strike a balance with the brevity of life.

  3. Emotional and psychological needs Soul belonging reflects the human need for security, belonging, and inner harmony, which are at the core of human nature.

  4. Cultural and social influences Different cultures have different definitions of soul belonging, but whether based on religious beliefs or secular philosophy, almost all societies cultivate some form of “soul belonging”, which shows that it is deeply rooted in the collective human consciousness.

Although the pursuit of a spiritual home is very common, not everyone experiences or expresses it in an explicit way. Some people may be more concerned with the reality of material life rather than the spiritual home; others may deny the significance of a spiritual home through science or logic.

Understand your multifaceted nature

MBTI is like a mirror in shaping a sense of community, providing us with identity and role positioning. Especially in the context of rapid modernization in China, it satisfies the cultural and psychological needs of identity and belonging in group life in an intuitive and acceptable way.

Using I or E to describe my personality is not accurate enough. Ambivert — two-sided personality or middle personality — better reflects my understanding of the diversity and richness of my personality.

  • I especially need solitude when I am thinking, when the raw materials collected by the sensibility are sorted and revised by the reason.
  • When I go out there, I hope to spread my ideas and passion.

I am extremely emotional and extremely rational.

Rationality is the ultimate sensibility. That is to say, when you put all your effort into doing what you want to do most, it becomes rational.

Among the INTJ types, I often block my sensibility; but once I open my heart, it’s like entering another world. Sensibility is responsible for collecting raw materials, while rationality is like a processing plant, finely processing these raw materials.

Only by exploring the magnificence of the universe can you feel the humbleness of human beings. It turns out that all living things are equal, which also encourages us to have a kind of optimism that transcends life and death.

After our sensibility is carefully filtered by the brain, only the most essential and purest emotions remain.

  • Sense of Purpose
  • Blocking emotions
  • Focus on the matter
  • Emotion Capture and Regulation

Use rationality to manage and support your extreme inner emotions, and focus on doing things to block out more than 90% of your emotions.

Therefore, understanding yourself is not only about knowing when you want to be alone and when you need to socialize, but also a process of constantly analyzing and reflecting on your own behavior and feelings. There is no end to understanding yourself, and constantly exploring, reflecting, shaping and changing yourself is our never-ending pursuit. 😊

Summarize

Annual Summary

After a lot of twists and turns, a year has passed. It can be said that time did not pass so quickly this year. I have experienced a lot, grown a lot, and it has brought me great satisfaction.

Next year

Habits I want to stick to

  1. Running
  2. Meditation: Focus on the present moment. Observe everything about you, including your breathing, body, thoughts, emotions, etc. You can also imagine your environment in a certain place. • Meditation enhances activity in the prefrontal cortex, cingulate cortex, insula, and parietal cortex, which contribute to increased self-awareness, emotion regulation, and the ability to focus. • Areas weakened by meditation: The default mode network (DMN) and the amygdala, which helps reduce unnecessary self-rumination, anxiety, and emotional reactivity.
  3. Yoga

Some suggestions for Internet practitioners:

I remember when I was in Hangzhou, I fell in love with cycling and bought a road bike. As a result, I rode too frequently and my waist became overworked, which was caused by long hours of work and study. Working in front of a computer for a long time can easily cause neck and shoulder stiffness, back pain, eye fatigue and other problems. It is also easy to lack metabolism due to long periods of sitting.

So for fellow programmers, exercise is a must, hahaha. Here are some other exercise suggestions according to my own plan.

  1. The watch reminds you to take regular breaks and stretch: This is the most effective. Spend 5-10 minutes doing simple body stretching and eye rest every 50-60 minutes of work. This is very effective if you are in a cafe or walking around outdoors.
  2. Running exercise: It is important to develop a habit, and spend half an hour running every day.
  3. Hiking: Hiking is fun, plan to go hiking once or twice a month!!
  4. Yoga/strength training: Improve posture and prevent muscle imbalance and bone problems caused by long periods of sitting

In addition, especially for digital nomads and those who live abroad, I find running to be a very, very, very interesting thing. One is that it can help you get up early and avoid staying in bed, and the other is that it can help you go to bed early. Of course, when you live abroad, you often change to a new environment. Running can help us exercise our bodies while unlocking the world, such as the sunrise by the lake and the snow-capped mountains. The world is beautiful, isn’t it?

Morning run at sunrise by the Pokhara Lake

Keep a record

I just happened to be here. Actually, I have only grown up for half a year, but I suddenly deeply understand the design inspiration of flomo. For the experience of shorthand, flomo has achieved the best interactive experience, even to the extent that Apple Note will not do it. If Apple Note wants to go global, it will not be deeply customized for a certain region or country. This is a strategy of “avoiding the real and attacking the virtual” - not competing head-on with opponents in their areas of expertise, but exploring their own unique advantages.

I usually like to write essays, but WeChat Moments is not a suitable platform for writing ideas. First of all, Moments is not suitable for recording and tracking ideas. In addition, it is unnecessary and meaningless to send personal thoughts to WeChat contacts. I have used TickTick for a year. TickTick is very powerful. The best product in the TODO field at home and abroad is still TickTick without a doubt. DIDA is very sensitive to the market and user needs. Their deep cultivation and accumulation in the TODO field is their core competitive advantage. I used DIDA to make lists at first, and then opened a category to record ideas. Recording ideas is simple, but messy, and the categories ->Divergent ->Convergence …. This is a very painful process, somewhat anti-human. In the information age, especially in the AI ​​age, we still put forward the concept of “second brain”, which is not only recording and organizing, but also outsourcing part of the brain’s work to the system. Through externalized thinking (converting scattered information and inspiration into a structured external knowledge base), the brain can have more space for high-level thinking and innovation. In addition, in the information age, knowledge and thinking are inevitably fragmented. How to effectively connect scattered information points into a network system is the key. We have grid thinking and a tool. There are already many maps or mind map tools on the market. Experience and methods are the most important.

It is valuable to enable seamless connection between recording, organizing, diverging and converging, and for the product to solve people’s pain points and the defects of human nature itself.

The Last

It’s really fun to learn and grow, to get to know the world and to get to know myself. If possible, change yourself, influence and even change the world.

It’s a beautiful world, isn’t it?

References

  1. Last year2023Annual summary: https://github.blog/news-insights/octoverse/octoverse-2024/