Calm Yourself in the Noise, Improve Yourself Through Reading

From ancient times to the present, plagues and the accompanying economic crises have been catalysts for extremist ideas. The history of medicine tells us that whenever plagues rage and people face the threat of death, feelings of dejection, pessimism, and even despair appear and are hard to overcome; at such times people no longer trust their own abilities and reason as much.

There is nothing new under the sun. All the clamor and extremist ideas appearing in our society today are not isolated phenomena; they have recurred throughout history during plague epidemics. Just as throwing a large stone into a pond full of ducks will set the whole pond quacking in alarm.

When will the plague end? Will a new plague come after this one ends? These are unknowns.

But one thing is certain: the COVID-19 virus will henceforth become a long-standing member of human pathogens. Perhaps years from now it will no longer trigger wave after wave of outbreaks, but it is highly likely that this virus will become a long-term member of our human pathogen pool.

Plague in nature has also been active in recent years; active Yersinia pestis has begun appearing in rodent populations in some places and has even infected a few people. Epidemiologists once predicted that plague would break out again at the end of the last century, but because of advances in public health we contained that outbreak. But whether the next outbreak of plague will be delayed until this century is also unknown.

Europe has recently seen unexplained multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children; whether this inflammation is related to COVID-19 is not yet clear, because only some of the children test positive for COVID-19. European doctors therefore suspect that perhaps a new pathogen has triggered the inflammatory outbreak in these children.

At present, because population density is too high and human encroachment on nature too deep, many pathogens are achieving cross-species jumps, which is why new epidemics are increasing. We are entering a special era in which, with pandemic plagues, extremists will become more numerous.

The more such an era becomes, the more we need composure. We must recognize that all the extreme reactions appearing in society are normal reactions in extraordinary times; there is no need to waste time getting drawn into such extreme emotions and arguing with others, because such arguments are of little value.

A more meaningful approach is to bury oneself in study during this special period to improve one's own abilities; when society returns to normal, the knowledge we have acquired will be of great use. Those who waste their lives in argument are merely idling away their time.

Right now many people are bound by prejudice and impulse and cannot reason calmly. On social media every day there is a new theme for people to squabble over, and even among close friends and relatives major disagreements have emerged.

All of this is actually an illusion — it is a stress response to fierce shock. The friends around us are not really so hateful; they are merely, in anxiety and fear, doing things we find unacceptable, and their behavior is no different in essence from our own stress response.

Except for trained professionals who can remain calm, most ordinary people are terrified by the threat of death brought by plague, and restlessly agitated by pessimism about the future.

A pandemic is an emotional amplifier that splits an otherwise quiet society into many sharply opposed camps and keeps everyone arguing. Normal human nature is distorted; if we want not to be drawn in, we need a certain degree of inner steadfastness and judgment.

Governments during a pandemic also lie more easily than usual — throughout history, in East and West, there has never been an absolutely honest government. In Camus's novel

The Plague

, the dishonesty of the politicians is striking. In a sense, it is precisely the turmoil caused by the pandemic that makes them more dishonest than usual; this is inherent in the workings of politics.

A great plague has a profound impact on society, but that impact usually takes many years to complete. For every individual in society, times of plague are harder than usual. Some things we cannot change, but others we can.

We may lose the opportunity to accumulate wealth, but we have not lost the opportunity to accumulate knowledge and skills. And if we are willing, we can absolutely continue to possess the ability to be happy — if our life goals are not so one-dimensional, we will, beyond accumulating wealth, find another life goal in which we can immerse ourselves. That goal is enough to support us forward rather than collapse.

Life is rich and colorful, and life choices can be colorful too. The saddest education is one that makes everyone's life goals both single and highly uniform. The most effective way to murder a person is to rob him of his curiosity about life and turn him into a dull, tedious person.

Do not be anxious while waiting, and do not, in idleness, get drawn into extremist frenzies. People who have lived through major social fever events afterward mostly feel remorse; many, in reflection years or decades later, realize that they not only wasted their own lives but also harmed others.

I use reading to pass the time. After taking various financial austerity measures, my only increased expense is buying books. Learning not only improves one's abilities but also allows one to meet crises with greater composure.

Many scholars — for example, Ren Jiyu, Ji Xianlin, Zhou Youguang — have all lived through many adversities, yet they were both erudite and long-lived; Mr. Zhou Youguang even lived to 113. Their longevity has much to do with their steadfastness in adversity, open-mindedness, and love of learning.

Life's greatest achievement lies not in how much wealth one acquires or how high a social position one reaches, but in how far one can perfect oneself. Rainbow clouds disperse easily and colored glass is fragile; most good things in the world do not last. Only the detached, open-minded attitude we cultivate through life can accompany us throughout our lives and benefit us lifelong.

Calm down; no need for others' applause. Like an orchid in a deep valley, release your own fragrance. Broaden your horizons and constantly improve yourself. As we move further from ignorance, we move further from extremism, and harvests and happiness will come unbidden.