In This Boiling World, a Quiet Desk Is Priceless

On January 6, 2021, Washington time, the U.S. Capitol was occupied by protesters incited by U.S. President Trump; four people died in this riot. This is something unprecedented in the United States in nearly two hundred years, and the world was shocked. This is also the result of the intensifying global division of recent years; this riot showed the world how torn American society has become, to a point that is hard to mend.

On reflection, the causes of this violent event have long been building. Today, the global population has reached an unprecedented 7.8 billion, and Earth's resources are no longer sufficient to satisfy the appetites of 7.8 billion people pursuing a better life. The pressure on resources and the environment is unprecedented, and the gap between rich and poor is severe — in a year like this, the wealth of the world's top ten billionaires has surged by over forty percent, while ordinary people can barely make a living. The tragic scene of "wine and meat rotting behind the red gates, while frozen corpses lie by the road" is playing out in reality, and social contradictions are extremely sharp. The COVID-19 outbreak showed humanity how much damage population, resource, and environmental crises can cause. When people a hundred years from now look back at history, they will find that the impact of this unprecedented great plague we are experiencing today on human society is comparable to that of the two world wars.

Did anyone predict today's chaotic situation? Yes. Many outstanding scholars predicted it. For example, Mr. Xu Zhuoyun wrote in Looking at America that American democracy has entered a predicament; polarization and class solidification have left this democratic society with only a hollow facade, undercurrents surging beneath the social bottom, and the country has been on the decline since the 1970s, with riots possible at any time. Hillbilly Elegy, written by American J.D. Vance, truthfully describes the bitter upward-struggle story of working-class Americans; reading it made my nose tingle, because the author's story is especially like my own. No matter where, the upward struggle of the common people in this society is full of hardship.

As for this global pandemic, many scholars also predicted that it would surely come — in recent years, academia has been discussing that some "X virus" affecting all of humanity could break out at any time. Based on historical experience, when population density reaches a certain level, a major infectious disease outbreak becomes inevitable. Well-known popular science works such as Plagues and Peoples and Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies — interdisciplinary classics — have all deeply studied the problem of plagues in human society; the authors of such books even believe that plagues are the decisive factor shaping human history. Pathogenic microorganisms invisible to the human eye have been continuously helping Earth regulate itself and helping humanity evolve.

We have entered a very unusual historical period; for many years to come, we will likely be affected by this pandemic or new pandemics. Plague is only a catalyst that exacerbates social and family conflicts; the problems causing social and family rupture already existed, and the plague has catalyzed their ugly side. The world has already entered a state of turmoil and unease, and this state will persist for some time. In this turbulent historical period, almost every day brings "breaking news" to jolt our eyes and hearts.

I love peace and pray for world peace, but obviously it is not peaceful now. What I least want is for any country, any group, or any individual to destroy peace through violence. Einstein pointed out sharply that those who incite the destruction of peace are ignorant or have dark hearts. When the world falls into chaos, the vast majority of people suffer, and only a few who fish in troubled waters benefit. History tells us that ordinary civilians in society are always the group most vulnerable to harm.

I am one of the most inconspicuous among the multitudes of ordinary people; I do not like seeing people with extreme views incite hatred — such people only seek momentary pleasure or have ulterior motives, and they will ultimately make all of society pay the price. Like Trump, he incited his supporters to riot while he sat safely in the White House; four people paid with their lives for the riot he incited, and more will contract COVID-19 in this riot, with the severely ill dying. He did all this only to secure improper political gain for himself; he became president through America's democratic rules, yet personally destroyed those same rules. In such chaotic times, there must be many people like him who fish in troubled waters.

What I hope is that the overwhelming majority of people in human society — those who believe in and uphold justice while also loving peace — can use the knowledge humanity possesses and our innate courage to save the hundreds of millions of common people in this community of shared destiny; I am also willing to contribute my own strength. I do not want to participate in any action that incites hatred; I only hope to promote our society's progress in peace, without anyone paying with their life.

In such extraordinary times, I believe any leader who does not harm life is worthy of praise, even if they themselves have flaws; those who disregard human life are evil. For peace, even if it requires me to exercise patience, I am willing. There are many people who wish for chaos; such people have serious psychological problems and have probably never bothered to read a history book, not knowing how destructive troubled times truly are. They also lack due respect for others' lives, only venting their own resentment. Once the Reaper chooses them, it will be too late to regret.

I rather hope we can quiet down in such times and read a few books; we can understand history from books, learn knowledge from books, and improve our insight and skills. The haze hanging over humanity will eventually disperse — such things have happened again and again throughout history. We feel panicked encountering it today, but as long as we look at history, we will understand that these are unavoidable laws of nature and social development.

Just as biology has on-years and off-years, human society also has prosperous and difficult periods. We will encounter favorable circumstances and adverse circumstances. If we have read enough popular science works, we will know that all we see before us is a process of self-regulation by the Earth's ecosystem. Human society has continuously adjusted and evolved through countless such rapids to reach its present state. Our civilization was not built overnight; behind the various forms each society has taken, incredible biological and sociological rules play important roles.

I am willing to sit at a quiet desk, reading and writing, not flattering the powerful and not pandering to extremists. Although my voice is faint, I still want to call out with a weak voice for everyone to cherish peace, and not to yearn for it only after it is lost.