In This Silent Spring, I Have Become Part of the Silent Majority
Lately I have come to understand the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove of the Wei-Jin period. Their characters and behavior seemed absurd to the world, but when one goes deep into their inner lives, one feels deep respect and sympathy for them.In such an age, people with souls could only either feign madness, lose themselves in music and books, or drown in wine, issuing declarations like "when I die, just bury me where I fall." The more unrestrained Ji Kang met a violent end; if one wanted both to preserve one's independent soul and to survive in the world, one had to learn from Liu Ling to restrain one's impulses.In my twenties I was hot-blooded and felt I could accomplish great things. At forty, I still occasionally feel hot-blooded and think I might say something. But after I have done and said it, I calm down and realize that I can do nothing and say nothing.I used to feel that there were too many numb people around me, but gradually I came to understand that they are not numb — they are simply the silent majority. They are warm-hearted and kind, and their inner thoughts are no different from mine; they simply never voice them. People do not become the silent majority without reason — the outside world is too dangerous, and those who do not stay silent only bring trouble on themselves.This spring I too became one of the silent majority. This has been an extraordinarily silent spring; most places have lost their usual bustle, people hurry by wearing masks, keeping a safe distance from one another. We live in fear and unease, deeply feeling how short and fragile life is. I believe that the great majority of people of this era will firmly remember this silent spring, and remember how we all fell into collective silence.Perhaps this is the truth of life, and the peaceful days we lived before were merely an illusion. I have many things I want to say, but as the words reach my lips I swallow them back. Because speaking what I want to say would, besides bringing me trouble, serve no purpose.We seem to have left the jungle, but perhaps not. There have always been beasts lurking around us, prowling everywhere, waiting to seize prey on which they can feast. The moment they catch a whiff of blood, they become immensely excited. I am thinking about how to pull out their fangs rather than fall into their hands and let them trample me.Silence is a protective talisman; use it when needed. The purpose of survival is to stay alive, not to make unnecessary sacrifices. Fear does not distort human nature; it only teaches people to conceal their true selves. The silent majority also has its own philosophy of survival; we are only silent, not numb.