Goodbye utopia!

Written by Xiao, 2021 Cohort

My world outlook has been rebuilt in these years. I was born in 1991. I have witnessed how our lifestyle has increased, how the material resources have multiplied, and how more and more Chinese people go overseas to travel or study to get access to the world.

I used to believe that the world is originally open and inclusive, people wherever they come from will be enlightened and developing countries will continue their advancing progress and there will always be opportunities for people to achieve their dreams. It just seems like that everything will be going on all the way up and that is what I truly believed throughout the 28 years of my life.

Starting from 2019, with the explosion of the pandemic, countries and states have more conflict and even economic wars and the economy also could not stand still under such circumstances, thus so many industries and private practices have been dragged into all sorts of crises.  I cannot see any relief in the media and problems continuously being reported.

I had to rethink what I believed in, then I just realized one thing: I am so lucky to have lived in a Utopia for almost 30 years, what I used to think it is meant to be is exactly what should actually happen. I have taken success and progress for granted. It was totally wrong. Actually, difficulties are the norm of life.

Even though this transformation seems passive, I also figured out some original rules of thumb when it comes to living and made up my mind to follow them firmly. Do the right things the hard way without looking for shortcuts. Then hang in there! What are your thoughts?