2026.04.13 - Being Young and Strong Is a Lie

2026.04.13 – “Youthful Strength” Is a Lie

Do you still have dreams? https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/wuheFzlxfo7_fe6aWZ5euw
When everything is developing at breakneck speed, what people love to flaunt is what they have—the classic example being the “show‑off life, show‑off wealth” posts on social media. As the hustle calms down and we look back, we might ask: Do you still have dreams? Asked in a restless moment, the reply is often a snappy retort: “Dreams? Can dreams be turned into money? How much are they worth?” Asked later, the same question can spark deeper reflection.

If your answer is “yes, I still have dreams,” the next question is: Are you pursuing them?

Further reading:

• That’s when I finally understood what a true ideal is: “What Is an Ideal?”
• “One View” – Ambition is about returning to your true self
• Allowing yourself to be “incompetent”

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From the Market to Chinese Medicine Amid the Everyday Aroma https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/Kp67xb8Q4fILfgCHASzStA
For most people, a wet market is a familiar, almost unremarkable place. It’s usually close to home, a bit crowded and noisy, yet stepping inside you’re immediately hit by the ordinary, human “smoke and fire” of daily life. In a sense, people keep going to the market not just for fresh, cheap ingredients, but because it gently restores our sensitivity to life. While we see, smell, touch, and select food, we begin to notice the vivid, real details of everyday existence and reconnect the subtle link between what we eat and how our bodies feel.

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A Spiritual Growth Map in the Five‑Element Theory of Chinese Medicine https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/sQHyBAF8ZsShFMxgGpUeDA
Why would a Western psychiatrist walk this path? He found in Chinese medicine a language that transcends binary oppositions: “To me, Chinese medicine is the quest for wholeness—body and mind as one, spirit and form inseparable, harmony between heaven and humanity, the Dao and the instrument flowing together. It is a personalized system, subtle and warm yet highly professional, allowing me to touch the source of life—whether my own or others’.” The metaphorical language of Chinese medicine naturally accommodates a spiritual dimension. As Ted Kaptchuk writes in the foreword, its symbolic terms “embrace all of life’s phenomena freely, unbound by human constraints”—from bodily perception to existential questioning, from emotional swings to spiritual realms, everything can be spoken of in its diagnostic discourse. This openness lets Dr. Hummer explore spirituality deeply without adhering to any religion.

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The Happiness Chinese Medicine Gives Me https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/9OznINBV_6dkEhxqF4D4OA
If I must borrow a Western philosopher to define happiness, I side more with Nietzsche’s description: happiness is “not comfortable satisfaction but the vigorous life force, continual self‑overcoming, love of one’s fate, and the joy of the strong who feel power overflowing in creation and triumph.” In my view, a physician’s creation and triumph lie in differential diagnosis and precise treatment. The foundation of differential treatment is humanity—recalling the ancient saying, “Medicine is a benevolent art; a benevolent person must be deeply compassionate, treating others as oneself.” The Way of Medicine merges with the Way of the Spirit; we must constantly surpass ourselves, love life, and love living.

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Mindset | What You Do Isn’t Important; Why You Do It Is https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/D83SQ5gT1rj-ZtgOiNFkUA
The specific activity isn’t what matters; what matters is where your heart points while you act. The ancients spoke of “setting a resolve,” meaning exactly that—aligning your heart’s direction. When the resolve is right, the “center” becomes clear, and whether you serve in the military, work a trade, farm, teach, conduct research, or manage, you are merely moving around the circumference of that center. A bright center makes the circumference shine; a dim center leaves even the flashiest career a hollow shell.

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“Youthful Strength” Is a Lie https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/75VDj6EfaKOJ4q3OBRc-Ew
“Forty, free of confusion.” Those who are not confused at forty are not omniscient; they simply know where to stop. It doesn’t mean a 40‑year‑old understands everything—there’s still much unknown. But there’s no rush to know everything, nor to prove you already do. “Free of confusion” roughly means the mind may still be puzzled, but the heart is no longer. The so‑called unconfused can eat a few bowls of rice without overthinking. At twenty you think you can do anything; at thirty you still believe you can push hard; at forty you recognize what you can and cannot do. Knowing this prevents panic; knowing your limits prevents futile struggle. No panic, no reckless forcing—knowing what to do and what not to do is what “unconfused” truly means.

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Originally written by Ping Xia (平侠) and published in Chinese on 拾一集 (Weekly Reflections). Translated and adapted for DriftSeas with permission.