2026.06.01 - Be a Simple, Consistent Person

2026.06.01 – Be a Simple, Steady Person

In the AI era, why are today’s youth chasing “a good life”?
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/IAMWb5iWZso3p6UKYaCWcw

On Xiaohongshu, the #GoodLife# tag has amassed over 500 million views. Young people no longer brag about “working late again tonight”; they share a bowl of noodles they cooked, a potted plant they nurtured, or a lazy weekend spent doing nothing. The Douban “FIRE lifestyle” group has surpassed 2 million members, the “low‑desire living” discussion continues to heat up, and on Zhihu the question “How to lie flat with dignity?” became a yearly hot topic. On one side, anxiety‑inducing statistics glare at us; on the other, a collective awakening to “slow down.” These seemingly contradictory trends actually point to the same fact: we are undergoing a psychological shift.

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It’s not that your constitution has weakened – it’s that your COVID never really healed
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/0lJsQHMa9AWHuKy5EWn5vA

Many people who test negative for COVID find themselves trapped in self‑doubt: no late‑night overwork, no self‑destruction, yet their health plummets. They feel heavy, constantly fatigued, get allergies or colds at the slightest trigger, and a little exertion brings palpitations and shortness of breath. Immunity seems far lower than before. Most assume it’s due to lack of exercise or a deteriorating physique; some suspect lingering COVID damage that prevents a full recovery. My clinical analysis shows a simpler, almost tongue‑in‑cheek truth: your COVID never truly got better! Your body remains in a state of unresolved “pathogen‑host imbalance.”

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Li Xigui: A principal’s only real job
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/MYGN3GozzzZbBvSUY31bSw

A principal is no longer just an administrator; they are driving a system. Teachers are no longer merely task‑completers; they are participants in a mission. Students are no longer just responders to requirements; they are undergoing growth. Designing a school isn’t about adding another task; it’s about giving direction to every task. A school can do countless things, but fundamentally it faces one core question: how to cultivate people. All policies, curricula, assessments, and structures ultimately answer that question. Therefore, for school leaders the real work is singular: building the school’s educational model, i.e., designing the school. When this is done consistently and correctly, many seemingly complex problems resolve themselves within the system; when it’s done poorly, even massive effort leads to endless cycles.

Related: [A math test’s closing remarks went viral; this is what education should look like] (https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/hC0stGesWvUqkElrv0q3Lg)

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Read a few more difficult books
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/RnaOUNurUPdO5ZSVCLgOpQ

Reading is often not easy. Tackling a tough book requires repeated, patient “grinding” on a cold bench. It means abandoning restlessness and being willing to explore, word by word, the author’s deepest logic and intent in solitude. The goal isn’t to cherry‑pick quotations or memorize passages, but to, through deep, careful reading, absorb the book’s stance, viewpoints, and methods—ultimately turning knowledge into a thinking tool for analyzing real‑world problems and solving work challenges. President Xi Jinping once recommended The Communist Manifesto, saying, “If you feel uneasy, study the classics. Read The Communist Manifesto several times.”

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Be a simple, steady person
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/_R3GGSGAtFtEUQQB_aXh8g

I have ancestors, three generations of relatives, elders to care for, children to raise, and a husband who supports me. Yet I keep searching for a distant, pristine sanctuary for comfort, craving personal liberation from life and death. In front of such a massive self, a single leaf blinds me; I cannot see beyond my own perspective. Even if the Buddha‑like path shines with supreme light, seeking it with my selfish, unfilial heart cannot bring true peace. Half my life has passed, and I realize I have never truly lived as a person.

The rites and music of Chinese civilization are the ancestral wisdom left for us—a summary of historical experience, validated over millennia. The “right way” of humanity, the direction of life, does not lead to a utopian Peach Blossom Land, an ideal state, Eden, or a Western paradise. It calls us to be sincere, truthful people under the guidance of Heaven, Earth, ruler, parents, and teachers, to live well in this world, and that is the ordinary, bright path.

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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.