People's loneliness has three states. The first is bewildered and uneasy, with no idea, lacking interest in everything, and desperately trying to escape loneliness. The second is accustomed to loneliness, calming down the heart, establishing a life order, using reading, writing or other affairs to dispel loneliness. The third is loneliness itself has become a poetic soil, a creative opportunity, triggering profound thinking and experience about existence, life and self.
——Zhou Guofeng 'Being Alone Is A Capability'
01
Chen Dao Ming is one of the most famous old actors in China, and many people have watched his starring in 'Kangxi Dynasty'. It is a classic for many people. In 2015, Premier Li Keqiang also invited Chen Dao Ming to participate in the government work report discussion in Zhongnanhai.As a very famous entertainer in the entertainment industry, he should be constantly invited to film and receive high remuneration in the prosperous and wealthy entertainment industry. However, Chen Dao Ming has quietly avoided all these prosperity and fame.He is extremely picky about scripts, and will not act if it does not meet his standards. Advertising is even rarer.Someone once asked Chen Dao Ming, with so many prosperous and thriving entertainment circles now, isn't it a good time to make money? Why doesn't he take more film opportunities?Chen Dao Ming said: 'A stable heart is the foundation; when the heart is chaotic, everything is chaotic. Being able to hold oneself steady, being content with loneliness, not being influenced by fame and fortune, is the best way of life.'In life, Chen Dao Ming is a very simple person, and everyone in the circle knows that he doesn't smoke or drink, except for filming, he is basically a 'stay-at-home' guy. Some people jokingly call him, only when there is an earthquake, can Chen Dao Ming be shaken down. Chen Dao Ming himself also revealed that he is idle, so he likes to read books and write articles at home. He doesn't want to participate in the bustling and noisy entertainment circles.Perhaps because of having a steadfast tolerance of loneliness and not being tempted by the illusions of the world, he has achieved the status of an unbeatable long-lived star in the entertainment industry, and every time he appears in a play, a large number of fans will wholeheartedly support him.In fact, all the prosperity is just a fleeting moment, why bother to chase after temporary loneliness for a moment? If you can endure loneliness, you can still find the true taste of life in a humble and simple dwelling.
As Master Sima Yi said in 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms':'I have one sword, and I have spent decades sharpening it;' Sima Yi followed the monarch for years, fighting south and north, and his fame was great. Historical records show that he served three monarchs—Emperor Gaozu, Emperor Wu, and Emperor Xuan. Although he was a high-ranking official and a respected figure of three generations, the Cao family was very suspicious of him, and had many defensive measures.
The prophecy 'Three Horses in One Stable' had been circulating in the Cao Dynasty. The Cao family only used him as a tool to counter external strong enemies such as Zhuge Liang, not as their own people.The Cao family always kept an eye on him, so he was always on guard and couldn't truly trust him. Under this pressure, Sima Yi was often in a difficult position, and his power and influence were temporarily regained, but they were often taken away again. If it were a normal person, he would be very frustrated.But this man is exceptionally generous, and his skills are like simmering a small fire for a long time, he perseveres and endures. When the great task is completed, he voluntarily retires, never clinging to power; when he is suspected and his career is at a low point, he often pretends to be sick as a cover, living a secluded life. In loneliness, he cultivated himself.Finally, after decades of steadfast loneliness, he seized the opportunity when Cao Shuang made a mistake and left the city, then launched a surprise attack, winning the world.Imagine if he had lost his decades of patience in loneliness, the Sima family might have been taken over by others long ago. In life, everyone will inevitably be troubled by loneliness, if you can't die in loneliness, you can thrive in loneliness, if life falls into a trough and is lost in loneliness, it's better to be a companion with loneliness, quietly wait, like spring flowers blooming.
In ancient Greek myths, there is an island called Syrene near Sicily, inhabited by the beautiful mermaid Syrene, who sings a magical song that attracts sailors' souls, and many ships have been wrecked because of her.In the past, many sailors who sailed on the sea were lonely, so they were easily seduced by the siren's song and shipwrecked.The hero Odysseus told his companions to block their ears with wax, so that they would not be seduced by the siren's song, and he himself did not seal his ears.When the ship arrived at Syrene Island, Odysseus saw the sirens coming towards him, listening to their beautiful and fluctuating songs, like the singing of nightingales and swallows, he immediately ignited a raging fire in his heart. He was eager to rush towards them and shouted to his companions to let them come down.His companions saw his struggle and knew that he was being seduced by the sirens, so they tied him up more tightly. Thus, they finally passed the siren's island safely.The temptation is like dust under our feet, always accompanying us, inseparable. Just like Odysseus, we must resist temptation and achieve our goals. Any thing has two sides, it all depends on how we use it.
If you can learn to use loneliness, transform loneliness into a booster to inspire yourself, then loneliness will also have its own life experience and value.But we must not indulge in loneliness for too long, otherwise loneliness will become melancholic and depressed. Occasionally, loneliness can be a clarifying agent, allowing us to better face the noisy world and pursue fame and fortune.Throughout history, successful people like Confucius, Mencius, and Wang Yangming have all experienced lonely moments, but they eventually overcame them and achieved great things.The world is full of people, and big people have big loneliness, and small people have small loneliness;We must always believe that even if loneliness is like a lonely boat on a cold river, we can still find the beauty and joy of a solitary life.
Life is about enduring loneliness, so you can thrive in the world.
