Essays
Sublime Suffering
I often feel I am climbing a heavenly ladder. People tend to assume that the higher the intelligence, the better, but this is not so. Most high-IQ people live their whole lives tangled in misunderstanding and pain. Cheap happiness, or sublime suffering: which will you choose?...
Active Love: Grounded as a Mountain
Lately I have been pressing the idea of active love. But when it comes down to practice, how do we actually live it out? Many readers find the farming arc of *Vagabond* tedious, but the more I return to it, the more I am convinced it is the soul of the whole work...
Let There Be Light
Reflections on trauma, vitality, and principled goodness. A response to Liang Hong's To Have Light, exploring whether trauma is the essence of life and how to find a third way between reason and faith—a gentle yet firm principled goodness.
Perfect Friendship and Bitter Merit
Reading Kant's Metaphysics of Morals on our duties to others—exploring the inherent tension in friendship between love and respect, and the bitter merit of virtue when kindness is met with misunderstanding.
Why Do Human Beings Have Dignity?
After finishing Kant's Metaphysics of Morals, I explore the question of human dignity—its foundations in reason and autonomy, and how this confronts Chinese cultural norms of hierarchy and servility.
Dumbledore's Woolen Socks
Every now and then I think of Dumbledore's woolen socks. When Harry asked Dumbledore what he saw in...
The Scale of Time
This WeChat official account has been running for eight years now. It may well be one of the best...
How to Traverse an Existential Crisis
Recently, a major wave of depression hit me. A prolonged slump with no end. I felt exhausted—no matter what I did, I couldn't recover. The loneliness was overwhelming...
Rereading The Brothers Karamazov
I recently listened to The Brothers Karamazov as an audiobook. Back in the day during the Zhengzhou...
Humiliated and Insulted
When watching Kurosawa’s films, I’ve always sensed something—this is Dostoevsky’s thought. Take...
Skin in the Game
I’ve been reading Taleb’s Skin in the Game these past few days. The book primarily explores the...
IKIRU
I’ve heard about this Kurosawa film for a long time, and I finally watched it recently. Encounters...
Reason and Emotion
For the longest time, I’ve dismissed emotion and elevated reason. I’ve always believed emotions were...
Subjectivity: How to Become the Protagonist of Your Own Life
Ever since I firmly grasped self-centeredness in my own hands, I have become stronger than before,...
Starting from One Hundred Years of Solitude
Netflix’s new adaptation of One Hundred Years of Solitude recently launched, giving me a chance to...
Why Discriminating Belittles You
The ones who unjustly scorn others are ofttimes lesser than those they scorn. This is a realization...
Why We Read Kant
Kant stands as the most profound thinker I have ever encountered. His Groundwork of the Metaphysics...
Luo Xiang: A Light Flickering Against the Wind
Last night I watched the episode of Thirteen Invitations where Xu Zhiyuan interviewed Luo Xiang on...
How to Take Care of Your Emotions
A few days ago, I stumbled upon an old article I had written, "Rereading Shen Pangpang," and felt as...
Reading Notes on The Idiot: Christ-like Love
Last Friday, I felt deeply unsettled—restless and troubled. I went home early, but my frustration...
Wandering and Belonging
The Longchang Enlightenment I was recently moved by a video from Luo Xiang: “Should we persist in...
Essence of Existential Psychotherapy
An introduction to existential philosophy that answers all the questions that have been lingering in...
Do Not Lie
And above all, above everything else—do not lie. Above all, do not lie to yourself. A man who lies...
Vagabond and the Sublime
Upon arriving in the Netherlands, there was a moment when I felt disoriented. Living in the free...
Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (II)
I have a bold claim: To measure the depth of a person’s thought is, to a certain degree, to measure...
Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals (I)
I used to distrust the Communist Party, but still believed in the nation and its people; Later I...
On Being a Person of Integrity
It’s embarrassing, really. After all this time, I’m only now figuring out what I actually want. I...
On Human Nature: What the White Paper Protests Taught Me
I. Human Nature There was a time when I felt utterly disillusioned—this place seemed like a moral...
What Is Morality?
What Is Morality? I. What Is Morality? As I understand it, morality is about questions of right and...
History of Thought [04]: Overview and Reflections
Over Spring Festival I finished Skirbekk’s history of philosophy. After this survey, I’ve found many...
History of Thought [03]: How to Be Happy
This one feels the most relevant to our lives right now. --- Alexander conquered the Greek...
History of Thought [02]: Is There Universal Law?
The first period of philosophy concerned nature and the cosmos. The second period turned to...
History of Thought [01]: From Myth to Reason
Although I often sound opinionated in daily conversations, I haven’t actually read many serious...
Twelve Angry Men and Robert's Rules of Order
Robert’s Rules of Order When I was running a reading group on The Federalist Papers, we ran into...
On Liberal Education and Free Will
Today on SMTH BBS, I saw an article titled “For Rural Children Going to College, More Important Than...
Memories of College Life: On Pain and Healing
Memories of College Life: On Pain and Healing Cleaning up my social media recently, I stumbled upon...
In Memory of an Ordinary Man: Dr. Li Wenliang
Even as grief and rage flood social media, everyone knows things won’t change quickly. Power remains...
To High School Students: Written to my sister
My younger sister recently came to me for help. Academic pressure has left her trapped in an...
Prologue
On the occasion of turning 29, the author opens this space for writing. The article outlines three reasons for creating this platform: birthday commemoration, the measure of time, and soul-searching. It aims to cleanse filth and clarify the mind while sharing topics of interest and founding principles. A personal thought space combining idealism with rationality.