It's so interesting to leave china. It's been such a life changing experience. I've learned so much about myself, and the world, and made some life-long friends.
I think life all comes down to the point in an individual's life where they realize they are independant. Their path is theirs to walk alone, and theirs to choose.
I think so many people reach that age, that life changing point in their lives where they come to this realization. I think since pre-adulcence when we begin to apply an underlying value to the direction of our lives, that value is almost always, in large part, based on school and perhaps related activities. Everything else is almost seen as the meta.
So we live under this mindset that our direction is to finish X school, and then we move on to the next step, and as an adalcent, when we are considering this, I think we should look at it from the perspective that that individual mind never reaches this age. We are a different person. If we consider it in this way, then we can allow ourselves to be virtuous to ourselves. We can choose to be polite. To care and love our future self. And so we can choose to suffer a little now, so that future self can reap the rewards. Don't look at yourself as yourself. You are the past self, the now self, and the future self. And you're actions dictate each of them, and so you should do thinks to help them, not yourself, them. Do it becasue you care for them.
So what we have is a child who has, with the help of his or her family, been set on a path in which he or she defines the purpose of his or her very existance by. Which he or she uses as a measure of growth and progress in his or her life.
I think this "path" is great for children. They are impulsive, annoying litlte devils that noone wants to deal with. It's great that we can systemize the development process while still providing the individuals with the education neccesasry to contribute to humanity.
The problem is when the child doesn't get off this path. When the child finishes highschool, and then goes to college, and then an internship, and then perhaps a low level possition in a company-- where, on average, that employee will earn 33% of his net contributed value to the company.
So it all comes down to this one point. You're 18 or 20 (or 16 in my case) years old, and you realize that mom and dad aren't the entire world. I am a free soul. A free individual who can do anything I wish, and all I need is to micro-manage my habbits into creating a mindset, and life routine that encourages progress toward my goals.
And I think most of society, isn't realizing it. They aren't realizing they are free. Or if they do, they just choose to continue on that stereotypical path. They play it so safe. I'm not even sure how they are able to claim control over their own fate when they choose so enthusiasticly to conform perfectly to that system.
I would argue that a lack of jobs could be very much linked to the amount of people who are setting their own goals, to the amount who are following the safe path.
In conclusion, if people were less scared of the world, and more optomistic of the success we can have, they would be more willing to follow their own goals rather than take the safe path. I think this should be a lesson. I think those reading this should try to be more positive about the world, and humanity too. Humans are loving, social creatures. We enjoy togetherness, and smiles, and as far as we know, we are very unique, and likely powerful in the universe that is our own reality.
Long Live Luna!
P.S. Today I fly from hainan to shanghai, and then wait 3 hours, and then fly from shanghai to tokyo, and then i have 17 hours to explore tokyo, and then 11 hour flight home!! I'm so nervous! What if I pass out and miss my flight? Saturday night since I was leaving, I went to the bar with some friends (that's legal here), and I got back at 3am, but I didn't sleep, and then I wanted to sleep around noon the next day(sunday), but I had to mail all my luggage home (I like to fly light) at 3pm, so I had to stay up, and then I haven't been able to sleep still. Now I'm just not tired. The problem is that my flight to shanghai is in 4 hours, and when I get to Tokyo, that's 17 hours where I don't plan to even get a hotel (becasue its expensive, and difficult), and so I won't be able to sleep for like literally the next like 30 hours until I get on the plane from Tokyo home, then I can pass out :D
Anyway, wish me luck!!!
P.S.S. I think this sleeping problem I have could really point me closer to a diagnosis that might explain my personality. For some reason, even when I'm absolutely exhausted physically, my mind is just full power, my eyes glued open, and like there is no exhaustion there, and my mind really really dislikes like turning off unless I'm so exhausted that I pass out like within 1 minute of hittign the pillow lol