The World of Ordinary People

The World of Ordinary People

I have a friend who lives in a first-tier city. One day, he called me and said that the economic situation in his city was poor, and he was thinking of coming to Baoding with his wife to start a beauty business. He asked me if this was a feasible idea. I don't know much about other industries, but I do know a thing or two about the beauty industry. I advised him that the beauty business in Baoding is basically saturated and the consumption here isn't high. Without an eye-catching or unique feature, it would be best not to come to Baoding for this. However, my friend seemed to think my advice wasn't worth much and still decided to bring his family to Baoding and start this business. It's been almost three years now, and his business can only be described as struggling; "empty as a deserted shop" would not be an exaggeration.
Over the years, I've often encountered similar friends who, after sharing their difficulties and future plans, ask for my advice. Whenever it comes to this stage, I always give my advice sincerely, but without exception, they ignore it and go ahead with what they have already decided to do. Gradually, I've grown weary of these so-called "advice-seekers." If you're not going to listen to my advice, why waste my time and energy?
As time has passed, it's become clear that as an objective observer, my judgment is often sharp. The things I don't believe in often end up falling apart.
There are very few people in this world who are genuinely willing to listen to others' advice! Society is too restless; almost everyone dreams of quickly escaping their troubles and becoming wealthy overnight. But the number of people with keen insight is extremely rare, which is why we see so many cases where the harder people struggle, the deeper they get stuck in the mire. It's easy to say "play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses," but in reality, many people end up making foolish decisions based on their weaknesses. When you're young, you have plenty of time to make mistakes and accumulate life experience, but as you get older, it's crucial to clearly understand what you can and can't do. If you don't reflect on your past setbacks and continue to act recklessly, the consequences will be much harsher than they would have been when you were younger.
Now, I am increasingly unwilling to involve myself in others' causes or offer any well-intentioned advice. It's already hard enough to manage oneself, so giving advice to others feels unnecessary, and it can even make people dislike you. In the past, I suffered from the loneliness of the mind, but now I've come to realize that solitude is, in fact, a form of self-reflection and enjoyment. There's no need for a person to constantly live among crowds. Where there are many people, there are many conflicts, and keeping a certain distance from others can avoid many troubles.
The information we receive every day is nothing more than the mundane things of the world: either the rich are showing off their wealth, or the less wealthy are complaining about life's trivialities. It's always the same--love, hatred, and emotional conflicts, life and death, or the daily matters of family life.
How boring!
As someone who values spiritual enjoyment, I sometimes wish I could step out of the roles of the world, stand outside the mundane, and reach a state where I could look down on the many troubles of the world, with my mind and body untouched by the dust. But this is only a fantasy. Those who truly manage to escape from the mundane are sages, not someone like me, still clinging to the world's superficial attractions.