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The Art of Living Well: Be Yourself and Don’t Compromise Your Freedom According to Montaigne
Montaigne advocates living an ordinary life well. Of course, an ordinary life is not a careless life. It is not easy to truly live a good life. How to live an ordinary life well can be said to be the center of his life thinking. The content of the following sections of this lecture is roughly centered around this center. To live an ordinary life well, you must first be a good person. Regarding the principles of life, Montaigne did not talk about any big principles. I followed his style and summarized his meaning in the simplest language. There are two main ones: first, be yourself, and second, be a…
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Unveiling the Mirror of Solitude: A Journey Through Introspection and Acceptance
The fragments of solitude clandestinely inhabit every recess of my existence. They possess an eerie and pervasive quality. Enmeshed and torn asunder by the solitude that permeated my entire odyssey like fine particulate matter, yet I remained bereft of understanding on how to locate its locus. These solitary specters pursue me as if phantoms. They reside within my corporeal vessel, draining my essence to sustain themselves, emerging intermittently to disrupt inner tranquility, sowing discord and commotion therein. I find myself most vulnerable to the onslaught of solitude during idle moments, thus I opt for occupation. I might dedicate a morning to laundering garments, allowing each sud to occupy every moment.…
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The Importance of Inner Simplicity and Clarity in a World of Distraction
Strangely enough, people are easily influenced by their environment . We need a friendly tension, a warm, caring feeling. Only in this environment can we grow freely. However, few people have this kind of environment, and most people will encounter various obstacles in the process of growing up, both physically and mentally. I am amazed that you are not corrupted, not distorted in that environment. I know why: on the outside, you adjusted yourself as quickly as you could; on the inside, you chose to let yourself sleep. It is this inner disregard that saves you. If you are overly sensitive and at the same time allow your inner self…
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The Art of Loneliness: A Visit with an Old Man Who Loves to Be Alone
What kind of experience should a person like to live alone? Is it a strong heart, or a cowardly heart? In the countryside, I saw an old man, his name was Yongli, my name was Rongli, and I suddenly felt an indescribable intimacy. He is a man who likes to be alone. I liked it when I was in my twenties, and now I am eighty-five years old. I am a person who likes excitement, and I have never left the excitement in my life. I have liked lively groups, manic birdsong, angry waves, and violent winds. The old man likes to be alone, like everything about being alone. In…
