The 21st century is full of worries
Relieving collective anxiety caused by global competition
My heart is so difficult to handle!
In the 21st century, everyone seems to have something on their mind.
If the city is deep, all the thoughts are buried in the heart; if the chest is shallow, it can't be hidden all over the face.
It’s no wonder that the most difficult thing to deal with in a person’s body is the heart, isn’t it? Difficult and difficult to deal with. Even the Bible, an ancient book that is supposed to convey God's words, mentions "my heart" in about ninety-three places. And most of them are sighing, exhaling: "My heart!" It seems that they are sighing and hoping for their own heart.
Moreover, when "my heart" is mentioned in many places, it seems to be in a passive state, such as why my heart is disturbed1, why my heart is happy2, and what suppresses my heart3 and is broken. My heart 4, what cleans my heart 5 and so on. It seems that the heart is a sensory organ that can only be stimulated by the outside world and then passively present feelings. There are only a few places that remind us that our hearts must long for God,6 that we must take refuge in God7, that we must tend to God’s laws and regulations8, that we must wait on God,9 and so on.
Therefore, we can roughly summarize that people's minds often follow the environment and are deeply affected by external events. Most people do not have the initiative to control their own minds and will react involuntarily to what happens. When the world is full of disasters, the mind becomes turbulent; when the economy is in recession, the mind becomes anxious. Because of this, we often feel why our hearts are so weak and powerless?
But people's hearts are complicated. Love is in the heart, and deceit is also in the heart. Likewise, although the mind has a weak side, it also has a rebellious side. Sometimes they are even arrogant, thinking that they are omnipotent and arrogant, and that man can conquer nature.
Such a mentality is quite dangerous. Because when people are arrogant to a point, they feel that they can no longer be restricted and no longer follow ordinary rules.People have become able to foul and create their own rules. If we put it into our current culture and understand it, we will find that many things that were originally called temptations or temptations in the past have now become a way of life that is allowed and envied by everyone.
For example, the Confucian scholar Mencius said, "Wealth and honor cannot be sexual, poverty and lowliness cannot be moved, and power cannot be surrendered." This expresses a kind of integrity of a man. What now? All have been rewritten. If you are rich, you must be promiscuous. If you have money and can take care of a second wife or a third wife, you will appear to be capable. Of course, poverty and low status must be transferred. People cannot live in a cowardly manner and be looked down upon. Might can also be surrendered, and those who know the current affairs are heroes! As for integrity? Dare I ask, brother, how much is a pound of integrity worth?
In the past, we should be careful to stay away from temptations in the ancestors' religion. Now it has been made into a motto, carved into a trophy, and become the object of everyone's pursuit.
It's obvious that people's hearts have changed. People are unwilling to live within restrictive norms and want to get out of the norms and break through.The highest goal of advancement is to be a "superior person", and ambition turns into ambition in the end. But is this a modern phenomenon? When Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, wasn't it because they were restless and unwilling to live under restrictions and challenged taboos? Isn’t it just because he wants to be a god that he has an unsatisfied ambition?
It just seems to be getting more and more intense. With the fierce arrogance of individualism in modern times, the whole world, regardless of East or West, is affected by the concept of "competition." Too much ambition, too much competitiveness, and wanting to do what God does not only become obstacles to spiritual pursuits, but also affect how we view the world and people.
Competition becomes the orientation of global culture
The dominant goal of our current culture is to compete with each other and pursue success. Not only that, but influenced by Western individualism, we also seek success from a personal standpoint. So the pursuit of individual competition has global implications.
There is a recent best-selling book called "The World Is Flat" with the subtitle "Grasp this trend to be competitive in the 21st century." Pay attention to the three words "competitiveness", which are the most popular words in modern times.
Thomas L. Friedman, author of the book "The World is Flat", is known as the "Trend Master." He said that in the past, Columbus wanted to sail from the west to India, based on the theory and assumption that "the earth is round". But now, he discovered that after the Internet, the world has been flattened. He said that many jobs in the Western world have already been outsourced to India, not just various software, but even accounting. As long as there is a platform and clearly defined rules, everyone can use broadband and video to use Indian brainpower.
By analogy,As long as there is broadband and ambition, no matter where you are in the world, you will not be marginalized. Because the basis of competition has become equal, and small shrimps and big whales can sit on equal footing. Thanks to technology, even if you open a studio at home, you can compete with big companies for business.So he put forward a subversive theory: "The world is flat."
The author also mentioned an interesting phenomenon. When he was a child, he often heard his parents say: "Son, please finish your meal, because children in China and India have no food to eat." Now he says to his children: "Daughter, please finish your reading because China and India The kids are waiting to take your job."
This book has therefore become a book highly recommended by Bill Gates. He said that this is a must-read book for all decision-makers and corporate employees. Unlike Thomas Freeman who was a master of trends, Bill Gates is a master of creating trends. He recommended trend masters and said, "A smooth world is also a world of unlimited business opportunities." This statement naturally promoted the cultural orientation of the world. Invisibly, this also affects the way we see the world and life.
Affects personal sense of value and meaning of existence
How? Competition is no longer limited to professional workplaces. Modern people use competition to measure everything, including personal sense of value and meaning of survival.
There is a book called "Why are you here in this life?" "The Highest Goal: The Secret that Sustains You in Every Moment" by Michael Ray. From the title of the book, one might think that this is a spiritual book that talks about metaphysics and the meaning of life. But the author is a professor at the Stanford Graduate School of Business Administration, and the meaning of life provided in the book is a personal business idea. soWhy are you here in this life? We're all here for business ideas.
Another book is called "Remember Who You Are?" "Remember Who You Are: Life Stories that Inspire the Heart and Mind" by Daisy Wademan. Looking at the title of the book, you should also think that it is an inspirational book that talks about personal values, how to encourage people to realize their potential, and inspire people to make progress. But the author is a professor of business administration at Harvard. What the book provides are management maxims, correct concepts and specific advice for various leadership situations.
The most incredible thing is to rewrite fairy tales that are full of imagination about life and inspired by human nature, such as "The Match Girl", into: "Why Can't the Little Girl's Matches Be Sold?" "Goldilocks on Management" by Gloria Gilbert Mayer & Thomas Mayer.
The book explains that improper business planning will lead to business failure. The story of the Three Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf turns into the story of the first little pig building his house because the materials used were too cheap and it blew down. The second little pig built illegally and therefore it was not strong. Only the third little pig, who had taken asset management classes, was able to build a brick house that was durable and could not be blown down.
It can be seenModern life philosophy and values are basically explained by "competitiveness". Personal value is evaluated by market value. Regardless of whether a person sells technology or personality, his market value becomes his self-evaluation and self-confidence.So will the confidence of someone with an annual salary of $130,000 be different from that of someone with an annual salary of $30,000? What do others think of them? With an annual salary of 130,000 yuan compared to an annual salary of 30,000 yuan, will it look more impressive?
However, the Christian faith emphasizes that human value is not based on how much you earn, but on the characteristics of the person God created you. On the other hand, when a person is sick, old, and no longer productive, his value as a person cannot be discounted at all, and he still has important survival significance.
Looking around, how many people are living in the shadow of competition that threatens their self-worth?
Use wealth as a criterion for success
In a cultural orientation driven by competition and pursuit, what is success? How to define?
"Success" simply means making money again after making money. "Success" means being richer than your friends. The Christian faith teaches: “Love your neighbor,” but the culture says: “Be richer than your neighbor!”
Because being rich means being privileged, successful, and promising. But what does it mean to be rich? A survey study "Why do they work so hard?" showed: "Businessmen and workers seem to be desperately trying to make money at a rate that keeps up with the growth of subjective money needs."
Notice that the word "subjective money needs" is used here, which means that wealth is no longer for maintaining livelihood and increasing enjoyment, but also has many subjective added values. Just because it is a subjective need, people will never feel that it is not enough, and their desires will never be satisfied. The Bible says that where our treasure is, there will be our heart.
So, where are the hearts of most people today? Being led by advertising and fashion, the blind pursuit will come to no end.
Competition creates anxiety and restlessness
As a result, we find more and more people working for a few capitalists who own large amounts of property. As a result, many things are beyond our control, and natural and man-made disasters continue, leading to a general lack of security in the culture.British economist RH Tawney said: "Security is the most fundamental need. The biggest sin of Western civilization is that the public does not have a sense of security."
So the middle class and the lower middle class all experience anxiety, what should we do? Many people work hard to accumulate personal property, save hard, invest in real estate, and double down on retirement annuities.The entire society strives to compete in order to eliminate anxiety and gain a sense of security.
On the other hand, everyone's sense of security is measured by competitiveness. If you are competitive, you will feel safe; if you are not competitive, you will not feel safe.
But the competition is endless. There is a saying that goes well: "Comparing people with each other will make people angry." There is another saying, "In China, even if you are number one among millions of people, there are still 1,300 people with the same level as you. "There is always someone better than you!" As a result, a fashionable disease emerged after the 20th century, gastric ulcer.
And we can see that this anxiety starts in children. How many children in Taiwan are living in nightmares or committing suicide because they are afraid of not being able to go to college? In mainland China, there have recently been cases where parents commit suicide because they cannot afford the tuition even if their children are admitted to college. Children must not lose at the starting point, and helping their children compete has become an anxiety for many parents. Children themselves experience anxiety and stress. Anxiety is prevalent throughout the culture and I believe many people suffer from it.
Competition destroys community relationships
If you think about it more carefully, competition is definitely not an act of unity and gregariousness. To get ahead, someone must step on others' heads and climb up. The concepts of individual achievement and community are essentially antithetical. Because the failure of others is my success.
Moreover, the pursuit of individualism is a kind of destruction to the management of social relations. Successful people also often have a trait, determination. When he locks in on his target, everyone has to give way. Just like driving a car, running rampant and disowning all relatives, he can succeed. But marriages, parent-child relationships, and all related relationships also break down.
We can also say that when a person pursues success at any cost, the breakdown of interpersonal relationships is actually the price he can least afford. Many families break up because of the pursuit of work and wealth. The connection between the two is simple and antagonistic.
Calm and stable "my heart"
So, what does all this tell us? The poet said in the poem:"O Lord, my heart is not haughty, nor my eyes high; I dare not do great things and unsearchable things. My heart is steady and quiet." (Psalm 131:1-2)At this time, it felt even more meaningful.
People can make progress, but they should not be arrogant, set their sights too high, or pursue things that are too big or too high. People cannot be dissatisfied with their duties as humans and want to be gods. When a person is arrogant, he wants to control everything and is not restricted by relationships; he can use power, but he does not know how to love others. Just like Faust in the West, he sold his soul in pursuit of transcendence.
We must not forget our creation as humans and our limitations as humans. We cannot control our own lives, be our own masters, constantly grasp what we can, and worry about what we cannot grasp. But it all starts with guarding our hearts. As Proverbs 4:23 says:"You have to guard your heart above all else, because it is from the heart that the results of your life come."Think about it, the effects of life are not produced by the brain, as long as you are smart and can read; nor are they produced by the hands, the hands that know how to work are omnipotent. But start from the heart. It is the heart that guides the direction of our lives.
Therefore, people can be ambitious and ambitious, but thisAmbition must be led by the Holy Spirit, live in the order created by God, love God and love others, so that the world will not be chaotic and our hearts will be stable and quiet.
Therefore, it can also be said that everyone's concern in the 21st century is just to have a "stable and quiet" heart. The years are long, and busy people are self-promoting; the world is broad, and humble people are narrow. I hope that the only thing that can stir up ripples in our hearts is the dove where the Holy Spirit descends gracefully. As long as the heart has no material desires, the world will be like a clear sea and an autumn sky.
Author profile
Chen Huiwan, the pen name is Mo Fei. Came to the United States from Taiwan at the age of eighteen. He worked as a computer engineer for Hughes Aircraft Company in California for six years, and then specialized in writing. Now lives in Los Angeles. He has written the prose "Accidentally, I Picked Up Paradise" and the novels "Portraits of Six Women", "Remnant Faces", "Love in the Place of Suddenly Looking Back" and other books. He is a standard bookworm and lives in his head. This article is based on her speech.