"The Tortoise and the Hare", from an edition of Aesop's Fables illustrated by Arthur Rackham, 1912
The Different Cognition of the Tortoise and the Hare Due to Speed#
When I was young, I heard about the race between the tortoise and the hare, and I thought that the tortoise beating the hare was just a coincidence, somewhat far-fetched. Fast is fast. However, the fastness of the hare and the slowness of the tortoise solidified their respective cognition of the world. Fast is normal for the hare, but slow is unusual for the tortoise. This kind of cognition leads to different perceptions of what matters in the world, and the difference in their concepts is certain.
What Can a Person Be Consistent with?#
I often ask myself, what is most important to me? What can I be consistent with? What do I still aspire to before I die? This is similar to the famous quote from "How Steel Was Tempered," but also different.
A person should live their life in such a way that when they look back on the past, they have no regrets about wasting time or feeling ashamed of being base and vulgar. In this way, when they are on the verge of death, they can say, "I have dedicated my entire life and all my energy to the most magnificent cause in the world - the struggle for the liberation of humanity."
Wasting time is natural, and being base and vulgar is normal. As for the struggle for the liberation of humanity, it is beyond the scope of the individual. Words like "sublime" and "great" fill people with passion and immerse them in it, but they cannot extricate themselves. After awakening from the "political black forest," looking back, I feel a chill.
The Direction of the Tortoise#
Someone once complained that what they liked was often unattainable. But liking doesn't have to lead to attainment. Just like the tortoise, if its goal is a thousand miles away, it will persevere day and night, regardless of whether it reaches the goal or not. If you ask what this is, perhaps it is the "right way."
Marxism, as the current dominant ideology, has a tremendous influence on us. Objectively, it is not enough to transcend Marxism; in terms of values, it is based on "sublimity" and "greatness," but it does not go far. The foundation of human existence lies in the individual, and the foundation of value also lies in the individual.
Although the race between the tortoise and the hare is not important, the hare can definitely outrun the tortoise, but the hare lacks direction, a consistent belief, and its own right path. Because there are countless paths, the hare can never catch up with the tortoise.
The Methodology of the Tortoise#
I used to look up words in the dictionary, and this is the first time I have accepted the Matthew effect.
For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.
Some say that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. This is just one manifestation of the Matthew effect. Strength and weakness can be in terms of money, fame, power, skills, etc.
These things can be accumulated and preserved, and they have a domino effect. For example, a technology tree, an industrial chain, or even cooking.
Reflecting on myself, it is true. The things I used to look down upon have left me, while the things I pursue have come to me one after another.
The race between the tortoise and the hare is the same. It's not that the hare can't run fast, but the tortoise is too passionate about the distance. And coincidentally, the goal pursued by the tortoise can be broken down into steps. However, if the tortoise's goal is to be the champion of a sprint, it will have to be reincarnated in the next life.
Therefore, love + a goal that can be broken down = distance
The Helplessness of the Tortoise#
Fantasy and reason are eternal contradictions. The longer the fantasy, the less reason there is. The shorter the fantasy, the more reason there is. People like long-lasting fantasies, but they are always awakened by the logic of reality.
A shortcut to the path of fantasy is to replace logic with experience, to replace logic with long-lasting experience. Or, to think slowly over a long period of time, gradually accumulating into a long fantasy. Otherwise, it's like being awakened from a dream by illness, feeling dry-mouthed and lost. Accumulating over time, it all comes back to the race between the tortoise and the hare, the instantaneous speed is beyond human reach, and can only be exchanged for space with time.
The Rarity of the Tortoise#
Learning without thinking leads to confusion, thinking without learning leads to danger. Learning is greater than thinking, and when learning, thinking naturally follows, but when thinking, learning does not naturally follow. Thinking that accompanies learning and thinking specifically are fundamentally different - thinking specifically is more active and can stimulate systematic learning of certain knowledge.
The situation of thinking and learning varies from person to person. The problem I face is that thinking is greater than learning, which often proves harmful. So why not learn? People are constantly exposed to information and learning is ongoing, but due to the solidification of thinking, the field of learning becomes narrow. Therefore, there is less learning, not less intake of information, but less intake of certain information.
But all of this is somewhat far-fetched because excessive passive thinking brings more meaning. Even a twisted melon will eventually become sweet.
After much thought, I still have to ask myself, do I really want to learn a certain knowledge? Strong desire is the driving force behind all thinking. This brings us back to the race between the tortoise and the hare, back to the consistent belief of a person, although I am not trying to solve problems from the heart. Learn if you want to learn, don't learn if you don't want to learn. Just like what Jiang Wen said, think for yourself first, see how others think, and then think for yourself.
Stability in Change#
This article originated from my long contemplation of the race between the tortoise and the hare. In the end, it all comes back to the human heart. What do you really want? If you know what you want, then the path is under your feet, even if you can't reach it, you will always be a happy tortoise. Life is often unsatisfactory, but having a destination is something to be happy about. Regardless of how the world changes, how politics is full of twists and turns, determination and contentment will bring stability to everything.
Many things are not about how to reach them, but about whether reaching them is necessary. Because they are not essential. And the things we have been doing, seemingly ordinary, but we cannot let go of them, they constitute the meaning of our lives.
From an external perspective, the tortoise is just crawling forward, but it is crawling in a certain direction.
The Limited Tortoise#
Of course, there is another kind of tortoise, from a short story I once read. A person sitting on the back of a tortoise, holding a fishing rod with bait that keeps attracting the tortoise to move forward without stopping.
Although I boast that the tortoise has a definite direction, there is also another definite direction. I believe that humans can be greatly transformed. The greatest characteristic of human nature is that it can be manipulated by fame and fortune. This is the greatest use of the social contract theory.
On any platform, there is always a voice telling you what is good, what is useful, what is right, what concerns your future and destiny... as if if I don't follow the path they give, I will fall into hell.
"If I don't go to hell, who will?"
What can be determined now is survival. As long as we are alive, we must eat and drink. And it is like a monk striking a bell every day, eating and drinking. It is to fulfill the social contract, the only contract between us and the world.
Good and evil are the same. Urging people to do good or evil, what is the reason? Perhaps it is the instinct of the group.
In fact, people are like trees. The more they yearn for the sunlight above, the more their roots extend into the dark underground.
Denying good and evil, denying various values, is not denying the values themselves, but putting the power of choice back in our own hands. Even if there is no free will, we should carefully analyze the interests of various variables. So the key to the problem is, there is a group of people who use their own will to transform the group, rather than the difference in the path itself.
Is There a Life Meaning Like the Tortoise?#
Is there a goal that humans must achieve? Like that tortoise? Apart from basic needs, there seems to be no necessary goal to achieve.
Generally, the goals that must be achieved occur within the group. For example, one must work for society, one must abide by the law.
Humans are the sum of all social relationships. It seems that meaning can only be derived from the group. Rather than saying that the group gives meaning, it is more accurate to say that material life gives meaning. The group is indeed where goals are generated, but goals are not limited to the group.
However, in general, our meaning is given by the group. If this kind of meaning is worth being consistent with, then life becomes meaningful. If it does not rely on the group, how can we find meaning?
It's the same question again, if no one is watching, will I still talk to myself? I will still talk to myself, but it will be more casual, and writing is optional. The meaning given by the group has coercive power, while the meaning given by oneself, just like having legislative and judicial powers, being one's own judge, is absolutely arbitrary.
If meaning can be self-imposed, then we cannot see any light from a black hole; if meaning cannot be self-imposed, this is normal.
Since all meaning is given by the group, why must we follow it? Even if we follow, why be so attached to specific things? Therefore, although the meaning given by the group is real and coercive, it still lacks something. This something is an internal attachment based on objective circumstances that individuals find difficult to change.
Therefore, we still need to explore meaning from within, but not by asking our consciousness, not by asking the consciousness reading this information, but by something more real and stable, an internal attachment.
I am satisfied with this answer. Even if the goal I give myself requires a drastic change, I will still make that change. Abandoning all rules is not to abandon, but to find the true rules. This process is not mysticism; it is a way of survival that suits oneself.
Collective Meaning and Individual Meaning#
I once heard a plumber say that the water pipes in his own home were not repaired for a long time, nor were any lines laid. He works diligently for others, but becomes lazy when it comes to his own work. The group gives meaning.
Another kind is fishing alone, playing single-player games alone, writing alone, enjoying the scenery alone, a Robinson Crusoe-like way of survival. The value they create for themselves is higher than the value given by the group.
Jin Yong once said:
Novels are written for people to read. The content of novels is people. In long novels, it seems that only "Robinson Crusoe" writes about one person, writing about his relationship with nature, but in the end, a servant named "Friday" appears.
Indeed, humans are intelligent beings. What could be more interesting than being with people? But this intelligent existence does not add happiness. Being in a crowd makes one feel more lonely. What people show is not equality and communication, but command and obedience. It is not people who drive people away, but non-human things that drive people away.
There is no need to worship a solitary life, but the things done alone reflect the true value that individuals have found. This value is rooted in the self, is sufficiently vital, and is solid.
The goals guided by the group cannot be said to be bad, but once the group changes, people are at a loss and all meaning collapses. In order to find true value, we must blindfold ourselves and see if we can still see the stars. Just like when we first ride a bicycle, the moment we let go of balance, we gain the ability to ride a bicycle; when a laser ignites nuclear fusion fuel, the fusion reaction can operate independently.