Comment on Paul

Regarding how characteristics mask one’s histories, I agree. However, I want to go beyond that. Is this a good thing? Do the so-called “professional norms” really help bring good outcomes? On the other hand, is the hidden opportunity cost worth the benefits of unification in the office? What about problems related to fulfillment? I believe the answer to that can be sort of answered through Paul’s story. 

Paul was raised in a poor rural area, which I believe heavily influenced Paul’s view on life. Many people view living in a poor environment as not a good option, no matter what. I only partially agree with that. There is no doubt that we need a good physical environment to have a good life. For example, your mind will not allow you to think about the global situation if you cannot have a piece of bread a day. However, once these basic environmental need is fulfilled, further economic environment should be carefully considered. Many religions, like Buddhism and Christianity, all recommend sacrificing your material wealth to gain some sort of spiritual wealth, and I think similar ideas can also be adapted to today’s world. The higher you start, the more you will want. Like the poem “Had I not seen the Sun,” by Emily Dickinson, the less you have experienced, the more you will want less. It’s always good to start low and climb high rather than start high, and that is because the higher you go, the less you will be.  Imagine the natives on a random island floating around the Pacific. The more they go to the outer ocean, the greater the risk and danger. However, if the people start from the inner ocean, then they will be able to gain enough sailing experience to go even further. The further and higher you are, the fewer people and comrades you are going to have with you. After that, just switch the ocean to a navigation through spirituality. The more suffering you have tasted, the more you will know about the importance of wellness. As a result, Paul claimed that he had a joyful early childhood filled with games, nature, and friends. 

His carefree life soon ended after the heavy fine that came from China’s One-Child Policy. His father had told him that success had to come from his efforts. That is when he became serious about school, expecting to lift his family from poverty. The motivation behind it was simple: the fear of regret and the burden of responsibility. To me, this is like following God not because of the mercy and love his believers have claimed, but because of the fear of death and hell. Is it bad? Not absolutely. After all, this did motivate him to work hard in the end. However, is it mentally healthy? Not. One “ad hominem” can lead to the negative mood of a person for a day, not to mention the level of fear Paul experiences every day he wakes up, the pressure of failing, and the possible result of not doing so. 

Driven by responsibility, Paul excelled in middle school, which led him to a boarding high school. Back then, in Eastern Asia countries, the only path for rural children to succeed was education due to the knowledge economy, which was widely prevalent in that area at that time. As a result, Paul’s family earned the respect of neighbors due to his academic achievements. As Paul mentioned in the article, Paul’s father missed a major job opportunity due to a lack of education. Paul encouraged himself not to repeat the same mistake. Along with that, Paul’s parent supported Paul’s education regardless of the economic situation. Paul acknowledged the flaws but praised the fairness of the Gaokao. My thoughts on the Gaokao were mentioned before, so I will not spend extra words here.

After moving to the United States, Paul became a Google software engineer. He fulfilled his goal to support his family, but his sacrifice was the time he could’ve spent with his family. This high-paying job brought stress, workload, and the desire for more material success, similar to “starting high” mentioned previously. In the end, Paul claimed that he became greedy, wondering if he would’ve wanted less if he’d never seen more. This matches my opinion before. However, I would also like to remind the special dignity that only belongs to us, at least based on what we know for now: Free Will. The difference between humans and beasts is the ability to go beyond our instincts. If it were beasts, then it would be driven by the greedy desire regardless of what happened, but humanity can go beyond that. The best evidence is that humans can commit suicide, which obeys the bottom line of any living being’s survival instinct. 

Regarding the philosophical question about ambition and contentment, my opinion is that they are the same. I think there are no tradeoffs to make because they are the same thing. Strong ambition does not come from nowhere. The expected result must be something you want, in other words, known as contentment. The true tradeoffs, in my opinion, are never between ambition and contentment, but different combinations of ambition and contentment.