An old man said to his child, "Clench your fist and tell me how it feels." The child clenched it and said, "It's a bit tiring." The old man urged, "Try applying more force!" The child replied, "It's even more tiring, and I feel like I can't breathe!" "Then let it go," said the old man. The child exhaled deeply and said, "I feel so much lighter!" The old man remarked, "When you feel tired, The tighter you clench, the more exhausted you become. Only by letting go can you find relief." Sometimes, letting go is the only way to find peace.
A man went to buy a car costing 100,000 yuan, but he only had 99,998 yuan—just 2 yuan short. He noticed a beggar at the entrance and asked, "Please, give me 2 yuan, I need to buy a car!" The beggar generously handed him 4 yuan and said, "Help me buy one too." This teaches us that if you have completed the vast majority of a task, others can easily help you succeed; conversely, if you do nothing, even the gods cannot save you.
A master asked his disciple, "If you are boiling water and realize halfway through that you do not have enough firewood, what should you do?" Some disciples suggested searching for more, borrowing, or buying. The master replied, "Why not pour out some of the water in the pot?" Life does not always go as planned; sometimes you must learn to let go of something to gain something else.
In 1984, a man from Beijing sold his courtyard house in Gulou Street to fund his dream of going abroad, gathering 300,000 yuan to work in Italy. Through hard work and frugality, he finally saved 1 million euros (about 7.45 million yuan) after thirty years and planned to return home for retirement. However, upon returning to Beijing, he discovered that the courtyard he sold was now listed for 80 million yuan, leaving him devastated. Perhaps much of life is spent in a rush; sometimes, choices are indeed more important than effort.
In department store perfumes, 95% is water, and only the remaining 5% is the secret formula. Humans are similar; while most traits are common, that crucial 5%—including one's character, unique traits, joys, and sorrows—is what truly matters. Just as essences require years of refining to be added to perfume, humans must undergo growth and trials to develop their own unique essence.
