The greatest source of life's distress often stems from internal greed and an excessive entanglement with external fame, profit, and status. If the heart is filled with greed for wealth, power, and position, such a life will not only fail to bring happiness but will also be fraught with hardship. Ordinary people find themselves trapped in the vortex of fame and profit, unable to control their own destinies, precisely because they are bound by these external pursuits.
As the saying goes, “empty fame burdens people.” While empty fame may provide momentary psychological satisfaction, it holds no inherent value or meaning. The struggle for such fame is a major cause of conflict and contradiction in the world, and a root of much life’s sorrow and worry. To bear this valueless empty fame, people often engage in hidden scheming and open conflicts, leading to broken friendships and even fratricide. What benefit is there in the burden of empty fame?
Time, once gone, never returns. Looking at great achievers throughout history, none have not cherished time as precious as gold. As the ancients said, “An inch of time is worth an inch of gold; an inch of gold cannot buy an inch of time.” Yesterday is not much different from today, and today is no different from tomorrow. The seasons cycle endlessly. Yet, we grow tall and then gradually shorten; our hair turns from black to white. Only then do we suddenly realize that we have not learned what we should have, mastered what we should have, or done what we should have, and the time that has passed can never be retrieved. What meaning does such a life hold?
For an individual to go from stumbling to standing out as a talent is not an overnight achievement; it involves overcoming numerous unknown difficulties. If you wish to be unique and become a person of great capability, you must possess the ability to persist longer than others.
