People from all corners of the world can be like brothers. Humans should inherently trust, support, and encourage one another. However, as times change, the level of trust between people is gradually declining.
In ancient times: Wearing dogwood leaves, one is still missing. Today: One becomes red by being near cinnabar, and black by being near ink.
If you rise to prominence, you will not lack "friends." Various individuals who flatter you or seek personal gain will swarm around you. Such interactions are not true friendship, and such companions are not true friends. As material living standards improve, have you noticed how few people around you treat you with sincerity, how few interact with you honestly, and how few treat you like a guest? Times change, and people change; superficial acquaintances are common. Old friends today may become rivals tomorrow.
I am not saying that true friends do not exist in the world. If someone lends a helping hand when you are impoverished, you should remember them; if someone guides you when you are at a dead end, you should remember them; if someone advises you to return to the right path when you are astray, you should remember them. These are the friends worth cherishing and connecting with wholeheartedly.
Society is a complex circle. Walking through it alone is like a lone boat traveling on dry land, unable to move an inch. Life presents countless choices and divergences. If you have made a few friends but are unsure if they are worth a deep connection, take half a year to understand them. The fog may be thick, but there is always a dawn. Let time be the ruthless needle that pierces their veil, revealing their true nature. Once you understand their disguises, choose to leave without hesitation. Do not let too many stains mark the blank page of your life, or you will lose yourself.
In the future, you need not fear friends, for you will have the courage and experience to find your true companion.
Emerging from the mud, yet unstained; washed by the clear water, yet not seductive!
May everyone find their perfect companion in this mortal world.
