Wise individuals often view problems from more perspectives than the average person.
Life is often like this: we suddenly realize that we have overlooked something deeply familiar. A friend of mine once remarked that he hadn't tasted vinegar in a long time. He immediately bought a bottle of Shanxi aged vinegar from a local shop, sat by the street, and drank it until tears streamed down his face. In reality, many things, once initially very familiar, become strangers when we gradually drift apart from them.
Those who compare themselves vertically (over time) tend to find satisfaction, while those who compare themselves horizontally (with others) tend to feel a sense of loss. The satisfied may stagnate, while the dissatisfied may choose to rise and strive. If you find your ordinary job unhappy, the taste of unemployment will make you even more miserable; if you find your peaceful life unsatisfying, days of illness will make you even more pained. One less fraction of worry means one more fraction of happiness; forgetting worries allows for constant joy.
A certain degree of dreaming, much like a moderate dose of a sedative, is beneficial. It allows the spirit, which may be feverish or even burning hot from work, to find rest. It generates a soft and cool spiritual atmosphere that helps refine rough mental images, fill in gaps and cracks, connect paragraphs, and smooth the sharp edges of imagination. However, excessive dreaming can lead one to sink beneath the waves.
Tea, because it only possesses a brief spring, strives to extend the story of spring within the narrow confines of a cup. Humans, because we have too many springs, repeatedly repeat the history of winter in the vast world.
Love is like a potent remedy that rescues us from a monotonous life devoid of imagination. It prevents our imagination from becoming impoverished and allows our overly rational lives to regain a romantic luster. Love grants us freedom, leading us into the sacred world of imagination, expanding our souls, and revealing the desires and needs originally obscured by mundane existence.
