Dostoevsky once observed that when dealing with sublime souls, villains can often escape with ease. This is because such souls are easily deceived; once they realize the deception, they limit themselves to noble disdain rather than resorting to punishment.
In my dictionary, there is no such word as "end of the century." Chronology and calendars are merely calculation tools created by humans; I see no particular significance in one number over another. Therefore, I have no special thoughts regarding the so-called "end of the century" that people speak of so enthusiastically.
It is often said that love causes one to lose oneself. However, the opposite can also be true: love helps one discover oneself. In the presence of a lover, who does not suddenly discover with joy that they possess so many neglected good qualities? One desires to offer their best to their lover and thus goes searching, eventually finding what they seek. The desire to give leads to discovery. Without this desire to give, one might never discover these traits in a lifetime.
If sincerity is inherent in a person, being a mode of behavior stemming from their nature, they will rarely be moved by their own sincerity. From this, I have derived a reliable standard for judging sincerity: observe whether a person is moved by their own sincerity. If they are moved, it inevitably contains elements of acting and pretense.
If you desire something too intensely, you will perceive it as very large, perhaps even as the entire world, occupying all your thoughts. This happens when a person is single-mindedly pursuing profit or building a career. My advice is that, regardless of whether you achieve your wish, you should promptly step back and honestly see its true position in the whole world, that is, its insignificance in infinite space and time. This way, if you obtain it, you will not be intoxicated; if you do not, you will not be devastated.
When material, social, and worldly troubles are too many, people have no leisure for existential, philosophical, or religious anguish. When the trivial constraints of daily life are too numerous, people find it difficult to sense the great limitations of life. I do not know whether this is a blessing to be grateful for or a tragedy to be lamented.
