Serendipity

Traditionally, before the 17th century, the Chinese used the term Yidi (夷狄) to refer to foreigners. In this context, "foreigner" is defined not by race or ethnicity but by culture. Therefore, anyone not living under the Chinese cultural system was considered Yidi. Historically, China was ruled by Mongolians (during the Yuan Dynasty 元朝/ A.D. 1271-1368) and Manchus (during the Qing Dynasty 清朝/ A.D. 1636-1912). Despite their different ethnicities, both groups adopted Chinese traditions and governed according to the Chinese cultural system. Hence, even though the Mongolians and Manchus were ethnically distinct from the Han majority, the Yuan and Qing Dynasties are still recognized as legitimate Chinese dynasties rather than foreign regimes. Regarding the term "Yidi," which refers to foreigners, an approximate English translation might be "barbarian." If you're a Westerner reading this, you might find the ancient Chinese perspective uncomfortably familiar, ...

             When I was a child, I often thought about the fundamental difference between dream and reality—how can I know that dream is not reality and reality is not a dream? Nothing could compare to my excitement when in philosophy 101 I took with Prof. Sarah Paul, I found that Descartes wrote Meditations to find answers to this very same question. Therefore, I declared philosophy major. After four years of studying philosophy, I would like to present an argument for the importance of philosophy not only for individual development but also for society overall.                When asked the question “what is philosophy as a discipline?”, I think there are two ways to think about it.  One way is to think of philosophy as a specific realm of knowledge that is different from other realms of knowledge such as psychological or sociological knowledge. Philosophy has its own scope of specialization, t...

            我一直以来对文学抱有崇敬态度，同时又觉得它是陪伴我成长、与我贴切共存的一个东西。我从小学之前就开始用拼音或错别字记录每天的生活，小学到高中一直保持了写日记的习惯，因为很多想法不便与他人倾诉，记录又是让自己的想象重新回到某种情境和时间段的一种方式。自由的写作是我生活的一种必要，但是逐渐地，我发现了一个很大的问题。这个问题我在小的时候就隐隐地感觉到，它关乎文学本身，但我从来不确定——确切来说是不敢承认。这个问题在林奕含——一位天赋超众但去世的台湾女作家——的访谈中也被提到过，那就是文学或许可以是一种巧言令色。             小学的时候我发现自己擅长用文字引导他人对事物的特定印象，尽管这个印象不一定是真实的，所以这个过程中有欺骗的成分在里面，但他人从来不会知道这是欺骗，因为我的心理刻画总是那么细腻和真实。比如说我写过一篇弹钢琴的作文，里面用修辞手法描绘了我每天练琴的过程，字里行间充满着我对钢琴的热爱和对旋律的陶醉。但是我心里很清楚，我非常厌恶练琴。我从幼儿园的时候就开始学琴，但是我的热度很快消退，而钢琴已经买来摆在家中，我每日必须要经历那难熬的一个小时艰难地认每个音符、重复地练习乏味的旋律。练琴是充满单调和苦涩的，和父母的争执和哭泣时常发生。可是当我看到作文题目说“描述自己的爱好”，我想，写玩电脑游戏有点不太好，那我就写自己的特长吧，于是有了那篇后来被老师在全班念的作文。下课后，同学把我团团围住，带着惊讶和羡慕的眼光说，“你那么喜欢钢琴啊！”，我尴尬地看着他们，想说，“不，那不是真的。”但那又是谎言吗？             好的文字可以欺骗他人，虽然它的意图并非欺骗，只是为了朝好的一个标准发展——比如说如果我写自己玩电脑游戏上瘾，那就是一个坏的方向。其他时候，它的意图是为了给自己塑造一个好的形象——人之常情，人性如此，你又能说它是欺骗吗？在中学的时候，我开始发现一个不好的趋势，那就是我在博客上写文...

I deactivated my Facebook account at the end of April. For a long time, I contemplated leaving Facebook, fully aware of its negative impact on my life and its role as a vortex of attention and time. Despite understanding its algorithms, mechanisms, and the profit-driven motives of companies like Facebook, and even cautioning others about the dangers of constant phone use and obsession with likes, I hesitated to deactivate it. Part of my reluctance stemmed from needing to manage posts on the Socratic Society page, although this consumed only a fraction of my social media time. Reflecting on reasons to keep Facebook, I could justify its use for staying updated on campus events and connecting with friends. However, each time I logged in, my original intentions were quickly overshadowed by notifications and News Feed distractions, leading to excessive, unintentional browsing. The decision to deactivate came from a combination of direct and indirect reasons. A friend's deactivation to a...

MapleStory, a Korean role-playing game launched globally in the 2000s, captivated players with its beautifully and intricately designed world that blends fantastical and realistic elements. In this game, players start at level 1 and progress by exploring various regions of "Mapleworld," hunting monsters to level up. Introduced to the game by my cousin at around 8 or 9, I was immediately struck by its unique appeal. The game's regions ranged from magical, fairytale-like settings to real-world cities like Tokyo and Shanghai. For many young players, especially those from rural areas in China, Mapleworld provided a window to the broader world. In 2018, MapleStory still boasts impressive visuals and music, but it has lost a significant portion of its player base compared to a decade ago. This decline followed a major redesign in 2010, known among players as "the big bang." While intended to make the game more engaging, this overhaul had unintended consequences. One o...

1.   Chan, the boy from a different class, had been 'noticing' me for a year before he first talked to me. Just a week before our very first conversation was when I first realized his existence, when I heard rumor from some snickering classmates who said there was a guy "having an interest" in me. Shortly after the rumor spread, Chan several times led his group of friends to my class to take a look at me from the window, during the intercession between classes. To avoid embarrassment and any chance for conversation, I quickly escaped to the female bathroom upon the bell ringing every single time. One night, after the night-study-session (as my middle school is a boarding school), I was walking out of the classroom alone down the dark hallway, and a male voice suddenly called my name. Startled, I slowly turned my back, a dark shadow ...