This article originated from a fun test, but it may also be a side effect of watching the movie "The Galaxy Tutorial" earlier. In any case, it successfully triggered my thoughts.

What is life? From the moment of birth, we are rushing towards death, unable to start over. The vast majority of people are always searching for some kind of trajectory, as if that is safe, correct, and should be the norm. Who originally designed this trajectory? Or is it that there is no path in this world, and a path is formed when more people walk it?

In primitive society, humans formed a communal life naturally to fend off beast attacks and overcome harsh natural environments. The model of men working outside and women managing the home should have also begun to take shape during that period, right? Later, the rise of matriarchal societies, in a sense, formed a culture that favored women over men, while the emergence of feudal society overturned it. Therefore, the topic we are discussing today is not the formation and development of the "son preference" ideology, but a broader way of life. Or perhaps this topic is too vast and general. I will only share some superficial understandings based on the above thoughts.

We often say to live in the moment, but what does it mean to live in the moment? When we want to strive but can't find a goal, we follow the rhythm of the majority to study, work, marry, and have children. Or is it that life doesn't need a goal at all, as if it is a rebellious existence? Sometimes, being pushed along by life day after day without a goal doesn't feel uncomfortable. Having a goal can even feel painful. Because change forces us to jump out of our comfort zone, breaking established patterns is inherently anti-human and painful.

So what exactly is a goal? My understanding is that a goal is a standard answer. For example, achieving financial freedom within a certain time, reaching an ideal body shape in a certain time, reading a certain number of books each year, or consuming a certain amount of energy at each meal... It seems there are always eyes watching us. We constrain ourselves with the harshest judgments. Although we all know that no criticism is stronger than self-criticism, and no judge is harsher than oneself. Even a light judgment of oneself can lead to lifelong condemnation and punishment, turning into a life sentence.

Is the existence of goals still important? Or, if we escape the secular standard answers, will we fall into self-imposed standard answers, which is even more painful? Or perhaps my understanding of this issue is where I started to go astray? During school, there were daily assignments, weekly diaries, and semester exams. After starting work, there are daily KPIs, weekly summaries, and quarterly performance reports. It seems we are always repeating the same life trajectory. Thus, this has become the standard answer in the eyes of the vast majority. Even later, when resigning to start a business, it still follows this pattern, only the reporting object has changed to oneself.

This article was originally intended to argue against the standard answer, but as I write, I find myself sinking deeper. It’s as if staring into the abyss for too long will lead to being swallowed by it. A sense of relaxation is important; since we cannot change, we should learn to find breathing space in adaptation. But the tension in my heart never eases. Is it the standard answer that binds us, or do we impose unrealistic goals on ourselves in pursuit of the standard answer?

This leads to another topic: why are we sometimes so eager to deny ourselves? If we set aside the trajectory of history, what do we fear most on our personal growth journey? In other words, when we sit down to write our memoirs, what do we worry about the most? We fear mediocrity but feel powerless to change, resulting in even our memories being monotonous.

So, what is the standard answer to life? If we set a lifelong goal at twenty, will we feel anxious and panicked if we haven't achieved it by forty? When we wrote essays about our ideals as children, did we ever think about this question? If I think about it now, I would feel sorry for those who set goals at twenty. It’s like being a house slave with monthly mortgage payments, trapped by a house for decades. But these people are also great; they persist without questioning the results, and the process is inherently beautiful.

The end