The Shepherd Boy in the City

A long time ago, I heard this story. A journalist interviewed a shepherd boy:

"What are you doing?"

"Herding sheep."

"Why herd sheep?"

"To make money!"

"Why make money?"

"To build a house!"

"Why build a house?"

"To get married!"

"Why get married?"

"To have kids!"

"And what will the kids do?"

"Herd sheep!"

This story supposedly reflects the intellectual ignorance of people in poor, backward areas, trapping them generation after generation in a cycle of poverty.

A few days ago, I chatted with some former classmates on WeChat and discovered something alarming. We're all just over thirty, theoretically just beginning our journey in society. But some people already show signs of premature aging — especially those in government jobs and large state-owned enterprises. Their mindset is: "My life is basically set. I'll focus all my energy on the next generation. Save and scrimp to give them education, study abroad, find a job." It sent chills down my spine. This story can be adapted into an urban version:

"What are you doing?"

"Working."

"Why work?"

"To make money!"

"Why make money?"

"To buy a house!"

"Why buy a house?"

"To get married!"

"Why get married?"

"To have kids!"

"And what will the kids do?"

"Get educated, study abroad!"

"Study abroad for what?"

"To find a good job!"

"And having a good job for what?"

"To work!"

A few thoughts:

First, can you escape this cycle? Thirty years ago, your parents surely had the same hopes for you — that you'd go to university, study abroad, find a good job, find a good partner, and achieve great things. They certainly didn't expect that less than ten years into your career, you'd already give up on yourself and transfer your hopes to the next generation. Even urbanites struggle to break this cycle. So whether you're in China's most remote, impoverished village or its most developed metropolis, the tragedy is the same — because the mindset is no different.

Second, looking at it from another angle — what's so bad about this? Like the Foolish Old Man who removed the mountains, generation after generation. It's a spiral upward. Perhaps everyone has their own choice. A stable job, a stable life — you won't get rich but you won't starve. It seems unambitious, like premature aging. But in China's current ideology, what's most undervalued is family harmony and the peace of a quiet life. That has everything to do with the single-minded value system and the pyramid-shaped social structure. Perhaps this truly IS seeing through it all, breaking out of the cycle.

For me, I don't believe I'm定型 at thirty, that my life is set. What I fear most is a future I can see through at a glance. If I could predict today what I'll be like at forty, fifty, sixty — that would terrify me. Experience more things, go through more experiences. Live three or five lifetimes' worth of experiences in one lifetime — that's the life I want. The best is yet to come.

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