Let's talk about the city I live in.
The place I live now is called Wang City, the hometown of the Communist Party of China. In the early years, it was a county near Changsha. Later, it was annexed to Changsha and became a district. Many years ago, Wang City was vast and sparsely populated. It developed by relying on a few military enterprises that moved here. Now, there weren't many places for people to gather. Compared to the vast expanse of land here, the number of people living here could be counted as few.
The city planning was the best. The roads were wide and straight, and there weren't many cars. The city's roads were straight, and they were all in the shape of the word 'tian'. Because there was too much land, the government attracted a lot of investors and built a park on a large scale. They built pleasant paths around the lake, planted all kinds of trees, and built public toilets that were more beautiful than the villas.
In the early years, before I settled here, I went to the lake to see the night view. I saw a neon building across the lake. I thought it was a villa of a rich family, but it turned out to be a public toilet. I mentioned this story in an essay a few years ago. The public toilet was a little old now. Thinking about it, it was one of the reasons I decided to settle here. Half a year ago, my wife and I went to the neighboring lake. This lake was bigger and had just been built. My wife pointed at a beautiful building by the lake and said, "If there's a chance in the future, we can contract it and turn it into a studio or an art gallery …"
Why did it have to be the top? I looked at it carefully. Damn, damn, it's this place again …
If you took a bus from Changsha, the places you passed by were mostly modern and desolate. There were beautifully renovated residential areas. Even though they were huddled together, they still seemed lonely. They were separated by large tracts of fields, orchards, and construction sites. If a relatively lively street suddenly appeared in front of you, it most likely meant that this was where the village used to be. The factories you passed by were mostly famous, and the names on the outer walls of the construction sites were: Zhongjian, Hutchison Whampoa, and so on.
There was also a beautiful commercial district like a small town. Most of the brands in the commercial district were world famous. There were even handbags that cost tens of thousands, and many of them had discounts. There were restaurants and cinemas, but there weren't many customers. My wife and I occasionally went to watch a 3D movie on a big screen. We ate a meal for two in an exquisitely decorated Korean barbecue restaurant that only had a few tables full. In the evening, we walked past the villas that were sold at prices as low as three thousand per square meter but had no occupancy rate. I couldn't help but feel that the world was strange.
This was a city that was growing too fast. In the early years, I often stayed up late. The biggest problem with sleeping during the day was that there would always be all kinds of sounds outside the window. Every day, there would be the sound of firecrackers, the opening of shops, the construction site, and the roofing of buildings. In such a city, facing the straight roads and the clear word 'Tian', one would occasionally feel that the city lacked a human presence. Now, such an atmosphere could only be found on the few old streets in Wang City where the military factory used to be. The streets were relatively narrow and there were aged trees by the side of the road. When school ended, students would rush out of the campus and cars would be restricted. The houses were like Japanese neighborhoods with walls and courtyards. The old walls were covered in vines. When my wife and I first met each other, we would walk the dog here. The leaves of the loquat tree grew out of the courtyard and the stupid dog would run back and forth. There would also be electric motorcycles driving past on the road.
Then one day, the stupid dog ran around on the road and was killed by a car. Unfortunately, I wasn't very familiar with it.
I have much to say about the world, but not about life. The world is too simple, and life is too complicated.
A few years ago, I first fell in love with symphonies, Tchaikovsky's Violin Concerto in D Major. Until then, I couldn't understand the charm of such pure music. But one day, probably after watching the movie Symphonic Life, I suddenly fell in love with this piece. I listened to it over and over again, and then I started listening to other pieces.
In this repeated process, I suddenly realized that the symphony expressed the most complicated emotions. Some people had experienced many things, a lifetime of joy, anger, sorrow, and joy, and even more complicated things beyond joy, anger, sorrow, and joy. It was like when you were old and one day, you recalled the past. Everything in the past was no longer in joy, anger, sorrow, or joy. At that time, you could extract a fragment of your emotions and make it into music. People with similar complex emotions would resonate with it. It was such a complicated thing.
I wasn't sure what the textbook explanation for the meaning of the symphony was, but I thought that all high-level arts and their corresponding emotions might be such a complicated thing. It was difficult to describe it in words. If it was described in words, it would take millions of words to make the reader experience everything, describe the music, the paintings, and extract that bit of inspiration. Perhaps it would be more convenient. Of course, there were also places where words were convenient to express.
Perhaps this kind of complicated thing was the way of life.
Let's talk about some things about the world.
*****
First, let's talk about the pirated posts. This was something that happened a few days ago. It was supposed to be the theme of this birthday essay.
I won't go into detail about the reason why the pirated posts were banned on the live-in son-in-law's Tieba a few years ago.
Around the beginning of April, when I was still visiting my hometown's grave, a young intern reporter named Wu Rongkui suddenly came to me and said that he wanted to understand the whole story of the pirated posts that happened a few years ago. At that time, I was very tired from all kinds of delays outside. I said that I would give him an answer when I got back. Later, he collected some information and sent it to me, asking if it was true. I skimmed through it and confirmed that it was true. Not long after, due to the arrival of the World Copyright Day, the news about the pirated posts on Baidu's Tieba became the headline of the Southern Metropolis Daily.
When the news was published, I was busy with some other things in Changsha. That day, Reporter Wu Rongkui sent me a message. It said that Baidu would correct the pirated posts within twelve hours. I took a look and suddenly didn't know how to reply. Eventually, I replied, "Let's wait and see what happens next. I don't know why, but when it comes to pirated posts, I always feel that it will have a very ironic ending. No matter what, thank you for publishing such a news article."
Later, of course, Baidu didn't correct it. They pretended to correct it and removed the pirated posts and pinned them at the top. I told people that as a writer of essays, it was really an interesting result.
Then, there were people who had pirated posts. They came to my Weibo and either sent me a private message or sent me a screenshot. "I've pirated your book again." It was also a very interesting thing. However, compared to five or three years ago, there were much fewer people like this. They probably didn't expect that they could eliminate the pirated posts within ten years. I didn't even have any expectations. They had been pirating before, and they were still doing it now. How much loss could I suffer? They had sent out ten copies of their pirated posts at once. Did I lose a cent?
However, during those few days, I suddenly wanted to talk to some of the readers from the past few years. I wanted to say something very pretentious.
Five years ago, the issue of Son-in-law's Tieba banning pirated posts was cursed and boycotted by many people. Three years ago, Baidu came out to support the pirated posts. It took the initiative to redirect the links to Son-in-law's Tieba to Son-in-law's DT Tieba. Three years later, they issued an apology and a statement of correction. They didn't correct it, but the trend was slowly getting better. Although it was slow.
Back to five years ago, these people crazily cursed the readers who supported the original version. Jian Suyan, NT, and every other Tieba moderator. They scolded them outside and privately, saying that they had violated their democratic rights. Three years ago, Baidu made a move. The readers in the Tieba forum went to complain. In the end, the outcome wasn't good. Many people were very depressed. Now, three years later, how many people had left this place? In five years, because of a book, because of a small matter, because of a small matter, how many people had lost their passion because of cursing, depression, and even lost their passion?
Every piece of naivety was resisting a countercurrent in the world. In these five years, in the small circle of Son-in-law and the small circle of pirated posts, the trend was slowly getting better. This wasn't because of me. It was because of the words of many people. Although the changes weren't as exciting as those in YY novels, most of the changes in the world were nothing more than a trend. Even so, that day, I suddenly felt that it was a pity for those 'naivety' losses and the appearance of those dejected people.
I really wanted all the dejected people to see such a change.
Five years had passed, and I still didn't see the possibility of piracy disappearing in the near future. What's interesting is that no matter if it was five years ago or five years later, I don't hate piracy at all. I'm definitely on the opposite side of it. I'm definitely advocating for legal copies, but I don't hate it. I've almost never been angered by the existence of piracy. We live in an era where piracy is rampant. A country and society that have benefited greatly from piracy are already used to it. But I can't stand a world where ugly is beautiful and twisted is proud of itself. A few years ago, I saw many such people. Even now, if you go to a Tieba forum called 'Son-in-law DT', you will see such people.
Son-in-law has been writing for five years. Readers left and stayed, and new people appeared frequently. Recently, because of the reports from the southern cities, the book review section was trending again. Some readers came to ask, 'How can the author scold people? How can he scold people? ' Some people who read pirated versions pretended to be ignorant and asked. Let me confirm here. That's right, that's how I scold people.
The story started five years ago. Five years ago, when Son-in-law's Tieba forum started to ban piracy, a large number of shameless people came out to defend their 'rights'. I was a person who liked to debate. Occasionally, when I had time to write, I would participate in debates. I could write hundreds or thousands of words. At that time, a few things happened. One of them was: Someone posted a thread, scolding a friend's family to die. It was probably saying that the friend was not an author, so what right did he have to come out and fight against piracy. I came out and said, 'Now that I'm here, can I ask your family to die?' They took a screenshot — of course, it was just my words — and spread it around, saying that the author was scolding people as proof that they were reading pirated books.
The second thing was, at that time, a reader said that Banana was actually such a person. He didn't give me free books to read, and that he had been wrong about him all along. Then, he said that he had burned all the pirated books he had bought — — he burned my pirated books, of course I would, haha. After that, he took a screenshot and said that Banana did not value his readers.
Recently, I suddenly heard someone expose this matter. It was very interesting. Although I had always heard that the update team was very arrogant, I had never seen them in the Tieba forum. Recently, someone mentioned that the burning of pirated books was deliberately done. They had schemed to snatch Son-in-law, but in the end, they did not succeed.
The third thing was, one day, I was debating with a piracy supporter for a long time. That person suddenly said, 'Of course I know that what I said is illogical. I was purposely pestering you to waste your time, hahaha.' At that time, I thought, 'That's right. It's such a simple logic. Why would a person with a normal IQ really think that pirated posts are for their own benefit?' With such crooked logic, they said this and that. There was only one goal: 'I want to read your pirated books, and I want to feel at ease.'
Since then, I no longer debated at length. Especially in the past few years, writing required more and more time. If someone took some extremely simple questions about right and wrong and twisted them around, my response would be four words: 'My seriousness cannot be wasted on idiots and bad people.'
The so-called quality refers to a person's integrity. Being reasonable, knowing right and wrong, having a standpoint, and being able to persevere. These are all qualities. Not scolding people, never.
I am not angry because of piracy. It exists everywhere. I did not even expect that within ten or twenty years, piracy of my books will be completely eradicated, and I will reap great benefits. In the past few years, people have asked me to speak up for piracy. Some I agreed, some I rejected. That is not what I am after.
Many of us think of the world as very complicated. "If you want to defeat piracy, you should …" "If this matter is to be done, it depends on the country …" "The core of this matter lies in the country XXOO …" Everyone speaks like a leader. I have also experienced such a time, but one day, I suddenly realized that the world does not work like this.
We — just like what everyone has said — are ordinary people, or even * * * * * *. The power of each of us is one, and the influence of the upper echelons who have the decisive power may be one hundred million. For example, if a leader wanted to do something, he would listen. He would never listen to what the leader said. As for how to do it, he would only look at the people's level of awareness and urgency. If there were many people who really needed it, he would add more power to it. As for how to do it, that would be up to the experts.
When he was young, he always wanted to change the world. He thought that if he found a certain key point, he would be able to achieve something. Only later did he realize that he was only one, one in a billion and one in a billion. As for the changes in the world, he could only watch as the "ones" piled up one by one. Piracy was not important, but right and wrong were.
Let's say that there is a person who watches pirated websites. If the country or any organization destroys a pirated website today, they will silently look for the next one. Such a person would not be lacking in morals. And when a country or any organization beats down a pirate, they would come out to speak, using all sorts of methods to prove that this pirate was right. Those that shouldn't be beaten must have a lack of morals.
In the next ten or twenty years, as long as we think about it, pirated websites might still exist. But as long as we know that piracy is wrong, maybe in twenty years, our next generation will live in a society that respects intellectual property. And those who distort right and wrong just for the sake of one or two searches or troublemakers have no hope.
Of course, the world is complicated, but it is also simple. Everyone's words and everyone's right and wrong might not necessarily make the world better. But if we want to have the possibility of making the world better, we can only put in one in a billion and one in a billion.
This has never been inspiring, and it is difficult to make people passionate. This is our only path. Even if we magnify the power of most people to the extreme, it would only be one in a billion and one in a billion. We cannot clearly see the change, but the world will definitely take it into account.
Occasionally, when I post on Weibo and comment on some things, someone said that Banana is about to become a public knowledge. I posted pictures or stories about my family life. There were also readers who came out and said, "It's good to post these, I don't deserve to be a public knowledge." There were also people who said that it was not easy for Banana to persist for so many years. Actually, this and that were all what I wanted to say. I never went against my heart, so how was it "not easy"?
*****
In the past, I wanted to write a book because beautiful words could make boring things lively, and make boring things lively. I didn't expect that writing an essay at the age of 31 would suddenly become boring again. Because one day, when I looked back, the world was actually so simple. There are no shortcuts, and only by being serious will you win. Those exciting stories in books and movies, and those indescribable excitement, have to be walked step by step.
However, life is complicated, and those rules and principles will always be beyond our expectations. When you are embarrassed, you can adapt to it, and one day, it will become something that you can be proud of. When you are satisfied, you might occasionally feel empty. I was once a child, but in the blink of an eye, I am already over 30 years old.
One afternoon at the end of April, my wife and I went for a walk by the lake. The sun was very good, and the wind was very strong. It was warm, and the waves splashed against the shore. My wife and I rested on a bench under a tree. Not far in front of us, a boat that two girls were stepping on would occasionally be blown by the wind, and the two would step into the middle of the lake. When I was writing, I occasionally had a headache. My wife told me to lie down and help me massage my head. I took off my glasses, and a group of children came from not far away. They played noisily by the nearby lake for a while, and then went further away.
My wife and I talked on and off. When I opened my eyes, the wind was blowing on my body, and the sun shone through the trees. It was blurry, and I could hear the sound of people and the wind from near and far. I suddenly remembered a summer vacation when I was a teenager. I had just graduated from junior high, and I borrowed a complete set of San Mao's complete works from my classmate's house. I read at home every day. At that time, I lived on the second floor of a house. My bed was facing a large window, and there was a tree outside the window. Apart from that, I could see large patches of clouds floating in the sky. After I finished reading "The Story of the Sahara," I lay on the bed and looked at the clouds outside. The wind blew lazily through the room …
From then on, I began to come into contact with complicated things in society, and I saw an even more complicated world. Throughout the twenties, I tried hard to see everything clearly, to see the rules of how society works, to see what could be right. I've never had that moment when I didn't think about anything anymore.
That was the moment when I wanted to stop.
I can't describe the feeling of that moment very well, so I will record it first. It might be the most complicated thing in a symphony. A few years ago, I would imitate Haruki Murakami's sentence and write something like this: "If only XXXXX, people might be saved." I didn't understand them very well, but perhaps — even in such a chaotic and complicated world — at some point in the future, there is a possibility that we can go back.
Don't rush to ruin yourself.
Sincerely, salute.
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