Have we taken the wrong path, or have we not walked it properly?
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Four years after graduating from school and starting work, I returned to a remote rural area with my wife and children. There, I saw rows of stylish modern houses, all of which had been built from the low, simple thatched cottages that used to be there. I didn’t ask how those houses were constructed; anyway, my family couldn’t afford to build one like that. Seeing this scene, I reflected on the paths of my life and those of the other kids in the village. During my primary and middle school years, I was among the top students in my township; I was admitted to the best high school in the city, then to a prestigious university. After that, I started working at a state-owned enterprise. Back then, there was no expansion of university enrollment, so it seemed very rare for people from mountainous areas to get into universities. The locals were very envious and would say, \"So-and-so’s family has a university graduate now.\" However, in just 7 years of high school and university, plus another 4 years of working, that’s 11 years in total. Those who failed to pass the entrance exams back then managed to get trained as teachers through secondary vocational schools, while others became civil servants; still others simply went out to work. In just 11 years, so much change has taken place in the village. At first, I didn’t believe that anything was being provided to the people in the mountains, nor did I think there were any benefits or policies designed for them, as low-roofed thatched houses still stood side by side with magnificent Western-style buildings. Later on, I gradually met some of my elementary school classmates, junior high school classmates, as well as young men from my village who were around the same age. Many of them had become very impressive and stylish, especially those who worked in various departments; they left a deep impression on me ； While I was at home, I heard a lot of stories about certain people in the village who became rich by dealing drugs, those who were caught for drug trafficking, and those who had their homes renovated in a luxurious manner – along with the number of years they were sentenced to, which was also interesting to hear ； I’ve also heard that certain policies are intercepted by officials at various levels in the villages, and things like how much money is required to apply for minimum living standards support. Back in the city where I work, I began to think: Could it be that I made a mistake by leaving? Or did I not take the wrong path, but just not the right one? I still haven’t figured it out**.
At the crossroads of life, one fails to make the right choice; there are too many forks in the road. Few people make the right choice, while many make the wrong one. But once a decision is made, it cannot be undone, and one must keep moving forward, only to encounter more crossroads again and again, with no change ever occurring~~~
People always doubt their life choices and fear they have chosen the wrong path when they are confused.
Without comparison, there is no thinking:P
The original poster isn’t going wrong; you’re on the right path! If one wants to become extremely wealthy, the chances of staying in a company are very low ； If you want to live a comfortable life, I think you have already achieved that by now. By using unethical or illegal methods, one may achieve high profits, but the risks are also high. Activities like drug trafficking are completely unreliable; once you get involved in such things, there’s no way out – it’s a dead end.
Stay true to your heart; what does it matter if you take the wrong path?
Actually, we wouldn’t resort to illegal means to gain benefits. One day, I went out to play live CS with a few parents and their children from the class. There was one child who performed very poorly academically, and the teacher kept sending messages through the school communication system about various issues related to this child, but the parent showed no reaction at all; they never considered cooperating with the teacher to help their child improve. During the break, the student’s parent said that, now and in the future, it is the students who do well in their studies who end up working for those who perform poorly. At that moment, I thought there was some truth to that, and I even considered giving up on the idea of having my child study hard:P
Seeing these phenomena can indeed be frustrating at times, and sometimes it’s hard to understand them. But this doesn’t stop me from being an honest person. Vision is very important; the vision of people in a village is limited to that village or town.
I also came from the countryside. It’s not that I look down on people from the countryside; it’s just that there are differences in thinking and perspective that make communication impossible.
Original poster, I’ve roughly followed the same path as you – full of curiosity and confusion – but I can only keep being myself