In my message inbox, followers are always asking Master Chi to weigh in on this controversy or that debate.
But I’ve never really engaged with those requests. Why? Let me tell you a story.
You see, sometimes a rabbit will hop out and declare: carrots are the most delicious food in the world!
Then a sparrow flies over and says: nonsense! Corn is clearly the superior flavor!
Hearing this, the rabbits erupt in outrage — the sparrows are flat-out lying! Here are reasons one, two, and three why carrots reign supreme!
The sparrows fire back with their own case for grain, point by point.
And so the two sides collapse into a squabbling mess.
Now tell me — who’s right?
Ha. Both of them. Neither is wrong.
We must always remember: any voice that gets amplified and spread across the world exists because there is fertile ground beneath it — a reason it took root.
Some voices are pure emotional venting, the collective outpouring of ordinary people swept up in their feelings.
Some voices are self-interested narratives, constructed by each faction to protect its own position.
And some voices come from those who fancy themselves rational and objective, yet are quietly pushing a very specific agenda.
Countless experiences have taught us this: don’t rush to embrace a voice simply because it seems to speak for you, or because it echoes what you already think. Finding that kind of “tribe” is not the victory it feels like.
On the contrary — since no one is forcing you to speak, and the moment hasn’t arrived where silence is impossible, you should sit still and fish from a calm shore, watching the world with a cool eye.
Listen for what lies beneath every angry word — the root cause.
Listen for what hides beneath every clever phrase — the hidden intent.
Listen, listen, listen. Listening is gain. Speaking is loss.
Throughout my writing, Master Chi has long urged you to embrace and genuinely embody the role of the “fool.” The reason is simple: only by acknowledging our own ignorance can we find the doorway to wisdom.
Look at the social controversies these past few days — one after another, each pulling people into heated discussion and debate.
What is there to rush out and declare a position on? Watch. Listen. That’s enough.
Don’t think this kind of restraint belongs only to old men or the weak.
On the contrary — this is precisely how true elites and the genuinely wise think.
Consider the difference between predator and prey. In this world, it will always be the mice, rabbits, sheep, and sparrows that get lured in by whatever dangles right in front of their noses.
But the true hunters — tigers, lions, wolves, snakes — possess deep patience. They wait, steady and unhurried, until the full picture becomes clear. Only then do they strike.
So when a rabbit, sparrow, or sheep comes running to ask you: which is tastier — carrots, corn, or greens?
Your answer should be: Ha, they’re all delicious, all wonderful — but I don’t eat any of them.
I’m just a fool, don’t ask me, you’re all right about everything, ha ha.
Then wait for them to exhaust themselves in their frenzy. And eat the meat you actually came for.
That’s the subtle, peculiar truth of this human world.
Because it’s the true fools who exhaust every ounce of their energy desperately trying to prove themselves.
It is precisely the craving for vanity and visibility that makes a person sink further and grow weaker.
So let me ask you, dear reader —
Which kind of person will you choose to be?