When I was young, I believed the world should be level — otherwise it simply wasn’t fair. Later I came to understand that this logic was flawed. Not because I had grown cynical about reality, but because I had come to grasp the actual rules of the game.
Back then, before I had any real depth of experience, I assumed that relying on your parents’ foundation was something to be ashamed of. That was naïve.
Later, as I gradually gained access to the inner circles of things, I came to see that in many fields — whether business or politics — what people call “riding on your parents’ coattails” is better described as inheritance.
Because life is short. No matter how capable or determined a person is, there will always be gaps. This isn’t your fault — it’s simply that time and energy are genuinely, fundamentally limited.
In that context, having a foundation laid by previous generations naturally makes everything twice as effective at half the effort. And that foundation isn’t necessarily tangible assets.
So what is it? Reputation. Prestige. Networks.
Understand this: ordinary people always hope to see a great platform full of social mobility — proof that it rewards talent and offers hope.
What they don’t realize is that a platform where power changes hands entirely through people from humble origins has no stickiness, no stability. That’s a sign of great upheaval — the chaos of a new beginning.
We need people from humble origins — they represent hope and renewal. We also need established families — they represent continuity and stability. Neither can be absent; it’s all about the balance.
So you’ll notice that people who have actually accomplished things in the world — even those from humble backgrounds who climbed to the top — rarely harbor resentment toward second-generation elites. Why?
There’s no real fairness issue here. When their ancestors were fighting on battlefields with an 85% casualty rate, your ancestors were sleeping in thatched huts. Who’s to blame? Because once you’ve actually handled things at that level, you understand: without that family foundation, you genuinely cannot get the work done.
This is also why those who rise from nothing tend to be swift and decisive — lightning-strike tactics — while those born into privilege tend to work invisibly, like spring rain, pervasive and gentle.
Now, about the Palace Museum incident. Honestly, I’ve said this repeatedly to the people around me: whether you’re taking a wife or marrying off a daughter, aim for matched social standing (门当户对).
If that’s not entirely possible — if you can’t achieve perfect mutual respect — at least ensure the lower-standing party can quickly align with the higher-standing party’s way of thinking.
Why? No matter how much you may look down on someone, once they’ve married into your family, that’s a fixed reality.
Given that reality, if you don’t properly educate the other side, make no mistake — they have countless ways to drag your family’s reputation through the mud. Not because they’re malicious or morally deficient.
It’s simply that they’ve never seen the world, never possessed fine things. As the old saying goes: great skill should never be carelessly wielded, and power in untrained hands becomes a blade.
It’s like having a rare antique in your home. Someone who knows what they’re doing will never pick it up hand-to-hand — they’ll set it firmly on a table first, then handle it carefully. But now your in-law visits, having never seen anything like it in their life. Temptation gets the better of them; they reach out to flip it over for a look. Out of politeness, what can you say? Then — a slip. A crash. Shattered. Now what?
What can you do? They had no idea how delicate it was. You can call them stupid, ignorant, incompetent — but it’s too late.
And don’t laugh at others. Don’t treat Master Chi’s words as a joke today. You’ll have your own children and grandchildren someday. Take my advice: matched standing, matched standing, matched standing. Otherwise the ones who suffer will be you and your own children.
If it’s unavoidable, then thorough education and reshaping of perspective is absolutely necessary. Otherwise? You’ve seen enough examples.
Like the foolish woman who, given a little advantage, rushes to broadcast it to the whole world — to show everyone how capable she is. Or the foolish man who, given a little backing, starts throwing his weight around — to show everyone how powerful he is.
When you’ve never had anything, of course you’ll go all out to enjoy it and put it on display. This is precisely the face of the nouveau riche.
But given enough time — after you’ve truly seen and experienced the arena of fame, wealth, and power — you come to understand what a real elite looks like. It’s not someone who fears people won’t know about them. It’s someone who fears that people will. Frankly, when you’ve spent enough time around leaders and high-level figures, you realize none of it is easy. Everyone is genuinely, steadily treading on thin ice.
After all, when a person reaches that level, how many of them wouldn’t understand the weight of things? They are all elites. They all deserve respect and recognition.
Finally, let me bring it back to the point: why did this foolish woman invite such universal contempt and ridicule?
People know perfectly well. When someone is genuinely capable, and others extend them some convenience and comfort — that’s natural, and no one truly resents it. But a girl who climbed up through cosmetic surgery and manipulation, now throwing her weight around and acting like true nobility?
Like last year — wasn’t the Chongqing female driver exactly the same? She couldn’t wait for the whole world to know what her husband did. And how did that turn out?
Truly, you never know: in all your hard struggle and relentless climb upward, the people who benefit in your wake — how recklessly they will squander it all. After all, they don’t have your experience or your depth. Some people, because of you, get to ascend to the heavens. But even ascended, they remain chickens and dogs. They will never become dragons and phoenixes.