Economy & Society

Today’s lesson: Step One: Patiently wait for the emergence of a global or regional financial or economic crisis. These crises occur on a recurring basis. Step Two: During the crisis, use news and other resources to observe how the situation unfolds. When prices of quality assets drop sharply, deploy various loans and leverage tools to purchase these undervalued core assets. At the same time, anticipate that central banks and governments will likely respond with interest rate cuts and large-scale monetary easing.

On the subject of financial freedom, I have hard-won insights and experience — lessons accumulated through repeated failures, confusion, and learning. I have also closely observed those who have achieved true wealth. They realized early on that a salary alone can never make you rich. The shift must happen: from trading time for money, to letting assets generate money. Let me first define what it means to be wealthy. In my view, wealth means that when you don’t want to work, you don’t have to — and even when you’re not working, your income still exceeds your desires.

It’s been a while since I’ve talked about “the big picture.” But lately, a great many things have taken on the unmistakable scent of a storm about to break — so let me just speak freely, stream-of-consciousness style. 1 — The real force driving gold’s wild surge is this: the world’s chaos risk is growing at an explosive rate. Whenever gold experiences a short-term spike, it’s essentially because the world’s most powerful shadow capital is demanding extreme security. In their eyes, at this particular moment, no other asset class is as stable and reassuring as gold — this ancient, traditional precious metal.

The Fed is heading toward rate cuts. Based on where the dollar index currently sits, prices should be at floor levels — giving the dollar a window to capitalize and stimulate a sluggish economy. Energy and raw material prices have also started moving. As the overall economy recovers, in a typical dollar cycle, energy prices would look less like $30 a barrel and more like $90. That’s not going to happen anytime soon. Even commodities couldn’t be bought at the bottom. Wall Street has been leaned on to dress up dismal economic data, but it hasn’t been enough. Holding this position requires controlling sufficient weight to ride the momentum — perhaps even requiring some form of extraordinary intervention.

As elaborated in Introduction to Structural Studies: every theory ever developed in human society is merely a tool for survival and reproduction. Any explanatory framework about the future can be internally self-consistent. Yet every form of human social organization contains its own rationality. Only history possesses true adaptability — you sing the song suited to the mountain you’re on, and the strategy you use must match the stage you’re in. Today’s truth becomes tomorrow’s fallacy. The only constant is the survival competition every living organism engages in for continued existence, and the endless game played to secure the resources needed to persist.

Student Question: Hello Master. I’ve paid to join some community groups, but after paying, I don’t know how to actually make use of the community or leave an impression on others. How do I solve this? Master Chi’s Response: Always remember: take initiative. Only by being proactive will you create stories — only then will you be seen. Beyond that, you must know how to conduct yourself well. Online networking is a skill every person trying to earn money online must master.

Another day as a frequent flyer — just touched down at the airport. But the heart-to-heart exchanges with my brothers and sisters must continue. Inspiration struck mid-flight: rather than writing a full article, why not simply lay out the key points directly? That works just fine. Things to do more of — the high-energy practices: Exercise, early to bed and early to rise, movies, music, singing, dancing, calligraphy, travel, tea drinking, savoring fragrance, flower arranging, sitting in stillness, reading, practicing calligraphy from models, appreciating paintings, copying scriptures, playing the qin, burning incense, growing flowers, moon gazing, listening to rain, stargazing, sunbathing, enjoying snow, birdwatching, watching fish, hot spring bathing, foot soaking, mountain hiking, gazing into the distance, looking out from great heights, walking, rowing a boat, wandering through mountains, playing in water, finding warmth in winter, escaping summer heat, following the natural flow, letting go of worries, doing good deeds, fitness training, yoga, meditation, cooking, relaxing, taking a bath, tending to your mental wellness, chatting, photography, handicrafts, swimming, laughter, creating, loving cats, getting fresh air, donating, collecting books, rock music, taking a nap, clearing your mind, humming songs, screenwriting, a light drink, running, comics, building blocks, reciting poetry, art books, picking fruit, hugging, aromatherapy, eating sweets, playing ball sports, fishing, watching dramas, embroidery, admiring flowers, wall climbing, playing with toys, camping, visiting galleries, visiting museums, petting cats, piano, brewing tea, abstract art, hugging trees, gourmet dining, ice cream, doodling, playing instruments, online gaming, visiting gardens, honoring ancestors, lighting lanterns, hide-and-seek, foot baths, cooking meals, eating fish, archery, climbing trees, spontaneous visits to friends, seeking out new flavors, reading poetry, dance, writing letters, hugging dogs, deep contemplation, appreciating the artistry in paintings, performing music, craftsmanship, pottery, massage.

Student Question: Good day, Master. I’d like to ask about preview and review strategies for my child’s elementary school Chinese language studies. We’ve been going about it rather aimlessly — just having the child go through the material over and over from beginning to end. The child pushes back and refuses to cooperate. I find myself getting anxious at times. My child’s father thinks the daily in-class content is so minimal — is it really necessary to keep drilling it? We have different views on the child’s education in this area. I’d like to ask Master how to resolve this.

Messi’s snub of China was not a misunderstanding. It was deliberate — a declaration of allegiance, a statement of position, a pledge of loyalty. It reveals personal ambition and the clash of opposing camps. The Argentines, in their pain and frustration, have chosen a path unlike any before — one actually tried across the former Soviet states in the 1990s. There is a specific term for it: shock therapy. We all know how that turned out. In the early stages, the internal economic spiral caused by currency instability and insufficient capital for consumption and production would be immediately halted. Argentina is a country rich in physical assets — to put it plainly, they have the resources. But the pricing power over those resources doesn’t belong to them.

Knowledge-based content creators have it the worst. Not only do people readily criticize you, your traffic is low, and monetization is nearly impossible. Knowledge itself runs against human nature — and against commerce. Spend the same time and energy on entertainment or product promotions, and you’ll find it several times easier than sharing knowledge. A pure knowledge blogger — unless you’re out there harvesting naive followers — earning 20,000 yuan a month is already impressive.