Because the most exhausting thing in this world is being forced, for whatever reason, to spend your energy tangled up with a “low-cognition person.”
This is, without question, the most draining waste of your mental energy, vitality, and spirit.
Because a low-cognition person is, at their core, a combination of stagnant ambition, self-imposed limitations, and thoroughly warped values.
Try to reason with them, and they’ll feel you’re attacking their tiny, brittle ego — then argue with you.
Try to work alongside them, and they’ll think you’re either a pushover or an unreasonable tyrant — then clash with you.
After all, low-cognition people never admit fault and never improve, even when every single word you say is correct.
So what do you do? With people like this, your only tools are coaxing, flattering, and gentle persuasion — a cold look here, a small reward there — but never, under any circumstances, offer them your genuine heart.
If you can manage these types with simple, low-effort tactics without depleting yourself, then you’ve actually got some real skill.
But from Master Chi’s own experience: once you’ve grown to a certain level, the wisest path is still to distance yourself from these low-cognition people.
Because whether as relatives, friends, or partners, these people will always — the moment you let your guard down — create a massive disaster for you, then shrug it off with complete indifference while expecting you to clean up the wreckage.
Distance yourself. Distance yourself. Distance yourself.
Like those able-bodied beggars you see on the street — don’t even make eye contact, just walk away quickly. Because the moment there’s any contact at all, they’ll latch onto you with shameless, relentless persistence.
With low-cognition people, the approach is straightforward: gradually reduce interactions, lower the frequency of contact, let the relationship quietly fade, and ultimately move on to your separate lives.
And then you’ll discover — your life has never felt so unburdened before. [embrace]