Whether or not you’ve felt it, whether or not you’ve realized it — the “Age of Chaos” that belongs to our generation has already begun to stir.
The comments section will matter more than the article itself. Master Chi sincerely hopes you’ll join in — after reading, take a moment to share your own thoughts.
Because the best way to elevate your own level isn’t just absorbing and reading — it’s also sharing and putting your own ideas out there.
To be honest, those of us born after the 1970s have, to some degree, lived lives that are simply too comfortable. For most of us, the greatest hardship we’ve ever faced amounts to nothing more than the inconveniences brought on by life’s financial pressures — and even those small hardships can be reversed through effort and perseverance. Everyone knows that no matter how things are these days, scraping together a decent meal, living a life that isn’t perfect but is manageable — that’s never been out of reach. Quiet, peaceful, prosperous times have been the defining tone of the past thirty years.
Yet I can’t quite explain why, but lately — whether from the wind or from the air itself — I keep catching the faint scent of unease. Like the smell of gas drifting from a neighbor’s kitchen through the hallway: not obvious, but if you pay attention, you can definitely detect something different. This is why I keep feeling it — the scent of the Age of Chaos is slowly growing richer.
Maybe I’m just naturally sensitive. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe I’m overthinking it. But drawing on my knowledge and experience across history, the humanities, economics, and more, I genuinely cannot find a single nation that managed to rise peacefully without going through what can only be described — literally — as “great storms and waves.” Not one. Not a single one.
To verify my own judgment, I went back and opened the historical texts piled across half a wall in my study — public records, private chronicles, celebrated classics, and obscure works alike. Checked again. Still none.
As an inevitable part of human history: if a nation wants to rise, if it wants to be treated as an equal, then what awaits it is inevitably an all-encompassing suppression and conflict from those who currently hold power — beginning low-frequency, then intensifying, moving from calm waters to raging flames.
So when you apply this logic to the many events unfolding recently, you can suddenly sense that behind everything, two great invisible hands are locked in a tense and deep game of chess. Like everything in this ten-mile foreign settlement (Shanghai’s old concession district) — while some of it is coincidence and some is fate, any sharp-eyed observer can see that someone is turning coincidence into destiny. And like everything beyond Shanhaiguan — what could have been avoided or not, the sharp-eyed can also see that someone is making certain outcomes unavoidable.
Black or white? Enemy or friend? It’s still too early to bring everything to the surface, but I believe it won’t be long. As the intentions from across the Pacific become increasingly clear, the hidden threats lurking in the shadows will slowly step from backstage to center stage — there’s nowhere left to hide.
I don’t know whether you, reading this, will feel that everything mentioned here is far removed from your life — that it’s all world-shaking in scale but somehow won’t touch you personally. I’m sorry to say: the necessary path a nation must walk to rise means that everyone on this ship is destined to go through a deeply unforgettable struggle. Those who live through it will, in their twilight years, regard it as the most significant chapter of their lives. That naturally includes you and me — and this chapter is destined to leave a bold stroke on the canvas of your life.
So whether it was toward the end of last year, or in recent months, you’ll notice that the closer someone is to me, the more my advice has been oriented toward defense — toward stability, toward keeping a low profile. If you’ve made money, don’t flaunt it. Whatever ideas you’re sitting on, don’t rashly reveal them. If you must discuss things, do it in private with me, or with your closest family only.
Because in the coming years, if nothing unexpected happens, the people who appear to be living particularly comfortably will actually become targets of envy and quiet sabotage from those with narrow, petty minds — and Master Chi doesn’t want you to suffer that kind of calamity.
And if you notice anything that makes you uneasy, then getting your backup plans — and even your third-layer contingencies — in order as quickly and completely as possible is never a wrong move. Even if certain people mock you for being foolish, don’t engage. Smile it off and keep your humble, careful ways.
Above all — do not get too involved in things that easily land you in the crossfire. Keep your head down, live your days steadily. Ordinary people shouldn’t dream of becoming the main character against the backdrop of extraordinary times — because endings that make everyone breathe a sigh of relief are rare indeed.
Truly — this is the kind of wisdom that only becomes clear after you’ve actually weathered a storm. Simple, but practical. Wisdom that is uniquely suited to — and only comes into its own during — the Age of Chaos.
I’ve said too much, and more talk just gets tedious. Let me cut to the chase and add two key points:
1. The direction of the wind over the next few years — even without me saying it, you should have a sense. Mentally prepare yourself to accept the worst, but also expect the best. Don’t spend your days soaking in the company of pessimists. Winter always ends — don’t miss the rare chance in your lifetime to plant during the spring thaw. Don’t rely entirely on external forces. Truly prepare multiple fallbacks — many things do not bend to human will, and having thorough preparations of every kind is the secret of the wise.
2. Cultivate yourself. Train hard, inside and out. Read widely. Keep your body strong and capable. The most basic goal of your self-cultivation is to be wen wu shuang quan — complete in both scholarship and physical capability. Achieve this, and you’ll be equipped to endure the vast majority of trials the currents of the age throw at you, and to seize the vast majority of opportunities it offers. Many people underestimate how important this is — and when the moment comes to act, they can’t even carry a sack of rice very far. If that’s where you are, don’t bother dreaming of much else.
3. More friends, more paths forward — many hands make light work. And what does that extra path represent? Perspective. Since the pandemic, I’ve been genuinely grateful that I made enough friends along the way. Some have provided an enormous range of resources that have greatly improved quality of life. Others have shared information and early warnings that allowed me to prepare far more thoroughly than most ordinary people. Ask yourself honestly: do you have a reliable, trustworthy circle of close friends — people you could turn to for help at a moment’s notice when you truly need them?
At the end of today’s article, I’m intentionally leaving some space. I hope you’ll take a moment to think: in the days ahead, what advice would you give yourself — something you could also share with your fellow brothers and sisters? If you have something, feel free to write it in the comments. Let’s see how deeply you understand the bigger picture.
Note: Please mind your phrasing in the comments. You know what I mean.