The Heavier the Crown, the More Burdensome#
Recently, Gu Ailing has gained popularity. While receiving trophies, she also faces increasing discussions. A person who receives trophies can enjoy the attention and fame from the public, but at the same time, they have to bear the pressure, exposure, and malicious comments that come with the trophies. Being famous comes with a lot of controversies.
It reminds me of the saying: "The heavier the crown, the more burdensome." And also this one: "God closes one door while opening another window for you."
Gaining and losing always happen simultaneously.
Does Knowing Too Much Make Us Unhappy?#
There is a phenomenon:
- When we were children, we all believed that we were the protagonists of this world. But one day, when we suddenly realized that we are just ordinary people, we could no longer see the world from the perspective of a "protagonist."
- When we unintentionally learn a secret about a friend, that secret may have an impact on our social interactions when we meet that friend again.
For most people, their satisfaction with themselves starts to decline around the age of 15. From that point on, a person gradually realizes that they are actually insignificant in this world. They then start to struggle and fight in the so-called ideal and distorted reality.
The more we know, the louder the inner struggle becomes, and the less happy we become.
In the novel "Ordinary World," there is a passage that goes like this: "Who made you read so many books and know that there is a big world beyond Shuangshui Village... If you had been working in this world since childhood, working from sunrise to sunset, then you would have the same ideal as your fellow villagers: after years of hard work, you would marry a satisfactory wife like Big Brother, have a chubby son, and with your physical strength, become an outstanding farmer. Unfortunately, you know too much, think too much, and therefore you have this distress that cannot be understood by the people around you."
You, who were supposed to live an ordinary and happy life, have seen happiness that does not belong to you. When desire exceeds capability, pain is born. The new knowledge and the clash of worldviews create unhappiness. When new knowledge and understanding conflict with the existing worldview, people become unhappy.
If the gap in understanding is too large and disappointment lasts for a long time, the worldview will collapse. What should we do then?
Reconstructing the Worldview#
Since knowing too much "may not" be a good thing, since we have already gained new understanding of reality, and since we can never return to our original state once we know, we probably know that the pain and unhappiness are caused by the conflict of worldviews. Knowing the reason, we cannot just sit and wait for it to pass. There is only one thing we must do: correct our flawed worldview, actively understand the real world, and persist even if it is painful. Instead of turning a blind eye, covering our ears, deceiving ourselves, or ignoring reality.
2023-07-28 First version of "The Curse of Knowledge."
2023-08-30 Discovered that the reason for the pain is the conflict between personal understanding and worldview, changed to "It Seems Like the More We Know, the Less Happy We Are."