By Professor Wang Xuejun
"Since moving to Beijing from Estonia last year with my job, I've found myself spending more and more time playing video games online, sometimes up to 14-hours a day. The truth is, I find my online life far more satisfying than my life in the 'real world'. I've never really felt at home in Beijing. I speak little Chinese, and have struggled to make friends. However, in the online world I am a powerful and handsome warrior king with six wives, and a vast and loyal army. Sometimes I wonder, is this a healthy way for a 28 year-old man to live?"
Hello Mr. Confused,
I am happy. You have recognized the problem and, in actual fact, already have an answer. As a 28 year-old man, you know that you should not spend so much of your precious time in a virtual world.
But you are facing barriers on the road to change. I think the first thing you should do is to construct a conscious system of time-management. As Confucius once told his students: “Time travels just like the river, it never stops, no matter whether it’s day or night”. (Analects, ninth chapter). Like the river, once time has flowed past you, it won’t return. I think anybody who misses their youth will feel touched by this sentiment. This is the nature of time.
Humans have set about exploring everything – from the earth, the moon, the sun, to the furthest most reaches of the known universe – we are forever trying to improve our mastery and understanding of life itself. Yet, no matter how developed our technology becomes, or how great our knowledge, we are no closer to controlling time than our ancient cave-dwelling ancestors.
In his late years, Confucius looked back on his life and felt satisfied that at each stage, he had achieved certain essential goals. For example, a twenty-year-old man should tie-up his hair to symbolize he is no longer a child, a thirty year-old man should know exactly what he wants from life, and should be sure of his actions – in word and deed. You are soon to turn thirty, do you think you have met the standards set by Confucius?
I understand that young people tend to believe that they have an infinite amount of time to change. At that age, it is easy to believe that certain habits, such as spending entire days playing video games, won’t become an issue, so long as it remains a small distraction. But this is a false distinction. More than 2200 years ago, Chinese philosopher Han Feizi knew that “A dam stretching a thousand miles can collapse in an instant because of several little ants, while a hundred-foot tower can be burnt to the ground because of a single spark of fire”. The message is clear, you must change your ways, before your ways change you.
> Wang Xuejun is a lecturer at Beijing Language and Culture University, specializing in Chinese Culture. His most recent book is entitled Teaching Methods of Chinese Language and Traditional Culture. Send your ethical dilemma to professor Chang at bjeditor@urbanatomy.com
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