Behind the saying "A good bird chooses a good tree to perch on"

     The world is vast and full of wonders. In today's prosperous era, news floods in daily. Regarding these realities, we have experienced joy, anger, pity, indifference, sympathy, and even shock.

    I prefer to be the kind of person who lives by Confucian principles, cultivates health through Taoism, purifies the mind through Zen, and grounds themselves in Dharma. Such a life, enriched by cultural depth, feels exceptionally fulfilling. Perhaps it is because things in this world are often desirable yet unattainable that people strive so relentlessly for them.

    Today I saw a news article online with the headline "Millionaires Immigrate, Foreign Media Points Out It Will Cause China's Economic Collapse." The article stated, "AFP reported that a survey conducted jointly by the Bank of China and the Hurun Research Institute showed that 46% of Chinese millionaires with assets exceeding 10 million yuan are considering emigrating, another 14% have already taken this step, and about one-third of the surveyed millionaires said they have already started investing abroad. Because some countries offer permanent residency or even citizenship to foreign citizens who provide large investments, these people can emigrate at any time. Foreign media also quoted some observers as saying that if the cash these millionaires take cannot flow back to China, China's economy will face the danger of collapse." As a Chinese person, I think every compatriot would be shocked to see such news. Such a loss of wealth is a huge loss for the Chinese people, both in terms of development and talent.

    I won't comment on the extent of a person's social responsibility and patriotism here, but rather analyze what lies behind this departure. The article points out that

    the headline "Half of China's Millionaires Preparing to Immigrate Abroad" appeared prominently on the front pages of several foreign media outlets on the 1st. Some foreign media claimed that although China's economic development over the past 30 years has created more than 950,000 millionaires, problems such as a rigid education system, a deteriorating social environment, and food safety concerns have led these "resourceful" individuals to choose to emigrate.

    Perhaps these problems—"rigid education system, deteriorating social environment, and food safety concerns"—are our existing issues. However, after shedding the label of "worshiping foreign things," perhaps we need to reflect on another issue: behind the phenomenon of "choosing the best tree to perch on," what other problems need to be corrected and improved? Because any country, regardless of its level of development, will always have its problems. We, as a developing country, are no exception. It's not important that an individual or a country has problems; what matters is our attitude after discovering these problems—whether we avoid them or confront them. However, the attitude towards solving problems is what truly reflects our broad-mindedness in facing the world.

    The outbreak of a problem is never a product of a short-term symptom. Their so-called "choosing the best tree to perch on" mentality, regardless of netizens' envy or insightful people's concerns, cannot change their determination to "defect." Restrictions are ultimately only a temporary solution, like trying to control floods by blocking them instead of channeling them. We need to find ways to channel the water to perhaps stop this rampant situation.

    As a Chinese citizen, as an unknown junior, as an ordinary person with no connection to the wealthy, we may live ordinary lives, but at least we have a patriotic heart. It is often said that even a centipede dies hard; I dare not assert that these so-called wealthy people are all benevolent businessmen of civilized society, nor can they be called parasites. However, their "choosing the best tree to perch on" style of defection may have gradually eroded or even destroyed their patriotic sentiments as Chinese people.

    This may only be a problem for the defectors, but what is our own problem? Please look at two news items from the past two days; one headline is "Female cadre reports being raped by the chairman of the county disabled persons' federation after being drunk." The second headline is "Deputy Secretary of the Political and Legal Affairs Commission Molests a Girl." One incident occurred in Peng'an County, Sichuan Province, and the other in Cheng County, Gansu Province. Let's set aside the specific details of these news reports and focus on our first instinctive reaction. Anger is our attitude, shock is our true feeling.

    Perhaps we also recall another news story: "At 5:30 PM on the 13th, in the Guangfo Hardware City in Huangqi, Nanhai District, Foshan, a two-year-old girl named Yueyue (pseudonym) was hit and run over by a van. For nearly seven minutes afterward, Yueyue, still breathing, lay alone on the roadside. Eighteen passersby walked by, but all ignored her. During this time, Yueyue was run over again by a truck. Finally, the 19th passerby picked her up and took her to the hospital for emergency treatment. This passerby was a woman who collected recyclables. The van that hit her fled the scene." Leaving aside the psychological impact on those who did good deeds, the indifference of these passersby is enough to shock our souls.

    Some might say these are all accidental results. There will always be bad apples, and there will always be those who think it's none of their business. But perhaps it is precisely this accidental event that led these wealthy individuals to choose to live far from home! When others make mistakes, we need reflection, not blame. Because every action has its reasons. Perhaps we are still building nests to attract phoenixes, but the sparrows we raise are flying in flocks to other people's fences. The gains and losses are probably obvious!

    Behind this phenomenon of good birds choosing their trees, there are so many things we should reflect on. Problems that others can see, such as a rigid education system, a deteriorating social environment, and food safety hazards, need to be addressed. And how many other problems exist besides these, we don't know? But if we only discover and solve problems after they arise, we will always be passive, always the ones who learn after the event. That "good birds choosing their trees" will become a difficult chain of problems to solve!

    May our country retain all the good birds and attract more good birds! Then our country's tomorrow will be even more beautiful!

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