Those who excel in their studies will become officials.

     The idea that "excellence in learning leads to officialdom" is a thing of the past, a product of an era that prioritized agriculture over commerce. It held a dominant position in China's historical values ​​for thousands of years. "Excellence in learning leads to officialdom" was the standard by which those in power selected talent, and also the main path for talented individuals to achieve fame and fortune.

    With the continuous development of society, the elements that construct social wealth and values ​​have become more diversified. Consequently, people's ideologies for realizing their self-worth have changed, and the channels for achieving self-worth are no longer singular.

    Although values ​​originating from the spiritual and those originating from the material have coexisted throughout history, their level of detail is incomparable. The number of participants differs, the time frame for completion differs, the foreseeable benefits differ, and even the initial purpose differs.

    Frankly, I dislike seeing a group of people crowding onto a narrow bridge for a goal that only a few can achieve. This is not because I fear competition, but because each of us has our own thoughts, and there's no need to join the crowd. We can have our own paths to walk. Whether the road is rugged or smooth, as long as we love it and enjoy it. In my view, a group of people can share the same dream and pursue it relentlessly, but we must carefully calculate the probability of success, examine our own abilities, and then consider whether it's necessary to participate in this competition. Because in any era, supply and demand are relative, generally speaking, they are a relative balance. Neither supply exceeding demand nor demand exceeding supply is a natural state. And the normal state, in my view, is a harmonious balance. What people can do is not to manipulate with force, but to maintain a balance between the two.

    Today, people live in an era of extremely advanced material wealth, and their perspectives have shifted from singular to multifaceted. This is a civilized, progressive, and scientific worldview; because of the broadening of our horizons and minds, we can follow our own thoughts and ideals to walk our own path in life. However, everyone is different; this is a phenomenon only found in prosperous times. It is also the result of continuous clashes and summaries of wisdom. "

    Those who excel in learning will become officials" may not have been the only value in ancient times, but it was almost the only one. Because it was the mainstream value in that era of prioritizing agriculture and suppressing commerce, and it was also the value instilled in the people by the rulers. In this era, commerce has almost overshadowed agriculture. Commerce embellishes the prosperity of our time, while agriculture may only be a supplement to survival; once it can meet basic needs, it seems less important. Commerce is different; it can be an intangible or tangible industry, encompassing both the spiritual and material realms. However, both are profit-driven, aiming to obtain market share and what they perceive as the highest profit at the lowest cost. This behavior aligns with people's basic survival needs. Thus, we have bosses, employees, food vendors, drivers, and so on.

    In life, although we all pursue money, what we truly need is not the intrinsic value of money itself, but rather its ability to equivalently acquire almost all the material things we need—that's the primary concern. If money is merely valuable, but not equivalent to almost all material things, perhaps what people pursue isn't money at all. Because ultimately, what we need are the tangible benefits material things bring and, for some, the ostentatious display of vanity.

    Money can be equivalent to material goods, but it cannot provide the owner with the water of the desert, the food of a famine, or the life they desire in times of scarcity. Yet many people live their entire lives for money. Perhaps it's because everyone needs money, or perhaps it's because everyone wants a better life. Among these people are the poor and the rich. The poor, for the sake of survival, must seek the material goods they need from different professions at different times, and these goods are equivalent to money. Therefore, they no longer pursue material goods, but seek money, which can replace almost all material goods. The rich, on the other hand, have solved this problem that only applies to the poor; they simply accumulate and increase the number of Arabic numerals in their hands—perhaps this is their pleasure. Thus, these people engage in different professions at different levels of society, in different regions, and in different industries. These different industries and professions are all differentiated from this unprecedented commercial world.

    Today, people no longer revere the ancient adage of "excelling in studies leads to officialdom," because becoming an official is not the ideal place for the mainstream of society, perhaps because there is more than one way to realize one's life ideals. Therefore, they live according to what is practical and what suits their personality. There are countless paths in life; how you walk them depends on your choices. Because life is only once, whether you live an ordinary or extraordinary life, whether you are rich or poor. It all depends on your choices and priorities. However, composure, ease, happiness, and health are the core values ​​that everyone strives for.

    The idea that academic excellence leads to officialdom was a dominant value in the past. But with increasing employment pressure, this trend has begun to spread. This isn't a return to simplicity in a natural state, but rather a tool of macro-control and a resurgence of old ideas. Because history tends to remember those things that are scientific, progressive, and timely.