Have you ever been touched by popular short videos on Douyin or Kuaishou? An 80-year-old man walks 10 kilometers every day to sell eggs, just to save money for his seriously ill son. The comments below are all filled with likes: So touching! This is the great love of humanity!
Similar content is everywhere. "A disabled delivery worker delivers food in the rain, never late," "A sanitation worker wakes up at 4 AM to clean the streets, still working hard in his sixties." The media loves to package these stories as positive energy, but have you ever thought about what they reflect? An 80-year-old man, who should be enjoying his old age with grandchildren, has to brave the wind and rain to raise money for his sick son. Is this really positive energy? A disabled person delivering food, a sanitation worker in his fifties still waking up early and working hard, is this really their choice? Or are these just helpless actions forced by life? What issues in our society are reflected behind this?
Some say, "You're being too negative; we should admire their strength!" But wait, why should we praise suffering? Is suffering a virtue?
This is indeed a strange trend, as if the more hardship one endures, the more worthy of praise they become. Look at how hard this person has it; we should learn from him! Is our goal really to make everyone suffer? The ones who truly deserve praise are those who strive to change their circumstances.
Have you noticed why we always see "positive energy" from the lower classes but rarely stories of "positive energy" from the rich? Is suffering a privilege of the lower classes? Or do some people hope that the lower classes will always maintain a mindset of "contentment is happiness"? In plain terms, they want them to continue being donkeys, using "positive energy" as a whip to drive them. We always praise those stories of "after hardship comes happiness," but have we ever considered why some people have to endure so much suffering? Have we mythologized "suffering" itself, ignoring the social issues behind it? Who will still think about why so many people live so difficult lives?
True positive energy should inspire people to pursue a better life, encourage them to unite and speak up for their rights. It should promote social progress, allowing everyone to live with dignity.
Unfortunately, much of the so-called "positive energy" today has become a numbing poison. It beautifies suffering and glosses over reality, making people believe that suffering is a blessing. Layer upon layer of filters make us only see the shiny surface while ignoring the undercurrents below. This kind of "positive energy" merely consumes others' suffering as cheap inspirational stories, using others' hardships to satisfy one's own sense of superiority. I remember watching fireflies as a child. That faint glow seemed especially beautiful in the dark. But when I grew up, I learned that fireflies glow to attract mates; it is a struggle for survival.
Isn't real life the same?