Why Strive to Become a Celestial Being

Xuefeng

October 11, 2024

Imagine if a worm trapped in its cocoon never struggled to break free—it would suffocate and perish inside.

Imagine if Elon Musk had never left South Africa for the United States—he would have been just another ordinary person. If Einstein had not left Germany for the United States, if Sergey Brin had not left the Soviet Union for America, if Enrico Fermi had not moved from Italy to America, if Madeleine Albright had not left Czechoslovakia for America, or if Arnold Schwarzenegger had not left Austria for America—none of them would have embarked on the extraordinary journeys that made their lives shine.

In 1980, Cuban President Fidel Castro deliberately released 150,000 Cuban prisoners, psychiatric patients, and prostitutes into the small American city of Miami, intending to create chaos in the United States. Yet, instead of disaster, this event contributed to Miami's prosperity. Now, imagine if those 150,000 Cuban prisoners, psychiatric patients, and prostitutes had never entered the United States—their fate would have likely been tragic.

Consider the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. Reports indicate that nearly 200,000 Russian soldiers have already died on the battlefield, with even more wounded. If Russia as a country didn’t exist, or if those soldiers had not been Russian citizens, such a tragedy would not have unfolded.

From these examples, it becomes clear: if one wishes to live a brilliant life and avoid a tragic existence, one must break free from their cocoon and escape the environment that confines them.

Ask yourself: what is trapping you? Whatever confines you is a prison. No matter its form, anything that traps you is a prison.

You have three choices:

Escape the prison. Endure suffering while waiting for your sentence to end. Die within the prison walls. If you do not break free, all your efforts will ultimately be in vain. Any status, fame, wealth, or achievements you attain while imprisoned will eventually dissipate like smoke in the wind.

In a lifetime, if you do not escape the two greatest prisons—the physical body and the Earth—you will remain a prisoner for life. Even if you become an emperor or president, even if you accumulate immense wealth, even if you achieve great fame and success and are admired by all—you are still merely a prisoner. The only difference lies in whether you are a high-ranking prisoner, a low-ranking prisoner, a famous prisoner, or an unknown prisoner.

Therefore, the ultimate pursuit in life should be to strive to become a celestial being.

If you do not become a celestial being, you remain a prisoner.

Perhaps striving to become a celestial being may not guarantee success, but at least there is hope. However, if you do not strive for it, despair is inevitable—because the final destination is simply death.