Look at How Selfish the "Lying Flat" Lifechanyuan Guide Is

Xuefeng

I’ve been in Canada for almost eight years now, and though I've met over a thousand Westerners, I haven’t “harvested” a single “mature crop,” let alone built a decent community. So, is this Lifechanyuan guide simply incompetent or selfish?

The answer: selfishness comes first, incompetence second.

Here are the reasons for the selfishness:

1.When I was in my second year of middle school, I realized that being class monitor wasn’t as good as being an ordinary student. As class monitor, there were too many trivial matters, while ordinary students enjoyed more freedom. Less is more.

2.During my time living in Harare, I was so busy running a business that my heels practically touched the back of my head. I never had a moment of peace. At that time, my ideal life was one where I wouldn’t have to worry about basic needs like food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, nor about birth, aging, illness, or death. I also wanted to fully understand global affairs, without holding office, without fame, and just quietly living an ordinary life—that would be the most beautiful life.

3.I once introduced Lifechanyuan and the Second Home to a WeChat group of a few hundred people, but it resulted in ridicule, verbal abuse, and even insults from some so-called experts. I immediately left the group and have since stopped chatting or speaking in any groups. That group was a microcosm, showing that people’s consciousness and mindset weren’t at a level worth my effort. If they don’t ask for help, why should I assist them?

4.In Canada, since I run a small inn, half of my guests are from Europe, and the other half from the U.S. and Canada. I’ve noticed that most of the guests are couples who are calm, natural, and seem to coexist silently, showing no signs of dissatisfaction or urgency about life. I thought that living so “cluelessly” through life wasn’t bad at all. So, I haven’t felt the need to promote the Lifechanyuan ideology or the Second Home model.

5.I follow the way of nature, and the core of that is to go with the flow. Spring for planting, summer for growth, autumn for harvest, and winter for storage. When people ask, I help; when they want, I give. If they don’t ask or want, why give or help?

These five points explain why I haven’t built a large-scale community in Canada, especially the second point. I’ve already achieved my ideal life—no worries about food, clothing, shelter, or life’s natural processes. I have no debts, either internal or external. The world's affairs are at my fingertips. I live in a picturesque environment and have a group of like-minded friends online. My life is sufficiently fulfilled, and I don’t want to take on any more responsibilities. I’m quite content lying flat—how beautiful it is!

As for incompetence, here are the reasons:

1.My English is terrible. Although, rounding up, I’ve lived abroad for nearly 30 years, my English is just good enough to muddle through daily life. It’s not sufficient for serious intellectual or academic discussions, so the language barrier has hindered Lifechanyuan’s expansion in Western society and the construction of a community in Canada.

2.I’m not good at socializing. I speak bluntly and don’t sugarcoat things. If I feel out of sync with someone after three sentences, I just want to leave. I’m a pioneer, not an expander.

3.Despite living and working in the British system for a long time, I’ve only scratched the surface of Western culture. I haven’t deeply rooted myself in it, and my shallow understanding of Western culture isn’t enough to engage in broad and deep conversations with Westerners.

4.There are 1.7 million Chinese in Canada. So, why not develop Lifechanyuan among them? Unfortunately, in my nearly eight years here, I’ve come into close contact with fewer than eight unfamiliar Chinese. Other than occasionally seeing many Chinese faces in Vancouver, I rarely see more than two or three Chinese people throughout the year. Especially since moving to Anahim Lake, I feel like there’s not a single Chinese person within a 300-kilometer radius.

Selfishness + incompetence = no large-scale community has been built.

September 3, 2024