Quiet Places are Free from Misfortune, but Places of Excitement may Breed Disaster

Xuefeng

My kitchen at home is 20 square meters. Occasionally, I would see a few light red ants here and there—on the floor, by the sink, on the countertop, or hurriedly searching for food on the cupboard. Since their numbers were small, my partner and I never paid them much attention, allowing them to roam freely and do as they pleased.

Later on, we noticed that their numbers kept increasing. Sometimes, we would see more than ten of them scurrying around, so we had no choice but to take appropriate measures to remove them.

One day, I suddenly discovered that they were gathering in large groups, marching back and forth through a gap beneath the kitchen cabinets and sink. Curiously, I opened one of the cabinets and to my surprise, there were nearly a thousand ants crawling inside a box of rock sugar, which a friend had brought from my home country a few days ago. This was unacceptable, so I fetched a can of insecticide called SUPER KILL EM and sprayed it along their trail, covering their entry and exit points with a substantial amount of the spray. In less than ten minutes, the ant colony was completely wiped out. After that, I didn't see a single ant for the next two weeks.

This incident illustrates that nothing should not be allowed to develop excessively nor should it reside in a place that is not its own territory; otherwise, there will be a catastrophic outcome. It also highlights the fact that one should not rush into things or join the crowd without careful consideration, as there may be hidden dangers in chaotic situations.

Think about the rabbits and cacti that once proliferated uncontrollably in Australia, the kudzu vines that spread extensively in a certain state in the United States, the overpopulation of elephants in Zimbabwe, and the sparrows that covered the mountains in China during the 1950s. All of them encountered disasters as a result.

Let's take a look at China's trade with Russia in the 1980s. Initially, it was smooth and unimpeded, then it prospered and flourished, but eventually it faded away. The main reason behind this was that things got too lively.

The Great Leap Forward was very lively, the race to surpass the UK and the US was very lively, the Cultural Revolution was very lively, the nationwide practice of Qigong was very lively, the sit-in demonstrations at Tiananmen Square were very lively, venturing into business after the market reform was very lively, engaging in corruption and abuse of power was very lively, online commenting was very lively...

There is a connection between two extremes, and when something reaches its extreme, there will be a backlash. Following trends and seeking excitement inevitably lead to disappointing outcomes. When university students choose their majors without considering the future rise and fall of professions four or five years later, blindly pursuing popular fields of study, they will face disappointment upon graduation. Similarly, if farmers only see the high value of peaches this year and everyone rushes to plant peach trees, when the planted peach trees bear fruit three years later, it will be a period of devaluation for peaches.

Observing the prevalent trend in China today where many people exhaustively strive to "strike it rich" through primitive accumulation, alongside government officials eagerly leveraging their positions to amass wealth, it appears to be considered normal – a case of "to gain without working." However, when this fervor reaches its peak, it signals the commencement of tragedy in many people's lives.

In chaotic situations, there are hidden dangers, and wise individuals should avoid them.