Honestly, I’ve always felt that short videos are nothing more than a prescription for busy modern people — for those whose days are packed with routine and who only manage to steal a breath in the cracks. They offer a moment’s comfort, or fill a sudden emptiness. But the other day, when I saw even young children on the street absorbed in Douyin, it struck me that in a few more years, that traditional, unhurried way of spending leisure time might disappear altogether.
“Leisure is a scarce resource.” Many people rush from dawn to dusk with no leisure at all. Leisure is a state of mind, one that most people don’t have. Or rather, for most people, leisure is just those few red-circled dates on the calendar.
Short videos are an “alienation of relaxation.” Scrolling through them looks like unwinding, but it keeps the brain in a constant state of stimulation and prevents true rest. I’ve always preferred words. When I have free time, I like to find a quiet corner, put on my headphones, and watch a long driving video set to vaporwave music. It may not stimulate the senses the way short videos do, but it lets you gradually relax in a slow, flowing current.
As the saying goes, leisure is a scarce resource. These days, many people feel swallowed by enormous anxiety even when they’ve done nothing all day, simply because they dare not be idle — they’ve internalized a social clock. I used to be the same, but lately I’ve been learning to embrace leisure, to take care of my health, to listen to ambient and chill music and let my mind unwind.
Zhang Xuefeng seems to have fallen from his pedestal recently. Not surprising — he was elevated to the top and has now come crashing down. The higher you’re carried, the harder you fall. He himself has gone from a beacon of hope to a target for venting when that hope shattered. He, too, is probably someone pushed along by involution, someone who never had leisure. In the current climate, no matter how hard an individual struggles, they still have to consider the course of history and forces far grander than any one person. I thought about writing more, but after turning the idea over, I let it go. Enough about Zhang Xuefeng.
Lately I’ve also been drawn to minimalism. “Less is more.” Strip away the clutter of material possessions and redundant information, gather your energy, and focus on yourself. Admire and experience those minimalist designs and works, and savor that indescribable, ethereal, wonderful feeling.
Having said all this, perhaps I still believe that in times of uncertainty, beyond guarding your financial baseline and avoiding reckless leverage, the most important thing is to protect your body and mind — to learn to relax and recharge. I often return to my favorite scene: a rainy day in high school, sitting alone in my room. Rain pattering outside the window, a desk lamp, a book. Fully at ease, fully relaxed, just sitting quietly, waiting for some moment of sudden insight.