The Three-Body Problem#
I finished reading the Three-Body Trilogy this week and felt like I had woken up from hibernation in the past year or two. I have seen and learned more, and my thoughts have become more open-minded, but I find it increasingly difficult to reconcile with myself.
While watching the TV series, the impression that Wang Miao left on me in the first few episodes was profound. After seeing the countdown, he desperately sought confirmation... Unfortunately, after finishing the first book, I realized that he had very little presence in the rest of the series. The author of the book left more room for imagination for the readers, and the visual experience in the TV series deepened the character descriptions from the book, which was wonderful.
From the beginning, I didn't understand why the Three-Body Organization accepted the destruction of their own home planet by embracing the incoming civilization with such pessimism and negativity. But after finishing the entire trilogy, I realized that Liu Cixin probably wanted to express that humanity is not worth saving. The destruction of Earth and humanity was not solely Cheng Xin's fault, but a collective choice, just like the initial choice to make Cheng Xin a Swordholder.
At the beginning of the second book, with the Wallfacer Project, I thought that the three Wallfacers other than Luo Ji would be traditional scientists who would resist the Three-Body. The description in the early part of the book also supported this idea. But later, the Breaker revealed the plans of each Wallfacer, which swept away the frustration from the first book and gave me a sense of satisfaction.
Another impression that struck me was the civilization in space. In order to survive the game of power, and after the Blue Space and the Universal Gravitational Constant were attacked when Earth entered the Deterrence Era, it was inevitable that "development" would also occur elsewhere when technology reached a certain level. Upon careful consideration, it is possible for humans to act this way, which confirms the theme that humanity is not worth saving (my personal interpretation of the book).
In conclusion, both the Three-Body books and the TV series are worth watching.
Emotions, emotions, emotions - how do I manage my emotions?#
The first time I heard about the Year of Fate and the need to wear red during that year, I thought it was a prosperous year that occurred every twelve years... It wasn't until later that I learned that the Year of Fate is a year that requires caution and restraint.
Just like the beginning of this blog, the days of my graduate studies were filled with a lot of content. There is a saying, "Every hurdle is difficult to overcome," but when I was in the midst of it, the feeling of powerlessness made it hard for me to breathe. Could this be the problem of the Year of Fate? (Finding excuses for myself)
Before coming to school, I had a meal with two friends who were also studying for their graduate degrees. Before the meal, we were thinking about who else we could invite to join us, but in the end, we couldn't find anyone else. After the meal, we discussed what everyone else was doing and whether there were other classmates studying for their graduate degrees. We basically went through a circle of conversation and sighed.
When I was lost, I thought more about finding people with similar experiences to communicate with, to empathize with, and to solve the doubts in my heart, hoping to find some reference answers. The three of us are lost young people from small towns, all studying for our graduate degrees. However, we can't be considered "problem-solving enthusiasts" from small towns, but we have the mindset left by problem-solving enthusiasts - "We have no more problems to solve, no standard answers to refer to." We are in a situation where it is difficult to fully integrate with the city and feel the disconnect from our hometown in the countryside.
To be honest, I had never heard of the concept of "problem-solving enthusiasts from small towns" before these past two years. When I heard this term for the first time, I was touched, as if I had seen a wound on myself that wasn't bleeding, tearing apart.
I was encouraged by an article I recently read from Mengru:
This year and a half has been particularly fulfilling. I have been learning new things almost every day, working on projects tirelessly, writing code day and night, while also balancing my studies. I am particularly enthusiastic about discovering ways to combine my professional knowledge with front-end development. As I progressed, I even developed a love for my major courses. At that time, it felt like I had endless energy. Almost every day, I would say, "Wow, this is interesting," or "That is amazing!" Whenever I had an idea, I would immediately go and implement it. My drive was astonishing. I would even encourage myself, for example:
2016-8-31 Today, I finally understood the callback syntax that I didn't understand back in May. Although it has been four months since then, my progress seems slow, and it's not even a remarkable thing. That syntax is just a common and ordinary one. However, this shows that the books I read and the code I wrote during this period became the catalyst for my understanding. My progress is something that can be observed.
I was encouraged and even teared up while reading it during class or when slacking off. But I haven't been able to do what Mengru did - pursuing coding passionately while also excelling in real-life matters. My emotions are still all over the place...
I try to do other things to comfort myself, but when my emotions come out, I still don't know how to deal with them. I take a deep breath and wait for the emotions to naturally pass.
In a few more years, when I leave school and read these articles again, I wonder if I will be smiling and feeling relieved.
Every hurdle is difficult to overcome.