The saying goes, "If you don't have a heart or lungs, you won't feel tired living." This means that if you live foolishly and carelessly, you won't feel too exhausted. It also means that if you don't overly care about your reputation and simply live as an ordinary person, you can live a long life. I believe that both of these sayings have some truth to them.
If you want to live a long life, you should have thick skin. Even if you do something wrong or make a mistake, you shouldn't be too hard on yourself. Many people have taken their own lives because they couldn't face their reputation. In life, it's hard for anyone to only do good things, so it's important to learn from our mistakes and become a better person. "Face is like tree bark" is a virtue of being human, but it shouldn't be taken to the extreme. Overly caring about reputation can sometimes harm oneself and it doesn't necessarily mean that everything you do is right. When I say "don't care about your face," I mean not caring about reputation if it's harmful to your health.
It's better to live with a lower status, whether it's going from an official to a commoner or from a rich person to a poor one, if it means ensuring your health. You need to have the spirit of "enduring hardship and tasting bitterness" and not let your life be ruined because you're concerned about reputation. To achieve this goal, I believe the following four points should be followed:
① Be outspoken. Live life boldly and confidently, with less hesitation in facing challenges. This will allow you to open up opportunities in life and have a successful career in society. Not only will you be financially well-off, but you will also have good physical health. Especially for women, those who are outspoken tend to live longer and happier lives.
② Be carefree. Open up your heart and enjoy life however you want. Don't restrict yourself. Some elderly people are afraid to confidently wear new clothes and instead wear them underneath their old clothes. This shows a lack of carefree attitude. If you have money, why not enjoy good food, clothing, and entertainment? Being open-minded in doing things and living carefree should be the attitude towards daily life.
③ Have less shame. Break free from feudal thinking and don't be embarrassed to participate in certain social activities, such as dancing or dating. Do things in a decent and proper manner, not fearing criticism or generating a sense of shame that can lead to poor mental health and ultimately harm your well-being.
④ Have thick skin. We live in a complex society where we encounter all kinds of people. Every action we take may lead to troubles, obstacles, jealousy, or even attacks and insults. Therefore, we shouldn't overly worry about our reputation and instead have thick skin. Otherwise, we will feel unhappy, unable to succeed in our endeavors, and even harm our health.
When you reach the point of "not caring about your face," what is there to fear? With this mindset, not only can you achieve great things, but you can also ensure your physical well-being.
