schele

Praising suffering has always been wrong, but the spirit of perseverance is right.

Synesthesia#

Dialogue 1#

• "What is synesthesia? Or is the phenomenon you mentioned caused by synesthesia?"
• "Simply put, it's confusion. In some cases, it means mistaking two things with similar characteristics as one, and then making some unrelated or even absurd statements."
• "I can only think of a literary figure of speech called synesthesia. Does it have anything to do with what you're talking about?"
• "One of the operating principles of this figure of speech is the confusion I mentioned. Take the commonly used term 'involution' as an example. Do you remember the words you used to express it before it existed?"
• "Competition and comparison, in a negative sense, um, vicious competition and comparison. Now people just use one word everywhere, and I dislike this. In the end, they will become parrots who can't speak."
• "Perhaps. In short, this is an example of synesthesia. They will go from one similar thing to another. If the latter is judged to be good, then they will think the former is good too, and vice versa."
• "Is this a habit brought about by language? I remember you mentioned it before."
• "Yes, Western languages have a clear feature of emotional detachment, while in East Asia, you can easily find that they tend to treat two similar things as one in equivalent situations. For example, when they complain about the dish you served them and are not satisfied, most of the time they only say the surface meaning, but people here are used to interpreting it as an insult."
• "But this habit can't be considered bad, right?"
• "Yes, but in linguistics, mathematics, philosophy, and other fields that require precision, this kind of language should be eliminated and improved. They can't even understand what 'truth' and 'concept' are."
• "Haha, but I think this thing has long been used by some PR and propaganda people. It's everywhere now."

Overview#

• What is synesthesia? It is a fuzzy judgment mechanism that supports association and inference. It can be cross-sensory or only in terms of thinking and logic. It is used in artistic expression and construction, but it can also be a tool for controlling people. In short, it can cause confusion.
  • In the worst case, synesthesia can work together with "Dadao Lock" (https://schele-4591.xlog.app/ka-fei-shi-jian-2--gang-zhong-zhi-nao-yi-ding-shi-huai-shi-ma-), such as superstition, or confuse the tool of "collective" with every individual in the collective (https://schele-4591.xlog.app/hui-yi-zhi-shi-1--wei-hu-mei-yi-ge-ren-de-li-yi-shi-bu-shi-ge-ren-zhu-yi-).
• Obviously, the synesthesia revealed in the dialogue is not something rare. It permeates every aspect of Chinese life, and it also has a certain proportion in English life.
  • For example, in the use of the subjunctive mood in English grammar, using the past perfect tense and the past tense formally because people confuse things on another timeline with past events on the current timeline.

Analysis of Synesthesia Examples: Praising Suffering and Growing Through Hardship#

Dialogue 2#

• "The aspect of synesthesia that I have recently been most impressed by is related to 'enduring hardship and growing'."
• "Tell me, what is it?"
• "It's like saying 'young people should endure hardship and suffer more in order to grow', and there's also 'praising suffering' and so on. According to what you said, I think they are all problematic, but there are still some correct ideas in them. I don't know what they are, and I feel conflicted."
• "First of all, I think you should analyze the meaning of these concepts, just like when I give you math problems to solve."
• "I have never been able to solve the problems you give me... Anyway, let me think."
• "How?"
• "I thought of something, see if there's a problem."

The Contradiction of "Praising Suffering"#

• What is suffering? If we break it down, it consists of pain and hardship. We can find a lot of synonyms to match it: pain, disaster, torment, misfortune... But after this search, we can find that besides the harm to human rights, there is also the observer's compassion and charity towards the person suffering, otherwise it wouldn't be called suffering.
  • When have you ever seen people show compassion for a beast who raped a young girl and was executed? Isn't that a cause for celebration and well-deserved punishment?
  • So, we can say that suffering is the phenomenon of harm to human rights plus the observer's sympathy/compassion/charity towards the victim.
• Therefore, praising suffering and the definition of suffering are contradictory. If you think you cannot simultaneously have sympathy for the victim and say "it's good to have more of such things", then you are right.
  • However, let's think about how this thing came about. If I remember correctly, it should be "hardship leads to prosperity". So, actually, the question should be asked like this: "Is it a good view that hardship leads to prosperity?" In fact, this question is the same as "young people should endure hardship and suffer more in order to grow", but obviously they are not the same as praising suffering, they are just similar, or rather, they are products of synesthesia. Those terrible propagators never thought that by doing this, they would lose the opportunity to think about the answer to the question.

"Growing Through Hardship" Should Be Thought Through#

• What is this? Obviously, it is the experience of someone who has been through it: "The hardships you experience will make you grow", "Back in my day, I did this and that, and that's why I have achieved what I have now, so you should do this and that too." Let's refute it according to our usual thinking.
  • Experience is one thing, but whether experience can be effective is another. Even if the training in the military can really temper your mindset as other "experienced people" claim, can you guarantee that you can stay healthy after years of training? In other words, can you guarantee that the benefits you gain outweigh the disadvantages?
  • In China, this statement often represents the deceptive persuasion of someone with malicious intentions. It is a persuasion with the intention of deception.
  • Obviously, enduring hardship does not necessarily make a person grow. Blindly enduring hardship may cause a person to regress or even be destroyed.

Dialogue 3#

• "That's my analysis, but I still feel that there is something worth praising and agreeing with, but I can't find it."
• "You've done a great job, don't be discouraged."
• "It's the spirit of perseverance!"
• "When did you come, painter?"
• "I've been here all along, painting in your cubicle. You didn't get to the point, and it made me anxious! Let me speak!"

The Golden Spirit and Trials#

"If I don't defeat fate with dignity, then I am not qualified to possess this power. This is a trial that only I am qualified to pass!"
The boss's PUA, threats of salary reduction and overtime, this is the hardship you encounter. No, when you admit that it has happened to you and intend to solve it, it is no longer suffering, but a challenge and trial to your destiny. If you fail, you will fall into an abyss. This is the same as the protagonists of JoJo being pushed to the brink by the enemy's Stand. You have all faced trials. The protagonists refuse to be slaves to fate and challenge it. What about you?

• The choices of people facing hardships are indeed artistic, but when we face hardships ourselves, how should we respond?
  • Yes, when facing hardships, we will not always be observers of suffering. One day, we may encounter hardships ourselves, and it is inappropriate to be driven by self-pity from an observer's perspective at that time. What we should do is do our best to solve the problem towards our goal.
• When hardships are unavoidable, we should treat them as tests and challenges, and that is the golden spirit worthy of praise. "Enduring hardship" has obviously been mixed up with this, the golden spirit only emerges when you acknowledge that the suffering imposed on you is a trial, and nothing imposed by others is a trial unless you acknowledge it.

Dialogue 4#

• "Facing adversity but never giving up, that's JoJo, that's what should be praised."
• "You're right, so we shouldn't say that 'young people should endure hardship and suffer more in order to grow' is wrong. Its rightness or wrongness depends on its content. The key point is what the suffering is and what results it brings. Constantly challenging and testing oneself is worthy of praise."
• "Indeed, there is synesthesia everywhere here."
• "In fact, there is one more thing that must be mentioned, that is, the essence of 'hardship leads to prosperity' and facing trials is actually not equivalent in certain situations. It depends on the intention of the person saying it. It may not be the golden spirit, but another expression of compassion and consolation. In my opinion, the latter is a deceptive form of comfort because there is no trial in that situation."
• "Yes, I think only those who face trials can say it, others are not qualified."
• "And only when the victim acknowledges it, there is a trial. Otherwise, it is just torment and victimization."

Written by schele, who was forced to treat the painter to a meal, with support from the painter and mathematician.