Judgment Is the Light

By Zhao Xia, Shandong Province

My name is Zhao Xia. I was born into an ordinary family. Due to the influence of dictums like “A man leaves his name behind wherever he stays, just as a goose utters its cry wherever it flies,” and “As a tree lives for its bark, a man lives for his face,” reputation and face became particularly important to me. Everything I did was to earn other people’s praise, compliments, and admiration. After getting married, the goals I set for myself were: I will have a more prosperous life than others; I must not allow anyone say negative things about how I treat the elderly or about my behavior and conduct; I will ensure my child gets into a well-known university and has good prospects in order to bring me more glory.

I Have Only Just Begun Walking the Right Path of Life

By Shi Han, Hebei Province

I was born to a poor peasant family. I have been sensible since childhood, in that I never fought with other kids and I obeyed my parents, which made me a good girl in the eyes of adults. People around us were all very envious of my parents, saying that they were lucky to have such a good daughter. And just like this, I grew up listening to compliments from the people around me. When I was in the elementary school, my academic record was especially good, and I always achieved first place in exams. One time, I received full marks in an essay contest held by my town, winning honor for my school. The headmaster not only awarded me a prize and certificate, but also complimented me in front of the entire school and called upon the students to learn from me. I suddenly became the “celebrity” of the school, and my classmates even nicknamed me “ever-victorious general.” The compliments from my teachers, the envy of my classmates, and the doting of my parents gave me a sense of superiority in my heart, and I really enjoyed the feeling of being admired by everyone. Accordingly, I firmly believed that the greatest joy in life was the admiration of others, and that the feeling of happiness came from the praise of others. I secretly told myself: No matter how difficult and exhausting it is, I must become someone with fame and status, and never be looked down upon by others. From then on, dictums such as “A man leaves his name behind wherever he stays, just as a goose utters its cry wherever it flies” and “Men should always strive to be better than their contemporaries” became my life mottos.

A Rebirth

By Yang Zheng, Heilongjiang Province

I was born into an impoverished rural family that was backward in their thinking. I was vain from a young age and my desire for status was particularly strong. Over time, through the influence of social environment and the education of traditional culture, I took all sorts of Satan’s rules for survival into my heart. All kinds of fallacies nurtured my desire for fame, gain and status, such as “Fame will make you immortal,” “Get ahead and bring honor to your ancestors,” “People need face like a tree needs its bark,” “Be the top dog,” and “Build a beautiful home with your own two hands.” These gradually became my life and made me firmly believe that as long as we are living in this world, we have to work to be seen highly by others.

Fortune and Misfortune

By Dujuan, Japan

I was born into a poor family in a Chinese rural village. Because my family was poor, I sometimes did not even know if I would have my next meal, let alone snacks and toys. And from a young age, I would wear what my older sister used to wear. Her clothes were usually too big for me. As a result, my classmates would laugh at me and they would not play with me. My childhood was very bitter. From that point on, I resolved to myself: Once I grow up, I will be somebody and make lots of money. I won’t let others look down on me again. Since my family had no money, I was forced to drop out before junior high school graduation.