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 characterization of the characters in the book. It was wonderful.
From the beginning, I didn't understand why the Three-Body Organization accepted the destruction of their home planet by an alien civilization with such pessimism and negativity. But after completing the 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 researching ways to resist the Trisolarans. The description in the early part of the book supported this idea, but later on, the Breakthrough Initiatives revealed the plans of each Wallfacer, giving me a refreshing feeling after the gloominess of the first book. It felt like reading a satisfying story.
Another memorable aspect for me was the civilization in space and the game of survival, as well as the attacks on the Blue Space and the Universal Gravitation after Earth entered the Deterrence Era. When technology reaches a certain level of development, it inevitably brings about "development" in other places. Upon careful consideration, it is possible for humans to act in 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 came 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 studying for my master's degree were filled with a lot of content. There is a saying, "Difficulties come and go," but when I was in the midst of it, the feeling of powerlessness made it hard for me to breathe. Is this 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 master's degrees. Before the meal, we were thinking about who else we could invite to have a meal and chat with, 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 master's degrees. We basically went through a circle of conversation and sighed.
When I was feeling lost, I thought more and 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 confused young people from small towns, all studying for our master's degrees, but we can't be considered "problem-solving experts from small towns." However, we all have the mindset left by problem-solving experts - "We have no more problems to solve, no more standard answers to refer to." We find it difficult to fully integrate into the city and feel the disconnection from our hometown in the countryside.
To be honest, before these past two years, I had never heard of the concept of "problem-solving experts from small towns." When I heard this term for the first time, it struck a chord with me, as if I had seen a wound on myself that wasn't bleeding, tearing apart.
I was encouraged by an article I recently read by Mengru, which can be found here:
This year and a half has been particularly fulfilling. I have been learning new things almost every day, working on projects tirelessly, coding day and night, while also balancing my studies. I am especially 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. Every day was like, "Wow, this is interesting! 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 really a big deal because that syntax is just a common and ordinary one. However, this shows that the books I've read and the code I've written during this period have become the catalyst for my understanding. My progress is indeed observable.
I was encouraged and moved to tears while slacking off in class and reading this. But I haven't been able to do what Mengru did - pursuing coding, which I love, while also successfully completing real-life tasks. My emotions are still all over the place...
I try to do other things to console myself, but when emotions arise, 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 years, when I leave school and read these articles again, I wonder if I will be smiling and feeling relieved.
Difficulties come and go.