“Three, two, one.
“Alright, next, let me divulge into the topic outside ‘Struggle’!
“Big Boss He An had said previously that ‘Struggle’ is a game that broke dimensional walls. ‘Tomorrow is Beautiful’, ‘Struggle’, and reality are three different worlds.
“However, because Big Boss He An does not stay in Jingzhou and had not been taking notice of Tengda’s industries, he did not make links to reality.
“Therefore, his interpretation of ‘Struggle’ is lacking at least half of its contents!
“The purpose of this video is to supplement it so that it can break down ‘Struggle’s dimensional wall completely!”
…
He An could not help but be taken aback.
How dare you stay that my interpretation of ‘Struggle’ was not complete?
Impossible, my interpretation is all there is, isn’t it?
Many other points were required for an explanation outside the game? They were even related to Tengda’s industries?
He An really did not know much about those.
Until now, the physical industries of Tengda were basically congregated in Jingzhou and had expanded to Handong Province at most. They were nowhere near He An.
Moreover, He An was not living in Jingzhou so his knowledge of Fish-Catching Take-Out, Sloth Apartments, Deposit Fitness, and the rest were naturally close to nothing.
He An, therefore, continued reading seriously.
…
“Before I start explaining, I want to throw out an idea that seems alarming:
“Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, Fish-Catching Take-Out, Sloth Apartments, Thriller Hostel, Fully-Automated Bickering Machine, Deposit Fitness, even the earlier ROF Computer-Installation, OTTO Cell phone, Upwind Logistics, etc… they are all extensions of the concept behind the game ‘Struggle’!
“I know that it might seem hard to accept but please bear with my explanation.
“Big Boss He An asked one final question in the long Weibo post: there were three types of connection Boss Pei wanted to express between the rich and the poor. They were: ‘Tomorrow is Beautiful’, ‘Struggle’, and reality.
“The problems that Tomorrow is Beautiful and Struggle face had solutions in real life. This game allows us to realize that the things we are used to are actually a type of blessing in itself.
“This is why ‘Struggle’ broke the dimensional wall.
“However, some people are not in agreement. They feel that it is a stretch to compare reality with Tomorrow is Beautiful and Struggle.
Chapter 656 - Consumerism and IQ Tax
“That can all be understood, actually.
“That’s because Tomorrow is Beautiful is a movie, and Struggle is a game. Boss Pei has carefully crafted every detail so that every member of the audience or every gamer that sees it would be able to take away the same message to some extent.
“However, everyone is in a different situation in real life. The lessons that people learn from real life vary as well.
“Some are able to change their fates by striving while others aren’t. Some have seen the warm side of this world, but others have only seen the cold.
“That explains the world of difference between their world views.
“What I want to emphasize is that Boss Pei has already expressed his own views of the real world. It’s just that most people haven’t noticed it.
“Why not? Look at my title: The Silent Expresser.
“He is expressing his views silently. Instead of making it clear as day, he forces you to depend on yourself to be enlightened.
“Alright, next, please click on the second link in the video description. Read what he said to the needy students in his alma mater.
“Three, two, one.
“Alright, all of you understand now. Boss Pei donated fifteen million yuan to those needy students and then delivered a speech to them, telling them to put that money to good use.
“That’s right. Boss Pei did not tell them to be thrifty, but to focus well.
“Actually, that fits in with how Boss Pei views wealth. He doesn’t agree with consumerism, but he doesn’t necessarily agree that being stingy is good either.
“When faced with the issue of wealth, many people fall into the trap of taking either of two extremes:
“The first type assumes that immediate satisfaction is the key. They spend their salaries once they receive them, overspend on their credit cards, and purchase more than they can afford.
“The second type assumes that hoarding money is the key. They think of various ways and means to make tiny profits. They’re wealthy, but they live like beggars and end up missing many opportunities.
“Obviously, both of those ways of thinking are wrong.
“Boss Pei’s speech tells us that the most important thing that every person has is not money, but focus!
“As long as we can use our focus well, we will be able to earn much more money. Conversely, if we chase after small profits and waste our focus, we will lose out more.
“Now, some of you might ask what the speech has to do with Struggle, the theme of this episode.
“Of course, it has everything to do with it.
“The contents of the speech and all of Boss Pei’s businesses fill in what was left unsaid in Struggle. They tell us what struggle really looks like in real life.
“Speaking of struggle, many people take two very different views of that word as well.
“One type of people thinks that struggling is meaningless and wouldn’t be able to change anything. They prefer to take things as they come, enjoy whatever they have at the moment, and deal with tomorrow’s problems tomorrow.
“The other type of people thinks that struggling as hard as they can would guarantee them the lives that they desire. However, they never ask if they are struggling for the right reasons.
“Both of those ways of thinking are wrong.
“Before I answer the question, let me say this: Big Boss He An has pointed out two main sources of the poor man’s misery in Struggle: consumerism and IQ tax. The poor man managed to climb to an elusive position in the middle-class, but consumerism destroyed his riches and caused him to fall back into the poverty cycle.
“Consumerism is in control of the entire society in Struggle. That’s why the poor man had no choice. However, in real life consumerism has not become widely accepted in society. As long as we fight it, our riches would not be destroyed, and we would be able to gather a certain amount of wealth.
“Many people would have questions about this as well… because Big Boss He did not clarify what exactly consumerism means.
“According to its ordinary definition, consumerism is the way the majority in society behaves: they chase superficial spending and crave unrestrained material enjoyment and recreation. Moreover, that becomes the meaning and goal of their lives.
“However, I believe that everyone has their own views of consumerism and IQ tax.
“Many times, we would find that the concepts of consumerism and IQ tax vary from person to person.
“Take this very simple example: two packets of tissue are sold for five yuan and twenty yuan each. Does the one sold for twenty yuan charge IQ tax?
“Many people think so. Both are tissue papers, but the one with the brand name stuck on it is priced four times higher. Isn’t that an insult to others’ intelligence?
“What if I told you that the latter was softer and more exquisite, required more complicated work, and felt better? Would you still think you’re paying IQ tax?
“Similarly, ordinary people might think that branded bags that cost tens of thousands of yuan charge IQ tax. However, would multi-millionaires think the same?
“I think that most people haven’t thought about this question.
“That’s why some hate consumerism, but others don’t think much of it. They think that, as long as they have enough wealth to support it, they can buy branded shoes, bags, and so on.
“At this point, I won’t judge whether that behavior is right or wrong. I’ll just talk about Boss Pei’s views on the subject.
“Many people don’t like Struggle because they think that it brings attention to a problem without offering much of a solution.
“To this, I want to say that the income gap will never go away. It will always haunt us, and there are no good solutions for it at the moment. It’s impossible and impracticable to expect one person to come up with a satisfactory solution for all of us.
“Everyone should think about this independently and offer their own answers.
“However, Boss Pei has indeed offered a practicable solution. It’s just that people haven’t realized it yet.
“Let’s go back to how Boss Pei described his view of wealth in his speech. The most valuable resource that humans have is their focus. How should one make good use of the money in his hands, then?
“We should use it to boost our focus.
“That’s exactly what Boss Pei does.
“An analysis of Boss Li’s interview and the photograph of Boss Pei should help everyone understand this. Boss Pei is someone who spends all of his spare time thinking. He has been putting this into practice: even as a multi-millionaire, his focus is the most valuable thing to him.
“What is Boss Pei’s daily life like, then? We saw that he lives in Sloth Apartments and eats Fish-Catching Take-Out, but he wears branded suits and watches. Yet, the value of his suits and watches is limited. Compared to his net worth, it’s still very far off.
“Now, some people might think that Boss Pei is contradicting himself.
“He emphasizes making good use of one’s focus, but he develops games to distract everyone else.
“He emphasizes the harm of consumerism, but he wears branded suits and high-end watches.
“However, I would like to urge everyone to think carefully. Is this really considered a contradiction? If you can answer that question, you would have all the answers you need.”
…
At that point, He An could not help but feel stunned.
He would not have expected Teacher Qiao to lead the discussion to this point!
To He An, Boss Pei had done nothing wrong by resisting consumerism. Yet, who could possibly remain completely unaffected by consumerism?
Even He An himself had bought a villa and a luxurious car after earning money. Strictly speaking, he had subscribed to consumerism as well.
If he could remain completely unaffected by consumerism, he would have re-invested his money into his company to generate more value or do more charity to help others.
Yet, he had failed to do so. Instead, he had spent a huge sum of money on his own enjoyment.
That was why He An hadn’t explained the concept of consumerism in much detail in his long Weibo post.
Subconsciously, he knew that the concept of consumerism depended on one’s income level.
If a poor person who earned three thousand yuan every month wanted to splurge on a luxurious sports car, he would be considered brainwashed by consumerism. On the other hand, if a multi-millionaire wanted to buy a luxurious sports car, his own daily life would not be affected.
Still, He An knew full well that this conclusion was contradicting. He would not be able to clarify himself well enough.
If he ended his post by saying ‘poor people can’t buy luxury cars, but rich people can’, he would not be persuasive. People might even think that he was discriminating against the poor and saying that they were not fit to buy expensive products.
That would be perpetuating the concept of consumerism.
Thus, it was very dangerous for Teacher Qiao to talk about these things in his video. He had to tread very carefully. A small mistake could backfire at once.
Since he had already pointed out that Boss Pei bought branded suits and watches, how could he also persuade others to give those things up?
Feeling quite worried, He An continued watching the video.
…
“Obviously, this is not contradicting.
“I have been emphasizing this entire time that we should not fall into the trap of this false dichotomy.
“We do need to make good use of our focus, but can humans really guarantee control over every bit of their focus at every second of every day?
“Of course not.
“That’s why I said that we should regulate our working hours to eight hours a day. Within those eight hours, we should work hard and study hard. After that, we can rest and relax.
“We must achieve a good work-play balance.
“Games help us to relax our bodies and minds. Whether the gameplay is unique or the game is particularly artistic or whether the game’s content is funny or thought-provoking, games would still be meaningful to all of us.”
Chapter 657 - Boss Pei is on the Fifth Level
“So, games are neutral things. Do you use them to relax so that you can work better afterward? Or do you get so immersed in them that you escape from reality? That’s up to you to decide.
“Tengda Corporation never prohibits employees from playing games, but are they encouraging employees to slack off? Obviously not. They’re encouraging work-play balance among their employees.
“Rest is required to work better.
“If they feel tired after working, they can play games to relax and then work more efficiently once they’re done. That would be a better use of their focus, wouldn’t it?
“At the end of the day, the keyword is still ‘focus’.
“That’s why Boss Pei developed a game like Struggle. His games are not meant to suck people in or act as escapes from reality. Instead, they’re meant to force people to face reality and accept it as much as possible.
“Boss Pei’s view of consumerism is the same. He doesn’t emphasize that some things cannot be bought or one would risk incurring IQ tax. Instead, he emphasizes that one should understand their true needs well.
“Boss Pei thinks that the most valuable thing one can own is focus. Having a reasonable view of wealth would drive one to invest their money into their own focus and do meaningful things to create even more value.
“The idea of resisting consumerism is based on the same principle as well. It doesn’t mean that one incurs IQ tax and falls for the trap of consumerism just because they buy expensive things. The key question is what one’s goal in spending money is.
“Boss Pei, as a boss, needs to have a certain image while negotiating business with other people. That’s why he spends money on tuxedos and branded watches.
“However, if you take a closer look at those three world-famous paintings, you would find that Boss Pei only has those two suits and that one watch. All of them are of the lowest standard that he could possibly need.
“Similarly, Boss Pei can afford a bungalow but doesn’t buy one. Instead, he stays in a Sloth Apartment, which is decorated extremely minimally to encourage better thinking.
“Boss Pei’s actions are the best example of resisting consumerism. Every sum that he spends is an investment into his own focus that would help him to generate greater value.
“In summary, what is IQ tax?
“Everyone has a limited amount of money that they can spend. With that same amount of money, you could buy a branded bag; however, you would not have any left for investments or education.
“Thus, whether spending on an item would be considered paying ‘IQ tax’ or being brainwashed by consumerism depends significantly on what that item can bring to you.
“If you’re intending to negotiate business with others but you don’t even have a decent suit, then you would be unwittingly creating obstructions for yourself. Buying a suit under such circumstances would not be considered paying IQ tax.
“On the other hand… if you’re a delivery man, wearing a suit would make work inconvenient, and the suit could even be dirtied while you’re working. Under such circumstances, you would be paying IQ tax.
“So, we can und
erstand what Boss Pei wants to express through Struggle by analyzing him alone.
“If you want to change your fate, you have to—first—accumulate wealth and resist consumerism, and second, work hard.
“At its core, resisting consumerism is not about spending less money, but about spending every cent on bettering oneself, generating more value, and investing in truly meaningful areas.
“At its core, working hard is not about repeating tasks day after day, being a workaholic and blindly striving to the end of the road. Instead, it’s about making use of one’s focus intelligently, thinking independently, and looking for the right direction.
“You can spend money on games and novels. As long as you don’t become obsessed with them, but use them to regulate your emotions, work more efficiently, and even obtain some inspiration; it would still be meaningful.
“That’s the message behind Boss Pei’s Struggle. That’s the message he is trying to convey to us in real life.
“Once you understand that, you would realize that all of Boss Pei’s businesses are repeatedly expressing those same two points to us.
“Let’s go back to the question at the beginning.
“Why did I say that Fish-Catching Internet Cafe, Fish-Catching Take-Out, the Sloth Apartments, Thriller Hostel, the Fully-Automated Bickering Machines, Deposit Fitness, and even ROF, Otto Technologies, Upwind Logistics, and so on were all extensions of the concept behind Struggle?
“It’s because all of those businesses incorporate both of those points.
“Those businesses’ products look more expensive than those of their competitors in their respective industries, but they all provide better user experience. You might spend a bit more money, but what would you save?
“You would save attention and focus!
“Take Deposit Fitness, for example. Everyone knows that it’s much more expensive than ordinary gyms, but in ordinary gyms, one would have to supervise themselves to train every day and keep to a reasonable diet. Sometimes, one would go to the gym and find it extremely crowded. There would be lines at machines that would waste time.
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