Making money is for the purpose of living, but life is not for the purpose of making money. So what is life for? By observing, one can discover that people live for relationships.
Relationships can be divided into strong (narrow) relationships and weak (broad) relationships. For example, blood relations and romantic relationships belong to strong (narrow) relationships, while the relationship between a writer or celebrity and their fans belongs to weak (broad) relationships. The meanings of these two types of relationships can be understood literally.
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Generally speaking, happiness is determined by strong (narrow) relationships, while success is determined by weak (broad) relationships. However, this is not absolute, as it is based on a secular perspective. Happiness is subjective. For example, the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, who had a poor strong (narrow) relationship, said on his deathbed, "Tell them I had a wonderful (happy) life."
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Strong (narrow) relationships have a significant impact and meaning for individuals, while weak (broad) relationships are more suitable for influencing and changing the world. The worldview of the protagonist in the animated film "Weathering with You" is "as long as we can love, it doesn't matter even if the world is flooded," which prioritizes strong (narrow) relationships over weak (broad) relationships. Gautama Buddha abandoned his throne, left home, and practiced to enlighten sentient beings, which prioritizes weak (broad) relationships over strong (narrow) relationships. Both strong (narrow) relationships and weak (broad) relationships are part of a person, and different choices reflect different values.
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Blood and genes are passed down through strong (narrow) relationships, while culture and spirituality mainly rely on weak (broad) relationships for inheritance. Human civilization has reached its current state through these two aspects, which are like a person's left and right legs, both of which are indispensable.
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The number of strong (narrow) relationships a person can have is limited because an individual's energy and the number of close friends and family members are limited. On the other hand, the number of weak (broad) relationships theoretically can continue to grow until the total population of the Earth, as these relationships can be one-sided and not limited by time and space. For example, the relationship between Lu Xun, a writer from the Republic of China, and contemporary literary youth who admire him, or the relationship between Michael Jackson and his international fans who idolize him.
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For most people, strong (narrow) relationships are more important than weak (broad) relationships, but often the ones that can hurt you the most are also strong (narrow) relationships.
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If a person does not have satisfying strong (narrow) relationships, it is not a problem. They can develop weak (broad) relationships. Breaking free from the limitations of small love may lead to the emergence of great love. If a person cares about their reputation and the opinions of people they have no close relationship with, it indicates that they value weak (broad) relationships. It shows that even those whose names are unknown hold a place in their hearts, and the seed of great love is buried deep within them.
People make money, pursue success, power, status, reputation, recognition, and respect from others, ultimately for the sake of relationships. However, people often get lost on the path to their goals. They forget or don't know what they initially wanted.
Franz Kafka once said that he stood in line on the street, not to buy anything, but to blend into the crowd and reduce the coldness in his heart. This is a desire for relationships. Tao Yuanming resigned from his official position and secluded himself, which is an escape from relationships. Entering society means entering relationships, while leaving society means exiting relationships. "Being content with oneself when poor" represents the latter, while "helping the world when successful" represents the former.
There are many forces that trap people in relationships, and there are also many forces that compel people to escape from relationships. People both long for and fear relationships. Longing is the joy that relationships bring, while fear is the pain that relationships can cause.
Albert Einstein said, "You don't have to think deeply, just look at everyday life to understand: people live for others - first for those people whose joy and well-being are closely connected to our own; then for many people we don't know, whose fate is intimately linked with ours through the bonds of sympathy." This speaks to the positive value of relationships. Jean-Paul Sartre said, "Hell is other people," which speaks to the negative value of relationships.
The desire for relationships is ingrained in our genes, as can be seen by observing the reactions of babies when they are separated from their mothers' embrace. However, different growth environments, experiences, ways of perceiving and understanding the world, and subsequent behavioral differences and variations, lead some people to seek happiness in relationships while others see "hell" in relationships.
People seek warmth, solace, and hope in relationships, but they also struggle and endure pain in relationships. As Krishnamurti said, "He (referring to humans) needs the mirror of relationship, not the intellectual analysis or introspective dissection, to find truth by observing the content of his own mind."
Ultimately, everyone will die, but through relationships, individuals can pass on a part of themselves (material or spiritual) by, for example, having offspring (strong/narrow relationships) or leaving behind books and ideas for future generations (weak/broad relationships). If human beings were to become extinct tomorrow, would everything done today still have meaning? By continuing through genes and spirituality, the pursuit and answers to the meaning of life are postponed. If human civilization can be passed down from generation to generation, even if individuals die, a part of them may continue through relationships. In this continuous succession, does the individual's life hold some kind of meaning?
If there were no relationships, would life still be worth living? Would life still have meaning? If you were given a choice between our current life and one without any relationships, such as living alone on a planet, which would you choose? If Isaac Newton or Cao Xueqin were placed alone on a planet, would they still study science or write novels? Would it still have meaning?
Taking a step back, can it be said that the existence of relationships provides broader and deeper possibilities for the meaning of life? If one were to seek the meaning of life, perhaps it can only be approached through relationships, otherwise, one may inevitably fall into nihilism.