After Survival

The term ‘after survival’ refers to the societal state when a human society develops to the point where it can easily meet the basic survival needs of the majority of its members. When a society enters the ‘after survival’ stage, people no longer need to worry about personal safety issues caused by external factors outside of their society, nor do they need to worry about whether they will have enough food and clean water sources and other essential resources for life. Survival is no longer the primary goal of societal development. As people's priorities shift away from survival and more towards personal desires, the social system experiences increasing entropy, potentially leading to its breakdown.

The most stable balance is not when both sides are equal, but when one side completely suppresses the other. Extremes, in themselves, are stable. Trying to maintain equality means constantly risking fluctuation between positive and negative. A single thought can lead to heaven, or to hell.

In interacting with society, one is inevitably pushed toward one side. To resist this, I have to constantly think, anticipate, and simulate, so that when imbalance arrives, I am already prepared with an opposing force to neutralize it. Everything appears calm on the surface, as if nothing has happened. But in reality, the extremes I pursue in order to maintain this balance are only felt by myself.

This way of thinking creates a strong sense of distortion. I am constantly trying to predict what will happen in the next second, preparing for the future, even attempting to alter its direction in ways that benefit me. I am completely confined, yet no one is confining me.

Through anticipation and projection, I have mapped out precise paths and directions for myself. Every seemingly random action, every glance, has been rehearsed countless times in my mind. What I feel is not emptiness, not exactly. It is a profound unease, where the self I see becomes so small that it almost disappears.

I move forward with difficulty, trapped within the prison of my own thoughts. And yet, I know this is the best protection I can give myself. To avoid being hurt entirely, I would rather remain in the cave, watching reflections, than face the outside world again. Because the last time I did, I was hurt.

So I look at the shadows on the wall, and imagine what the world outside might be like. And I begin again, rebuilding a sense of balance from within.