Four Dimensions of Selection
The first dimension is the era we live in.
The second dimension is who you are as an individual.
The era determines the cutoff percentile for rewards—better times mean a higher cutoff, worse times mean a lower one. But being the right kind of person determines whether you actually fall within that rewarded range. Plenty of people start strong but fall behind later in their careers, unable to sustain their advantages over time.
The third dimension is your family background.
People are born into different circumstances. Getting into the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Tsinghua, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, or Zhejiang University may be 99% due to personal effort. But once you enter the real world, it’s no longer a solo effort—it’s a whole-family endeavor. Who your parents are matters, and who your spouse is matters too.
In this context, a life without burdens is fierce and formidable.
Luo’s原生 family wasn’t wealthy, but at least he didn’t have to worry about them. Luo isn’t Hou Liangping or Qi Tongwei, with a powerful backer to lean on. But his wife can support the family on her own—she doesn’t even need him to bring money home. He can do whatever he wants. On that foundation, he could quit a 500,000-yuan-a-year training instructor job on a whim, start a website, launch a business, and折腾 endlessly.
Many people want to take risks, but they don’t have the conditions to do so. Some haven’t done anything wrong—they just carry too heavy a family burden, leaving them no room to pivot. If someone has 100 game coins and you have only one, there’s no point comparing yourself to them. Doing the best you can with your limited options—that’s already winning.
The fourth dimension is mental baggage.
Some people hesitate constantly before making any move, worrying about long-term consequences for future generations. Others refuse to step back when they still have advantages ahead, only wanting to turn back when they’ve hit a dead end.
Carrying heavy mental baggage prevents you from letting go—and if you can’t let go, you won’t succeed.