What is true long-termism? It’s climatology.

In spring, you must scatter your seeds into the soil; the amount you sow determines the scale of your harvest. But in winter, you should be enjoying hot pot and singing along — any effort you make will result in loss; your hard work will yield no returns.

Yet people are often conflicted. In spring, they complain it’s too exhausting, refuse to work overtime, and say, “Money can’t be earned in one lifetime — I just want to eat hot pot.” But when winter gives them ample time to sing, they instead feel anxious, unable to relax or enjoy themselves, spending every day obsessing over why they can’t make money. By the time next spring arrives, they lack the energy because all their drive was depleted during the previous winter — after various misguided attempts that produced nothing, they’ve lost their motivation entirely.

At the start, you are nothing — everything is a mess. Your first goal is to reach “Bronze.” Simply recognizing that the four seasons behave differently already places you far ahead of the majority.

If every season feels like spring, you’re no longer Bronze — you’ve reached Gold. This essentially means using one person’s lifespan to achieve multiple outstanding lives.

If we break you down, it’s still like the four seasons — you just carry many seasons within you simultaneously, giving the impression of low variance and consistent growth, always in spring. But this isn’t the problem to solve at the beginning. First, you must solve how to become Bronze; only then does Gold matter.

The vast majority of people in this world live their entire lives with their eyes closed. If you dare to open them, you’ve already gained scarcity.