Have You Ever Thought About Doing It This Way?

Take your kid and think about it:

Elementary school’s over, they’re moving on to middle school—what happens if they don’t make the cut? Have them imagine what they can do. Middle school to high school, high school to college…

In five years, or three years, they may have to face this head-on. Can they accept the possibility of failing the entrance exam?

What if they just drop out along the way? Have you considered that?

Have you ever tried telling them that competition in this society is all about rankings, that only the top few get a real chance while everyone else is just padding the numbers? Can they accept being part of the陪跑—just there to fill the ranks?

If not, shouldn’t they buckle down and study hard to break through?

Have you ever wondered why school teachers never encourage students to think about these things? Or why teachers’ own kids are held to such strict standards, with almost no time wasted on play?

The unspoken truth is that your child becomes the陪跑 for their kids. Everyone’s effort pushes the cutoff scores higher, making it harder for teachers’ own children to break through. Resources cluster around the top performers—you have to rank high to even compete for opportunities.

From rural villages to township schools, from townships to county seats, from county seats to big cities, standing out in big cities to land options and stock packages at top companies, then putting down roots—buying a home, settling permanently.

You have to push through level after level of fierce competition, no room for carelessness. Have you ever thought: if someone had told you back then what the next three years, five years, or ten years held in store, would you have made a different choice?