Today, I posted a picture of me running at night in the park on Moments, and someone immediately commented, "My husband is applying for a card at the gym, do you want to come?" "Reading the comments made me feel bad. The Chinese only have the word "benefit" when treating people and things, that is, to see if you can bring him money. Why do Chinese look at everyone like a "walking renminbi"? Is this a sequelae of the development of business society? Or is it 5,000 years of selfishness in sweeping the snow in front of the door? The specific reasons are to be analyzed by me one by one!
Night runs
Historical Context
First of all, from a historical perspective, China has experienced numerous wars, famines, and poverty over the past few thousand years. This chronic material scarcity has made the Chinese thirst for wealth particularly strong. Especially before the reform and opening up, China experienced a long period of planned economy and poverty, and people's material living standards were extremely low. In this context, the increase of wealth is not only an improvement in the quality of life, but also an important way to get rid of poverty and achieve personal and family happiness.
Famine in history
Reform and opening up of the economy
Since the reform and opening up, China's market economy has developed rapidly, and the accumulation of material wealth has become an important symbol of social progress. With the development of the economy, the increase in wealth has brought about an unprecedented increase in living standards. This rapid economic growth has made wealth an important measure of success and happiness in a short period of time. It is widely believed that only with more money can one have better living conditions, higher social status, and more free choice.
China's reform and opening up
Social competitive pressures
Modern Chinese society is full of fierce competition, and everything from education and employment to housing and health care requires a lot of financial support. This competitive pressure forces people to make money as a top priority. Especially in big cities, high housing prices and high education costs have put huge financial pressure on ordinary families. To cope with these pressures, many people see the pursuit of wealth as their primary goal to pursue.
Social competitive pressures
Social climate and media influence
The influence of social climate and the media is also an important factor in leading people to value wealth. Modern media hype the lifestyles of the rich and successful, especially the culture of showing off wealth on self-media short video platforms, which is glorified and admired to some extent. This cultural atmosphere makes people yearn for wealth more, thinking that having wealth means having success and happiness, and not having money seems to be a failure in life. In addition, the popularity of social media has made flaunting wealth easier and more common, further exacerbating this ethos.
Showing off wealth is not a bad atmosphere
The destruction of traditional values
Although China has a long cultural tradition, such as Confucianism's emphasis on morality and ethics, traditional values have taken a toll on during the rapid process of modernization. In the sixties and seventies, we also pursued "learning from Lei Feng's good example and serving the people". At that time, it was shameful to discuss money in a capitalist way of life! Now the lack of faith of Chinese people makes many people believe that only with sufficient wealth can they realize their personal value and be recognized by society.
Learn Lei Feng
Psychological factors
Psychological factors are also an aspect that cannot be ignored. An increase in material wealth can lead to a sense of security and pride. After an era of material scarcity, people's greed for wealth is actually a kind of self-consolation for the uncertainties of the future. Just like Chinese aunts love to go to the supermarket to grab cheap eggs, because they are used to playing small hardships. At the same time, wealth can bring higher social status and more social opportunities, which enhance people's desire to pursue wealth.
Education & Family Influence
Family and education have an important impact on the formation of personal values. In many families, parents teach their children from an early age to study hard and pursue success, which is often associated with high income and social status. This educational model allows young people to establish a wealth outlook on life from an early age. In addition, the financial pressure on the family has also prompted young people to pay more attention to the accumulation of wealth.
Future outlook
Although many people's pursuit of wealth seems to be unquenchable, this phenomenon will change in the future with the development of spiritual civilization and the change of people's ideological concepts. With the improvement of the social security system and the further improvement of material life, people will gradually attach importance to spiritual life and inner satisfaction. The ancients said: "A gentleman loves money and takes it in a good way." If the interaction between relatives and friends only involves personal interests, what will become of the whole society? I believe that with the continuous progress of society, people's values will gradually change, and while pursuing wealth, they will also pay more attention to spiritual and inner satisfaction. When people meet, they no longer talk about money and fame, but about personal knowledge and knowledge; Friends interrogating each other is no longer how much money you made last month, but how many books you read last month?
"A drink and a peck, it is not predetermined", why should we force the amount of wealth, a gentleman should be content and happy, and be poor and happy! There is a higher value in life, that is, the value of self-realization, for example, I love to write, and others praise me is an affirmation of the value of my labor, and this kind of happiness cannot be given by money.