The First Layer of Shackles: Tearing Labels#
Everyone's way of thinking is binary, labeling everything as right or wrong, good or evil, better or worse. Schools categorize students into good and bad based on grades, while society ranks people according to their status and wealth. Even when watching a movie, we must discern who is the hero and who is the villain, which essentially reflects a laziness in thinking. There is no absolute right or wrong in the world, only differing perspectives. When your values do not align, everything you do is wrong.
In "Nezha 2," Shen Gongbao surprisingly becomes a man who is solely focused on hard work, eager to build a career, and full of passion. In the first film, Shen Gongbao was an unequivocal villain, with many attributing all evil to him. His relentless ambition to climb the ranks and his desperate desire to attain the position of the Twelve Golden Immortals made it difficult for people to have any fondness for such a ruthless character.
However, the appearance of his brother in "Nezha 2" changes everything. Behind Shen Gongbao is the adoring gaze of his brother and the fervent expectations of his father; he cannot afford to fail. Even a bad person, a villain, often has their own life and obsessions; they are not merely one-dimensional, purely evil. Although he is a monster, he worked hard to enter the Zen teaching, only to end up doing the dirtiest and most exhausting tasks. While other senior brothers treat elixirs like candy, Shen Gongbao has worked tirelessly for centuries and only received six pills, which he has always been reluctant to eat, ultimately giving them all to his brother.
His father always regarded him with pride, also strict with himself, diligently practicing, hoping to help more children achieve their goals. Yet, in the eyes of the Jade Void Palace, these little monsters are merely materials for alchemy. Five years ago, Shen Gongbao said, "The prejudice in people's hearts is like a great mountain; once formed, no one can take it away." He has repeated this phrase for five years, and probably no one truly understood his feelings at that time.
Until five years later, Shen Gongbao did not suspect that Nezha harmed his kin, while many believed it was Shen Gongbao who slaughtered Chen Tang Pass. At this moment, everyone realized that there was indeed a great mountain in their hearts; the arrow from five years ago had struck deep within them. When the film reflected reality, many empathized with Shen Gongbao's life: he was the only college student in the village, a source of pride for his father, and a role model for his brother. He refrained from enjoying company benefits, saving everything for his family. He did not dare to share his grievances at work with his family because he was the pillar of the household, looked down upon by leaders and colleagues due to his rural background.
The prejudice in people's hearts is like a great mountain, impossible to move no matter how hard you try. Yet he did not let this extinguish his conscience, for he is Shen Gongbao, appealing against all injustices in the world. Upon learning of his brother's death and his father's severed arm, everyone expected him to massacre Chen Tang Pass. But unexpectedly, he calmly deduced the true mastermind behind it all, not only exposing the conspiracy of the Infinite Immortal but also risking his life to save Li Jing and his wife. At this moment, Shen Gongbao became a figure of justice in everyone's hearts, embodying what it means to be a real man.
You may not realize: five years ago, hating Shen Gongbao as a bad person, and five years later praising him as a good person, are the same group of people. Who says black is bad and gold is good? It is merely a set of definitions created by some individuals. In people's minds, sheep are good, wolves are bad, and fairy tales, cartoons, and movies define it this way. Because wolves may harm humans and could steal livestock. However, sheep become delicious dishes on our tables, and their skins can be made into the clothes we wear.
What if we consider who is good and who is bad from a positive perspective? Or from the height of nature as a whole, is there good and bad? All defined good and bad, right and wrong, have one standard: whether they align with one's own interests. Everyone's stance is different, and their understanding varies, so the labels they attach will differ. Only fools like to argue about right and wrong, while wise people discuss pros and cons.
The Second Layer of Shackles: Breaking Authority#
When Liu Bang was young, he organized idle people to collect protection fees daily. Historical records state that he enjoyed fine wine and beautiful women; if this were today, it would warrant at least a ten-year sentence. Later, during the Battle of Pengcheng, the army was flooded, resulting in 200,000 soldiers drowning. What was the outcome? The Book of Han praises him for being generous and loving to the people. This land has not lacked history for 5,000 years, but it is difficult to see the true history; history is written by the victors.
Even the great ruler Li Shimin once held a knife to the neck of the historian, demanding either a change or death; this has always been the case—winners write history. If you steal someone’s wallet, you are a thief; if you seize someone’s kingdom, you are a founding emperor. Female celebrities create labels of independent women while signing surrogacy contracts more smoothly than anyone else. Experts say eating instant noodles is unhealthy, yet they quickly endorse fast-food brands.
What truth exists in this world? The halos you see are merely what others want you to see; the sordidness behind them is dirty and unimaginable. Most people do not even know what they truly want, nor do they care about the truth. What they desire is simply an emotional release, spiritual comfort, anesthetic entertainment, and a touch of fantasy. Whether it is a large corporation or a small business, as long as these needs are met, there will be no trouble. There is a saying in "Strategies of the Warring States": "Sages do not benefit themselves; they worry about the common people." In plain language, the essence of all authority is business, and the essence of all sages is acting.
The Third Layer of Shackles: Breaking Appearances#
The core of profit is a single word: if you do not move, you will die; the more you change, the more you thrive. The vast majority of people have a fatal flaw: they believe everything in the world is static and do not view problems from a developmental perspective, leading many to live in illusions. Ordinary people think that taking out a loan of a million to buy a house will ensure a better life, but in reality, it makes life harder. You might think that a child scoring 690 points on the college entrance exam is a winner in life, but they may not necessarily fare well in society later on.
You may believe that marrying a goddess means a life without regrets, but essentially, apart from causing more back pain and receiving more complaints, the risks of having a "grassland" on your head are greater, and it is of little use. If you cannot understand the laws of development and cannot see the essence through appearances, you will eventually capsize in the gutter. Because everything in the world is constantly changing, including your body, thoughts, understanding, wealth, and status; all these things are in flux.
What you should do most is to change your old concepts and let these things change in the direction you hope for.