[Simple Analysis] How Can You Talk About Self-Reliance When You Can't Even Protect Yourself?

TIP

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In the current online environment, I often hear and see so-called experts’ statements about “youth should be self-reliant and strong.” This reflects that contemporary society needs self-reliant and strong young people. Admittedly, media channels often showcase some “role models of our generation,” but obviously these are just individual cases. Whether in Chinese language, ideological education, or the three major sciences of physics, chemistry, and biology, all discuss an axiom: individual phenomena cannot represent group attributes. Even in biology when using mice for experiments, teachers repeatedly emphasize the need for repeated experiments to avoid contingency. In conclusion, individual brilliance cannot falsify group dimness.

So, why are self-reliant individuals always a minority among youth groups? Based on my personal view, contemporary youth’s self-protection ability is generally weak, and this phenomenon is particularly evident in prestigious schools. Here, self-protection is not about preserving one’s body in the broad sense, but specifically about psychological self-protection in the narrow sense. For this phenomenon, I believe there are the following two incentives:

One incentive is that so-called experts act condescendingly based on their age, speaking casually and striking at the self-esteem and self-confidence of contemporary youth, thereby suppressing their self-protection ability. The second is the utilitarian education model that eliminates students’ comprehensive abilities and other interest pillars that support life. When this pillar of learning collapses, it is the day when the sky of life falls. Needless to say, this behavior also suppresses self-protection ability.

Looking at it this way, the solution to the problem is simple: 1. Get rid of experts 2. Education system reform. But at the same time, it will be very difficult because it will touch some people’s vested interests. So someone had a bright idea and proposed the solution of “letting youth groups improve their self-protection ability.” In reality, this seems like “listening to your words is like listening to your words” - essentially meaningless. Youth self-reliance requires self-protection ability, which relies on self-esteem, creativity, and interest pillars. Discussing the former without the latter is no different from building castles in the air or letting one’s imagination run wild.

Therefore, if you can’t even protect yourself, what the hell are you talking about self-reliance?