David Zhou, Pre7 周梓楚

I’ve noticed that in today’s world, if you’re not overly lazy, it’s not hard to find a decent job and make a living. So why do we feel the need to work so hard all the time?

Many of my friends and classmates are either pushing themselves too hard or feeling exhausted and just wanting to rest. Why can’t we simply live a quiet, easy life? Is there something wrong with my thinking? Since coming to this international school, I’ve revisited this question and developed some new perspectives.

First, it’s only natural to want a comfortable life—that’s just human nature. It’s true that living independently isn’t difficult here, and that’s one of the best things about our country. However, I’ve come to see life as having three levels, and we can choose which one to pursue.

The first level is simply to survive. But our goals shouldn’t stop at just getting by. The second level is to live well. And the third level is to look toward the future. This phrase used to sound overly idealistic to me. I used to think that chasing a distant future would mean sacrificing my present comfort.