Once upon a time, there was a nationally renowned chess player. One day, he was studying the chessboard in his courtyard when a visitor came to pay him a call. The visitor said, 'I've heard you are the world's foremost expert on Go. Can you tell me how many pieces are in the box?' The chess player smiled and said, 'There are 181 black pieces and 180 white pieces, for a total of 361.' The man retorted, 'It should only be 360!'He produced a single chess piece from his pocket.
The chess player's students, angered by this, began to argue with him, their voices growing louder. The chess player observed the man for a moment, then said, 'Indeed, I am not as skilled as I appear.' The man said, 'Haha, I've won!' and departed with satisfaction.The students were resentful and said, 'This is clearly a deliberate attempt to embarrass the teacher.'The chess player explained, 'Since you know he is engaging in a pointless argument, why should you bother to reason with him? If you cannot satisfy him, a three-day debate will only waste time.' People of different levels should not argue with each other.The Bible says, 'Agree with everyone, but do not be conformed.' As long as one is correct, one should not waste time arguing with those who are misguided. As famously said by Carnegie: 'In argument, the only way to win is to avoid it.'”When people are at different levels, there is no point in arguing. I have observed many 'arguments' that are not genuine arguments.They are unequal exchanges, out of context, and consume energy without producing results.
For example, once I discussed European people's quality, a person accused me of painting Europeans with a rosy brush and boasting about Chinese dignity and prestige.
I didn't argue with him because we were not on the same platform, and we were saying different things. He later became successful and was ashamed of his actions, so he apologized to me. The chess player said, 'You cursed me as a pig, a dog, or a rat—it doesn't affect me, and it doesn't change me.'In life, it is difficult to change the views of people at different levels. Especially those who like to use hats to attack people, make pointless arguments, and seek attention. When facing people at different levels, it's best not to talk too much, because they won't understand, and you may not be able to explain clearly.As illustrated in a comic: People's cognition is like a funnel—the lower you go, the less you see, the fewer opportunities you have, and the more you feel injustice and anger. The higher you go, the more you see, the more opportunities you have, and the more you feel the world is beautiful and prosperous.When you have been to a higher place, seen a further world, you don't need to pay attention to idle voices. Don't be misled by cognitive bottom-dwellers. When I was in America, I mixed with two entirely different circles: illegal immigrants and K-12 teachers.When I first arrived in America, I worked as a manager at a resort hotel.
I mostly communicated with undocumented immigrants who didn't study much and were interested in gambling and buying lottery tickets. They often said: 'That XXX is not giving us tips.' 'That poor guy even gave us a decent tip.'When I studied at Hongmei Middle School, I was often mocked by my classmates and teachers. I was isolated and depressed.Some people said: 'He's making a fool of himself.' Chen Dao Ming once said, 'Solitude is a virtue, it can purify one's inner self.' Truly high-level people can gracefully spend time alone. 'A person's life is nothing more than recognizing and refining themselves, consciously and willingly transforming themselves.' We truly need is not the opinion of others, but respect for our own inner feelings and thoughts. When others are quick to argue, it's probably because they're not confident enough in themselves. Don't mix with circles that are not compatible with you.
