Recently, I’ve come to understand a harsh reality: essentially, the life trajectory of ordinary people revolves around one main theme—how to make money.

It’s not that we are overly materialistic, but that the world is just this blunt. Hospitals won’t give you free treatment just because you’re a good person, but wealthy people can get it done in minutes. If you’re still tangled up in love, connections, family ties, and haven’t solved the problem of making money, then what awaits you are one disaster after another—ultimately ending in nothing but an empty effort.

Honestly, most people’s suffering ultimately boils down to one word—poverty. When you have no money, you see the ugliness of human nature too clearly. Your kindness won’t earn respect; it only invites doubt, mockery, and attacks. Others will desperately look for flaws in you, pondering why you’re so unsuccessful.

In essence, today’s society is a money game. As long as you know how to make money, you automatically upgrade in others’ eyes. Wherever you go, you’re greeted with smiles, and everything goes smoothly. Wealthy people can spend freely and exert influence, while the poor are arranged and controlled at every turn. The core of competition is about fighting for resources—everyone must solve their own survival problems.

If you don’t create value or know how to make money, others will automatically treat you as “trash” in society and at home. Without independent earning ability, you can only rely on others, constantly needing to watch their faces. Once a person is poor, their ambition shortens; they become shrinking violets, only thinking about pleasing leaders and colleagues, with no real freedom or independence.

So what’s the biggest obstacle to making money? I’ve observed that many people have a strong sense of morality, always feeling that certain things can’t be done. Some people you simply can’t lead—they’re entirely focused on “playing,” and even at seventy or eighty years old, they’re still the same. If you try to push them to make money, it’s like peeling off their skin—various excuses to avoid it, drowning in negative emotions they can’t escape from.

Another huge barrier is called “face.” Many look down on the trait of “not caring about face,” but in other words, “not caring about face” is called “selflessness,” which is a very high level of life. True experts care about how to get things done, while ordinary people always care about how they appear. Liu Zhenyun once said that most successful people in history weren’t “good people,” but these “villains” gradually built their empires, allowing themselves and their families to live well, with friends all over the world.

Those who can truly make money are invariably “tough characters.” Their brains, emotional intelligence, and resilience are far beyond ordinary people. Those who claim to be diligent and smart but can’t make money are, upon closer inspection, just paper tigers.

I increasingly believe that making money itself is the best form of cultivation. The real sense of ease comes from past tension and high intensity. Those shining days are the result of repeatedly challenging oneself. Doing nothing only brings pain; focusing on one thing is the only way to experience true flow and happiness.

Once you’ve tasted the feeling of making money, you can never go back to a passive, waiting, and arranged life. Only by dedicating all your energy to making money can all your worries and confusions truly be resolved. Doing too many things unrelated to earning money will only bring endless trouble. Ignoring the pursuit of money will only leave you completely at the mercy of life.