Over the weekend, I watched “Upstream”, a film starring Xu Zheng, recommended by a friend. I found myself moved to tears multiple times throughout the movie, and my emotions remained unsettled long after it ended.
The story follows a man in his 40s, a tech professional and urban “white-collar” worker who graduated from a prestigious university, held a respectable job at a major corporation, owned a home, and enjoyed a happy family life. His future seemed secure, with his experience and capabilities paving the way for continued success—until a sudden wave of corporate layoffs derailed everything. Approaching 45, he sent out nearly a thousand résumés but couldn’t land a job that fit his qualifications. Meanwhile, the weight of his mortgage, family expenses, children’s education, and his father’s medical bills mounted. With basic monthly costs exceeding 20,000 yuan, the pressure on this family’s once-proud breadwinner drove him to the brink of despair.
Desperate to survive, he turned to delivering food—a line of work he had once looked down upon but found himself unequipped for, relying on physical labor. Amid the hyper-competitive delivery industry, he developed a route optimization software that saved delivery drivers precious time, carving out a new path for himself through blood, sweat, and tears. This was a road paved with resilience, determination, and sheer survival instinct.
Having hardly ever ordered food delivery myself, I was largely unfamiliar with this ubiquitous group in cities. What I do know is that industries like ridesharing and food delivery—accessible to most, requiring no educational qualifications, and boasting low entry barriers—are intensely competitive, with the latter being especially grueling.
One cold winter night, while I was out with Coco, I saw a delivery rider in a yellow uniform lying lifeless in the middle of the icy street after being hit. Every day, how many delivery riders risk their lives, running desperately to avoid late deliveries? And how many hardworking individuals labor tirelessly, exchanging their sweat and effort for a meager livelihood, striving to uphold the dignity of life?
It‘s not about lacking intelligence, nor is it about not working hard. Life may seem unfair, yet true fairness is often unattainable. How many lives follow a smooth and open path? And how many lives are free from sudden twists of fate?
However, not everyone has the inner strength to withstand these unforeseen changes. In just over a week, from the Zhuhai stadium incident to the Jiangsu school stabbing, along with numerous other tragedies, big or small, have painted society with anger and hatred.
The cost of wrongdoing is far too low, making it disturbingly easy for such acts to become the norm. I see those bloodshot eyes, the blades dripping with blood, the gritted teeth of those fighting to escape their destinies, and the hearts unwilling to surrender to a cruel reality.
In such an era, faced with so many natural disasters and human tragedies, where technological progress coexists with disease and unemployment, not everyone has the resilience to rise against the tide and rewrite their fate. What a test this is! Such calamities are said to last for 30 more years—this is just the beginning. And what can I do? If I can save even one person, I will.
Looking back on my own life, I too endured two harrowing years filled with unexpected blows, forced job searching, and the harsh realities of life at the bottom of society. Those experiences pushed me into the darkest moments of my life. Yet, how fortunate I am! When I was finally able to face all these challenges with calmness and a smile, I felt I had climbed out of the abyss. Even in my current state of having nothing, my inner strength surpasses what it was when I once had everything.
“All things arise from the heart; letting go brings ease and lightness.” It resonates with Du Fu’s poetry: “A peaceful heart can heal a thousand ailments; a tranquil mind can resolve all mysteries.” This aligns with Buddhist teachings: “What the heart desires will come in time; seeking nothing brings abundance in return.”
