Category: 自助

Diagnosed with terminal cancer and given only one year to live, Jonathan Clements, the former personal finance columnist for The Wall Street Journal, dedicated the final chapter of his life to a singular task. From the 1,009 columns he penned over a span of 14 years, he meticulously selected 62 of his most profound pieces. Organizing them into 11 major themes, he compiled the very book we now hold in our hands. The number 62 was perhaps an intentional choice, poignantly corresponding to the author’s age at the time of his passing.

This is a book that commands profound respect. Even before formally embarking on this reading journey, I could already feel its immense weight, for it inevitably encapsulates the philosophy and insights of the author’s entire lifetime. Upon reading it, it surpassed all expectations, which is why I have decided to share it here on my reading channel.

There is a junior colleague in my company who joined just a few years ago. He mentioned that his ultimate goal right now is FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early). If you had such a junior, a family member, or a friend, what advice would you give them? Would you encourage them to boldly pursue their grand ideals, or would you dissuade them by reminding them of the harshness of reality?

My view is that, first and foremost, I support any young person who harbors the dream of FIRE. However, the crucial point lies in how one goes about achieving it. On the path to financial freedom, too many people are in too much of a hurry for overnight success. They are overly blind, treating money as a stake to be squandered in a gamble. Cryptocurrency, FX, financial leverage, futures, options… these terms are like modern-day versions of “Open Sesame”, seemingly possessed of a magical power. But do not forget: while “Open Sesame” might bring you overnight wealth, it can just as easily cost you your life.

The pursuit of freedom should not be a high-stakes gamble. “If I lose the bet, at worst I’ll just go back to the grind.”—I believe no rational person would willingly face such a fate. Therefore, we need a solid strategy, much like climbing a staircase, ascending step by step. And this is precisely why I recommend this book.

To achieve the goal of FIRE, we must accumulate a pool of assets that allows us to live comfortably without having to work. This book imparts an important truth: what you must do varies distinctly depending on the stage of your assets. For someone with an asset base of $10,000 or less, the focus to reach the next tier must be entirely on increasing one’s active income. If the current goal is to elevate assets from $100,000 to $1 million, the gains from labor income might become quite limited; at this stage, one must rely on investment and financial management. And if your dream is to own a private jet, then you must possess a business enterprise capable of sustaining such expenses.

In conclusion, I would like to add one final thought, especially for those readers whose ultimate goal is FIRE:As you climb the wealth ladder, do not focus solely on how to make money. Instead, pause from time to time and ask yourself: Why do I need this much money? Does true freedom simply mean endless leisure? Do I possess a calling—a vocation—to which I am genuinely willing to dedicate my time and energy? It is precisely through this process of self-examination that we may grasp the true meaning of life, thereby making the ideals in our hearts much easier to attain.

At the very, very end, no matter which rung of the wealth ladder you currently stand on, never forget that reading remains one of the single best investments you can ever make in yourself.

When it comes to classical works on the art of living, many naturally think of Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations. However, if I were to choose a representative from the East, it would be Caigentan (The Roots of Wisdom).

Ancient China was home to numerous philosophical schools, often summarized as the “Three Religions and Nine Schools”. The “Three Religions”—Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism—each have their own scriptures and tenets. Yet, Caigentan manages to weave the essence of all three into a single fabric, making it a truly extraordinary book.

The core of Confucianism lies in the emphasis on family, education, and ritual—values that continue to deeply influence the social fabric of China and its neighbors today. Furthermore, it teaches the “Zhongyong” (Doctrine of the Mean). What is the Mean? The following passage from the book captures it perfectly, perhaps revealing the root of the reserved, introspective, and humble character of the Eastern people:

In worldly affairs, one should neither drift with the current nor stubbornly defy it. In action, one should neither seek to annoy others nor strive solely to please them.

The essence of Taoism can be distilled into two concepts: “Wu Wei” (Non-action) and “Ziran” (Spontaneity/Nature). In the modern world, a state governed entirely by Wu Wei is hard to find. However, individuals pursuing a life of simplicity, detachment from desire, and harmony with nature are everywhere. As the book suggests:

One does not need grand achievements to be noble; to cast off worldly vanities is to enter the ranks of the elite. One does not need extraordinary scholarly effort to reach a sage-like state; to eliminate the obsession with material things is to transcend the ordinary.

Buddhism is a philosophy of “transcendence”. While I am considering elaborating further on the relationship between the secular and the transcendent more deeply in Oriental Philosophy, let us pause here to savor the poetic imagery of this verse:

A solitary cloud drifts out of the mountain valley, unattached whether it stays or goes; a bright mirror hangs in the void, undisturbed by either silence or clamor.

Lastly, I must mention that reading classical Chinese without annotations is, for me, like “looking at flowers through a fog”. Therefore, I deeply appreciate Professor Huo Mingkun’s edition. Not only is the modern translation brilliant, but the commentary accompanying each entry is truly insightful. For younger readers or those seeking a moment of peace in a busy day, the comic adaptations by Tsai Chih-chung are also an excellent choice.

“What is love?” and “How do we love?” are questions that have confounded humanity since time immemorial. I did not open this book expecting the author to provide a flawlessly definitive answer. Yet, from the very first lines, I found myself utterly captivated by every word, yearning to deeply internalize the wisdom embedded within. Although it is a slender volume, it seamlessly encapsulates elements of Eastern and Western philosophy, psychology, natural sciences, sociology, and economics. Even when viewed through a contemporary lens, it feels almost entirely timeless.

Speaking of books feeling “out of touch” or disconnected from our reality, I would like to expand on this phenomenon.

How many times have we found ourselves turning page after page of a book, only to realize our minds have drifted into a daydream? When we snap out of it, we have absolutely no idea what those past few pages were about. At other times, when reading classical works, we might find their perspectives utterly inapplicable to modern society. Or, as an Easterner reading Western literature, I occasionally find the social settings and core values so foreign that they fail to resonate with me. This is especially true with self-help books; we often open them brimming with expectation, hoping for an epiphany to resolve our life’s dilemmas, only to walk away with very little. Regarding this, I would like to offer my dear readers a few modest pieces of advice.

First, to those who do not read—especially the younger generation—books seem to have become synonymous with obsolescence. We live in an era fraught with anxiety and insatiable desires, where our sense of security is derived solely from the pursuit of money and material possessions, and where our leisure time is spent numbing our senses with Netflix, TikTok, and alcohol. Yet, if we could dedicate just a small fraction of each day to reading, we might find ourselves much closer to the essence of life. For reading is the axe that breaks the frozen sea within us.

Second, this world is immensely complex and multifaceted. Even when confronting a single issue, we must mobilize theoretical knowledge from various disciplines and integrate multiple modes of thinking to truly comprehend it. When reading a book, we must consider the historical context in which the author wrote, examine our own lived experiences, and consciously adjust the relationship between ourselves and the text. We should extract the essence for our own use, rather than blindly believing everything—or conversely, dismissing everything—written in a book.

Finally, if a book fails to truly move us while we are reading it, there is absolutely no need to waste our time on it. Just as we do not force ourselves to swallow food that does not suit our palate, when we encounter a book that fails to interest us, one we cannot comprehend, or one whose content we dislike, we should decisively lay it down. There is no need to force ourselves through it.