Chapter 118 The Sound of Crying
A high platform with overlapping dark curtains, a slightly dark room, and a girl illuminated by the only beam of light.
Cyril stood below the stage, together with many freshmen, looking at the girl who stepped onto the podium. He did not know this girl with black hair and blue eyes. This was a bit strange, because Edes Academy was different from other ordinary colleges. Those who could be selected by the school to speak as freshmen representatives were either excellent enough and convinced by others, or had a strong family background, and many students would not be too dissatisfied.
However, if it was such a student, most of them had a certain reputation before entering the school. Although the jade skirt was large, there were only a small group of people at the top level. He lived in the South District for many years, and it was impossible that he had not even heard of the name.
It was really strange, Cyril shook his head slightly. He didn't care, but others would not think so. Such a student with no background suddenly spoke on behalf of so many people present, which would cause some people to feel bad.
Now, he could hear some of his classmates discussing quietly. At the age of being young and energetic in junior high and high school, no one would be easily convinced, especially the children of rich families who were mostly spoiled.
The reason why he didn't care about these things was that he had experienced many things that his peers had not encountered during his growth, so he was more open-minded.
However, just when he was thinking that after the ceremony, he would discuss with friends where to eat at noon, and then go back to the company to continue his work in the afternoon, the girl on the stage had already finished the ceremony and began to make her own speech.
The first part was a fixed format, basically a self-introduction, followed by a speech, and the usual freshman prayer.
"Entering Edes Academy was something I had not expected before. Now thinking back, I am still very grateful to the school for giving me this opportunity."
...
"Every student actually has his own ideas. If I only represent everyone to speak, it may make some students uncomfortable because what they think in their hearts is not expressed..." But the speech of the girl on the stage did not follow the usual routine.
"In my 16 years of life, I have seen countless complex concepts and ideas popular on the Internet and in reality. People do their own thing. We respect the freedom of every opinion, but this kaleidoscope-like world is also dazzling." "
The respect originally used to protect individual freedom has been used by various people with ulterior motives to create and maintain their own interests. As a result, all levels of society have been cut horizontally and vertically into many small pieces."
"Power is dispersed, people's hearts are not united, each guarding their narrow interests and refusing to let go, and attacking each other. People are exhausted and anxious about various concepts and topics..."
"Maybe you will be immersed in a certain kind of happiness for a while, but as time goes by, it is inevitable to fall into a kind of hesitation and uneasiness, because your happiness and your life are not recognized by most people. They will deny you, slander you, and make you at a loss." "
The poor are laughed at because they don't work hard enough, so everything they encounter is taken for granted. The rich are hated because many people think that the rich's wealth is obtained through exploitation, which is full of blood and tears, so hostility and slander have become the norm."
"Poor people are disrespected and can only swallow their pride. Rich people have to keep a low profile because once they show their extravagant side in front of the public, they will be attacked and questioned."
"I think everyone wants to be rich, but even if they are rich now, they have to hide themselves because resentment has accumulated among different classes."
"The different social classes are divided from each other. It seems that it has become a very distant term to work together to overcome difficulties and move forward together."
"What is it that makes us so awkward? Is it that we can't live at all?"
"No, even though there are still slums in various parts of the Federation, we rarely hear of people starving to death. Industrially produced starch and protein powder are definitely enough. Whether it is compared with the ancient Third Era or the chaotic ruins at the end of the Fifth Era, it is a lot of progress."
"I think the answer may be that we have fallen into the inevitable trap of civilization development, that is, to judge a person's life solely by wealth."
"Can a person's life really be simply measured by whether he is rich or not? If so, it is too simple and sad. It is like we walk into the forest and stay by the roadside for a nice stone, giving up going deep into the forest to see more animals, trees, and various flowers."
"Wealth, or currency, is a tool created by the division of labor in society, allowing us to focus on one thing to get our daily needs, but this original tool has gradually become a shackle for most people."
"In the past, you were a spinner, your next-door neighbor was a carpenter, and the eldest brother behind the village was a fisherman on the river. You each had a craft and exchanged your harvests with each other. You gave everyone cloth, your neighbor gave you furniture, and the fisherman gave you food. Everyone could find their place and feel at ease because you knew that you were needed and recognized by everyone." "
But with the development of society, the market is getting more and more convenient, and the logistics is getting faster and faster. Even if you don't know anyone, you can buy what you want with money."
"In the past, you had to go to a distant mountain to pick a flower to express your love, but now the same flower can be bought for only 20 federal coins. In the past, you had to write passionate love letters by hand to express your deep feelings, but now AI on the Internet can produce tens of thousands of unique love letters every minute." "
While everything is convenient, everything is also measured in money. Any action we take to express our feelings will be mistakenly thought to be bought or replaced with money."
"The dolls that are carved with great effort are far less perfect than those carved by machines. The confessions that are prepared with great effort may not be as good as the temporary arrangements made by professional companies. The actions that are made with great time may just be a show, and many of the steps are replaced by AI and others."
"Money can buy any service, but the trust between people is also decreasing significantly, because it is so easy to fake, even if there is something real, we find it hard to believe it."
"The standards for evaluating various things are becoming more and more single, such as how much money you can make, how much the gift you give is worth, how much your thoughts cost, and so on..."
"When a person falls from a height, with only one rope holding him, he will certainly worry about the condition of the rope. But if there are multiple ropes, or even a grid composed of multiple ropes, he should feel more at ease, because even if one of them breaks, the others can still support it."
"But when the evaluation of reality is single, the rope becomes the only thing, and wealth, money, and price become obstacles that can never be bypassed."
"The poor need money to maintain their lives, the middle class needs money to maintain their dignity, and the rich need money to maintain their family property. Everyone is eager to expand their wealth and is anxious."
"In the past, we laughed at those backward and conservative moral rules, the glory that people jointly maintained, and the beliefs passed down. We believed that the so-called 'survival of the fittest' was the truth. This was just a fig leaf to cover ourselves up when bullying others, and to excuse our unjust behavior."
"Many people are willing to fight to death for that glory and belief, but how many people are willing to die for money? Even if there are, it is because they want to leave the money to their loved ones. This is actually another kind of glory and belief."
"Money can solve many superficial problems, but the relationships built on it are so fragile that they make people anxious."
"Society and the country need a new evaluation system, and people need new criteria to calm their restless hearts, draw clear lines, connect all classes, and rebuild the foundation."
"This is my vision for the future, and what I hope to achieve in the future. It may still be naive and there are still many things that need to be improved and changed, but I sincerely hope to achieve it step by step in the future."
Even many years later, Cyril will always think of the day at the opening ceremony of Edes Academy when he saw the girl with black hair and blue eyes. The gentleness and strength in her voice were so quiet and so powerful that they could not be shaken.
Perhaps it was from that day that he decided to follow that figure and embark on the road to change everything.
(End of this chapter)
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