让子弹飞一会儿 (Let the Bullets Fly for a While)

The Power of “Letting Things Play Out”

When Jiang Wen’s film Let the Bullets Fly was released, it was a sensation. However, I didn’t fully grasp the meaning of “让子弹飞” (Ràng zǐdàn fēi - Let the bullets fly) at the time. Over the years, I’ve gained a deeper understanding of these four characters.

Philosophy tells us we need to look at problems “dynamically.” Often, we view them “statically,” even when we believe we are thinking dynamically.

Motion and stillness are relative concepts in physics. What we truly need to understand is to avoid looking at things in isolation or with a one-sided perspective.

I recently came across a quote: “Spending two years figuring something out is not a waste of life.” It was very healing for me.

Indeed, how many two-year periods do we have in a lifetime?

Three years after three years, or perhaps, “Do you know how I’ve spent the last five years?”

Movies often portray years as having special significance, but in the face of certain problems, years are just abstract numbers. Sometimes they carry immense weight, and sometimes they are insignificant.

Similarly, philosophical questions pondered by humans two or three thousand years ago are still being debated today. Perhaps these questions will remain unanswered until the Earth’s demise.

In reality, we often don’t need to make specific judgments or draw conclusions about current events. The tide might recede, revealing who was swimming naked.

In the grand scheme of history, who is right and who is wrong? Do the flowers still bloom for those who were wrongly accused, those who were wronged?

Recently, while watching a documentary about Su Bingtian on Bilibili (B站), many viewers mentioned Liu Xiang’s performance at the 2008 Olympics. Some only remembered his withdrawal from the race. Many people’s hopes of witnessing Liu Xiang’s “flying man” performance were shattered, leading to countless criticisms and accusations on social media. Numerous commercial endorsements were quickly canceled, and it seemed the whole world was against Liu Xiang.

What did he do wrong to deserve such treatment? Fortunately, years later, many people have come to Liu Xiang’s defense, but the hero is now past his prime.

Similarly, when Su Bingtian encountered a bottleneck in his sprinting career, he chose to switch his leading foot. This initially made him even slower than before. Thankfully, he persevered and later achieved remarkable results.

Our Earth, our solar system, our Milky Way galaxy—they are all flying through the depths of the universe. What does the future hold?

Indeed, who knows?

Let the bullets fly for a while. Let ourselves fly for a while longer. Perhaps then, there will be answers.