I often ponder, why does Europe seem to be able to break through the cycle of over-competition, generally adhere to labor laws, and enjoy comprehensive social welfare benefits? Where does all this social wealth come from? With this question in mind, I started to study history.

First Layer of Thought:

Europeans generally adhere to labor laws and have comprehensive social welfare protections. Everything looks very promising, but I couldn’t help but wonder: where does all this social wealth actually come from? So, I decided to delve deeper into history.

Second Layer of Thought:

In the process of studying history, I found that Europe had accumulated a vast amount of wealth through colonization and plundering. Hence, I concluded: Europeans’ ancestors accumulated a large amount of social wealth through colonization and plundering, and their descendants are merely living off this legacy. However, as my research deepened, I began to question this viewpoint. The total wealth plundered by ancestors, calculated by purchasing power, seems unable to support such a long period. So, is there another source of Europe’s wealth?

Third Layer of Thought:

To find the answer, I studied contemporary economics and learned about Germany’s dumping of products onto the EU, France’s economic control over Africa, Britain’s offshore balancing and its role as a European financial center, the global penetration of Italian luxury culture, the dark side of Swiss banking, and so on. This realization led me to understand that colonialism has not ended, and the European powers are still economically draining the world in various covert ways.

Fourth Layer of Thought:

However, why can historical plundering and today’s economic draining benefit the ordinary people? I started to study recent political history and learned about the huge impact of the communist movement in the Soviet Union on Europe, the rise and fall of European leftist forces over decades, and the wave of workers’ struggles represented by France. Thus, I came to a new conclusion: the European public, after a long struggle, has won the right to a laid-back lifestyle today, which is admirable.

Fifth Layer of Thought:

But, when I further studied economics and politics, I found that Europe’s political influence is diminishing, and economic indicators are stagnant or even regressing. I started to wonder, is this high-welfare, laid-back lifestyle of European people too shortsighted? So, I began to study human social systems and development rules, learning about the Matthew effect of social wealth and human chronic issues of social stratification.

Sixth Layer of Thought:

I started to believe that the struggle and laid-back attitude of European people are inevitable trends in human social development, unavoidable under the chronic issues of wealth distribution and class stratification. However, I also studied China’s large-scale wealth transfer and poverty alleviation policies, which led me to a new question: are there other paths to choose?

Seventh Layer of Thought:

I decided to expand my horizons, studying the history of human civilizations for thousands of years, trying to find the root cause of societal over-competition and pursue a win-win solution. I discovered that what I could see and think of had already been explored by predecessors. Many philosophers, historians, sociologists, and politicians have different theories, such as Rousseau’s social contract theory and Marx’s Capital. Their depth of thought is far beyond what I could grasp in school.

Final Thought:

Ultimately, I began to seriously ponder a philosophical question: In life, are we living in the moment, or sacrificing ourselves to create a better future for our descendants? In other words, what is the meaning of life? This is not only an individual’s question but also a societal one. We are all searching for answers, but perhaps, the answers are not singular.