To the Crazy and Stubborn You

Zhang Sanjian is back 2022-06-29 00:00 Posted on Beijing

I kept this song on loop while running five kilometers. Drenched in sweat and filled with passion, I’m recording my current state of mind.

The first time I heard this song was through a friend’s recommendation. This friend not only helped me through tough times but also screamed out the same melody with me countless times. Recalling our attempts to hit the high notes two keys up (guess whether I managed it?), it felt like failing to reach those notes meant not being crazy or stubborn enough.

Why does this song resonate so deeply with me? This question has been swirling in my mind for days. There was a time when I spent a lot of time gaming, playing through the night until dawn. It seemed that staying up would bring a better sleep, but it only led to a day of grogginess. Why are more and more people indulging in gaming? I think one reason is the desire to escape reality. In the virtual world, where we don’t know each other, we can communicate, cooperate, and even exchange banter over the mic (after getting scolded by strangers many times, I’ve also wanted to retort).”

Escape might be a natural instinct for all of us. In the complexities of society and interpersonal relationships, we all bear a lot of pressure or negative energy, needing a temporary escape to find relaxation and ease. Escaping is easy and innate to everyone, but facing reality again is hard. I think this song has given me the courage to confront.

I was struck by a message in the music comment section, ‘I’ve been listening to this song for three years. Why are there still only two hundred-something comments? Those who are aware, come and help boost this song with your comments, not asking for much, just to hit three hundred, okay?’

In this era of overwhelming digital information, countless talents are drowned by the tide. Perhaps we all briefly shone like fireworks, yet had to hide our craziness for reality, had our stubbornness smoothed over by time, and eventually had our courage taken away by the years…

Where have the hands that once pushed me gone? It was once my dreams that lifted me up!

Looking back, are the dreams still there? Yes!

Turning around, I wonder who is pushing me? It turns out to be my own hands that have never given up!

Let me face myself crazily, once again, once again!

While running, a voice in my heart keeps shouting: I’m still young, I still want to run, I still have dreams to chase. I want not only to lift myself up but also to support others who share the same dreams.

Today, once again, I sit in front of my computer, repeatedly playing this song, my mind racing with thoughts. Do I still have the courage to get up again after falling while running? Courage comes from unwavering belief, and belief stems from the deepest voice in our hearts. We can’t avoid reality, nor do we need to escape from contemplation, because that self, once full of passion, is waiting ahead for you.

The significance in the word ‘passionate love’ lies not in ‘love’ but in ‘passion’. Why? Everyone can ‘love’, but how much enthusiasm are they willing to put into this love? In ‘running hard’, the important part is ‘hard’. Everyone can run, but who is willing to persist in running as if it’s a matter of life and death?

Has youth drifted away? No! Youth is always burning within us.

Has time stopped? No! Will our steps halt? Never!

Run, let the sweat streak across your eyes. As long as you search with all your heart, that crazy and stubborn self will always exist.”

（Source of image: Internet）