We are two different tigers.

　　Author: Jin Longjun, Lanzhou Manufacturing Center

　　A and I were classmates from elementary school all the way through high school. As it happened, we ended up attending the same university as well. At the time of our graduation, he told me that he wanted to pursue graduate studies and encouraged me to stay on and study together once again, so we could be alumni once more. But I chose to enter the workforce instead. I explained to him: “My situation is special—my parents have only me as their child, and I can’t just keep taking without ever giving back. Besides, I’ve already accumulated a lot of debt from my education. I need to find a job and start earning money so that I’ll no longer worry my parents.”

　　And so, Classmate A chose to continue her studies, while I happened to be taking the exam for my first job just as I graduated. Unfortunately, I didn’t pass—and from that moment on, I began working part-time to earn a living. The bittersweet experiences I went through during those years are beyond words; all the tears I shed, I had to bury deep within my heart. I knew that no matter what, from the very moment I graduated, I could no longer rely on my parents’ money. Fortunately, two years after graduation, I became an employee at Qizheng. I realized that in this vast world, everyone has their own circumstances and unique destiny. From then on, I started building my own life as a worker—full of both hardships and joys, filled with happiness as well as worries. In my spare time, I’d still pick up a copy of “Reader,” read about other people’s stories, and jot down my own thoughts and feelings. Time flew by so quickly. Sometimes I felt troubled because I hadn’t yet achieved my dreams; other times, I felt happy, knowing that I could now earn enough money to support my parents.

　　Suddenly, one day, I ran into Classmate A. He was dressed in a suit and carrying a briefcase, hurrying along with quick steps—typical of an urban white-collar worker. After exchanging some polite greetings, he asked me how things were going for me. I told him that I hadn’t managed to realize my dream of standing on a lecture platform; instead, I’d ended up working in a factory and so forth. Though he expressed regret, he then asked me how I was doing. I replied that life was okay, though far from as good as his. Before I could even ask him anything further, he shared his own story: He’d gone on to graduate school, but his family had accumulated a lot of debt. Later, after getting married and buying a house, he’d taken out more loans. Now he was working himself to the bone just to make ends meet. And because his wife came from a well-to-do family in the provincial capital, his mother-in-law’s family looked down on him... At the end of his tale, he sighed regretfully, “I really shouldn’t have pursued graduate studies back then—I’m just so mentally exhausted! You’re the lucky one, with a harmonious family and a happy life.” I told him that many of our classmates actually envied him—envied that he’d been able to pursue graduate studies, envied that he’d stayed behind in the provincial capital. Meanwhile, I’d wasted all those years studying, yet ended up achieving absolutely nothing. And so it went: We found ourselves each envying the other’s life.

　　Later, reflecting on my own situation and that of Classmate A, I unintentionally recalled a fairy tale: There were two tigers—one lived comfortably in a cage, with three meals a day taken care of, while the other roamed freely in the forest. Eventually, the two tigers began to envy each other’s lives and decided to swap places. Soon after, both tigers died. One died of starvation, while the other succumbed to melancholy. The tiger that had come out of the cage gained freedom but lacked the skills to find food; the tiger that had entered the cage found comfort but lost the inner peace needed to thrive in a confined space. Aren’t we all just like those two tigers—each one envying the other’s life? In reality, only our own lives are truly suited to us.

　　Among the myriad of beings in this world, we tend to dismiss what we ourselves possess as worthless, yet instantly treasure whatever others hold. Often, when we compare ourselves with others, we end up feeling frustrated—and even lose the good mood we once had. In truth, God is fair to everyone: some have harmonious families but struggle in their careers; others are immensely wealthy yet lack popularity. Indeed! Evergreen trees bear no flowers, and dazzling flowers yield no fruit. I suspect there are many people like me in real life who lament the injustice of fate—yet little do they realize that even great figures have small worries, while ordinary folks can experience great joys. When you think about it this way, what’s there to worry about? Let’s each play our own role well in life—after all, we’re all different tigers.