I got up and boiled two ears of corn for breakfast. They weren’t very sweet, probably the price to pay for being cheap.
In the morning, I did a set of essay questions for the civil service exam and only scored 57. The questions were quite challenging. After checking the answers, I felt anxious, worrying about this and that.
With a troubled heart, I took a nap. After waking up, I did a 10-minute meditation, which made me feel much better. It was quite effective. By the time I got up to review the morning’s answers, it was already past 3 PM. Feeling a bit stifled in the rental room, I packed my backpack with two sets of essay papers and headed to the library. I almost finished both sets, though I haven’t checked the answers for the second one yet.
In the evening, I did another set of “Administrative Aptitude Test” and scored 71, which is a significant improvement. However, I still haven’t found the knack for the common sense judgment section.
Tonight, I had a discussion with Huanhuan about praying and making wishes to deities. We explored the following questions:
- What do people overlook when they make wishes to deities?
- Do deities fulfill everyone’s wishes equally? Are there any costs or conditions?
- Should we seek the help of deities, assuming they have the power?
- How do we distinguish between ancestors and deities?
- The image and abilities of deities.
- The randomness and uncertainty of the world, and the role of human agency.
- What attitude should we adopt towards deities? If it cannot be falsified, then its existence cannot be denied. To live with peace and ease, we naturally should minimize our exposure to things beyond our control.