This time, luck was on my side—every time I looked up, a beautiful scene greeted me.
The setting sun not only gilded the clouds but also layered them by height, turning the phrase “auspicious clouds” into a visible reality, making me feel as though I were in a kingdom in the sky.
When we entered the clouds, a delicate mist veiled the view outside the window, as if we had been led into a realm of enchantment (P6/P9).
Amid such beauty, the worries in my mind dissolved like mist under the shifting wonders above.
In that moment, I felt deeply the sublime artistry of nature—a awe that cannot be fully captured by a lens, nor conveyed through any screen.
“Reading ten thousand books is not as revealing as walking ten thousand miles.”
Likewise, no number of images or videos online can replicate the awe of being there—the kind that strikes the soul, accessible only to those who witness it with their own eyes.
So if you can, step outside the familiar spaces of home, work, or school.
Go see the wonders of this world with your own eyes.
Witness history as it unfolds, even if only within one small corner.
That firsthand experience will always feel more real, more stirring, than scrolling through endless digital accounts.
Only in such moments can you fully grasp the grandeur of a place or the truth of an event—allowing it to wash over you, shake you from within, and etch itself into your soul.
And only then can you feel that irreplaceable sense of clarity and joy—for what is natural asks for no artifice, needs no technology. It simply is.
— Xiao Chen Notes
May 1, 2024, 5–7 p.m.