source: https://42m.me/society/
Notes
Become wildly influential and change the system from within.
变得极具影响力，从内部改变体制。
Become powerful enough to rig the game to your advantage.
变得足够强大，能够操纵游戏，为自己谋利。
Avoid being a low-hanging fruit, but play by the rules.
避免成为低垂的果实，但要按规则行事。
Lie low enough to be ignored, so rules won’t apply.
低调到被忽视，这样规则就不适用了。
Step outside and play a different game altogether.
走出去，玩另一种游戏。
Summary
本文探讨了在不喜欢的社会中生存的五种方法，主要针对西方资本主义体系，尽管这些思想也适用于其他社会。首先，成为具影响力的个体，努力改变体制，需具备极大的动力与才能。其次，积累财富以获得权力和特权，尽管这需要长期的投入。第三，许多人努力追求能够维持舒适生活的资源，生活方式和收入各异。第四，追求简约生活，建立个人的“自由圈”，虽然这意味着放弃一些物质享受。最后，完全拒绝社会的规则，追求个人自由，但这条路径风险较高。整体而言，作者强调在生活中找到平衡，理解自我价值并作出相应的选择。
要解决的问题
- 如何在不喜欢的社会中找到个人的生存方式？
- 个人如何积累足够的财富以获得权力？
- 如何在追寻自由和简约生活之间找到平衡？
提出的具体方法
- 追求卓越，努力成为对社会有影响力的人。
- 积累财富，以获得特权和自由。
- 追求简约生活，形成个人的“自由圈”。
- 完全拒绝现有社会规范，追求个人的生活方式。
Origin
3 July 2024 2024 年 7 月 3 日
In a nutshell 简而言之
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Become wildly influential and change the system from within.
变得极具影响力，从内部改变体制。
-
Become powerful enough to rig the game to your advantage.
变得足够强大，能够操纵游戏，为自己谋利。
-
Avoid being a low-hanging fruit, but play by the rules.
避免成为低垂的果实，但要按规则行事。
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Lie low enough to be ignored, so rules won’t apply.
低调到被忽视，这样规则就不适用了。
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Step outside and play a different game altogether.
走出去，玩另一种游戏。
How, though 如何做到
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Extreme drive and skills (and some luck on top of that).
极强的动力和技能（再加上一些运气）。
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Financial freedom (or financial independence).
财务自由（或财务独立）。
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Stability and financial security.
稳定和财务安全。
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Voluntary simplicity. 自愿简约。
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Off-grid lifestyle. 离网生活方式。
Examples and thoughts 实例和想法
Let’s agree on a couple of things first.
让我们先就几件事达成共识。
By “society” I usually mean the Western capitalist system I live in. But similar ideas can be applied to any kind of society (as in “group of people”).
我所说的 “社会 “通常是指我所生活的西方资本主义体系。但类似的想法也可适用于任何类型的社会（如 “一群人”）。
Also, this list is by no means comprehensive, nor it is meant to be. That said, let’s explore each item.
此外，这份清单绝不全面，也无意全面。话虽如此，让我们逐一探讨。
1. Go big or go home
1.不做大就回家
I don’t think the first method makes for a sane or sensible goal for most people. It’s just for the occasional Elon Musk, Gandhi, etc. You get the idea.
我不认为第一种方法是大多数人理智或明智的目标。它只适合偶尔出现的埃隆-马斯克、甘地等人。你懂的。
Not only you need to be truly exceptional, you must also devote your whole life to this single purpose. And work relentlessly, sacrificing most of the rest.
你不仅需要真正出类拔萃，还必须为这一目标奉献一生。而且要不懈努力，牺牲大部分休息时间。
Of course, luck has its role. I suspect lots of people have tried and failed, living a shitty life for no reason. I hope they had no regrets when they died.
当然，运气也有它的作用。我猜想很多人都尝试过，但都失败了，毫无理由地过着糟糕的生活。我希望他们死后没有遗憾。
2. Not for the faint of heart
2.不适合胆小鬼
The second method surely has its appeal, but it requires a sensible amount of wealth (i.e. fuck you money) – which in turn requires a massive amount of time.
第二种方法当然有其吸引力，但它需要一定数量的财富（即去你妈的钱）—这反过来又需要大量的时间。
Thing is, this time must be spent living in attunement with that very society you dislike (and maybe goes straight out against your core values).
问题是，这些时间必须花在与你不喜欢的社会相适应的生活中（也许会直接违背你的核心价值观）。
If you’re like me, it may be quite hard to keep your motivation intact for so long (or to even muster any enthusiasm in the first place).
如果你和我一样，可能很难在这么长的时间里保持你的积极性（甚至一开始就没有任何热情）。
But if you do get there, then you’ll be in a position of privilege (and power).
但如果你真的做到了，那么你就会拥有特权（和权力）。
3. Stay woke, salary man
3.保持清醒，工薪族
_(Honorary mention to The Woke Salaryman. This post is partly inspired by their book and comics.)
(向《清醒的工薪族》致敬。这篇文章的部分灵感来源于他们的书和漫画）。_
I feel the third method is what most people strive for, and many of them would even like to step one level higher.
我觉得第三种方法是大多数人的奋斗目标，很多人甚至想更上一层楼。
The goal is getting enough resources (most likely money) to live comfortably.
Since “comfortable” can mean something different to each person, this tier is a spectrum that includes people with a wide variety of income and lifestyles.
由于 “舒适 “对每个人的含义都不尽相同，因此这一层级的范围包括收入和生活方式各不相同的人。
Some examples? Wage earners, knowledge workers, freelancers, hard-working hustlers, small entrepreneurs, business owners, managers, and even CEOs.
例如？工薪族、知识工作者、自由职业者、勤劳的小商贩、小企业家、企业主、经理，甚至首席执行官。
4. Less is more
4.少即是多
This method relates to downshifting, intentional living, simple living, and so on.
这种方法与 “降档”、“有意生活”、“简单生活 “等有关。
You can always carve out a little “circle of freedom” for yourself. You’re truly free within its boundaries, but your circle won’t ever be as big as it could be.
你总能为自己划出一个小小的 “自由圈”。在这个圈子的范围内，你是真正自由的，但你的圈子永远不会那么大。
In practice, it means less money but more time. You can do whatever you want, but you have to give up the luxury of a house or expensive medical treatments.
实际上，这意味着钱少了，但时间多了。你可以做任何想做的事，但必须放弃豪华的房子或昂贵的医疗。
Importantly, there’s a balance to be struck: “luxury” is relative, and deciding how much money versus time you want to surrender is solely up to you.
重要的是，要取得平衡：“奢侈 “是相对的，决定你要放弃多少金钱和时间完全取决于你自己。
A last note: in a greedy system such as capitalism, having little wealth makes you powerless, but also quite uninteresting. So you’ll be mostly left in peace.
最后一点：在资本主义这样一个贪婪的体系中，拥有很少的财富会让你变得无能为力，但也相当无趣。所以，你多半会安分守己。
5. Fuck you, money
5.去你妈的，钱
The comma is key here. Because you’re not going to have much money, if at all.
这里的逗号很关键。因为你不会有太多的钱，如果有的话。
Basically, you’re sick and tired of even trying to put up with so much bullshit. So you kiss society goodbye and go live on your own terms. Freedom, at long last!
从根本上说，你已经厌倦了忍受这么多废话。所以你和社会吻别，按照自己的方式生活。自由，终于来了！
_(If you know Italian, you may want to check out The Pillow YouTube channel.)
(如果你懂意大利语，不妨看看《The Pillow》YouTube 频道）。_
The downsides is that this road is paved with risks. What if you want back in society at some point? What if you’re still unhappy? What if you get sick?
缺点是，这条路充满风险。如果某个时候你想重返社会怎么办？如果你还是不开心怎么办？生病了怎么办？
Don’t try this at home. But no worries, as you won’t be able to afford one anyways. Not by the standards of our current economic system, at least.
不要在家里尝试。不过不用担心，反正你也买不起。至少按照我们目前的经济体系标准是买不起的。
Like the first method, this would be an extreme choice. But the possibilities are endless: you could join a commune, become a hermit, or even live in an airplane.
和第一种方法一样，这也是一种极端的选择。但可能性是无限的：你可以加入公社，成为隐士，甚至住在飞机上。
Wrapping up
I wrote this post because I’m trying to find my own way. I hope it may bring you clarity and you may draw inspiration from one or more of these methods.
我写这篇文章是因为我正在努力寻找自己的方式。我希望这篇文章能让你豁然开朗，并从其中的一种或多种方法中汲取灵感。
Maybe it’s all about striking a balance. We can understand what’s important to us right now – knowing that it may always change later on – and embody it.
也许这一切都关乎如何取得平衡。我们可以理解什么对我们现在很重要—知道它以后可能会改变—并体现它。
Or maybe it’s just about going all-in. I guess we’ll know it when we see it!
又或者，这只是关于 “全情投入”。我想，我们看到的时候就会知道了！