Long Tianxiao/Quotes

== Father and son ==
Back when Long Chen was a child, Long Tianxiao would always give his share of meat to Long Chen, often saying that men needed to grow up strong to shield others from the wind and rain.
Fishing is a kind of pleasure, not a means of survival. These two things must be differentiated.
“Tea isn’t differentiated by good or bad. What matters is the state of mind of the drinker. When it comes to fish, what matters isn’t size, but what you want.”
== Swimming ==
“If you’re tired, then stop for a moment.”
“But I can’t stop.” Long Chen bitterly smiled.
“Why can’t you stop? Do you still remember the first time you learned to swim?” Long Tianxiao passed Long Chen a cup of tea.
Long Chen scrunched his eyebrows. “How could I not remember? Back then, you really were vicious and directly tossed me into the pool. I choked and floated on the water. I still remember you had a fierce fight with mother because of it.”
Long Tianxiao nodded. “That’s right. Your mother loved you too much to do that. But some things can’t be taken step by step. That’s why it just took you a few hours to learn how to swim. Although you were just two years old, I trust you remember everything at that time.”
“Of course I remember. I remember your dark face very clearly. It was just as frightening as Yama King’s face,” grumbled Long Chen.
Long Tianxiao had truly been frightening at that time. If Long Chen had a son, he wouldn’t be able to treat him like that.
Long Tianxiao shook his head. “Do you still remember when I told you this: life is like drowning. The more you panic, the more afraid you are; the more you struggle, the closer you are to death.”
“Your current situation is like drowning in a sea. You are struggling to maintain a moment’s safety, but you are unable to escape the crisis. You can’t see hope. That’s why you’re tired, because you can’t see the shore or any islands. In this kind of situation, the more you struggle, the more energy you’re wasting. Do you still remember how you managed to learn how to swim in just a few hours?”
Long Chen sank into thought. “You told me that in a crisis, when no one else can help you, you have to learn a way to breathe for yourself. Once you get a chance to breathe, you adjust your current state to face the danger, instead of blindly fighting against the crisis. What you’re saying is…”
“Yes. Just like back then, you have to think of a way to breathe. Your nerves are tight all the time now. That won’t help you, and it’ll hold you back instead. You don’t have a way to relax? That’s just an excuse. You have to relax, and that’s the only way you can face the next challenge better. When drowning, you have to find a way to breathe before learning how to swim. Only once you know how to breathe can you begin the race against time. With it, you’ll be able to last longer on the waves. You can last until someone saves you, or until you reach the shore. Sometimes, the principles behind a single breath of air can be the foundation of the entire world’s cycle. The Dao is always right beside us, but most people turn a blind eye to it. So, Chen-er, don’t be in such a rush to run. Sometimes, you have to stop and look at the scenery around you. You might even have to look back at your path. Then you might come to an enlightenment. Don’t blindly follow the flow of the waves. Having a target doesn’t mean you won’t get lost. You have to comprehend your own Dao. Don’t follow the same path that someone else walked, because if you do, you won’t surpass them.”
== Father's wisdom ==
Long Chen hadn’t thought that his father would have such a deep understanding of the Heavenly Daos.
His last sentence struck a special cord in Long Chen. He couldn’t walk the same path as his predecessors, or he would never be able to surpass them.
He had always relied on the Pill Sovereign memories, the Nine Star Hegemon Body Art, the Dragon Blood Body Tempering Art, the Nirvana Scripture, and his other peerless techniques.
He felt that these techniques were incomparably powerful, and that as long as he could comprehend them, he would be unrivaled.
It was because he relied on them so much that he had never created his own move. Now his father’s words woke him up to this point.
The paths of other people, no matter how far they managed to walk, would always come to an end eventually. What would Long Chen do once he reached the end? Was he supposed to just stop there?
If he walked someone else’s path, wouldn’t their end also be his end?
This was a problem he had never thought about. He had been too dependent on what he possessed. What if one day he couldn’t progress in the Nine Star Hegemon Body Art any longer? Or what if the sixth star never revealed itself?
“Thank you for your teaching. Dad, you really are the wisest,” said Long Chen respectfully.
“Wisdom doesn’t mean anything. The difference between us is our viewpoints. You are looking from within, while I am looking from outside. I’ve escaped the clamor of the secular world. Each day, I go fishing or hunting, and I see Xiaoyu growing. These days have been the happiest days for me and your mother. By leaving the struggles of the world, by distancing yourself from the devils of your heart, you will be able to understand many things that you couldn’t before,” said Long Tianxiao.
“You’re too modest. I’ve seen many people in the Central Plains, but only a few of them can match your intelligence,” said Long Chen.
That was truly the case. Although there were many experts with powerful cultivation bases and great power, in Long Chen’s eyes, they were just a pack of strong fools. In terms of intelligence, the only ones he had ever admired were Great Emperor Yun Shang, the High Priest, Li Tianxuan, and now his father.
== Incompleteness theorem ==
Long Tianxiao shook his head. “This so-called intelligence is just based on different viewpoints. One single kind of intelligence that can fully explain everything, doesn’t exist. If it did, then that could only be called the Heavenly Daos. The lives of everything in the world, the myriad of Daos, the interchange between life and death, the cycle of karma, heaven and earth…”
=== Notes ===
*In mathematics and logic, there is a theorem called the Godel's Incompleteness Theorem. It basically says there is no single set of axioms that can prove (or disprove) every statement or theorem. No matter what your postulates are, there will be paradoxes and theorems (and false statements) that cannot be proven. This is also related to Turing undecidability and incompleteness in automata and computation theory.
**Similarly, Long Tianxiao is saying that there is no intelligence that can explain everything. This is supported by deep theorems in mathematics and computer science.
**An example of a paradoxical statement is: "this statement is false." Is such a statement true or false? Can any theory prove such a statement?
**The connection between Godel's theorem and Turing machines involves encoding statements and theorems using numbers (for example, bits, zeros and ones, as on a machine) as well as the halting problem.
== Philosophy ==
“Sometimes, keeping your mouth shut is true wisdom.”
Long Tianxiao smiled. “In truth, happiness is just a state of mind, a state where your desires are satisfied. It’s very simple. For example, when a hungry person eats, when a thirsty person drinks, when a cold person is warmed, when a tired person has a place to rest, they will all feel happiness. But happiness doesn’t last forever. It only stays for a short time. Once you are used to that happiness, you won’t be able to feel it any longer. So the majority of the people who feel very unhappy, in truth, have food to eat, water to drink, warm clothes to wear, and a roof over their heads. They feel unhappy because they’ve forgotten what made them unhappy before. So if you want to be happier longer, you have to know what sadness is.”
But then he suddenly recalled what his father had said. He couldn’t play along at other people’s tempo. He had to give himself a chance to breathe.
The more his enemy wanted to infuriate him, the more he couldn’t let himself get angry. Even if he killed this person in front of him, it wouldn’t resolve his current predicament.
Anger was an instinct. Suppressing one’s anger was the true skill. Only by suppressing his anger could he make the correct decision.
==References==
Category:Quotes