Optimism

I went to the hospital, worried that a mole on the back of my neck might have turned malignant.

Every time I’m in a hospital, my heart feels strangely calm.

Everyone cares about their physical life. (But how many care about their spiritual life?)

The hospital is crowded. Doctors seem like small-scale vendors.

But that’s not what I want to talk about.

After the blood draw, the nurse told me to use the machine for “self-service test results” in an hour. There’s one at the entrance.

While waiting, I marveled at how technology has changed things.

Tasks that once needed many hands can now be done by machines, spreading out the work and cutting costs.

I also realized that the process of adopting technology must be challenging. Back then, someone must have said, “How could test results print out by machine? For hundreds of years, our hands did this!”

Similarly, in a few years, people might say, “How can ordinary people draw their own blood, test it, or prescribe medicine? These are for trained doctors!”

Think about how electricity, telephones, printers, and computers became household items:

“Swallows once flew over the house gates of the noble families, now nest among common folk.”

Pessimistic, cowardly people only see difficulties and excuses;

while optimistic, brave people see opportunities, attempts, and challenges.

Looking back at my experiences, including at Alibaba Cloud, I admit I was the former.

Change is needed.