In life, there are more things that don’t go as one wishes than those that do; fortune and misfortune are quantifiable, gains and losses are difficult to measure.
Wang Bo once borrowed (Preface to the Pavilion of Prince Teng) to express his feelings about his fate: 'Fortune is uneven, and destiny is full of twists and turns.'
He was originally a talented young man, with both an illustrious family background and extraordinary intelligence.
According to historical records, he could write poetry at the age of 6, compile historical books at 9, study medicine at 12, and at 16, he held an official position...
These more than ten years of career, for him, can be said to be like cooking oil over fire, and flowers with brocade.
But soon, Wang Bo's life took a sharp turn downward.
The cause of the matter was that Wang Bo flaunted his literary talent and wrote an untimely article: (A Call to the English King).
In his writing, he used a large number of ornate words to describe the grandeur of cockfighting.
Due to its excellent writing, this article became widely circulated and eventually reached Emperor Gaozong of Tang.
Unfortunately, Emperor Gaozong of Tang was very averse to cockfighting, but what he found even more distasteful was that some people exploited cockfighting for their own gain.
Thus, he directly dismissed Wang Bo from his official position and expelled him from Chang'an.
This painful experience was the first low point in Wang Bo's life.
In the following two years, Wang Bo traveled through Hanzhou, Yizhou, Mianzhou, and other places, writing many sorrowful poems.
He also wrote to the dignitaries he met in Chang'an multiple times, hoping to secure a minor official position.
Finally, through Wang Bo's tireless efforts, he obtained a military position.
Wang Bo initially thought his life would proceed smoothly, but unexpectedly, he almost lost his life.
At that time, an official servant committed a crime, and Wang Bo hid him, but fearing the matter would be leaked, he killed this servant.
Ultimately, this matter was exposed, Wang Bo was stripped of his official position and sentenced to death.
It was also Wang Bo's fate that he was not meant to die; just before his execution, a general amnesty occurred, allowing him to escape death.
Therefore, looking at Wang Bo's experiences over more than twenty years, it can be said that he underwent great ups and downs, with constant turmoil.
In the end, all the glory turned into a heart full of bitterness and disappointment.
As Shen Fu said: 'Life is busy, competing for short and long, yet they do not mention that glory and decline are finite, and gains and losses are difficult to measure.'
In the life of an ordinary person, disappointment is the norm.
When disappointment is inevitable, how should we redeem ourselves?
The best approach is to cultivate a mindset: gaining is my fortune, losing is my fate, that's all.
Let everything happen naturally, do not compete for fleeting fame and fortune, do not be greedy for short-term gains and losses.
So we can maintain our fighting spirit without blaming heaven and others in times of disappointment, and not give up on ourselves in times of hardship, facing every predicament in life with composure.