Confidence is like the blossoms of a tree, inner strength is like the roots of a tree, capability is like the trunk of a tree, and depth is precisely that nourishing rich soil.
During the Qingming Festival, a friend from my undergraduate days came to Shanghai for a gathering. After two years, he is no longer the same as before. The study of Traditional Chinese Medicine is easy to enter but difficult to master, yet he walks this path with increasing steadiness. In our conversation, his confidence radiates from within, unpretentious yet substantial, like a piece of warm, old jade, naturally exuding its brilliance. That kind of assured aura makes me introspective—have I wasted my time in these two years?
His inner strength comes from a clear understanding of the inheritance from his mentors. He knows whose shoulders he stands on, understands where his medical skills come from, and where they are headed. Because of this, even when facing high-ranking officials or elders, he remains calm and composed, neither servile nor arrogant. This unpretentiousness and fearlessness is not a forced facade but a natural expression of deep-rooted confidence.
Meanwhile, my roots are still groping in the darkness; when will I be able to touch that underground river that has nourished for a thousand years?