Article by author Do Giang Long on Toutiao platform (China)
When young, I felt superior to my neighbors in every way.
My neighbor Mr. Truong and I are the same age, we have known each other since we moved to the same neighborhood. For some reason, I always like to compare myself with Mr. Truong, even though we still maintain a good friendship. In fact, in terms of education and work, Mr. Truong is a little behind me. My son studies at a key high school while my neighbor's son studies at a vocational school.
Talking to Mr. Truong, I told him how good the teachers and environment at the key high school were, and how my son's achievements had improved. After graduating from high school, my son was admitted to a top university as he wished, and Mr. Truong's son was preparing to go to an internship workshop. From that moment on, I no longer compared the two children because I felt they had gone on two completely different paths. However, Mr. Truong was always satisfied with his life and always encouraged his son to try his best.
My son got his Master’s degree and went abroad to work. The neighbors around him happily congratulated him, making me feel proud. My son promised that when he earned a lot of money, he would take me on a trip abroad and live a worry-free retirement life. This promise made me feel like a “winner” compared to my peers. However, everything changed when I turned 60.
Old age makes us realize that happiness is not about "winning or losing"
The happiness of the “winner” began to fade when I realized that after retirement I was not as happy as Mr. Truong. As people get older, the desire to win or lose is no longer as strong as before, instead everyone wants to receive attention and care from their children and grandchildren.
Mr. Truong's son became a supervisor in the factory, his salary was not too high but he came back to visit his father every week. When he came back, he would buy gifts for his parents, then the whole family would have a happy meal together. Meanwhile, my son, who was abroad, only came back to visit home once or twice a year, leaving only my wife and I alone in the lonely house. Mr. Truong started to have grandchildren, the atmosphere in the family was filled with happiness. I tried to ask my son to come back home to start a career, but he still insisted that he wanted to develop his career abroad and did not want to get married yet.
Three years ago, my wife became seriously ill and passed away. My son said he was worried that I would be lonely and alone, so he immediately decided to put me in a nursing home. I reluctantly agreed because I was not sure I could take care of myself, but the nursing home environment made me more tired. After 2 years, I returned to my old house to visit my friends to relieve my sadness.
As soon as I entered the neighborhood, I saw Mr. Truong walking with his 5-year-old grandson. The neighbor greeted me happily, saying that if I didn't see him today, I didn't know when I would see him again. I was surprised, Mr. Truong explained that he was going to follow his son to the city, so the family could reunite and his grandson would have someone to take care of him.
I played a few games of chess with my old friend and then said goodbye, sincerely congratulating Mr. Truong even though my current situation could no longer be compared to this friend's. Alone in the old house, I realized that life is unpredictable, and it is impossible to know what might happen in the future. So people should not be complacent because they feel superior to others for a moment. True happiness is not about comparing things like education or material conditions, but learning to be satisfied with what you have.
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