Newsletter › #20
Three Things That Moved Me to Tears in One Day: The Cat Who Lived a Million Times, the Pale Blue Dot and Ne Zha
【What I've been up to】
Hi, Reader,
how was your week?
The Lunar New Year holiday just ended, and now there's the 228 Memorial Day long weekend — so much time off I'm starting to question life.
Honestly, I don't love public holidays: everywhere is crowded and hotels are expensive.
But I have to admit, if I had an office job, I'd probably love holidays too.
After all, they're one of the small joys of working life.
I hope this letter brings you a small joy too 😁
Let's begin today's topic.
【Moved to tears three times in one day】
The American writer George R. R. Martin once said:
“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies.
The man who never reads lives only one.”
That's one reason I love reading: it lets me resonate with the author.
Reading is like living the author's life.
Last week, while reading, I was unexpectedly moved three times.
Let me tell you about them.
The first: The Cat Who Lived a Million Times
I was reading Eric's book 命定之書 (The Book of Destiny).
It mentions the Japanese picture book The Cat Who Lived a Million Times by Yoko Sano.
The hero is a tabby cat who dies and is reborn a million times, and never sheds a tear.
Each time he belongs to someone, until his last rebirth, when he becomes a stray who belongs to no one.
He falls in love with a white cat and they have many kittens, and only then does he truly experience the wholeness and happiness of life.
When the white cat grows old and dies, the tabby cries for the first time — and the last, because he no longer needs to be reborn.
He has known a complete life, and what happiness looks like.
When I read this, the tears came on their own.
Now in my forties, I deeply understand how the tabby felt.
I think the author is saying: “Living truly once is better than passing through countless times without heart.”
I've spent most of my life chasing financial freedom, yet I don't even have a simple family of my own.
Thinking of that, I couldn't help feeling a wave of sadness.
That was my first time in tears that day.
The second: the Pale Blue Dot
This was also from Eric's book.
In 1990, as NASA's Voyager 1 was about to leave the solar system, the American astronomer Carl Sagan proposed turning its camera around to take a picture of Earth.
NASA rejected the idea on the spot.
But Sagan persisted and finally persuaded NASA, and they took this photo from six billion kilometers away — the most distant picture of Earth humanity has ever taken.
In all that darkness, that tiny blue dot is Earth.
Deeply inspired by the photo, Sagan wrote:
Look again at that dot.
That's here. That's home. That's us.
On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives.
The aggregate of our joy and suffering,
thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines,
every hunter and forager, every hero and coward,
every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant,
every young couple in love, every hopeful child,
every mother and father, every inventor and explorer,
every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician,
every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,”
every saint and sinner in the history of our species
lived there — on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
(Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot, 1994)
Eric says he was moved to tears when he saw the photo.
Looking at it, I was moved to tears too.
I'm smaller than I ever imagined — so insignificant in the eyes of the universe.
So what right do I have to be arrogant? What right do I have to feel defeated?
That was my second time in tears that day.
The third: Ne Zha
Ne Zha is a Chinese animated film about Ne Zha, who is born a demon — he has no choice in the matter.
From the moment he's born he causes chaos. When the immortals subdue him, everyone wants him put to death, simply because he's a demon.
Then Ne Zha's mother rushes out, wraps her arms around him and says, “Don't hurt my child.”
“Don't be afraid, Mom's here,” she says — while Ne Zha is still biting her hand.
Seeing the warmth in his mother's eyes, Ne Zha softens.
When I saw that scene I was so moved — a mother's love really is great.
The film has many more moving moments; no spoilers — go see it yourself.
That was my third time in tears that day.
If you cried reading this too, let me know 🤣
Maybe it's my age, but I've started to feel that laughing when you're happy and crying when you're sad is a better way to live.
When I'm moved to tears, I feel warm inside — I feel alive.
I'm sharing these three stories that moved me in the hope they'll move you too.
【FIRE University welcome gift: a reading list and toolkit for the five types of wealth】
Thanks for waiting — the welcome gift I've been promising is finally ready.
I built it in Notion myself, which took a while since I'm new to Notion.
I used to use Evernote, and the two work differently, so it took some figuring out.
The reading list is done, and I'll update it from time to time.
The toolkit isn't finished yet — give me a little more time, and I'll let you know when it's ready.
Whenever the database is updated, I'll tell you in the newsletter.
Suggestions and feedback are always welcome by email.
I hope you enjoy this welcome gift.
Welcome gift: a reading list and toolkit for the five types of wealth (in Chinese)
【FIRE Life online book club】
I've set up an online book club every Wednesday evening. Each week I hope to share a good book I've read, and I'd love you to join.
This week: Four Thousand Weeks
This isn't an ordinary time-management book; it's a liberation movement for your life.
⏰ Time: Wednesday, March 4, 20:00–21:00 (Taiwan time, in Mandarin)
🔗 Sign up
This week's episode
#65 | Why are the truly rich so low-key? The Psychology of Money #6
Money's greatest value is control over your time. Wealth is what you don't see — the money you didn't spend. Your savings rate matters more than your returns, and caring less what others think is the fastest way to raise it.
Read the full show notes in English › (the episode is in Mandarin Chinese)
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My sign-up link: eleanorfilmacademy.tw/NfK0d
That's it for this issue of the FIRE Life Weekly.
If you have any questions about the show or the newsletter,
just write to me at doug@firetw.com.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Have a lovely day,
and see you next time.
Doug