Chapter 145: Humanity's Lack of a Sense of Belonging to Earth

As the series of analyses concluded, everyone fell into a state of shock and contemplation.

People furrowed their brows, seemingly contemplating the correctness of the answer.

But soon, many felt that this answer did not seem to require a distinction between right and wrong, nor did it need any supporting evidence.

Because... there was an indescribable flavor to this answer; perhaps it was a philosophy of life, or even more, "The Great Way is Simple."

Soon, the live stream chat exploded.

"All of us are actually dying, or perhaps even dead already. What a sharp answer!"

"Even though there is no evidence, why do I feel unable to refute this answer?"

"If our current life is just a 'dream,' then is the most real version of us actually lying on a hospital bed?"

"Yes, this answer has a mysterious, almost unfathomable quality that is hard to refute."

"Have we truly lived? For the most 'real' version of us, we might indeed be somewhere else. Everything we see, hear, and feel now is evolving within our minds; just like the cosmos, we are observing the developments within it. The real us is watching our current experiences from a third-person perspective."

"Indescribable, especially indescribable; I feel like I've attained enlightenment too."

"..."

Inside the lecture hall, Professor Hua Yunfeng, Old Feng, and all the experts were too shocked to speak.

Every expert's face was filled with gravity, their expressions somewhat peculiar.

They wanted to speak but hesitated; they wanted to refute it but didn't know where to begin.

Professor Hua Yunfeng muttered a few words with a grave expression: "We are all about to die; everything we are experiencing now is just recalling our lives before death..."

Professor Feng Zhiyuan's lips parted slightly, and he stared blankly at the large screen, unable to speak for a long time.

This truth, which seemed both real and unreal, felt like opening the door to a new world for the Philosophers present.

It was as if the truth they had been pursuing had just slipped out of the mouth of Teacher Jiang so simply and ordinarily.

The Great Way they had been painstakingly searching for became simple in an instant.

"I don't know what to say; after listening to Teacher Jiang's answer, although I find it incredible, my heartbeat tells me that I am calm and unruffled at this moment."

"Yes, we are already dead; we are just re-living this journey of life."

"..."

Gradually, everyone in the lecture hall fell silent.

Even the usually active science experts were no longer speaking, deeply immersed in the answer given by Jiang Zhe.

It was as if... everyone present had "seen" themselves on their deathbeds.

Their loved ones, and descendants they had never met, were standing by the hospital bed, holding their hands.

Some experts even heard the pleas of their loved ones by their bedsides.

Only a few experts who had studied Taoism and Buddhism wore smiles on their faces.

Discussing it in a small circle, their faces showed a hint of smugness and mockery.

"Hahaha, these ordinary people. Actually, Teacher Jiang is very well-suited to be a Taoist priest or even a high-ranking monk. Many of his speeches can lead people to enlightenment. In fact, those Materialism-based science experts were just falling into a state of 'True Self'; they found the answer incredible, but their bodies were telling them: 'It was meant to be this way, so there is no great disturbance in this body.'"

"They can't compare to us. For us theologians who have studied Taoism and Buddhism, accepting Teacher Jiang's remarks is relatively easy; those ordinary mortals can't really accept it."

"It seems most of the experts in this lecture hall have never experienced what the 'Dao' is. In fact, Teacher Jiang's answer just now already touched upon one of the Great Ways: the 'Way of Life'."

"..."

At Tsinghua University, Professor Zhuang, who was watching this scene, saw his initial expression of astonishment soften.

He couldn't help but smile, nodding repeatedly without saying a word, seemingly very much in approval of this philosophical answer.

Beside him, Zhou Qing asked blankly: "Teacher, this answer?"

Professor Zhuang smiled and replied: "It's the same as what I thought; it doesn't have much evidence, but I approve of this answer!"

Her younger sister, Zhou Qingqing, wanted to speak but hesitated.

The teacher specialized in philosophy; regarding people and things, he relied solely on his state of mind and depth of vision, rather than needing evidence to support everything.

She really hadn't expected that Jiang Zhe's answer, which anyone with a clear eye would see as utter nonsense, and for which Jiang Zhe could not provide any substantive evidence, could still be approved by her teacher.

As most people were carefully ruminating on the answer, the director connected the second call on the big screen.

After a "beep-beep-beep!" sound, the voice of an incredulous middle-aged woman came from the other end of the phone.

"It's my turn? It's actually me! I tried calling four times before but couldn't get through; how did it dial to me automatically?"

Jiang Zhe smiled and explained: "There was a minor issue with the hotline at the Television Station just now, but after some debugging, the problem was solved. This lucky audience member was randomly selected from the first 5,000 callers; even if you hung up the phone early, we still screened based on the first 5,000."

"If you have a question, feel free to ask."

As he spoke, the audience didn't mind; after all, with so many people, it was basically very difficult for it to be their turn.

So they were very happy just to listen to the questions of other lucky audience members!

"I see... that's fine; let me think. Teacher Jiang, your explanation today was wonderful; for a moment, I didn't know what to ask."

"No rush, take your time."

The audience stared fixedly at the big screen.

As time passed minute by minute, they actually hoped this lady would keep delaying.

Only by delaying could they see more of Jiang Zhe.

Most of the audience even wanted to hear the lucky audience member ask questions that Jiang Zhe hadn't analyzed in this episode.

Only then could they hear more unexpected truths from the mouth of Jiang Zhe!

After about 30 seconds, the lady on the other end of the phone asked: "Teacher Jiang, I am actually an ordinary person; I don't have any hobbies in my daily life; I am divorced; and I have a little money of my own."

"I often don't know what my life is actually for."

"I have a degree from an ordinary university; after entering society, I have been struggling and grinding, experiencing the same hardships that most people go through."

"Until recently, I fell seriously ill, and my husband took a portion of my money and ran away."

"Later, I began to think about the meaning of life. What are we humans actually living this life for?"

"To continue the family line? Just following the essence of biology: to pass on knowledge? It doesn't seem like it."

"To seek advantages and avoid disadvantages? That doesn't seem to be it either."

"Money? Not that either. In the tribal era of the past, we had clear gender roles; there was no unified currency. Men went out hunting, while women gathered fruits and did chores like animal husbandry, all just to survive."

"With the progress of the times, we shifted from the initial matriarchal society to a society where men stood tall, and women's rights gradually hit their lowest point during the feudal era."

"In modern times, women's status finally improved; however, in this era, all sorts of monsters and demons using the banner of 'feminism' have made most women take the blame."

"I've thought about it for a long time, and I still can't figure out why we humans have to live here, and why most people feel unhappy late at night; especially when they are alone."

"I really don't know; what exactly are we living for?"

"Is it for family, for the country, or for ourselves?"

"Sorry, Teacher Jiang, I've said too much, I hope you can forgive me!"

As the series of personal reflections concluded, Jiang Zhe looked solemn, having understood the meaning behind her words.

Even... this lady's question was also the question of many viewers in the live stream.

That was: "Why do humans live, and what do they live for?"

He did not answer immediately, but pondered deeply, his brows knitting into a "river" shape, which was enough to show the profundity and seriousness of the question.

Once this question was raised, it immediately gained the approval of a massive number of viewers.

"Ma'am, you didn't say too much; this question actually has some depth, and it's something I've always been concerned about but hadn't thought of."

"Yes, ma'am, I'm the same as you; I don't know why we humans are living either."

"It's not just you. I'll be honest, I'm a first-generation rich person, with a happy family, many children and grandchildren. My material needs are met, my physical needs are met, and my self-actualization needs are met; then, I had nothing left to satisfy; and then I became empty; I can't find a goal to move forward; and I'm only 47 years old."

"Hey, brother above, do you need a son?"

"Go away, go away. We are discussing a serious question, don't say such inappropriate things."

"So everyone has this kind of problem?"

"This is universal. 99% of people in the world have thought about this question, but no one can give the truth."

"..."

These words also caused the experts in the lecture hall and Professor Zhuang to fall into deep thought.

They found it difficult to respond to these profound questions for the time being.

Professor Hua Yunfeng looked at the solemn-faced Jiang Zhe, "This time, Teacher Jiang seems to have fallen into a situation with no answer to give."

Old Feng had a strange expression, "Could it be that he is going to have a program accident on the spot?"

"I don't know, let's see."

At this moment, Jiang Zhe, who had been thinking for a long time, had an extremely stern expression, and asked in return: "Do you really want to know the truth?"

The tone on the other side was extremely resolute: "Yes!"

Upon hearing this, everyone straightened their backs again, staring fixedly, fully focused.

Inside the screen, Jiang Zhe took a deep breath, nodded, and stated the truth:

"Ma'am, the truth you are seeking can actually be summarized in one sentence."

"That is—"

"We humans have absolutely no sense of belonging to Earth!"

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone looked surprised and stunned.