1. On gender relations and self-improvement: choosing between the "Red Pill" and "Blue Pill"
April 29, 2026 · Personal Growth · 11 min read
On how a man in the new era should strengthen himself, different people will have different views. Having seen plenty of schools of thought, plenty of personal profiles, and having put a little of it into practice myself, I think the pressure on young men today is no small thing. So how does one absorb the strengths of various schools of thought? Here are my thoughts, organized in four parts.
1. On gender relations and self-improvement: choosing between the “Red Pill” and “Blue Pill”
The concepts of Red Pill–ism and Blue Pill–ism are increasingly familiar to young men. The metaphor of the red and blue pills originally comes from the famous philosophical choice in The Matrix. Through years of evolution, their meaning has expanded to span gender, society, and even multiple layers of personal cognition. Red Pill–ism chooses to confront the harsh truths of the world, urging men to see reality clearly, to forge masculine spiritual strength through fitness, social skills, and so on, to gain vigilance and true freedom. Blue Pill–ism, by contrast, emphasizes letting men live within the comforting beautiful illusions (a bit like contented “lying flat” — and reveling in it). From this angle, men should mostly take the Red Pill — though Red Pill–ism is not entirely good either. By taking reality so concretely, Red Pill–ism produces some extreme tendencies: the belief that society is woman-centric, that all human behavior serves survival and reproduction, leading to misogyny and cynicism. I think we should absorb the core of the Red Pill — seeing reality clearly and improving oneself — while discarding its extreme emotions. In an era when most excellent men are gradually red-pill-ing, 95% Red Pill + 5% Blue Pill is the better mix.
By my observation, the Red Pill–ism of the so-called “Game” school has, by now, basically settled into the minds of young men in tier-one cities. It’s standard for an attractive young woman to be asked for her WeChat by double-digit numbers of men in a single day of going out. Within Game-school Red Pill–ism, there are roughly three flavors. First: improving one’s perceived value through curated WeChat-Moments persona display, learning conversation and social technique, and packaging/showcasing — representative figure: Jason. Second: belief that physical attractiveness trumps everything and can be improved via plastic surgery — representative figure: Snake. Third: building one’s value through cold-approaches, making money, fitness, social skills, livestreaming, and taking on responsibility — representative figure: LeonG. How do I view the Game school? I’d still say: take the strengths, discard the flaws. All three flavors of Red Pill have positive parts that can and should be taken in, but each also has extreme elements; balance is what matters. I’ll leave it at that — no need for a long treatise on the balancing.
2. On credentials, personality, and connections
Credentials really have depreciated, but credentials are still a seat at the table. All roads lead to Rome, but credentials remain a relatively easier road to walk; the focus is on relationships, platform, and resources. Connections matter in both China and the U.S., and connections must be sincere — don’t show off. You absolutely must escape the self-centered, infantile mindset; listen more, and don’t crave external validation — the less of that behavior, the better. If you’re socially anxious, information-sealed, or fond of working in solitude — please correct that fast. In this era, anyone who can’t socialize and can’t communicate is doomed.
3. On energy allocation and time management
When young, talk more about your career and less about ineffective dating. With the opposite sex: don’t pull-and-push, don’t play games. When dealing with anyone, if you find you don’t click — don’t agonize, don’t argue back, just quietly walk away. Filter, don’t educate. Protect your own energy. Plans never keep up with changes; one long-term big goal plus a daily plan is enough. Joy comes from winning. Anything you win at, you’ll want to keep doing. Learn to construct your own positive feedback loops of winning. When you hit a setback, take the lesson and return to the rails — that’s all.
4. On career choices: navigating the impossible triangle
Make a lot of money; have temporal freedom; have peers around you who are at least as capable as you and can spark thinking with you regularly — these three together form an impossible triangle. 99.9% of careers cannot have all three. If you’re a founder or executive, you don’t have temporal freedom; if you’re a university professor, you very likely have to constantly downward-compatibilize. There’s no two-way win in this world. Ask yourself what you actually want, and weigh things carefully.
In summary, men of the new era should not get lost in trivial things. Spend more energy on improving yourself, refuse to lie flat, unite knowledge with action, more alpha, less beta, make your own life better, make Chinese men stronger, more polished, and more responsible. They see through the cruelty of the world (Red Pill) and yet still love life (a trace of Blue Pill); they understand the cunning of social life (Game) and yet still choose sincerity (the core); they pursue the summit of career (winning) and yet accept the destiny of solitude (the trade-off).