Does everyone start from the same place when chasing a dream? No. A company chairman happily told Utsudo his daughter studied art in Japan and now New York, and that he never interferes with what his kids want to do. Utsudo thought: she can chase her dream like this because she has a chairman for a father. Children from wealthy families don’t need to scramble for food and have more room for error, while most people move forward carrying heavy burdens. She admits the world is unfair, but beyond effort and resources, “choice” matters too: if you can’t reach the top in one field despite everything, try another field you’re good at.

Translated from Utsudo’s original Chinese column.

A chairman at a dinner

I remember once attending a dinner.

I don’t recall what I was chatting about with the chairman next to me, but he learned I was a novelist. When I showed him my business card with its fancy (?) 2D image, he said delightedly, “My daughter studies drawing too!”

He showed me his daughter’s artwork on his phone—besides Japanese and fairy-tale styles, there were Western styles too. It was quite accomplished, and I was happy to see it.

He also talked about his daughter with a big smile, saying she loved drawing from a very young age. While other kids played, she alone drew pictures of them playing. Seeing how animated he was, I could tell he was truly proud of her.

But that warm feeling only lasted a moment, because next—

He said, “She studied art in Japan before, and now she’s studying in New York.”

“I never interfere with what my kids want to do. Whatever she wants, I let her do it.”

“Anyway, these days you can succeed in any field.”

She can chase her dream because she has a chairman for a father

Watching him speak so cheerfully and optimistically, I knew this was his firm belief. In his world, children’s success is a given. But to someone from an ordinary background like me, it sounded a bit jarring.

I so wanted to say it out loud: she can chase her dream like this because she has a chairman for a father.

For ordinary people like us, the lucky ones can at least choose their jobs; the unlucky ones work every day, chased by debt. Either way, we have to use our own hands and spend our time working for others to earn a living.

But children born into wealth never worry about food or clothing, let alone scramble for family, meals or tuition. They can devote themselves fully to what they love, immersed day and night. Their families can even send them to better places to study, or open doors with better connections. From the very start, they’re miles ahead of ordinary kids.

These well-off children are bound to find what we commonly call “success” more easily, with more room for error, and they usually live better. The children of the rich almost always remain rich—that’s an undeniable fact.

It reminded me of the poor girl I wrote about before who wanted to learn to draw. She doesn’t yet know how heavy a burden she’ll carry in the future and still dreams of making a living by drawing. Looking at her innocent smile, I suddenly felt a pang…

The starting lines were never the same

So the starting points differ from the beginning. Even heading toward the same sky, one walks on foot carrying all sorts of burdens, while the other simply has a pair of wings and support on every side. Tell me, who will fly farther?

It may sound a bit pessimistic, but I have to say it: the world is inherently unfair.

Some people are born with more resources or greater talent. They may not need to try very hard to rise above those of us who toil. We, on the other hand, must overcome all kinds of obstacles before we can devote what time is left to our fields.

Beyond effort and resources, choice matters too

But besides effort and resources, I think “choice” is also crucial.

If you can’t reach the top in a field no matter how hard you try, maybe try something else you’re good at. You might break through and compete with those impressive people.

And if you’re too discouraged, I suggest doing more good deeds, and praying that your first pull in the next round of Life Online gives you a rich dad, heh heh (X

FAQ

Further reading

• Previous: Hey! I Heard You’re a Writer on Ghost Island #213: Forget Light Novels—Children’s Books Are Where It’s At (?
• Start from the beginning: Hey! I Heard You’re a Writer on Ghost Island #01: Utsudo’s Debut — A Road to the Dream Covered in Frost
• Utsudo’s books

About the author

Utsudo is a Taiwanese light novelist and novelist VTuber with more than ten years in the industry and 40 commercially published print books. Her novel 《遺失的情書》 received a 2022 Ministry of Culture youth creative award. The 《嘿！聽說妳在鬼島當作家》 series records her experiences as a novelist in Taiwan.