This question began to trouble me more than a decade ago when I was in my early 30s. Before that, I firmly believed there were no fundamental differences between people—whatever others could do, I could do too; I just needed to “work harder.” But after turning 30, I gradually realized that hard work alone wasn’t enough. I still wasn’t growing as quickly as those “outstanding individuals” around me.

These days, no matter where you are, as long as there’s text to be seen, you’ll definitely find this keyword: “tariffs”. Unless you’re deaf, people around you are probably discussing this topic too.

Whether it’s foreign media or social media circles, all kinds of “experts” are speaking up. Some say “America is shooting itself in the foot,” while others argue “China shouldn’t confront the US head-on.” They speak with conviction, clear logic, and righteous indignation, as if national chaos would ensue if decision-makers don’t follow their advice.

Let’s continue with the topic of “crucial conversations.” In the previous article, we introduced what crucial conversations are (serious consequences, differing viewpoints, easily triggering emotions), as well as the prerequisites for communication: creating a safe communication environment and following the STATE principles during conversations. Besides these, there are two more important aspects that I think are worth exploring with you.

In both life and work, we often encounter challenging communication situations, such as: asking your boss for a raise; persuading colleagues to follow your approach; discussing your child’s education with your partner. These types of communication share some common characteristics:

• The other person may have different views than yours.
• The topic is important, possibly relating to interests or personal development.
• Emotions might get out of control during the conversation.

This type of communication is known as “crucial communication.”

In the early morning, my parents and I stand in front of a newly rented vegetable plot. Not far away are residential buildings of varying heights, yet this place feels like a hidden paradise. Yesterday, we discovered it in a nearby village—a piece of farmland that immediately caught our attention.

Qingming Festival has arrived again. This year is different from previous years as the three of us brothers went together to visit the graves of our late grandparents. Actually, grave-visiting is just tomb-sweeping; in our area, we’re used to calling it “grave-visiting.”

Times have changed, and villagers have moved from old single-story houses into modern residential complexes. Similarly, the resting places of our ancestors have also been adjusted, now unified in a narrow strip of land at the northern edge of the residential area, south of the airport’s northern expressway.