And Doing It Silently Bc Ppl Will Assume The Worst Whatever He Does But Still Doing It - Tumblr Posts

Doing the right thing even when it's not easy—staying true to yourself and your values—is a huge theme in Tian Guan Ci Fu.

The second and third books in particular spend a lot of time delving into the various ways humans tend to deal with crisis and the consequences, rewards, and overall thought processes before and after of each. It explores the fall of a kingdom and its prince's reaction upon discovering the apathy and greed of the people in his similar position of power. It explores corruption and hypocrisy. You watch as he's told time and time again that it's pointless to try and work against fate, forgetting the fact that those in power often are "fate" when it comes to the common people.

This story does not pretend that doing the right thing will always end in reward and praise. It does not attempt to sew you a story of the endless ways it is easy to be a good person—that it comes as smoothly as breathing. Quite the opposite. You witness as this prince falls from grace—as he is ridiculed and punished ruthlessly for daring to stand against the status quo.

It does not lie. It shows you the pain. It shows you the conflict—internal and external. It shows you the sacrifice and the doubt and the guilt.

But then... just as you expect to be abandoned by it, left to deal with your newly acquired hopelessness and loss of faith in humanity as you lie discouraged and confused on the ground...it extends you a warm hand.

It smiles down at you and tells you it's proud of you.

And you did the right thing.

Tgcf shows you that doing what's right doesn't always feel good. Being kind doesn't always end in reward...

That's okay.

It's still worth it.

There's so much pain and tragedy in this story that it is honestly shocking how it delivers the exact opposite message one would assume.

At its core, it is not a story of corruption and abandonment and evil. It is a story of resistance and bravery and hope. It is a story of defying fate, of choosing third paths.

It is a story that does not sugar coat the suffering and cruelty in this world, but prompts the idea that life is still worth it regardless.

People are still worth it.

Being kind and compassionate and true to yourself is still worth it.

You are still worth it.

In the author's own words, Tian Guan Ci Fu is:

(Previous post which inspired this one)