What is the truth in life that you realize too late? The only truth I realized too late in life is: you must constantly meet new people, and then select those you can befriend. This idea must run through your entire life, never stopping for a moment. Meeting and befriending are two different concepts. Meeting someone does not mean a chance encounter; it involves communication, interacting with the other person in an official capacity, understanding each other's work, names, ages, and becoming somewhat familiar. Here, I emphasize meeting. Only by continuously meeting new people (note that I am talking about people, not necessarily friends; meeting does not necessarily mean making friends, it can also be enemies or disliked individuals) can one grow ambition and avoid losing oneself. I dare say that if a person can, as I suggest, periodically meet new people in an official capacity, they will never suffer from any psychological issues. An extreme example: even if someone loses a child in middle age and experiences great sorrow, as long as they keep meeting new people, they can maintain an optimistic attitude. Conversely, if a person is surrounded by old acquaintances, never actively meeting new people, and has no new friends—even if they lack nothing—they will often face various social troubles or even psychological problems. For example, during high school, in a closed environment, students find it difficult to meet new people over several years. During such times, many students develop some psychological issues. Meeting new people in an official capacity can motivate people, increase their ambition, and unconsciously promote self-discipline (in fact, I have never believed in true self-discipline; all self-discipline is a truncated form of external regulation). Historically, emperors and founding officials all met countless people, constantly increasing their ambition and honing their abilities. Why does Peixian County produce so many talented rulers? The reason lies in this—because they have enough driving force to grow. Later emperors are mostly far inferior to the founding generation, partly because later emperors mostly face the same officials daily, making it difficult to meet new people and lacking internal motivation to grow. Wang Yangming gathered disciples through “Heart Learning,” seeking discussion and debate; Mao Zedong used “28-line students” as pen names to seek friends; Zhou Enlai held “Awakening Society” to gather talents; on a smaller scale, Lin Huiyin hosted tea parties at home, inviting students and literary friends she was not familiar with—this is also meeting new people. Even scientists and researchers must constantly meet new people; they cannot work behind closed doors. As for the cycle of meeting new people, it varies from person to person and depends on oneself—once a week, once a month, or even once a year. But remember, never let your surroundings be filled with familiar people year after year; otherwise, at best, you will be content with the status quo and have little achievement, and at worst, you may fall into decadence, decline, or psychological abnormalities.