The popular saying “I can’t lose 000~” is easily understood and sounds humorous because we all have at least one “thing we can’t lose.” And humans are divided into two categories depending on what that “thing we can’t lose” is.
The first category is those who “can’t lose happiness.” Regardless of whether it was obtained through effort or given for free, they show a strong attachment to something that gives them special pleasure, and most humans fall into this category. Food, money, sex, status, as well as arts and physical activities such as music, art, and sports—anything that gives a sense of happiness can become “something one can’t lose.” The commonality of this category is that they distort the truth or create private secrets to obtain happiness more easily and in greater quantities. Whether the secret is small or big is not the issue. The issue is solely about whether there is a secret or not.
The second category is people who “cannot lose their conscience.” They also like and know how to enjoy happiness, but they extremely hate compromising their conscience for pleasure or gain. They are prepared to give up any gain, even their lives, to “protect” their conscience. No one belongs to this category from birth, and many are “awakened” people who, one day while living an ordinary life no different from others, are led by the feeling that they will go crazy if they continue to defile their conscience, and are reborn by repenting for all their past. Depending on the person, they may express “conscience” as “truth.”
One ironic point is that the latter of the two categories experiences much longer periods of happiness and satisfaction in life. In the former case, they may be able to have more by selling their conscience, but they do not experience the happiness they so desired for a long time and always live as if they are being chased by something. In the end, unlike what is depicted in media or popular culture, the latter, who does not appear outwardly flashy, concludes with a winner-takes-all result, possessing both conscience and happiness.
It is impossible for human power to see through people’s hearts. But if there is a way to know someone best, it is only by finding out what they “can’t lose.” A famous line from Westray, a drug dealer played by Brad Pitt in the movie <The Counselor>, written by Cormac McCarthy and directed by Ridley Scott, says the same thing.
“You don’t know someone until you know what they want”
Because “what you really want” is also “what you can’t lose,” that line can be paraphrased as follows.
“You don’t know someone until you know what they can’t lose”
If there is someone whose deeply desired thing (what they can’t lose) is “happiness,” unfortunately, you should not trust that person. Even if that person is yourself.
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