Be careful of self-brainwashing 小心自我洗脑

有人说我长期生活在国外，要尽量少评论国内的事情，毕竟对国内不了解。这是很自然的，但也未必尽然。

我最关心的其实是天气、自然灾害或者重大的人为灾害。这些事情让我很担心。至于好事情我知不知道都没关系，我并不缺少多巴胺和内酚肽。就像我曾经说过的，只要他们过得都比我好，那我就放心了，因为我自己已经过得很好了。我甚至希望全世界所有的人过得都比我好。

我自己也感到很奇怪，为什么没有任何一点点的嫉妒心理？可能是因为长期处于清心寡欲的生活状态中，没有互相攀比较劲儿的人际牵连。我不需要在攀比中获得比较优势，这不是我的快乐来源。也不会在攀比中感受到压力，会不会在无意中给别人造成压力，那我就不得而知了。

都说亚洲人比较爱攀比，其实澳洲人也一样，我有时候无意说的话，对方会往攀比的方向进行联想。可能长期缺少某种东西的时候，对某种东西就比较敏感。我的生存环境中确实很少有互相攀比的情况，所以偶尔有别人那么一丝的表现，我都能够感受到。

在国外生活就一定不了解中国吗？这还真不一定。记得2020年1月份，外面的很多人都已经知道中国发生的事情，可是身在武汉的老同学小熊还在对我说不要信国外那些宣传。我自认为思维非常缜密，一般的宣传很难忽悠我。那段时间几乎每天24小时地跟踪世卫组织、美国疾控中心、几大医学期刊以及权威学者和机构的动态。没过多久国内终于宣布了这场根本包不住的火。

在西朝鲜这种环境中，人们还真的不一定能够及时准确地了解发生在自己身边的事情。满世界都知道的事情，他们也未必知道。甚至他们还会知道一个与事实完全不同的版本，并且信誓旦旦。

有一次Dan E到我家里，不知道为什么我们就聊起了信息和洗脑的话题。很幸运的是我保留了那次聊天的录音，这是Dan去世前一年的事情，所以非常珍贵。他非常同意我的看法，就是洗脑过程其实是有一个锁定机制的。被洗脑的人会有一种本能的自我辩护能力。另外，在一个没有参照的完全同质的信息环境中，很难自我察觉到被洗脑。这与智商高低无关，再聪明的人都有可能被洗脑。最后这一点很关键，很多人不愿意承认自己被洗脑了，就好像不愿意承认自己是个傻子一样，其实洗脑和聪明不聪明无关，和信息环境有关。

这个观点还可以进一步的延伸，经常提醒自己我被洗脑了吗？我的阅读范围会不会对自己产生一种洗脑式的信息茧房？这种提醒实在是太重要了，是避免被动洗脑以及自我洗脑的法宝。

当然说了这么多，并不是说生活在国外就比生活在国内更了解中国，那也不至于得出这种极端的结论。

前段时间回国和从美国回来的Alice S聊起在国内订酒店机票的事情，我说我都用携程，她说她很多年来也一直用携程。这时候国内的同学就插话了，说其实现在订票方法很多，不一定用携程。可是我们很多年前出国的时候就用这些方法，也知道现在有很多新方法，但是我们不熟悉，所以习惯性地用这些老办法订票。

不管生活在哪里，保持谦卑一点的态度、对自己身处的信息环境和既有的经验保持警觉，这样比较保险。

Some people say that since I’ve lived abroad for a long time, I should avoid commenting too much on what’s happening in China, as I may not understand it well anymore. That’s a natural assumption—but not entirely accurate.

What I actually care most about are things like the weather, natural disasters, or major man-made catastrophes. These issues worry me deeply. As for good news, it doesn’t really matter whether I know it or not—I’m not lacking in dopamine or endorphins. Like I’ve said before, as long as they’re all doing better than me, I’m content, because I’m already doing quite well myself. I even hope that everyone in the world is doing better than I am.

I sometimes find it odd that I don’t feel the slightest bit of jealousy. Perhaps it’s because I’ve been living a life of simplicity and detachment for so long, with little social entanglement or competition. It’s often said that Asians are more prone to comparison, but Australians are no exception. Sometimes when I make a casual comment, people interpret it as some kind of comparison. When someone lacks something for a long time, they tend to become more sensitive to it. In my living environment, there’s rarely a culture of comparison, so even the slightest hint of it in others becomes quite noticeable to me. I don’t need to gain a comparative advantage through competition—that’s not where my happiness comes from. Nor do I feel any pressure from comparing myself to others. Whether I unintentionally put pressure on others, that I do not know.

Does living abroad mean one necessarily doesn’t understand China anymore? Not really. I remember back in January 2020, many people outside of China were already aware of what was happening, while my old friend Xiao Xiong, who was in Wuhan, told me not to believe what foreign media was saying. I consider myself a careful thinker—not easily misled by propaganda. During that period, I was practically tracking the WHO, the CDC, leading medical journals, and reputable researchers 24/7. It wasn’t long before the truth came out—something that couldn’t be kept under wraps any longer.

In a regime like that of “West Korea “, people may not even be aware of what’s happening right around them, let alone the world. Sometimes, everyone else knows the truth—except them. Or worse, they know a completely false version of events and believe it with absolute conviction.

One time, Dan E visited my house, and we somehow started discussing information and brainwashing. Fortunately, I kept a recording of that conversation—it happened a year before Dan passed away, so it’s especially valuable to me. He fully agreed with my view: that brainwashing involves a kind of “lock-in” mechanism. Those who are brainwashed often develop an instinctive self-defense of their beliefs. In a completely homogeneous information environment with no contrasting perspectives, it’s extremely difficult to realize that you’ve been brainwashed. It has nothing to do with intelligence—even the smartest people can be brainwashed. This is key: many people simply refuse to admit they’ve been brainwashed, as if doing so is the same as admitting they’re stupid. But brainwashing has nothing to do with intelligence—it’s about the information environment.

This insight can go even further: we should often ask ourselves, “Am I being brainwashed?” “Is my reading habit creating a self-reinforcing information bubble?” This kind of awareness is essential—it’s the best defense against both passive and self-imposed brainwashing.

Of course, none of this is to suggest that living abroad means one understands China better than those living there. That would be an extreme and unfair conclusion.

Not long ago, I returned to China and was chatting with Alice Shao, who had just come back from the U.S. We were talking about booking hotels and flights in China. I told her I still use Ctrip, and she said she’s been using it for years too. Then a local classmate chimed in and said there are now many more ways to book travel—it’s not just about Ctrip anymore. Sure, we know that new methods exist, but since we’re more familiar with the old ones, we tend to stick with them out of habit.

No matter where we live, it’s always safer to stay humble, remain alert to the limits of our own experience, and be aware of the information environment we’re in.