Diary of a Twenty-First Century Eunuch｜ Survival 101 Tip #1: Resign Yourself to Fate

Don't let the title scare you off, it's not what it seems...I promise (?)

Eunuchs. They don’t exactly have a good rep; physically handicapped (and often mentally on the brink of losing it) emperor’s dogs; nefarious, cold-blooded manipulators that extended their hands into imperial politics, e.g., the infamous 東廠dong chang (East Depot, a secret service agency composed of eunuchs) of the Ming Dynasty. Whatever the case, it’s an indeniable truth that eunuchs’ reputation far proceeds them. Of course, what we know of their actual lives is probably vastly different from reality, but historical dramas and our imaginations are always the best references, right?

Despite the aforementioned eunuch stereotypes, it’s safe to assume the majority of the eunuchs were probably just low-key corporate slaves, trying to get through the daily toil of life, struggling to survive the deep political currents of the imperial palace.

I came to a life-changing realization one day: life as a[n administrative] corporate slave is astonishingly similar to the life of a eunuch in the ancient Chinese imperial palace.

Ignoring the “physical conditions” (I am very much female and identify as female, thank you very much), eunuchs and administrative corporate slaves are strikingly similar, virtually the same even. Both jack-of-all-trades kinda jobs, catering to the needs of those higher up in the hierarchy (no matter what the situation is, your job is to make sure the emperor/boss still maintains his cool, collected image). Long work hours (and you’re always on standby even during “break time”) and high EQ are the basic package. Always thinking on your feet so you can calmly and effectively resolve sudden issues that arise. The similarities go on and on.

After coming to this revolutionary realization, I was able to adapt to my new role with ease. Over time, I learned and developed my own set of rules and guidelines, a survival manual of sorts. I shall be sharing some of these useful tips I’ve picked up over the years in hopes that it may be helpful to other fellow eunuchs, I mean corporate slaves.

The first tip I will be sharing is a vital one, it is the very foundation of a successful career as a eunuch, I mean corporate slave: Resign yourself to fate. The job is just the job. No matter what happens, there is NO need to get personally, emotionally invested in other people’s issues. “Eunuchs” were never meant to get involved in other people’s lives, but to simply watch on as things unfold (guess that’s why I really liked MCU’s “Eternals” movie).

If you’re able to come to peace with this fact, it will save you a LOT of mental/emotional agony. I couldn’t wrap my head around this at first and as I helplessly watched on as people dug their own graves, the mental stress drove me to the edge of my sanity. The world became a dark and dreary nightmare with neither hope nor justice to look forward to. Each day was a regression of a miserable time loop. Honestly, world destruction was pretty tempting at the time.

I tried to cope with the mental stress by deceiving myself, I told myself I had issues empathizing with people, I was just a cold-hearted, emotionless rock, but the reality was: I couldn’t deal with the overwhelming helplessness I had to go through every day.

>Cue Gloria Gaynor’s “I will Survive”: “But then I grew strong, I had the will to live on.”<

The days passed by and the world stayed intact despite all its suicidal attempts at self-destruction. Then one day I had an epiphany: it was never my job to solve every problem that came my way.

I’m not responsible for other people’s fates.

I didn’t need to change the world.

These realizations freed me from the devastating moral burden weighing down on my heart. I’d trapped myself in a huge misconception of my job and my life. I felt personally responsible for other people’s troubles, which was completely out of my league. Everyone makes their own choices, and from those choices there are consequences. I could help if I so wished to, but I didn’t have any responsibility to do so, and definitely didn’t control how things turned out.

I realized I took myself waaaay too seriously, I mean, controlling other people’s fates…how powerful did I even think I was? #hubris-is-a-fatal-flaw

At the end of the day, it was a simple matter: resign yourself to fate, accept the fact that we humans are but small, humble beings in the vast universe. No need to trouble ourselves with great matters such as manipulating/changing/controlling other people’s lives. As the Chinese say, “盡人事，聽天命” try your best and leave the results up to fate.

Anyways, just another rambling from Rosie~ Until next time, dear readers!