Taste shapes quality of life

I have been thinking about taste. Li Xiaolai described it, as I understood him, in terms of how finely we distinguish things and what we choose to compare. Here is a story of my own to explore that idea.

Xiao Cheng has just graduated. Wanting to look successful, he buys a fashionable electric car for 210,000 yuan. He has no savings or family help, only a job paying 4,000 yuan a month, so he takes out the longest loan he can get at nearly ten percent annual interest. To him, this feels like independence. The car looks good, attracts attention, and flatters his pride.

Each payment seems manageable until he has also paid for food and housing. Then little is left. Before buying, he did briefly think about the risk, but moved on. If someone asks what happens if he cannot pay, he says he has considered it and changes the subject. “Enjoy life now” has become a way to avoid a difficult question.

Soon his company makes cuts and he loses his job. He finds another, lower-paid job quickly and takes night work until midnight to keep up with the loan. Weekends once spent with friends now go to extra shifts. He replies to messages days or a week late and sometimes snaps at friends for bothering him. They remember the Xiao Cheng who enjoyed university life and wonder why he has become so consumed by work. They cannot see the decision behind it.

From outside the story, I think the link is clearer. Different people notice different details before choosing, and rank the consequences differently. Over time, those choices can shape the quality of their lives. To me, improving taste means learning to notice more and make careful decisions in light of what I value. That matters most when the choice will keep affecting me for years.