Lay Zhang: The Practitioner of Idealism

From Cosmo China April cover stories “Rationalism VS Idealism”

What chemical reaction will take place when rationalism meets idealism?

Lay Zhang thinks that rationality is the pathway while ideal is the destination. Afterall, ideals are to be achived.

1. Action, is the meaning

Lay Zhang have recieved numbers of interviews since his debute. At this moment, as he was given the topic of ‘The Practitioner of Idealism’, yet he had some doubts about the meaning of his expressions.

‘I’ve been thinking, I definitely am an idealist, and indeed a practitioner. But I feel meaningless when I say it outloud. People can only use the result to judge how a practitioner of idealism achieve their ideals. Such as Kuafu chasing the sun, did he eventually succeed? No. But is he not a practitioner of idealism?’

After the question, he answered, ‘I think that he is.’

We talked about another Greek mythology, Sisysphus, he spent his entire life pushing a giant rock to the top of the mountain, and whenever the rock fell down, he would start again this cycle. Many people said that his life is so meaningless, but Lay never thought about this from such perspective.

He personally adores heros. Most of them are practitioners of idealism with strong tragic emotion casted over them .

This emotion signifies that for the most part, these idealism practitioners have to complete the mission of achieving and overtaking on their own. Their destinies are in their own hands.

Lay explained, ‘Everyone has their own reasons and purpose to live their lives. Most often, people think about others’ action and motive through their own preconceptions, but from that person’s very own perspective, their actions themselves are meaningful.

As the French writer Albert Camus suggested: ‘The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.’

As for how to explain to someone, and whether those explanation would be understood, would be meaningful…Lay found these to be quite out of his grasps.

He has expressed himself the best he could to the public in all of those past interviews. The things that he said, however, would be given different interpretations and meanings. He can’t control how his expressions would be interpreted eventually. All he has in mind at present is just ‘Do my job the best as I could and work as hard as I could.’

‘In conclusion, the idealism practitioner Lay Zhang still has his unfinished dreams,’ he counted with his figures, ‘he still one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten…unfinished dreams.’

2. Self-cheerleading

An idealistic would hardly has any cheerleaders. Lay was already aware this matter early on.

Lay’s style goals, as he descrived, are ‘very, very, very long. I like to make very, very, very …long planning. Because when you have a long plan, you’d know when to start.’

Ever since he was since, his seemingly unrealistic goals were rarely supported by his family and friends. ‘Usually,when I put forward an idea, no one would agree’. Fortunately, as time goes by, he always found that his goals were not wrong at all, it just took a little longer to be confirmed and achieved through practice bit by bit.

He no longer spend excess energy to explain and persuade, ‘If you don’t approve of me, maybe we’re not fellow travellers. Then I would just carry on with what I have to do, and continue to look those who share the same path along the way. What I care about more is the matter itself.’

‘Taking Chinese music to the world’, Lay will express such ‘bold words’ to the public. He is not worried about what kind of comments such big goal would receive. Anything that he does, he does it to the very best: if the goal is too low, one needn’t to word too hard, then it would be difficult to exert the highest possible standards.

‘People have a mentality to challenge themselves. When you say it out yourself, you would want to achieve it. If you want to achieve it, you’re going to take action.’ Sisyphus’s boulder fell, but it didn’t matter, ‘The result is no longer important’.

Once you have a long plan, the next step is to work it out in real life.

Lay has tested his ability again and again on many stages. The stage would always reward him with new challenges as well.

In the reality show “REKNOWN”, he stood at Venice Beach in Los Angeles to perform on the street. He needed to attract audience for this show on his own. The stage was different from before, with every camera facing him waiting for a result, ‘When you stand there, you’d feel very helpless’.

He first played the guitar, and there were audience who stopped by for a while; then he sang and played the guitar, but it was not until he began to dance that the crowd naturally gathered.

That day, under the cover of his hat and mask, Lay earned around two hundred Yuan, all of which were returned to the program crew. But the novelty and satisfaction brought about by this unique experience is what makes him most joyful and happy.

Recalling this event, he also summed up his own set of street performance procedures,’the first step, put on the beat, and dance to attract the audience; the second step, play the guitar and piano; the third step, start singing; the fourth step, greet everyone, introduce myself’.

If there is still a chance to perform on the street, he said he would perform with no hesitation, and to test himself. Whether there will be enough spectators next time is unknown; but as long as he is still his own cheerleader, that will be enough.

3. Endless stage

Cognition contructs human’s rationality, but the limited ideals always attempt to construct our cognition of all subjects. Nothing is this world is entirely known and resolved, including ourselves.

‘I actually don’t quite understand Lay Zhang.’ But at the same time, he clearly knows that he is one who dare to think and do anything. But what does this person really want to do? He does not know.

‘Sometimes I would think that Lay Zhang can rearrange one day’s works into 3 or 4 days, why would I put all the works in one day? But I also think that I should never put off what should be done today until tomorrow. Then after the day of work, I would ask myself the same question again at night.’

We recommended him there are many online tutorials that teach people how to slack off and delay the works, he was surprised but refused to do so. ‘I know how to do that.’ But he rarely allows himself to.

He insists on one hour of workout everyday, he thinks that his coach is already here so he has to finish his training. Sometimes, when he is too tired, or when there are other work arrangements that he can’t finish his workout, he would feel uncomfortable at night. Lay gets sleepy punctually at 12am everyday, but if he is not on bed at that time, he will be awake after a yawn. When he gets back home around 3 or 4am, all the sleepiness has faded.

Now, he would force himself to take a break sometimes. He would have some spare times for entertainment, singing, and gaming; doing things that he felt meaningless before. ‘The people who are close to me would know that I have become more relaxed now.’

He turned around and asked his staffs: ‘Am I becoming more relaxed now?’ The answer was: ‘No’.

The staff explained: ‘Lay’s relax is different from others’. It just means he’s not working hard as crazily as before.’ After an overloaded work period, he would tell the staffs around him to take a break, to go watch a movie or havesome hotpot.

‘Of course, he wouldn’t join us, but he thinks that everyone else need to rest. We have so much works to do but we should do them with less pressure.’

People cannot just keep working and never stop, sometimes we should stop to experience our life. It’s a kind of adjustment, and also a process of recharging.

Competing with himself is one of his personality that he doesn’t know since when he had it. People around him would see him as the perfectionist Lay. He doesn’t allow himself to perform badly in any field that he’s incolved in.

‘Of course, it’s impossible.’ He admitted this goal is unreasonable and people cannot do everything to perfection. He just hopes that, if eventually he can do many things, and can be extremely good with one. It will be enough for him.

Lay is not hesistant to put in the time and efforts for the things that he interested in. He thinks that dilligence can make up for dullness, and can also improve the basic quality. Such as acting, he also started with many unknown, and grew up through learning and practicing.

In the recent hit TV drama Challenges at Midlife, Lay’s part as Ning Shuhas given the audience a brand new impressions about the actor Lay Zhang; and has also made them anticipate for his upcoming works. Especially the anti-fraud crime movie ‘No More Bets’, this is Lay’s first experience with this movie genre.

‘If you’re not good at cooking, you can learn; if you’re not good with fishing, you can also learn. Every little attempt counts.’

He wants to start from his own job, and do what he can to the best. And how far exactly should he improves to, it of course would be infinitely. He always feel that he has too many blind spots and he needs to keep learning. Sometimes, he feels that his brain is like a stomach full of food, filled with all sorts of information and knowledge. It’s already full but he still wants to keep filling in.

‘Don’t you feel that you have already reach perfection with your profession?’ we asked.

He thought for a few seconds and said: ‘Profession…I mean, it’s shoudn’t bad.’

In ‘Moon Night Radio’, he shared about his feeling when he came down from his first stage 10 years ago. He thought about whether his performance was good enough, whether everyone liked it, whether he would be recognized, and whether anyone would support him in future…

Lay couldn’t remember the scenes from his last concert. Finally, he said: ‘I might cry the next time I stand on that stage. I’ve been waiting for that stage for too long. I miss it so much. I really miss my concert so much.’

10 years, he keeps improving and pushing himself to be better. There’s no real solid happiness during this journey, however, this journey itself is enough to fullfill his world.

At this moment, we should also imagine, imagine the happiness of the idealism practitioner Lay Zhang.