A world where a little labor earned you four dishes and a soup every meal; a world where you could own land if you farmed and a home if you lived there without taking on any loans; a world where you worked at sunrise and rested at sunset, living in abundance without overtime; a world completely free of disease, famine, and war. Tell me, wouldn't you want to go there?!
Of course, once people were well-fed, well-watered, and free of illness or disaster, they liked to stir up trouble. That was human nature. But that could entirely be blamed on not hitting them hard enough with the stupidity ray! After all, all unrest came from people's demands for a better life being twisted and exploited. The root of all disputes was that everyone thought they knew just a little more than others.
As the saying went, wisdom brought confusion. Comparing oneself to others, becoming imprisoned by unreasonable desires, thus giving rise to suffering such as resentment, hatred, and unfulfilled longing. But what if even the people's chance to be enlightened was stripped away? People had no need to learn to read, and naturally, they could not be allowed to compose poetry, match couplets, or discuss art. One was inspired by poetry, established by propriety, and perfected by music—so reciting poetry was a dead end!
In short, let the people return to a state where they could hear the crowing of roosters and barking of dogs from neighboring villages, yet grow old and die without ever visiting one another. In that ideal paradise described by the sages, they would never need to leave the bounds of their lives. They would see nothing else, hear nothing else, and never even imagine another way of life. Happiness would be simply defined for them,