6. Modern Geocentrism

I recently finished reading the manga Orb: On the Movements of the Earth (Chi: Chikyuu no Undou ni Tsuite), and I was deeply moved. Set in an era when geocentrism was the prevailing dogma under the authoritarian rule of the Church, it tells the story of a succession of scholars who risked everything in relentless pursuit of the truth about the Earth’s movement.

In an age where the consequences ranged from having your fingernails pulled out at best to being publicly hanged at worst, there was still a group of people willing to pursue the truth. That magnificent nobility of spirit moves me every single time.

To us today, heliocentrism has long since overthrown geocentrism—a fact as natural and self-evident as breathing or drinking water.

Humanity can already travel to the Moon and look back at the Earth from space, while our observational tools and computing power advance by leaps and bounds every day. So when I reflect on what happened in that era, I can’t help but feel a deep sorrow: a group of brilliant scholars lost their lives over a false theory.

Our era is free. We have abundant resources and data; text, audio, and video can all be preserved at negligible cost. You can only imagine how desperately people in their time dreamed of having what we take for granted.

Yet, even without the authority of the Church, and despite appearing free on the surface, this “geocentric” mindset is still ubiquitous.

”Geocentrism” in Daily Life

Whether it’s working abroad, learning a language, or studying any field of knowledge, this mindset—treating geocentrism as absolute truth—persists just the same.

Japan means low wages; web development requires frontend frameworks; code must strictly adhere to clean code design patterns; you have to work at a big corporation; if you don’t have a job, you’re a loser; exams and grades are all that matter. These pointless shackles, just like the Church back then, bind people to dogma and the worldview of being “sinful mortals stuck at the bottom,” condemning anyone who strays from this path as a heretic.

There are no absolute right answers to these life choices, and they are certainly not meant to be imposed on others.

What is even more terrifying is that when you take a less conventional path, these people turn into inquisitors, interrogating you:

“Why go work in Japan? Aren’t salaries better in Taiwan?”

“Why start a business? You won’t necessarily make money. Isn’t working at a company good enough?”

“There’s no point in doing that.”

“You’ll starve if you study music.”

This preconceived mindset often stems from fear: the fear that if you make a change, what you currently have might slip away; the fear that everything you’ve believed in might actually be false; and the fear that someone else might end up living a better life than you.

Ignorance is bliss. Seeking the essence of things is an arduous, agonizing journey—sometimes you might not even find the truth, and sometimes you will be mocked because of your surroundings. Yet the energy that can change the world often sprouts right from this step.

”Geocentrism” in the Family

Growing up having to learn all kinds of extracurricular skills, being hit whenever report card scores fell short—to the point of leaving psychological scars—studying hard not out of genuine interest, but just to avoid being scolded by parents. As kids, we were told, “You’ll be free once you get into college,” or “You’ll be free once you start working.” Yet when you finally enter the workforce and successfully land a job at a big corporation, you realize it isn’t as glamorous as you imagined: you hold a prestigious title, but at the sacrifice of your life and what you truly want to do.

Many families still subscribe to the formula: study hard → ace exams → enter a top university → land a high-paying job at a good company → live a great life.

A pre-defined path is what Chinese families love most, and it is also what our education system has instilled in us all along.

If you bought into the indoctrination and genuinely believed this path was the only right way, the ultimate truth, but things didn’t go as smoothly as expected, you begin to complain: complaining about your background, the government’s unfairness, the bad economy, and believing that everyone else just got lucky—that they are all heretics.

Even though technology has advanced to the point where I feel the technological singularity might be right around the corner, this tragedy of “geocentrism” continues to play out, no matter the era.

Becoming a Heretic

In the first volume, there is a scene that goes like this:

“Do you wish to deny God?”

“No, quite the opposite. It is because I believe the world created by God must be beautiful.”

Growth begins with questioning everything we deeply believe in.

Breaking free from secular frameworks and moral blackmail will inevitably invite gossip and lead to being branded a heretic. Yet truth often begins with this very step.

Without a Church and without inquisitors, in an age where information is readily available at our fingertips, more and more people have ironically stopped thinking for themselves.

Life presents many choices, and we won’t always walk the path of the optimal solution. But if we never venture out, we will miss the chance to witness a sky full of stars—and perhaps the beauty of heliocentrism would never have come to light.

Is there truly no other way? Or have we spun our own cocoons and trapped ourselves?

History tells us that those who change the world have never been rule-followers. The greatest discoveries have always come from the courage to question the status quo.

What makes you different is precisely what makes you precious.

Don’t let other people’s fears limit your possibilities.