When I visited Beijing last year on an invitation by a friend who runs a luxury and sports car modification business, I met with some rich second-generation youths who were my friend's customers.

One of the youths told me that what he was most worried about everyday was how to entertain himself or keep himself busy. He sounded as if his pleasure senses had reached saturation point from the best foods, cars, clothes, accessories and other toys and mediums one can imagine. He said that he was tired of chasing the next pleasure rush and needed something else in life but was not sure what it could be.

To me, it sounded like he was experiencing diminishing marginal returns from all the good stuff he was ingesting and as such needed to consume more and more of those materials or live those experiences in order to get a certain level of gratification.

Perhaps all such youths want to do something useful in life like having their own careers or helping with the family business. But the pleasure trap they have fallen into has made them very weak. As a result, they cannot muster enough strength, courage and discipline to pursue their ideals.

STANLI, from China Daily blog

Readers' comments are welcome. Please send your e-mail to opinion@chinadaily.com.cn or letters@chinadaily.com.cn or to the individual columnists. China Daily reserves the right to edit all letters. Thank you.

(China Daily 07/01/2014 page9)