The 35-Year-Old Threshold： Kafkaesque Absurdity and the Sisyphean Boulder

The spring of 2024 arrived with more clamor than usual. During the Two Sessions, Zhang Kaili's mention of the "35-year-old employment threshold" was like a pebble tossed into a calm lake, creating ripples that eventually converged into a surging wave of public opinion. This is no longer simple entertainment gossip, but a collective eruption of the anxiety of the times.

My name is Li Ming, 37 years old, a former programmer at a major internet company, and now a "flexible employee." My life is much like Kafka's K, trapped in a castle called "the workplace," unable to find an exit or see a clear direction.

"35 years old," this number is like an invisible barrier, separating me from the job market. The resumes I send out are like stones sinking into the sea, with no response. Occasionally, there are a few interview opportunities, but behind the polite and distant smiles of the HR managers hides the same subtext: "Your experience is rich, but we need younger people."

I began to wonder if I had become a "beetle." Gregor Samsa, after turning into a beetle, still received brief care from his family, but I can only face this absurd world alone.

I started frantically learning new technologies, trying to prove that I was still sharp. I stayed up late doing practice problems, researched the latest programming frameworks, and even started learning AI and big data. Like Sisyphus, I pushed the boulder to the top of the mountain again and again, only to watch it roll down again and again.

I began to suffer from insomnia, anxiety, and even doubted my own value. I started to understand why so many middle-aged people choose to "escape from Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou" and return to their small hometowns. Perhaps, that is not escape, but a helpless compromise.

I met my old classmate Wang Lei. He used to be a senior executive at a well-known foreign company, but now he is doing a dispensable job at a small company. He said with a wry smile: "When people reach middle age, they are like a stranded ship, unable to sail far or dock."

We all understand that this is not just a matter of personal ability, but a structural dilemma of the entire society. The slowdown in economic growth, the adjustment of industrial structure, and the acceleration of technological iteration, these grand narratives, ultimately fall on every middle-aged person like us.

Our generation has experienced the golden age of China's economic take-off and has also witnessed the bursting and rebirth of the internet bubble. We once believed that as long as we worked hard, we could change our destiny. But now, we find ourselves trapped in a huge maze, unable to find a way out.

However, this is not a story that can be easily abandoned. As Camus said, "The important thing is not to be cured, but to live with your ailments."

I started trying to write, recording the absurdity and reality of this era. I began to pay attention to the people around me who are also troubled by "35 years old." Their stories may be more exciting and cruel than mine.

I don't know when this "35-year-old" crisis will end. But I believe that as long as we are still thinking, still struggling, and still searching, we will definitely be able to find our own light.

Perhaps, we cannot change the world, but at least, we can change the way we see the world.

Like the old saying goes: "Life is like rape, if you can't resist, enjoy it." This may be cruel, but it is also very real. In this absurd era, we are all Sisyphus, pushing that endless boulder, step by step, towards an unknown future.