America: From a Fallen Child Star to the Head of the University of the West

The first day of the new year. The sky over Philadelphia was still overcast. Matthew Chen walked out of the library of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and a cold wind immediately crept into his collar. He pulled his down jacket tighter and walked west along Walnut Street.

Just now, he and his girlfriend, who studies finance, had a fight at the library entrance.

The reason was simple. While they were discussing future plans, Matthew casually remarked, "Sarah, I'm considering not pursuing a master's degree."

His girlfriend was stunned on the spot.

"What did you say? Didn't you always say you wanted to finish your master's and doctoral degrees and then continue pursuing academic research?"

"I know I've said that. But lately I've been thinking that maybe that's not what I really want. And... the student loans are too much."

"So what exactly do you want?"

Matthew shut his mouth; he didn't know how to answer the question.

"You're so contradictory, Matthew," Sarah finally said. "You talk about changing the world, yet you're also thinking about becoming a disciple of those academic cliques you talk about. You criticize the system, yet you submit to it. What do you really want?"

"Perhaps you should leave school and work for a while. As for the two of us, we should both think carefully about our futures."

Faced with a barrage of questions, Matthew was speechless. And so they parted on bad terms.

Now, he walks alone on the streets of Philadelphia, Sarah's words still echoing in his mind.

Contradictory? That word has been appearing far too often lately.

He had said the same thing to Sean Penn at the Golden Dragon restaurant a few days earlier. He said Sean was a man who was at odds with himself.

Sean's answer was: It wasn't just him; the entire country was against him.

As he was lost in thought, Matthew walked to the intersection of 40th Street and Walnut Street.

He stopped and looked around.

This is one of the most peculiar places in Philadelphia.

On one side is the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. It's a world full of hope and opportunity, an epitome of the American Dream.

On the other side, however, the scene is completely different.

Even during the day, the area was gloomy. Garbage was scattered on the ground, and many of the windows of the row houses were boarded up. Occasionally, a few addicts would stand there like poets, observing the bustling crowd with their opioid-controlled minds.

They are the outcasts of this city, souls devoured by opioids and poverty.

This place is not only the boundary between rich and poor, but also a historical site in itself. The early buildings of Penn adopted the colonial style, telling a story of elites and heritage; while the forgotten row houses in the distance were once a thriving industrial area in the 19th century, accumulating primitive wealth for the city.

As a history student, Matthew saw not just dirt and disorder, but a social collapse that had lasted for over a century.

Maybe Sean is right.

Perhaps this country is truly against itself.

It opposes itself not only in terms of values, but also in terms of time. It promises the future with its glorious history, yet allows the very foundations that make up that history to rot in the present.

Matthew sighed, took his earphones out of his pocket, and put them in his ears.

An economics podcast is playing in my headphones, and the host is discussing the Federal Reserve's interest rate policy.

But Matthew wouldn't listen. The main reason wasn't that he was upset, but rather that he genuinely didn't understand economics very well.

So he switched off the podcast and opened a news app on his phone.

A notification popped up on the screen:

"Sean Penn gave an interview outside Philadelphia City Hall, announcing that he would be forming a campaign team."

Matthew clicked on the video.

In the footage, Sean stands on the steps of City Hall, facing a group of reporters. He looks more confident than he did a few days earlier at the restaurant, with a peculiar glint in his eyes.

"Thank you for your challenging questions, everyone. I'd like to take this opportunity to announce something," Sean said to the camera. "I'm going to officially begin assembling my campaign team."

"I need a campaign manager, someone who can help me develop strategies and coordinate resources. I need legal counsel to help me deal with the lawsuits and accusations against me. I need policy researchers to help me turn those vague ideas into concrete policy solutions."

"I know many people think I'm joking. How could a disgraced child star, a fraudster accused of deception, possibly run for president?"

"But I want to tell you that this country's history has never lacked impossible things. More than two hundred years ago, a group of farmers and merchants from the colonies decided to rebel against the most powerful empire in the world and establish a new nation. Everyone said it was impossible, but they did it."

"I dare not compare myself to those founding fathers. But I believe that anything is possible as long as enough people are willing to stand up and work for change."

"So, if you're dissatisfied with the status quo, if you feel this country needs change, and if you're willing to walk this path with me, please contact me. My team is hiring; we need all kinds of talent."

"Whether you are a lawyer, accountant, programmer, or just an ordinary citizen, as long as you have passion and ability, we welcome you."

The reporters began asking questions:

"Mr. Pan, do you have the money to pay these people's salaries?"

"Not yet," Sean readily admitted. "But I believe that those who are willing to join me are not doing it for the money."

Matthew guessed that he said this to prevent people from directly linking him to Musk, who has long been considered his main financial backer.

"Mr. Pan, do you really think anyone would be willing to join you? After all, you are currently facing criminal charges."

"I don't know," Sean said, "but I'm willing to take a gamble. There are still many people in this country who haven't given up hope, and I believe they will stand up."

That concludes the video.

Then, Matthew just stared at the screen, not moving for a long time.

He remembered the last words Sean said before leaving the restaurant that day:

"If you're interested, you can come find me. I happen to need someone knowledgeable in history and politics to help me with some research."

At the time, Matthew didn't take it seriously.

He thought it was just polite talk, or that Sean was testing him.

But now, watching Sean in the video, Matthew is starting to rethink the issue.

What does it mean to join the campaign team of someone despised by the whole world?

This means he has to give up his stable studies, the offer from the consulting firm, and the bright future Sarah has planned for him.

This means he's being associated with someone who could be arrested at any moment, making him a target of public criticism.

This means he will have to face his parents' disappointment, his friends' incomprehension, and the ridicule of society.

But at the same time, this also means...

Matthew looked up and gazed once more at that invisible boundary.

Two worlds, separated by a thin line.

He has stood on this border for over twenty years, pretending not to see the other side.

Yes, he studied, took exams, won scholarships, and followed the path society expected of him step by step. But he never asked himself: Is this really what he wants?

As a person of Asian descent, he tried to dress like those white elites, but it was ultimately self-deception. The world, the country, and even himself were all in conflict with themselves.

Sarah said he was contradicting himself, and perhaps she was right.

But perhaps the contradiction itself is the answer.

After thinking it over, Matthew put away his phone, took off his headphones, and finally started looking for Sean Penn's contact information.