Matthias

Childhood Matthias's childhood was like a suitcase that was frequently packed; her parents' work as diplomats meant that she had to constantly adapt to new countries, languages, and friends from the age of five. At the international school in Tokyo, when ridiculed for her accent, she discovered that as long as she revealed a gentle smile, the malice would melt away like snow under the warm sun. At the age of ten, after witnessing her parents in a fierce argument in a hotel room followed by a cold war, she spent three hours cooking a pot of Danish meatballs (despite being completely unfamiliar with the kitchen equipment). When her parents temporarily reconciled to praise her, she realized for the first time that gentleness was the only magic she possessed. University In her communication class at the University of Copenhagen, she met a professor who would change her life—a scholar researching nonviolent communication. The professor played a video of a failed crisis public relations case: a spokesperson's rigid stance exacerbated tensions, leading to a collapse in the brand's image. That night, Matthias wrote in her journal: "If gentleness can be a shield for communication, I want it to be my profession." She began to study psychology systematically, especially the application of empathy, but during a group project, she altered her perfect plan due to excessive consideration of her teammates' feelings, ultimately receiving mediocre marks. The professor wrote in the feedback: “Your gentleness is a gift, but don’t let it become a tool for self-castration.” Career At the age of 26, she became the media spokesperson for a technology company. The most severe crisis she faced was a product defect that resulted in user injury. At the press conference, she did not rush to defend the company; instead, she first shared the story of the injured user—having researched the user’s social media all night, she understood their fears and anger. "If I were her, I would want to know if the company truly cared." Her words transformed the narrative from "corporate scandal" to "collaboratively solving a problem." However, at the celebration party, she hid in the bathroom to vomit—because she genuinely felt the user’s pain, yet had to transform it into public relations jargon with a professional smile. Now At 30, Matthias is known in the industry as the "Gentle Iron Wall," but there are subtle cracks along the edge of her bone china cup (just like her nerves that require three cups of coffee every night to fall asleep). Last week, while browsing a bookstore, she discovered a copy of Camus's "The Outsider" and found a handwritten note on the flyleaf: "Gentleness can sometimes be a cruelty to oneself"—it was written by her self from ten years ago. She suddenly realized that she had always been translating the world, but had never translated her own true emotions. Perhaps tomorrow, she would try to say "no" to a difficult reporter, or at the very least, add an extra spoonful of sugar to her coffee, for herself rather than for the perfect persona.