By Tay Tian Yan, Sin Chew Daily

Talking about Lee Zii Jia, I'm not here to put more icing on the cake, but feel that the experiences of this young man may probably provide us some introspection and inspiration.

Within a span of several days, Zii Jia's life was going through different stages of a rollercoaster ride. Incredible as it was, he was accorded within days very different treatments from the rest of the world.

After clinching the All-England title, he found himself drowned in praises and acclaims, being crowned a "hero" by the government and public alike.

Indeed, his victory deserves all the glories we can afford to bestow, but do take heed that all these glories could be extremely unsubstantial and inconstant, and could dissipate the next minute.

Merely one or two months ago, he was cast to the bottom of the valley for his lackluster showing at the tournaments in Thailand and Switzerland. This is nothing unusual, as an athlete's performance on the court is very much affected by his or her physical and psychological conditions as well as the strategies applied, state of mind and even a dose of luck at times. Ups and downs in performance couldn't have been more of a norm. No one can stay at the top perpetually, nor remain undefeated forever.

Unfortunately most people don't seem to see this, and many merely lack empathy.

After Zii Jia suffered a setback on the court, he was greeted with tons of ridicules and disapproval, even undeserved incrimination and all kinds of names.

Somehow he is still very young, too young and too unfair for him to take all the verbal violence and cyberbullying. So he fought back.

And this makes things worse.

The Internet is a world of savages. When a predator finds his prey trying to resist, he will start to torment the prey by virtue of the advantage of numbers, and this will invariably lead to more blood-thirsty creatures joining the feast.

Indeed, Zii Jia had his share of misfortunes, being the regular target of cyber slaughterers.

No doubt, there is this utterly hideous side of humanity lurking behind computer keyboards. We are living in a merciless and brutal world, and among Chinese Malaysians in particular, such an attribute has been underscored by the many acts of political distortion and exploitation, culminating in verbal assaults with the harshest and most ferocious language imaginable.

Zii Jia had never wanted a defeat. I believe he did his best. Right-minded fans and spectators should have given him some space and nourished him with encouragement and blessings instead.

As a very simplistic young man, all Zii Jia wants is to excel on the court, and do himself, his family and nation proud. There is no such need or reason for outsiders to slam him for not winning a game.

If somehow his confidence is thrashed, and he falls and never rises again, this will do no one any good, not the country, society, community or even the blood-thirsty predators.

Many who have fallen prey to cyberbullying may just collapse or even take their own lives, If they are not strong enough.

Luckily Zii Jia was not beaten to the ground. In its stead, he walked out of the shadow to prove his worth.

He not only took down his opponent in All-England finals, but also hordes of cynical cyberhaters.

After the game, he poured out his feelings on social media: whether it's cold water poured on me when I was down and out, or words of encouragement, I will remember all these, and learn humbly."

But this doesn't promise a smooth sail for him in his journey ahead.

If he happens to lose again in the next match, the haters will come back and thump him. And the fact is, no one is going to win every match!

Be yourself, Zii Jia, pay no heed to the accolades or hateful slurs that come your way.

While it is good that the boos of yesterday have become the kudos of today, the same kudos may also be turned into boos tomorrow! You cannot afford to live with your insistence and grumbling, nor be intoxicated by the glories that rain down on you. Live your life as it is!

Praises or curses, none of these is going to determine your success. Being a national hero or a hero in the eyes of the people is just as good as an illusion.

2013 All-England men's singles champion Muhammad Hafiz Hashim used to be a national hero, too. But, how many still remember him today? And how many more ridicules did he have to swallow to come to this?

Bear in mind that your duty is to beat yourself and be your own hero, not everyone else's.