Walking the cautious, insular, and meek route has been the biggest guarantor of our livelihoods. The model minority stereotype that’s been used to describe us — that we work hard within the rule, the law, and the systems — is a survival tactic. We pursue education at all costs to ensure we have high-paying, stable careers; we are terrified of getting fired, but our reticence has helped build a bamboo ceiling. Our communities congregate in isolation, finding it safer to build walls rather than bridges. We focus on our own, at the expense of seeing all the ways we are connected to this country. In this zero-sum reality, we figure out how to best fight for a piece of the pie and exploit it at all costs. We may win in the short term — but financial security can’t be the only goal. Because ultimately, the disaster mindset is a losing strategy for Asian-Americans.