The Vastness of Life: Reflections at 44 Years Old
Life is but one lifetime, truly bitter!
Everyone comes to this world in the cry of a newborn baby, and leaves in the weeping of relatives! Unable to hold a single tear, unable to take away a single grain of dust.
The world is bustling and chaotic, and people are of all kinds. Everyone is a passerby in time, heading in the same direction without notice. Some hurry, some pause to observe, but whether you are a minister, a merchant, or a nobleman, you will all 'come naked, go naked, and the white earth will wipe it all clean!'
What is the meaning of life? The answers are diverse: Maslow says that human needs have five layers, and the ultimate goal is self-realization; historians review the experiences of past sages, and their conclusions are to achieve merit, faith, and speech; recent views from foreign scholars are about belonging, transcendent experiences, spiritual redemption, and even storytelling (constantly rewriting one's own life). All these are endless, and it's hard to find a solution. I've pondered and struggled, but to no avail. This is a profound question, and I need a lifetime to answer it, ultimately failing to gain a complete understanding, but perhaps 'it's alright to sing and rest.'!
in 'Middle Age' wrote: 'People's life doesn't begin until forty.' Because it's only at the time of the 'unwise years' that one can think clearly and understand everything. The Buddhist view of enlightenment has two ways: gradual enlightenment and sudden enlightenment. If your life experiences a major change, you may have a sudden enlightenment! Whether fortunate or unfortunate, these two have been confirmed in my life. The meaning of life is different for everyone – it may be a comfortable life, freedom of mind and body, respect from others, or a fixed conviction… For me, my current understanding is that the meaning of life ultimately boils down to emotion. The most precious thing in the human world is genuine affection, family love, friendship, love…; or redemption, conviction, compassion…; or accomplishment, belonging, respect, self-realization, even surpassing oneself—all ultimately for the sake of fulfilling that inner yearning and gaining peace.
When we leave, I don't know what I can take with me from this loving world, but I want to leave something for the world that has loved and cherished, and still refuses to let go. Is it a wisp of warmth in the hearts of friends and relatives, a few lines of text on a bookshelf, an endless pursuit of art, or a usable part that can still be used? In short, it's to add a bit of human warmth to the city of bricks and tiles, so that those people who have been locked in the boxes of high-rise buildings for a long time can still feel the warmth between people; so that those people who are busy rushing through life for the sake of earning a living can stop and feel the love in their hearts. I think, as a higher animal, we have the privilege to come to this world for a journey, we must do something, live a person's life, have a bit of human flavor, and never forget that we have love in our hearts, which is like returning to the original, and it's worthwhile to come to this world.
Thank you, parents, forty-four years ago today, you gave me life, allowing me to experience this wonderful world!
Thank you, fate, forty-four years later, I saw another self today, which will be a milestone in my life – dying and being reborn. I think Steve Jobs's last words, 'Reflections,' might be useful for my latter half of life: 'Treat everyone well and stay friendly with your neighbours.' Nietzsche said, 'Every day that doesn't dance is a wasted day of life.' Truly, life may be just the first step I've taken. But even if I stumble and waver, I must still rush towards the summit!
Thank you for every encounter in my life, whether it's joy or sorrow, it's you who warmed my memories, and those memories tell me – this world, I've been here! I wish everyone could be splendid in their own way! If we don't see each other tomorrow, I wish you all a good morning, noon, and evening!
Written on March 21, 2020, in Changchun
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