Life, what else can I say?

I have had some reflections on life since I was a child, and I once tried a round of rather bitter thinking. About ten years ago, some ideas were opened up, and they have gradually taken shape. In order to avoid forgetting, I would like to straighten out the thinking in this article, and the seniors laughed.

About ten years ago, I positioned my life to obtain the longest and greatest happiness, that is, every time I faced a choice in life, I had to choose the option to get the happiest, and I would have no regrets in my life. In order to achieve happiness, we must solve the biggest problem in life-depression. At this time, I thought of a lyric "But I have music and beer" sung by Taiwan singer Zhao Chuan. These two things really made me feel quite happy. . Coupled with the boundless and vast sea of books that accompany me, I imagine that I will never feel bored in my whole life.

I understand that in addition to choosing happiness in the face of choices, self-esteem is also very important. See the guidance of the book: Divide things into what you can control and what you cannot control. If you do the best things you can control, you will have no regrets; and if you cannot control things, worrying is useless, so just let it be God’s will. With this state of mind, it is indeed much brighter.

In addition, the famous saying "helping others is the foundation of happiness", I have also practiced to discover the joy of volunteer work. Helping others is indeed a joy, but it is not every day that you can help others, and these opportunities are rare. Moreover, some people with ulterior motives often take advantage of others' intention to help others, and the feeling of being used by others is always not a taste.

Ten years later, I found that life is not just a bunch of options, and the problem of depression is too superficial.

After dabbling in existentialism, it mentioned that there are four ultimate problems in life: meaninglessness, loneliness, death, and freedom. It turns out that I have always felt that the biggest problem in life, "depression", actually contains the two ultimate problems of thinking that life has no meaning and loneliness.

The answer to the meaning of life varies from person to person and is quite abstract. Some people strive for excellence, some people have a mission, some people search for meaning in life, some people think there is hope, and these are all good. For me, having a good experience in the world, slowly discovering interest, and savoring life, is also quite suitable for my current state.

The pursuit of happiness and the solution to depression can actually be more proactive. I have seen an exclusive interview with Lin Xi, a famous lyricist in Hong Kong. He said that if a creative creator wants to have endless inspiration, he must always have a strong curiosity about everything around him and carefully observe it. I thought to myself, every time I am curious about the world, can this not solve the problem of depression? I woke up with a single word, it turns out that everything in the world is my own depressant, and if you want to have fun, you can go anywhere. After observation is creation. Creation here refers to all mutual assistance to the world. Creation can also solve depression. Even after the humblest creation, the world will become different.

The British philosopher Russell thought during the war period that we should all strive to seek happiness for human beings, which can be a reference direction for creation. At present, many people are only for themselves, some are better for their family members and friends, and some are better for their own nation, country, and all human beings, and further away, all animals, plants, and even dead things in the global village, we are all. Happiness should be sought for them. The problem is that people still feel lack and dissatisfaction with happiness, which leads to selfishness and greed, as well as fear and hatred, which reduce happiness.

I especially want to mention hatred. It is undoubtedly a very powerful force, and it is invincible. However, it is a force out of control in the end, and in the end, it hurts itself the most. People controlled by hatred often treat others with a hostile attitude and make enemies everywhere, just like the black suit in the movie "Spider-Man 3", and it will be difficult to get out over time. To solve hatred, you must have a heart of forgiveness. Confucius said: "It's forgiving! Do not do to others what you don't want to do to yourself." It is really "a word can be done for a lifetime"!

Truth, goodness, and beauty are the values that Western philosophy pursues for spiritual fulfillment, and I find it appropriate to apply it to my own life: true pursuit of knowledge and truth, goodness is to do good and accumulate virtue, and beauty is to create a better environment. If it’s not intentional pursuit, just looking at the truth, goodness and beauty in the world will also have a lot of feeling: appreciating sincerity and bravery, feeling the kindness between people, and observing all beautiful things… These just make one’s life immersed in the long river of time, with the water. Drift, and feel at ease.

Let me, ten years from now, continue to supplement my views on life.

We were lonely ships sailing in the dark, but it was still a great comfort to see the flickering lights of other ships nearby.

The photo was selected for the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography in 1994. After winning the award, the photographer was criticized and blamed, and committed suicide two months later.

(Originally published in the fourth issue of "Straits Love", September 2012)

Added in September 2022: "Forgiveness" in Confucianism means "to treat others with a benevolent heart and to respect others", which is different from the modern meaning of "forgiveness".