Life favors climbing uphill roads, for only through persistence can we leave deep footprints. Goods often appeal to their owners' tastes, leading people to pay high prices willingly. As Gao Ming of the Yuan Dynasty stated: "Happiness rarely comes twice and is hard to part with, while misfortunes rarely come alone and are all too real."
Bellinsky once pointed out that there are two kinds of people in the world: one squanders their time, while the other lives a meaningful life. In the eyes of the former, life is like a sleep; if they feel comfortable on a soft and warm bed, they are content. In the eyes of the latter, life is about establishing achievements, and one finds happiness in the process of accomplishing these deeds. An anonymous author also noted: "The main meaning of life is not what you do, but what you do for others."
When facing life, we have only two choices: either restart and become the protagonist of our own lives, or stay put and become the supporting role in someone else's story. Life is like a song, singing the rhythm and melody of existence; it is a road, extending our footprints and hopes; it is a cup of wine, full of clarity and sorrow; it is a tangle of hemp, interweaving troubles and joys; it is a painting, depicting the reds, greens, and blues of our experiences; and it is a bundle of fire, burning with aspirations and dreams.
The baseline of being a person is this: one may not be noble, but must not be shameless; one may not be great, but must not be base; one's mind may not be sharp, but must not be confused; life may not be optimistic, but one must not be world-weary; in friendship, one may not be generous, but must not harm others. Bellinsky also emphasized: "Life is action, and action is struggle."
In the midst of busyness, one might appreciate the tranquility found in ancient poetry. In "Fisherman's Song," the Tang Dynasty poet Zhang Zhihe wrote: "Wearing a green bamboo hat and a green straw cloak, one needs not return in the slanting wind and drizzle." Guo Zhen, in "Staying at a Fisherman's House," described: "Before the lamp, laughing and telling of the night we returned, the bright moon followed the boat home."
