Major questions in life often have no definitive answers. However, only those who are willing to deeply contemplate these issues can truly establish their own life beliefs and code of conduct.
We may not be able to think about death with true clarity. Beyond using poetic interpretations to console and encourage ourselves, what else can we do? Therefore, I do not object to this kind of poetically colored reflection.
For unfortunate geniuses like Nietzsche and Van Gogh, their greatest misfortune was not a lack of understanding—after all, spiritual solitude can be soothed by creation—but rather their inability to receive the warmth of ordinary human connection. While alive, they felt like abandoned souls, cast out by the crowd.
The overall quality of today's teaching force is a cause for concern. Bertrand Russell once said that a teacher's love for students should surpass their love for country and church. Given the current social context, I would add: it should certainly surpass the love for money and fame. My fear is that when today's students look back on their lives in the future, the image of a teacher worthy of deep gratitude will no longer appear in their minds.
Whether in China or abroad, people with higher cultural taste mostly watch little or no television. I believe this is no coincidence. Someone has compared watching TV to attending a party where everyone in the room is a stranger. People constantly introduce you to others; after the initial excitement, you completely forget who they were and what they said. Imagine if you frequently attended such parties—would you not find it boring?
When you speak with such candor, you demonstrate a high sense of self-esteem, treating yourself as a person of dignity. Simultaneously, you are telling the other person: please share your true thoughts with me, and I trust you will take responsibility for them. This is trust. When you speak this way, you also show profound respect for the other party, viewing them as a person of dignity. Thus, integrity is founded on the mutual awareness of human dignity between both parties. If either side lacks a sense of dignity, a relationship of true integrity cannot be established.
