In the eyes of a mere observer, the most beautiful flower is just a flower. It is only when observation ceases and the exchange of listening begins that the flower reveals its spirit and speaks to you.
Life is the most precious thing we possess; it is the prerequisite for everything we own. To lose it is to lose all. Yet, life is also the thing we most often neglect. We are too accustomed to possessing it, and what we become accustomed to is easily forgotten. Consequently, while people intellectually understand the value of life, they often engage in behaviors that harm it, such as smoking, excessive drinking, indulgence, poor hygiene, and overworking. They are busy chasing fame and profit, yet are reluctant to spend time bringing joy to life itself or doing things that realize its intrinsic value.
I do not know whether my essence is that unique "self" or that all-encompassing "Totality." I only know that, for me, whether negating the "self" with the "Totality" or negating the "Totality" with the "self," the outcome is always nihil.
However, my heart was moved. In front of so many adults, how much courage did this middle school student gather to defend his peers who were just beginning to awaken to love?
I have not forgotten what it is like to be of this age. I know that in the age when feelings first bloom, it is not only the flower of desire that opens. This newly blossoming flower of desire is pure, shy, and spiritual; indeed, it is also a flower of the spirit. Along with youth, all the beautiful things in the world of the soul, including art and ideals, individuality and dignity, also awaken.
Previous eras produced great men; the current era produces idols. Great men leave a legacy for a thousand years, while idols are like may flowers—brief and fleeting. This is the tragedy of the media age.
