Want to be immortal or not?
2015-12-27
In
the famous British playwright Shakespeare’s drama, the heroes Romeo and Juliet remain forever young and charming
even after over 400 years of harsh weather and changes of events. For centuries,
our impression of them seemed forever freeze-framed in their youth, but
regretfully, they never enjoyed a long and full life as the ordinary people did.
After all, they are noble characters in world literature and can be immortal as
time goes by. For us flesh and blood, longevity is everything that all human
beings have been wishing for ever since ancient times. Who doesn’t want a long
and prosperous life with a successful career and a big family of children and
grandchildren? All men are born equal, but the way that each individual leaves
the world varies. Whatever our achievements or social status, every one of us
has to finally bid goodbye to the world one way or the other at the call of God’s
will, willingly or unwillingly. Even if we face the same destination, one thing
is certain that a consummate life is more worthwhile. If one closed his eyes
with the last breath on his deathbed, peaceful and content, it’s not difficult
to conclude that he must have lived to be a ripe old age. According to local
folklore, the man must have been blessed by God and he would be admitted into
heaven where honest and God-fearing souls are leading their happy afterlife. A
good many people do believe that there is another life after this one. And they
wish that their lifetime could be doubled or even tripled and that they would
experience more and thus leave the world with a more fulfilled life. However, not
all people share the beautiful but stupid illusion; others would rather let the
nature take its course while making the best of our way. In my opinion,
there is no such thing as eternity. It doesn’t make any sense to have a
lengthened life span against our Creator. Since birth, we have been predestined
by God to live a certain number of decades on the earth, why bother to expect
more? Life is a process; one lifetime is enough for us to enjoy our precious
but limited life. Like a beautiful butterfly emerges in its full splendor from
its cocoon, human beings should also go through the same process of birth,
sickness, old age and death. From cradle to cemetery, the law of nature reigns
and judges; nobody can evade or resist it. Immortality is merely an unrealistic
vision. There is tremendous distance between imagination and reality. However
glorious our wishes are, they are a bubble under the sun which will vanish into
the air soon. Therefore, leave it. Life is only for once; there is no rehearsal
or replay. Whether it is complete or defective, we should seize every minute
and live each day to the full. Life itself is not a circle, but a line. There
is no turning back. From infancy, adolescence and youth to middle age and
advanced years, each stage presents us with different tasks and challenges,
during which time we would experience varied emotions like happiness, joy,
anger and sadness. Whether sweet or bitter, they are part of our experience
which makes us unique human beings. When we are seated on a rocking chair, too
old to move an inch, there is no need for us to look back, sorrowfully
repenting of our sins or coming out with a thousand assumptions. Let all happenings
be gone. If there does exist some regret, I would rather accept it as God’s
will rather than tearfully mourn my irrevocable scar.
Another reason
why I reject a second life is that I hate reliving the same growing pains and
troubles that make my soul suffer. Life is not easy; the world is an unknown
quantity. We can’t predict what we will meet with the next moment, a blessing
or a curse? Flowers have its best season; human beings have its prime time.
What’s the use of repeating the same tough stuff or trying making up for our
remorse and regrets? All things in
nature are supposed to be imperfect. A good horse will never turn around to
graze on an old pasture. So drop your foolish idea.
More
ridiculously, being immortal is more of a wishful thinking than a great idea when
it comes to the earth and population issue. What our earth will be like if
everybody lives well past his advanced age? I’m afraid that there will not be enough
space for us to put our feet on, let alone abundant natural resources and nursing
homes provided that keep our society going. For the benefit of our offspring
and our common planet, I would opt for a ripe old age and then leave the world
for good.
Congratulations: you have managed to pack into your writing an incredible number of cliches and idiomatic expressions. A wonderful effort. The sum reminds me of the words of another Shakespearean character, Macbeth: "A tale told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing." The line about surviving "400 years of harsh weather" was especially poignant and vacuous.
I just picked one at random !
what do you mean by showing that face expression? colin
in my opinion, living a meaningful life is a form of being immortal, immortal doesn't mean the time you have lived in this world but the quality of your life
a very cozy sceneif we can make some contribution to the people around we will be remember in that way we also can be immortal
Spring - When we are seated on a rocking chair too old to move an inch - With Bluetooth on fire up the China Daily blog on the wearable smartphone and rock on !!!
Spring - When we are seated on a rocking chair to old to move an inch - With Bluetooth on fire up the China Daily blog on the wearable smartphone and rock on !!!
Agreed, God has granted us each just so many days on this earth. So let's not waste them. Rather than pursue our own pleasure and selfish desires, let us serve those around us as best we can. Long life is a pointless goal except for the benefit that we can be to others during our life. Riches are a pointless goal except for how we can use riches to alleviate the suffering of others.
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