Walking on the edge of life

 　　This isn't my first time watching the movie "Postmen in the Mountains," but each viewing brings new feelings. The film's realistic and natural style establishes a gentle, narrative tone, and every frame could be a wallpaper. What touches me most is the profound emotion—emotions that permeate family, love, and friendship, even conveyed in every scene and object, bringing a long-lost warmth to my life.

　　The film's success lies in allowing the audience to see more through a single entry point. I saw the stories behind each character, stories that were genuine, moving, and deeply touching. The father is an old mail carrier, a stranger to his son but familiar to the families in the mountains, because he carries the hopes of many with every step he takes. It is precisely for this reason that he has little time for his loved ones, feeling guilty towards his son and wife. However, he doesn't know that a day spent accompanying his son on a mail route during a handover would solidify his choice, setting a life example for his son through his actions. The father and son's relationship, initially deeply hidden, gradually blossoms into a natural expression of love, touching the softest parts of the heart.

　　The father tells his son, "Everyone has something to look forward to; that something is an ideal. The more difficult the life, the more you have something to look forward to. Otherwise, no matter how good life is, without something to look forward to, it has no flavor." I don't know if the son in the film understood his father's meaning, but as a viewer, I have my own interpretation. I believe the father's words were partly directed at his son and partly at himself. First, he hoped his son would have something to look forward to and do his job diligently. Second, he was expressing his own determination. He knew firsthand the hardships of becoming a postman, and he may have considered giving up, but he carried not only the weight of goods but also the deep-seated hopes and dreams of the mountain people. For the mountain people, having something to look forward to is their own goal.

　　Flowers, because of their ideals, are not pale and lifeless; they are vibrant and colorful. Birds, because of their ideals, are not mediocre; they soar. People, because of their ideals, are not lifeless; they strive for happiness. Everything in life strives to survive and grow, let alone humans. As thinking beings, we should understand even more how we should live our lives.

　　We are born alone, but it is the countless connections between people that give us something to hold onto. In the film, the son has only seen his father a few times since childhood, so he is always afraid of him, hesitant to get close, and naturally, he has rarely called him "Dad." The father, too, wants to find precious memories with his son, but he is also carefully picking up remnants of time. While accompanying his son on the mail route, a river reawakens the love deep within him. Years of walking the mail route and wading through many rivers, the mountain water being very cold and icy, have left him with leg pain. As his son carried him, he gazed at his son's back for a moment, then lay down on his son's back. Memories flooded back like a river. His son used to ride on his shoulders as a child, and now his son could carry him. He cried, his tears filled with so many emotions: guilt for his son, who had lacked so much fatherly love and hadn't been there for him as he grew up; pride and joy for his son, who had grown into a real man, capable of carrying him; and a sense of helplessness at his own aging. Everyone grows old eventually, but at this moment, he suddenly felt truly old, and tears blurred his vision. While crossing the river, the son had thought of himself growing up and being able to carry his father, always imagining his father to be tall and strong. But now, his father, lying on his back, was so thin and frail, like a child obediently gazing ahead. The son

　　asked his father, "Don't mountain people get bored?" The father replied, "Mountain people are descendants of immortals; they can fly through the clouds and don't get bored." I shared the same question as my son, not understanding what he meant. But after reading it, I found some answers. The son's mother was also from the mountains, married to him by his father, and had lived there her entire life. The simplicity and kindness of the mountain people are ingrained in their bones. The mother had watched over and worried about her husband her whole life. Now, she was following in her father's footsteps, watching over her son. Mountain people grow up in the embrace of nature. Although the area is backward and poor, they live authentically and naturally. They are keenly aware of why they live, always thinking of their dearest loved ones, so they don't feel bitter. They always carry an expectation and hope, so life doesn't feel dull. Without understanding the purity of the mountain people, one might think life in the mountains must be unbearably harsh and boring. But once you understand their simplicity and joy, you find it very interesting. The emotions between people in the mountains are deep and enduring, like a wisp of smoke in the mountains, continuous and unbroken.

　　When the son delivered the letter, there was a very special person. It was a blind old woman. She always sat by the door, her eyes empty, yet hiding a deep, unfathomable longing. At that moment, the father held a blank sheet of paper and read from it. The son was puzzled, not understanding why his father was doing this. Later, when the father handed him the blank paper, he gestured for him to continue reading. The son paused, looked at the old woman, and continued, following his father's well-intentioned lie. The old woman listened and became very close to the son, as if she could hear her long-awaited grandson speaking to her. The son also said he would visit the old woman often. On the way, the father explained the blind old woman's situation to his son. The son felt indignant for the old woman and questioned his father why he was protecting her grandson. The father said he was a college graduate and a government official; what right did he have to judge his son's character? The son argued with his father about this, but the argument ended there. However, the father warned his son not to do anything impulsive, because that grandson was more precious than the old woman's eyes.

　　Everyone has their own difficulties, but one should never be the first to complain. When faced with difficult obstacles, only by gritting your teeth and persevering can you get through life. Don't give up on your life easily; only after experiencing them can you see the dawn of victory and set off towards the light of life, so you won't get lost. My father was a man who walked on the edge of life; he witnessed the joys and sorrows of the people in the mountains and experienced his own lonely life. But he never felt bitter; instead, he felt that he felt at peace living a life with something to care about. Being cared for and caring for others are both very happy things, just like being loved and loving others, both of which bring strength and hope.

　　Walking on the edge of life isn't just about the father in the film; it's about everyone in life—it could be you, it could be me, it could be him or her! Each of us has our own path to walk; there will be smooth sailing times and muddy days, but never forget to be down-to-earth and do what you can. Do not act recklessly or violate objective laws. We must understand the laws of nature, and so must humankind. We must follow these laws, taking each step carefully, making sure every step counts, rather than walking on a sandy beach where our footprints are washed away by the waves. The path we walk is one where we are consciously aware of ourselves, knowing why we live. This gives us strength and makes us feel no bitterness. Tiredness is inevitable, but we can rest. However, if we feel bitterness in our hearts, we feel unwell, as if life has no hope or beauty. Life is full of joys and sorrows; only through experiencing it can we truly taste its flavor—bitterness or happiness, joy or sorrow, a myriad of emotions within our hearts.

　　May everyone on the edge of life find the strength to support them through life, have people to cherish, distant horizons to pursue, and fragrant dreams to savor.