Before Death

 　　One day, we will all die.

　　We are born with nothing, and what will we take with us when we die? Sunrise and sunset, grass growing and birds flying, year after year, this cycle repeats itself. So what is the meaning of our existence?

　　Are we, like actors, performing in a TV series, only to have our performance end?

　　Have you ever pondered the meaning of your existence? Are you simply waiting to die, or are you striving and struggling? Are you also suffering from these negative emotions, feeling depressed and overwhelmed with sadness?

　　One day, a friend told me: "I've been so pessimistic lately, unbearably pessimistic. You know, people can just disappear like that. One day someone is perfectly fine, and then suddenly they're gone in an accident. An earthquake strikes without warning while you're asleep, or even while you're walking. I don't know if all this striving and hard work is even worthwhile."

　　Yes, what is the meaning?

　　None of us know when we will die.

　　I asked her, "Have you seen the movie 'Final Destination'?"

　　She said, "No."

　　I said: The movie *Final Destination* is about Nick and his friends watching a car race. Suddenly, a scene of an impending accident appears before his eyes: a chain reaction of car crashes, causing the stands to collapse and spectators to die in various ways. After Nick desperately tries to stop them, a few manage to escape, but "Death" won't let those "deserving" die. They perish one by one in the order they died on the track. Nick, however, fights a final battle against "Death," trying to save his friends before it arrives.

　　I continued: Although human life is beyond our control, and you don't know when you will die, what do you plan to do before you die? Will you sit and wait to die, or will you strive and fight? Will you leave no trace of your existence in this world, or will you make your life vibrant and colorful, proving that you were here?

　　My friend said, "Yeah, you still have to live before you die. You still have to worry about daily necessities, work hard for a house, and strive to improve yourself to marry a good husband, haha!"

　　We both laughed after she said that.

　　Before "death" comes, each of us must and should work hard for life. Isn't this effort a battle against "death"?

　　Actually, there are people in this world who are easily influenced by external factors and get stuck in certain emotions, finding it hard to escape and easily taking things personally. There's a saying that's very true: "There's nothing inherently wrong in the world; it's just that fools create their own troubles." In fact, many times, troubles are self-inflicted. To break free from pessimism, you need to strengthen your beliefs and give your life resilience. Then I thought of George Bernard Shaw's quote: "The secret of suffering is having the leisure to worry about whether you are happy."