Flowers bloom and wither, and even the most brilliant starlight will one day fade away. The Earth, the Sun, and even the entire universe will one day face their end. Compared with all of this, a human life is no more than a brief moment. In that fleeting moment, we smile, weep, struggle, hurt, rejoice, grieve, love someone, hate someone. Everything is but a chance encounter in that instant, and no one can escape the eternal sleep that awaits us all.
Rather than choosing tears, pain, sorrow, and hatred, I would rather choose smiles, struggle, joy, and love. Everything we encounter in this brief moment, whether good or bad, will not change because of how we feel about it. So I choose to face it with joy and to savor this fleeting moment to the fullest. And when you begin to truly enjoy it, you will discover that somehow, all the things that once seemed bad have changed.
I wrote these words in a classroom when I was young. Thirty years later, when I decided to retire, I wanted to write down some thoughts once again. After writing and rewriting many versions, I finally realized that thirty years ago, I had already written words that needed no revision. From here on, I shall simply go on and experience life to the fullest.
The appointed time has come to an end. Life is full of dreams; may each of us make our own life shine.