On February 3, 2021, after two years of fighting the disease, Zhao Yingjun died of illness in Beijing.
On April 2, 2021, a construction vehicle accidentally hit the Taiwan Railway "Taroko", and more than 50 people left us forever, unable to make a final farewell to the world.
Stills from "The Wind Rises"
Death, a rather heavy subject, often silences us, but each of us knows so well that we are inevitably moving toward death.
All topics of the meaning of life end up either resorting to religion or seeking philosophical help.
Religion tells us, "Everyone dies once, and after death there is judgment," and encourages us to love, to give, to revere faith with all our hearts.
Philosophers say, "Philosophy is the rehearsal of death", our daily life, are preparing for death, or indulging in debauchery, timely pleasure, or meditation, self-denial, are our strategies to deal with death.
Stills from "Heartbeat"
The "Bucket List" records the story of two people facing death.
Carter, a black mechanic, has always dreamed of becoming a professor of history; edward, a billionaire, at the top of the social pyramid, is grumpy.
Because of cancer, the two were admitted to the same ward. At first, the two repelled each other, and then slowly got used to each other's company, but unfortunately the warm picture could not last...
One day, the doctor walked into the ward with the "verdict" and told Carter, "There are still six months at most, and we deeply regret this." Soon, Edward's trial book also came down, "one more year."
After the doctor left, both men looked at each other expressionlessly, silent and unconscious.
Death is really a mysterious topic, making people feel as if they have fallen into the deep sea and cannot breathe.
Stills from The Bucket List
Carter brings up to Edward a "bucket list" of assignments from his philosophy class at college—a list that includes helping strangers with kindness, driving a Mustang sports car, witnessing miracles... Edward knew and was eager to implement the list.
"What a tragic thing to wait for death", and a great journey began.
Go to Egypt to see the pyramids, go to Thailand to meet, go to China to climb Mount Everest... The options on the list were ticked off one by one, and Carter ushered in the last moments of his life. Edward officiated at his funeral:
What is the meaning of life? I still can't draw conclusions. But I can at least say this: I know that Edward died with his eyes closed but his heart open.
I've always thought carter and Edward were incredibly lucky. It is not that Edward has enough funds to support the two people to travel, but that in the last moments of their lives, they can say goodbye to the world with dignity and leave with the blessings of their loved ones.
In contrast, now, cold medical equipment has taken away one soul after another, and many people cannot have a decent goodbye and leave. When they lie on the complex hospital bed, slowly squirming their lips and trying to say something, the family will rush to say, "Don't worry, you can be at ease with treatment", so that many times, they have not been able to express the last feelings of life.
Stills from "The Mortician"
Acknowledging or not acknowledging, every day we are preparing for death. But many of us, pretending not to see it, ignored it.
Professor Wang Fangfang of Peking University School of Medicine opened a course on "death education", and in an interview, Professor Wang shared some ideas, "Adults will ask me a lot of realistic questions, they learn to use technology against reality, use complexity to fight interpersonal relationships, they have no faith in innocence, sacredness and purity, and in turn think that this is a kind of naivety." Their hearts have lost a kind of, pristine natural beauty. ”
Stills from "Deep Sleep"
The picture book "The Badger's Gift" begins with this description:
It is not until spring comes that all the animals gather together to remember the badger, talking about the badger's previous relationship with everyone, and everyone's sadness is slowly smoothed out, because although the badger has left forever, the "gift" he left behind is like a mineral deposit, always helping the needy.
Picture Book "Badger's Gift"
The badger was very old, and he knew he was leaving, so he went to tell his friends that one day he would enter a long tunnel, hoping that when the day came, everyone would not worry.
When the badger returned home, he shaved his beard, washed his face, and died in his sleep.
The friends are sad, but when spring comes, they talk together about the days they lived with badgers, teach groundhogs to cut paper, teach frogs to skate, teach foxes to tie... Friends realize that although the badger has left, it is still with them.
I admire badger, just as I am deeply admiring Zhao Yingjun, despite so much reluctance, I still plucked up the courage to say goodbye to everyone affectionately.
Stills from "The Last Heartbeat"
T.S. Eliot once said, "Remember those precious moments, life and death and change, pain and loneliness."
I am the wheat of the history department, eagerly looking forward to tomorrow, and I have also thought eagerly, may we all have some understanding!