生活的無常 - The transient nature of existence (雙語 - 英中 ) 有時候，我覺得在人生中擁有很長一段時間的幸福實在是一個禍根 只有體會過所愛之人的逝世或是自己離死亡不遠的時候，才能使我們掙脫停滯和消費主義的手銬。 如果我們能夠看到生命盡頭，那死亡的陰影迫在眉睫，或許我們必定死去的靈魂可以充當推動力，激勵我們邁入一個更自省的生活。 這就是為什麼我如此享受墳地的寧靜的原因。 正當我被那些逝世的人包圍時這讓我更珍惜我所擁有的時間。 就像人人所熟知的真理把握今天像是陳腔濫調，然而它還有意義的。 我們並非懂得時間如何流逝，也無法理解現在變成過去的速度有多快。 就像小時候，你的父母允許你在大海游泳，在浪濤間徐徐地漂流。 即使你試圖待在同一個地方，從你的角度來看，你站著一動也不動，實際上你是被暗流捲走，而當你停止這個遊戲時，竟然吃驚地發現其實你離你本來站的地方很遠！ 同樣，雖然我們被時間的湍急拉得不斷，但是這發生得很微妙所以從我們的角度來看，看來我們從不動，直到有一天，一件某重大的事發生打擾我們一致的生活， 然後我們從嘗試分散對存在的無常性的注意力的平凡例行抬頭凝視上。 燒得最快的蠟燭也是燒得最明亮的蠟燭。 與其徘徊不前並隨著一縷黑煙而煙消雲散，不如讓生命發光發熱。 Sometimes, I feel the blessing of a long life is in fact a curse. It takes the passing of a loved one, or a near-death experience of our own, to allow us to shatter the manacles of stagnation and consumerism that chain our lives to the familiar comforts of consistency and routine. Perhaps, if we could see the end, the shadow looming so close to us, the specter of our mortality could become the impetus to drive ourselves towards a life of reflection and improvement. It is the reason that I enjoy the stillness of a cemetery. It is a reminder of the fleetness of our existence, the ephemeral, and the finality of death. Being surrounded by those who have gone before me allows me to better appreciate the time that I have. As much a truism as "Seize the day" is, it bears repeating with conviction. We have no real understanding of the flow of time, and cannot grasp how quickly "now" can become "then". Much like when you were a child, and, with your parent's assent, you swam into the ocean to drift amidst the waves. Although you endeavored to remain motionless, and to you, it appeared as though you were stationary, you were nonetheless carried along by the undercurrents, such that, upon looking up from your childish games, you were surprised to find yourself a great distance from where you originally started, having been significantly displaced to the left or right from where you waded out from your parents. We are dragged inexorably by the flow of time, yet in such a subtle manner that it appears that we haven't moved at all, until such a time as a significant event interrupts the familiar pattern of our lives, and we lift our gazes from the humdrum that whispers softly and distracts us from the transiency of our existence. The candle that burns the fastest, burns the brightest. Better to live within the flames, than to linger on and finally fade away in a smoky plume of obscurity. 希望大家喜歡我的文章。 -- 尚恩, Shaun