EMPOWER Malaysia organised a writing competition for aspiring writers with the theme “YOUth of Tomorrow”. This is one of the top entries in the essay category, written by Wong Man Kei 黄敏琦, the full English translation is below the original essay.
题记：
无论身处哪个时空，我们都在奔赴修心修身的路上，从未停下步履。
而我们的信仰便是——在修行途中经历挫折与险恶后，依旧坚信我们始终会途遇美好与温暖。
致未来的我们：
虽然你们曾处于水深火热的病疫时代，可我相信你们会战胜病疫，也可以战胜自己。希望你们拥有足够的勇气和耐心来面对生活，所有努力都将得偿所愿，而这些都将沦为美好未来的伏笔。
致未来的自己：
希望你越来越好，温柔待世间万物，阳光向上不屈不挠。
还记得很久以前，我看过北宋著名理学家张载的这一句语录：“为天地立心，为生民立命，为往圣继绝学，为万世开太平”。依稀记得当时的我心里很震撼，暗忖着以后一定要成为这样的人，为世界做出小小的贡献。可是在现实中，因为年少，正处于风华正茂年纪的我们，总是懵懵懂懂地被琐事所困扰，为情绪起伏所左右，因为看不清的未来所惘然，也因为惰性而选择安逸与平庸。
青春年少的我们总是兵荒马乱，偶尔迷茫失落、偶尔委屈堕落，偶尔焦虑浮躁，以至于渐渐忘记了初心。很小的时候，我们也许都相信自己可以以梦为马，不负韶华，于是拥有了很多色彩缤纷的梦想；后来，我们在人生路上跑着跑着，有些人逐渐因为各种障碍、失望、头衔、藉口，而忘记了自己为何出发。流年在奔跑，我们在追逐，偷窃岁月的罅隙时，才发现自己碌碌无为、漫无目的、一事无成，却又“心安理得”地持续着这些贫乏枯燥，早已厌倦的日子。
直到当从未想过的病疫如洪水般席卷全世界时，我才醍醐灌顶般清醒了过来。疫情对世界带来的改变实在太大了—— 大到金融危机、政治动荡，小到对行动束缚、经济压力及对病疫的恐慌。于20岁的我而言，我无法真切地体会到这每一份的不安与躁动，可凝视着这些每分每秒都在流逝的生命，看着这些对于患者逐渐逼近的冥钟，看着这些一直在默默保卫守护的人们，不断席卷而来的心悸与感概却难以抚平。
这时，我好像在一瞬间体会到了原来生命赋予我们最珍贵的礼物，是那些每分每秒，那些生活里的点点滴滴。我们之所以觉得舒服安逸，是因为身后有很多人在为我们付出打拼；我们之所以可以选择在疫情期间安全地呆在自己的避风港，是因为有千千万万的前线、医护及科研人员在用自己的生命和力量去为我们承担风险，捍卫更多人的生命。我突然醒悟，人生那么短暂，我们怎么舍得让它被任意抛掷，白白挥霍。我们不能总是在快要结束的时候才想要好好开始。
“我是谁？我从哪里来？我要到哪里去？”--- 这也许是很多人一辈子一直追溯的三个西方哲学终极问题。尤其是身为青少年的我们，迷茫更时普遍的现象。可是后来，我豁然明白了，原来人民的精神图腾才是引领这个世界的关键。这时的我意识到清晰地了解与认知自己，清醒地知道自己未来要做什么是多么的重要。身为学生，我们涉世未深，可是我在想，当我必需正式地踏入社会，只身一人闯荡江湖时，我佩妥剑了吗？完全还没呢。所以，我暗自下定决心好好改变，勇敢地去探索更多未知的自己。在这疫情期间，身为一个化学工程系大二生，网课的实施令我缺少了近乎一年半的校园生活，也为此无法参与许多实验实践课，这些都的确成为了我人生中小部分的缺憾。可是，转念一想，事物往往有其好的一面，我为此拥有了更多零碎的时间。这些零零散散的时间让我拥有了做自己喜欢的事儿的时间，如画画、写作、跑步、参加比赛、看电影等。这些我喜欢的事儿，让我更进一步地了解自己，慢慢地调整好自己的步履，努力成为内心更加强大并朝着自己梦想前进的女孩。
的确，这场病疫导致很多人的生活产生了翻天覆地的影响，可这些极其幸运活着的我们，更应该捉住一切机遇去提升自己，掌握自己的命运，不是吗？都说青少年们就是立国之本，强国之基。所以啊，与其怨天尤人，扼腕叹息、自甘堕落，不如让思维转个弯。身为每一位“少年”，我们应该不分年龄，不分性别地抓住所有机遇，脚踏实地地练就一技之长，用更多的智慧技能去武装自己。我们从来不需要给自己设限，应该多去尝试新鲜有趣的事物，因为人生最遗憾的事从来都不是失败，而是“我本可以”。待我们走在前往优秀的路上，我们就能在重返校园和社会时，有足够的底气和能力与这个世界抗衡了。这样一来，我们才能够在疫情被战胜之时轻装上阵，理直气壮地告诉这个世界：我准备好与你单打独斗了。
最后，我想说，我们还有很漫长的进阶之路去探索，还有很辽阔的天空等待着我们去闯荡，而病疫不应该成为我们的枷锁与恐慌。所以，不要急燥、不要恐惧，也不要慌张，一步一步地朝着每个人独一无二的目标与梦想驰骋，竭尽全力地完善自己，直到现实愿意对我们缴械投降。我始终坚信，我们终会迎来花果成熟丰硕的季节，因为天空再灰暗，也终会有重新亮起的时候；因为我们是明日之子女，是一颗颗即将冉冉升起的新星；因为鱼与熊掌不可兼得，而我们可以。
[English translation]
Prologue:
No matter the time and space we’re in, we’re always on the road of self-improvement, never stopping our journey. Our belief is that once we have experienced the setbacks on this perilous road, we will be reminded that we will be met with sunshine and warmth.
To us in the future:
Even though you were once were in the deep waters of the pandemic, but I believe you will surmount this wave, and you will conquer your own battles. I hope you will have enough valour and patience to face life and that all your efforts would bear fruit and we will emerge from this season with a renewed, positive perspective on the future.
To me in the future:
I hope you will improve day by day, treat the beings on this earth with gentleness and to move onward, unyielding.
“Set your heart to the heavens and the earth, devote your life to the people, learn the forgotten wisdom of the ancient sages, make peace with a thousand worlds,” was an excerpt from Zhang Zai, a famous philosopher from the Northern Song Dynasty. I remember being taken aback reading it, making a mental note to become a person that Zhang Zai describes, to contribute a little something to this world. However, in present reality, we are at the height of our youth – we are unexpectedly burdened by trivial matters, letting our emotions control us, and because of the inability to predict the uncertain future and laziness, we rested in the ease of complacence.
Our youth is filled with turmoil and chaos, and the occasional confusion and misdirection, chagrin and retrogradation, and anxiety and alacrity, that we slowly forget our inchoate and nascent heart. When I was very little, I perhaps, too, believed that I could dream big so that I would live a fulfilled youth. My dreams were colourful. Later on, as we’re running this marathon that is life, some will slowly lose meaning in their lives – various obstacles, failures and disappointment, status, the masks they wear and the excuses they make, they forget. The years pass with a blink of the eye as we catch up with the fleeting. And then, we realize, although seemingly always on the run, we have accomplished nothing, have no purpose, have done nothing, but it is perfectly justified that we can continue the drab everyday, the days that we have been weary of long ago.
It was only when the pandemic took over the world by storm, that I sobered up from what was akin to a deep slumber. The pandemic was so huge that it changed the world, it was big enough to cause financial crises and political unrest, but small enough that it caused inaction, economic stress, and widespread panic. To 20-year-old me, I do not – and cannot – vividly experience all the turbulence and anxiety in this season all the time, but witnessing people losing their lives every other second, watching those who were affected by the virus approach Hades, and seeing the frontliners serving and protecting us; disbelief and anguish constantly swept my mind.
Suddenly I started to comprehend that life’s greatest gift is time and the bits and pieces that make it. We can be comfortable because there are many people who are hard at work for us; we can choose to stay in the comfort of our own home – away from the pandemic – because because thousands of frontliners, care workers and researchers are putting their lives on the line, taking the risk to buy the rest of our lives more time. I realized that life is short, and who are we to squander it in vain? We cannot only have the desire to begin properly when it’s near the end.
“Who am I?”, “Where am I from?” and “Where am I going to go?” are three Western philosophical questions that constantly plague our lives, especially for us who are still young, and in uncertain times such as these. But I realized later on that it is actually the symbolism of the human spirit is the key to guiding and leading this world. It is also at this moment that I clearly understand and know myself, and why my future matters. As a student, we have barely scratched the surface of the “real world”, but I wonder am I ready to dive into society – alone, carving out a living? As a second-year chemical engineering major, I have missed out on a year and a half’s worth of on campus living during the pandemic. Because of the nature of online classes too, I was unable to participate in practical laboratory sessions, and this has made me feel some, quite simply, FOMO. As a silver lining however, I have gained more free time, which made me have the time indulge in my hobbies: drawing, writing, jogging, joining competitions, watching movies, etc. These hobbies have made me know myself on a deeper level, and it has allowed me to adjust my footsteps to walk towards me being a girl with a stronger will and one that walks towards their dreams.
Of course, this pandemic has shook some people’s lives, but since we are lucky enough to still be alive, shouldn’t we be more inclined to improve ourselves and be the masters of our fate? They say the youth are the foundation of a strong country. So, instead of cursing at the heavens, lamenting our fate and abandoning hope within ourselves, why don’t we do a 180° with our mindsets. Each of us “youngsters” we should arm ourselves indiscriminately – regardless of age, and gender – with more wisdom and skills. We don’t have to set limits for ourselves, we should try new things because at the end of the day, people don’t regret failure, but they regret not doing something while they still could. We roam the road forward towards excellence, so when we go back to campus and step into society, we will have the confidence and ability to face the world; so that when the pandemic is finally beat, we can hold our heads high and tell this world, “We are ready for battle.”
Finally, I want to affirm that we still have a long road to explore, and a vast sky to delve into, so the pandemic shouldn’t be our chains and shackles. Therefore, do not worry, do not be afraid and do not be anxious, just walk towards each of our unique life goals, step by step, work to better yourself, until reality is willing to surrender. I believe we will once again welcome a springtime, because the sun will eventually ward out the grey skies; because we are the people of tomorrow, we are new stars that twinkle in night sky; because even though one person cannot have it all, but we can.
English Translation by 瑞文
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