Spring

March is drawing near, bringing spring closer. Although there are still chilly days like today, if you observe the nature around you, you can see signs of spring everywhere. The sun rises higher today than yesterday, and fierce winds heralding the arrival of spring sweep through the town. The buds on the trees swell day by day, and it won’t be long before the cherry blossoms bloom.

Let’s think about life in the long term. And within that long life, let’s decide how we should live the next year. Nature may seem to repeat the same things daily and yearly, but in reality, nothing is ever the same. Even under the desolate silver world of winter, life stirs, plotting for the coming spring. Last year’s spring and this year’s spring are always different. Some trees wither, and new seeds sprout, growing into something different from the previous generation.

Life is long. But at the same time, it is short. Let’s not live our days in vain. We should cherish the small joys of daily life, but at the same time, as an intellectual being in this world, hold steadfast beliefs and live autonomously. Let’s plan something, anything. Connections with others will help us grow. We must not be stubborn. Always learn from others, converse with them, and explore the outside world with an insatiable curiosity. Seek places where our power does not reach, and test ourselves there. Do not settle. Rather, strive to settle in one aspect of life, while being restless in another. A life without any peace is like purgatory, but a life without any hardship is also a kind of hell. Do not let ourselves become spineless. Always be a good citizen, but also, be a daring explorer.

Small differences will eventually lead to significant changes. It’s alright to make corrections once we realize them. Our ideals change daily, and our insights become broader and deeper every day. The path we thought was right might seem misguided in hindsight. There’s no need to be disappointed by this. If we were doing what we thought was right at the time, then nothing more is needed. Even if the path we chose based on our own thinking needs to be corrected later, it will surely become a valuable experience. Believe in our intellect. Indeed, regretting not following a path we believed in due to a lack of courage is perhaps the greatest tragedy one can imagine in life. We must be thoughtful and brave at the same time. We are, in fact, faced with choices every day. To stay or to go. We can postpone today’s decisions to tomorrow. That too is a choice. However, repeatedly making such choices will eventually lead to a dead end. Sometimes, we must leave the warmth of a cabin with a fireplace and step out into the cold, howling wind.

We were not born merely to survive. We were born to live as intellectual human beings. Those who leave the warm cabin and tread the snow-covered path in the cold wind are not just seeking spring. There is meaning in the journey itself. The warm gaze we give to those we meet along the way, the sweat we shed as we climb steep hills, the casual conversations with companions who journey with us—all these things give meaning to our life. We should not search for meaning in life; we give meaning to life. The spring we reach at the end of that journey will be far richer than last year’s spring.

Do not live with a poor heart. Live richly. Help your neighbor, live in a way you can be proud of in front of others. Living in a way that you would be ashamed of when looking back on yourself will only make us miserable and small. Look towards beautiful things, help the weak, and no matter how cold it is outside, we must always carry spring in our heart.