There are three things in life that cannot wait.
I stepped into the elevator and was startled to see my dad inside, only to realize it was actually me.
That’s right! It’s a middle-aged man nearing fifty. I originally thought I was still quite young, but I didn’t realize when time had quietly left its marks on my face.
Looking back thirty years, I was still an innocent child. How time flies! I went through school, served in the military, got married, had children, and worked—I’ve traversed more than half of my life,
only to recognize the silent and indifferent passage of time. Time never waits for anyone; today becomes yesterday as soon as it passes, accumulating many yesterdays,
which turn into a long string of memories. In the present moment of life, it is hard for people to truly perceive the passage of time; yet time never stops, constantly racing forward.
At a chance gathering, a friend mentioned a saying: there are three things in life that cannot wait. Upon hearing this, I resonated with him,
so I borrowed his wisdom and adopted these three things that cannot wait as my new motto—constantly reminding myself—shortened to “the three things that cannot wait in life.”
The first thing that cannot wait is “time cannot wait.” This means that time is life; it is extremely precious. Wasting time is equivalent to wasting life—how terrifying!
Therefore, the most important thing in life is to remember what cannot be delayed; we must not wait or hesitate. We should do what needs to be done first, act quickly on what can be done, and do what we want immediately.
The second thing that cannot wait is “health cannot wait.” Accumulating health is akin to accumulating wealth—that’s absolutely true. Health often diminishes with age,
so we must pay attention to our health regularly in order to maintain it. Thus, we must not be careless about preserving our health; we need to particularly focus on balancing exercise, nutrition, and rest.
The third thing that cannot wait is “filial piety towards parents cannot wait.” As the saying goes: “The tree wishes for calm but the wind does not cease; children wish to care for their parents but their parents do not wait.”
The kindness of parents is greater than mountains and longer than rivers; there is no greater blessing in this world than this. The gratitude for our parents’ upbringing truly can never be repaid throughout our lives,
so filial piety towards parents must not be delayed—it should be timely.
Time may eventually run out; remember the three things that cannot wait in life. Let us all encourage each other in this regard. Written by Director Chen