To care is to live...

last Sunday (April 19, 2009), I made a faith witness to the senior group of the Wu-Feng Presbyterian Church. I told my senior church friends that probably, the toughest 'test' 試練 some of us would face in our life is that when a doctor tells us someday that we would have only 3-6 months to live. If some of us would have to take the 'test', what would we do? What should we do?

About 4 months ago, I had written a story about my tennis friend, Larry. Larry is a 40s young and energetic physician and a good tennis player. He was 'healthy' and was 'in very good physical shape' except when one day, his doctor told him that he had aggressive form of skin cancer and had only 6-month to live. He was tearful and didn't know what to do. His best surgeon friend, Josh, said nothing but gave him a big hug.

Last Friday I was at Jo-Ying and had a conversation with a friend at Formosa Plastics. He is about the same age as mine. He said that at 60s, his best philosophy is that 'he doesn't care to whatever is happening anymore.'. Is 'no care' a good strategy?

The Liberty Times of April 12, 2009 had a story on a grandma fighting cancer by making and selling 'the best rice paste 麻糬' at Ping-Tung city. Grandma Lee Li-Tsu 李麗珠 lost her husband 5 years ago. Soon, she was diagnosed as having 4th-stage ovary cancer. After consulting with a psychology doctor, she gained her strength making the best rice paste 麻糬 of the Ping-Tung City. Her daily routine starts at 2:00 AM when she begins to grind the rice and sells rice pastes at the market at 9:00 AM. She sells approximately 800 rice pastes everyday. She says the praise from her customers is more effective than the medicine she is taking for treating her ovary cancer. She says that since she has out-lived what her doctor had predicted for her, she lives everyday with gratitude. Every day is a gift; and she ought to do her best for every day she is still alive.

About two weeks ago, my student had lent me a book, "The Last Lecture--Really Achieving Your Childhood Dream". The professor who made the last lecture was Dr. Randy Pausch of Carnegie Melon University. An established computer science professor, Dr. Pausch was in his 40s, with perfect career and family. Yet, he was diagnosed with a very aggressive form of pancreatic cancer and the doctor had given him 3-6 months to live. He probably could retreat and had self-pity on himself. Yet, he delivered his last lecture on September 18, 2007. The Last Lecture had received a large amount of media coverage and had been viewed by more than 6 million people. Dr. Pausch died on July 25, 2008. His last lecture became a legacy of his life.

So, what shall we do, when we should face the 'test' 試練 someday? The best remedy my advice is to have a 'passion' to care. Whether we are one of the grand-pa or grand-ma that is good in making rice paste; or we are one of the professors that are good in delivering lectures, we all need have passion to do our best. With passion, and when we care for our passion and other people, we live with a legacy.