Wu Wenlong, Class 9, Senior 2, Shenzhen Foreign Languages School Our lives are like streams, flowing into the same river, to the same destination — death. That is to say, the ultimate end of life is death. But before flowing into your own river, have you ever truly lived once? We live and we die, and the wheels of the bus go round and round. Old Carter, a mechanic in the film, works hard every day to support his family and his schedule has never changed for decades. So does Edward, a rich businessman, who started to earn money at 16 and has made this his lifelong business ever since. Both of their lives are just about repetition. But life is not only about survival. Staying alive does not mean you are living. If living is for dying, then consuming your life under rules and regulations, between stress and pressure has no difference from simply waiting for death. Years pass pretty fast, like smoke through a keyhole. So find the joy in your life instead of waiting. To see the first sun of the day rising up from the skyline, to feel the gentle breeze carrying a faint scent, and to hear the tides ebbing and flowing, kissing the same beach. Just live every day the way they live theirs in “The Bucket List.” So next time when faced with the same question, “Have you ever lived your life and found joy in it?,” you can definitely nod in agreement without any hesitation. | 