The People Who Accompany Us on Our Journey Shape the Joys and Sorrows of Our Lives

Xuefeng

June 1, 2023

People realize and understand as they grow older that the individuals that they journey with shape the joys and sorrows, separations and reunions of their life. They contribute to the ups and downs, the completeness and deficiencies of one's existence.

During childhood, parents are the ones who bring both happiness and sadness, separations and reunions, completeness and deficiencies. Having loving and understanding parents is a blessing in life. However, if parents treat their child as a means to uphold family honor or as a target for venting frustrations from outside, it becomes a source of sorrow in life.

During adolescence, the most influential people to walk alongside are teachers. Their words, actions, and evaluations lay the foundation for one's character and outlook on life. Wise and caring teachers pave the way for a hopeful and bright future, while narrow-minded and bitter teachers fill the sky of one's life with clouds, lacking warmth and sunshine.

Young adulthood is a vibrant period for expanding one's social boundaries, and making friends is inevitable. Typically, people form two or three close friendships, and it is precisely these close friends that bring about significant turning points in one's life. Genuine and open-minded close friends, filled with the confidence and courage to strive and excel, will inspire oneself, leading to a passionate and hopeful outlook on life. On the other hand, if a close friend is selfish, deceitful, and harbors a dark mentality, one will also be drawn into a chaotic and disorderly path that goes against morality and even legality.

In middle age, the most important companion in life is a spouse. If one is fortunate to meet a considerate, capable, and affectionate partner who excels at managing household affairs, it is a great blessing. Conversely, encountering an unreasonable, selfish, and greedy spouse who lacks understanding and often voices complaints creates a life filled with bottomless sorrow and misery. In such circumstances, whether it is the husband or the wife, thoughts of suicide often emerge in their minds. The inner pain has nowhere to be expressed, and they can only silently endure day after day, year after year.

In old age, as physical strength gradually wanes and illnesses silently afflict the body, confidence in life diminishes. People around us unconsciously begin to drift away. At this time, the attitudes and treatment received from our children become the final scenery on the journey of life. If children are filial, it is a stroke of great fortune, bestowing immense blessings and great destiny. However, if children are unfilial, physical and mental suffering seeps into our marrow and nerves. Ultimately, the journey of life concludes in a state of calling to the heavens without response and crying to the earth without answer.

Whether it is during adolescence, young adulthood, middle age, or old age, if one encounters someone who cares genuinely, bringing happiness, joy, freedom, blessedness, and hope without expecting anything in return, that person is truly a saint, a bodhisattva, an angel. That must be you have burned some high incense in your past life, and blessings poured forth from your ancestral graves. Cherish this extraordinary affinity. If one is fortunate to encounter a group of individuals who selflessly give and contribute without making excessive demands, it is a tremendous blessing and the greatest care and blessing from heaven. It is worth treasuring for a lifetime.