Apr. 24, 2026
-CONTINUE-
Tribute to the salmon
Birth of New Life
When winter ends and spring arrives, the eggs hatch. The transparent, round eggs are adorable. Newly hatched fry are about 1 cm long, transparent, with large eyes and heads, and a big yolk sac. The yolk sac provides all nutrients since the fry cannot yet feed. As they grow, the sac gradually disappears.
In the river, growth is slow: by summer they reach only 3–4 cm; by the next summer, 6–10 cm. Their bodies turn from transparent to brownish with small dark spots. By age two, they skillfully hunt small prey.
By the third summer, at 12–16 cm, they resemble adults. One day, driven by instinct, they form schools and swim downstream, as if the ocean is calling.
The Call of the Ocean
The downstream journey remains difficult; they must overcome predators and obstacles. Like their parents, they pause at the estuary to adapt to salinity and temperature before entering the sea.
Once in the ocean, salmon show remarkable feeding ability. Their weight surges—often gaining 7 kg in two months—vastly different from their slow river growth.
A Legendary Life: Moving, Astonishing, and Puzzling
Salmon grow only 12–16 cm in three years in freshwater, yet gain 7 kg in two months in the sea. The ocean clearly suits their growth better. Why then undertake the perilous journey—adapting to temperature and pressure changes, battling rugged terrain and rapids, evading predators, risking death—to return upstream to spawn? Scientists have no definitive answer. After years of thought, my view is that mountain-building movements on Earth caused drastic changes in river-sea tides, triggering physiological mutations in salmon that now require freshwater for reproduction. Only experiments can confirm if this is right or wrong. What do you think?
Thank you!
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Tribute to the Salmon
The salmon’s legendary life remains a mystery to scientists today: after growing in the ocean, mature salmon risk near-certain death, traveling thousands of miles upstream to their birthplace in the river to spawn. Their strong will and indomitable spirit serve as an inspiring model for humans. By understanding salmon, we see that every species has unique survival instincts and spiritual qualities adapted to nature. We should cherish and practice conservation to protect the environment, allowing nature to thrive, species to flourish, and all to coexist harmoniously.
Here is a concise summary of the key events in a salmon’s life:
Sacred Mission: Facing Death with Resolve
Driven by mysterious instinct, salmon gather in schools and return to their birthplace at all costs. The journey from the vast ocean to the upper reaches of inland rivers is long and perilous. For most, it is a fatal trip, yet it is their most sacred duty to continue the species.
Guided by amazing instinct, they locate their birth river mouth and become excited, sometimes leaping repeatedly. Transitioning from seawater to freshwater requires adaptation to differences in temperature and pressure. At the estuary, they linger, moving forward and back with the tides until ready to push upstream.
During the upstream journey, they face many dangers: bears along the shores, otters and beavers in the river. But humans are the greatest threat—fishermen set nets during spawning season, causing heavy losses.
Complex river terrain also hinders them. Normal speed is about 10 km per day, but rapids, waterfalls, or dams slow them greatly. To overcome obstacles, salmon use their powerful tails to leap 2–3 meters high, with a 4–6 meter arc. If they fail, they rest and try again, often dying from exhaustion. Many companions perish over the months-long journey, but as long as the species continues, the sacrifice has value.
Joyful Return to the Birthplace
Only a tiny fraction of the massive migrating schools survive the deadly journey to reach the upper river for spawning. Those that arrive are often heavily injured.
Back home, mature salmon seek mates. From October to February, pairs swim together, find shallow sandy areas, and use their tails to dig nests. The female lays eggs while the male guards and chases away enemies. After laying, the male fertilizes them and covers the eggs with sand. Spawning takes 3–4 days, sometimes up to 10. Afterward, the exhausted salmon can barely swim; many wash ashore or float dead. Only a few return to the sea, and even fewer mate again.
Apr. 24, 2026
Page 1 of 2- to be continued-
The universe has its inherent laws. Nature forms countless phenomena. Mountains and rivers nurture endless vitality and energy. Animals, plants & species display unique spirituality and instincts. All mutually depend forming this magnificent ecosystem.
Producers do their utmost to create and maintain favorable environments. Destroyers, driven by selfish gain, cause mutual destruction among humans and severely damage nature’s operations.
History is like a mirror—it will faithfully reflect all of this.
There is cause, there must be effect. Behavior determines destiny.
Sharing:
You are what you do
If the past has taught us anything, it is that every cause brings effect - every action has a consequence. This thought, in my opinion, is the moral foundation of the
universe; it applies equally in this world and the next.
We have a saying: "If a man plants melons, he will reap melons; if he sows beans, he will reap beans." And this is true of every man's life: good begets good, and evil leads to evil.
True enough, the sun shines on the saint and sinner alike, and too often it seems that the wicked wax and prosper. But we can say with certitude that, with the individual as with the nation, the flourishing of the wicked is an illusion, for, unceasingly, life keeps books on us all.
In the end, we are all the sum total of our actions. Character cannot be counterfeited, nor can it be put on and cast off as if it were a garment to meet the whim of the moment.
Like the markings on wood which are ingrained in the very heart of the tree, character requires time and nurture for growth and development.
Thus also, day by day, we write our own destiny, for inexorably we become what we do. This, I believe, is the supreme logic and the law of life.
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Thanking for reading
Sun. 03/15/2026
Sharing: Youth
Youth is not just a stage of life, it is a state of mind. It is not a matter of rosy cheeks, red lips & supple knees. It is a matter of the will, a quality of the imagination, a vigor of the emotion, it is the freshness of the deep spring of life.
Youth means the predominance of courage over timidity, of adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of sixty more than in a boy of twenty. Nobody grows old merely by living a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals.
Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul. Worry, doubt, self-distrust, fear & despair -these bow the head & turn the growing spirit back to dust.
Whether sixty or sixteen, there is in every human being’s heart the love of wonder, the sweet amazement of the stars & star-like things, the undaunted challenge of events, the unfailing childlike appetite for what next & the joy of the game of living.
You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt, as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear, as young as your hope, as old as your despair.
Thanking for reading
Wed, 03/11/2026
This is a seemingly ordinary story from my university days in Taiwan, yet it still lingers in my memory and evokes countless emotions:
Today, I was busy setting up Christmas lights from early morning. The fallen leaves, seemingly endless after autumn, piled up again with every gust of wind. I felt my youthful stamina waning, and my joints wouldn't cooperate. Despite this, I was quite satisfied with the completion of the task! All these chores reminded me of my time studying in Yangmingshan. A particularly vivid and unforgettable memory is of a classmate of mine, I think his name was Amin, who recruited odd jobs to move stones, clear weeds, and tidy up the gardens of wealthy families in a neighborhood about two bus stops downhill from Shanzihou. There was a supervisor, so I was afraid of not getting paid, and I couldn't slack off; I worked tirelessly. After three hours, I finally received my wages one by one. This was probably the first time in my life I had received hard-earned money. Although it was hard work and I was exhausted, I felt incredibly fulfilled and satisfied. But after receiving the money, I was starving. Thinking there must be a grocery store nearby where I could buy something to eat, I headed back towards the school along the mountain path, searching for a shop. I figured I had to go back to school anyway, so I figured I might as well keep going up the mountain. Enduring hungry, I still walked for about 3 kilometers before finally finding a shop. I was overjoyed, like finding an oasis in the desert. I wanted to buy three pineapple buns, but the old lady said she'd give me a discount if I bought five all she left. Without hesitation, I agreed and also bought a bottle of soda as I thought I had enough money I just earned. I ate five buns and a drink in five minutes! This meal, though simple and rushed, is one of the most flavorful and unforgettable things I've ever experienced.
Now, on Yangmingshan, I still remember Huagang, Shanzihou, Gezhi Road, the front and back mountains of Yangmingshan Park, the Yangmingshan Hot Springs, Zhuzihu, the Beitou night tour, and the China World Hotel. Haha, I know so many places, but I can't even name them! I long to embrace them, but they're unattainable. My four years of university life are etched in my memory, an indelible and eternal recollection…
-1 of 1- Thanking for reading
Sharing
-CONTINUE-
Couldn't stop thinking about him. Went back next day. Asked for him. "Mr. Patterson. Room 412." Brought flowers. Knocked. He was in bed. Smiled when he saw me. "Marcus. You came back." "Couldn't leave it like that. Are you okay?" "Dying. But I got to see my life last night. So yes. I'm okay." We talked for two hours. About his wife. His students. The kids who stopped calling. The life he lived.
I visited every day for two weeks. Brought coffee. Read him the news. Sat in silence sometimes. He told me everything. The regrets. The joys. The moments he'd relive. "I thought I'd die alone," he said one day. "But you're here. A stranger who became family in my last days. That's a gift." I held his hand. "You're not dying alone. Not anymore." He cried. "Thank you for seeing me. When I was invisible."
Mr. Patterson died on a Tuesday. 3:17 AM. I was there. Holding his hand. His last words: "Tell people. Tell them to look at strangers. Really look. Everyone's dying. Some faster than others. But we're all heading somewhere. Be kind on the way. You were kind. You saved my last days." He closed his eyes. Heart monitor flatlined. I stayed another hour. Couldn't let go. He died with someone. That mattered.
His funeral had six people. Me. Three nurses. A lawyer. One former student who saw the obituary. That's it. A man who taught for 43 years. Loved a woman for 52. Lived 81 years. Six people. I spoke. "Mr. Patterson taught me something in his last two weeks.
Every stranger is someone's whole world. Every Uber passenger has a story. Every person you pass is living and dying and hoping someone sees them. He paid me $500 to drive him through his life. But he gave me something worth more. The knowledge that kindness to strangers isn't extra. It's everything. Because we're all strangers. Until someone stops. Looks. Listens. Stays." I keep the $500 in my glove box. Never spent it. It's a reminder.
Every passenger might be taking their last ride. Every stranger might be saying their last goodbye. So I drive different now. I ask questions. I listen. I see people. Because of an old man who needed one last gentle night. And a stranger who stayed. Be that stranger. Please. Someone's taking their last ride tonight. Make it gentle.
"Quiet Moments, Loud Truths."
A forwarded post but worth sharing...
Thanking for reading
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Sun. Feb. 15, 2026