与Bob对话：Death，本文主要内容关键词为：Bob论文,Death论文，此文献不代表本站观点，内容供学术参考，文章仅供参考阅读下载。
Dear Friends,
Our column this month is devoted to one of the most mysterious and most important subjects that we face as human beings.There are only two realities that are common to all of us.These are life and death.Everything else is superfluous （注：【8级】1.superfluous
多余的，不必要的）.
Life is the greatest mystery.Death is the second greatest.We experience life every day.We live life and we see it all around us.It is what is happening to every one of us constantly.We are life,and life is us.
We also experience death every day.But there is a difference.Death is not happening to us.It is happening all around us.We see friends and relatives die.We see trees and flowers die.We experience our own life.At some instant we will also experience our own dying.But we do not experience our own death.This is the eternal mystery.What is this "death"that follows dying?
My selection of this forbidding topic was stimulated by a letter I received from Anne Ning,a ten year old Chinese girl who is the daughter of Mahya,our editor and my dear colleague.Anne now lives in California and wrote me the following letter.
Dear Bob,
I am Anne.I know that you helped Jenny,my sister,with college decisions and other things like that,and I now need your help.I am scared of death,and I do not know what to do.Can you please give me some advice on how not to be scared and how to try to live my life so it has a meaning? Also,is there any way I can face death without being scared?Thank you!
Sincerely,
Anne Ning(age 10)
I responded to this letter without thinking that I would place these letters in this magazine publication.
Dear Anne,
Thank you for writing to me.You and I share much in common.You have been writing beautiful poems since you were five.I did not begin to publish my poems until I reached eighty,but we both write poetry.And now I find that we share the same concern about death.I think of death every day.It is one of our greatest mysteries.Life and death are companions.It is good that we think about both,and that we can talk about both.It is easy to understand your being scared of death.Even though it is in my thoughts,I am not afraid.I think of death as part of life .Just as life needs a beginning,it also needs an end.Life is renewal （注：【6级】2.renewal
更生，更新）.Leaves fall from trees,then the trees grow new leaves.Raindrops die in rivers and ponds.Night follows day,then morning comes again.This is called"renewal."
I believe that we must be aware of death,but that we must not let thoughts of death interfere with our desire to live.I also believe that the prospect of death can enrich our lives.Because our time on this earth is limited,it means that we must try harder to make these years count for something.The brevity of life leaves us no time to be mean or combative toward our fellow human beings.We should have no time for hatred or hostility.We should spend the few days and years that we have by giving generously to others,and by trying to make our earth home a better place to live for everyone.
You are very young to ask such an important question.There is really no easy answer that anyone can give you concerning the question of death.My personal opinion is that people die when they cease to make contributions to life.I believe that we are living in order to be useful or helpful to others.Our lives will end,but the memories of what we have said or done will linger（注：【6级】1.linger
继续存留）on and not die.
I know that death is hard to accept because it is so mysterious.Big religions are built around it.It has been given many names.It has been called"the dying of the light." It has also been called "the great perhaps." The poet,Emily Dickinson,called death"an awful leisure." It has so many names.If life is a "passing shadow," then what is death? You are so young to try to absorb these concepts.But you have a creative mind,and you have a poetic and thoughtful approach to life and its problems.At the age of ten you are struggling with a philosophical question that has stumped（注：【6级】2.stump
［美口］向…挑战，把…难住） the greatest minds in history.
Maybe you and I can face death with the same kind of militancy（注：【超纲】3.militancy
战斗性，高度的战斗精神）.We can tear it apart.We can make life triumph over it.We can make renewal more important.Death may win in the end,but not without a good fight .And how do we fight? We fight with good deeds and a love of life.Death may be inevitable,and we may be perishable（注：【6级】4.perishable
易死的，易凋谢的）.Candles do not last forever.Even rocks wear away.But rocks do not have the capability of contributing as much to our earth home as we have.
When we see our grandparents or our older friends die,we often mourn for them.We are really mourning for ourselves because we lose their eompanionship.Instead,maybe we should celebrate the lives that they led and be thankful for the moments that we were able to spend with them.Life may end but memories and deeds linger on.
I feel blessed to know a young"woman" whose mind and feelings soar beyond those of my older friends.Maybe you will be able to substitute the joy of living for the fear of death.l hope so.As important as death is ,life is much more important.
Again,thank you for sharing your thoughs with me and for asking such brave questions.Keep writing more poems and remember how beautiful you and your thoughts are.
With love,
Bob
TO Our readers:Thank you for reading these two letters concerning"death."This is not an easy subject to write about.In America there are many different views concerning death.I am not familiar with how it is treated in China.But the"death rate" is the same everywhere.It is"one to each person" no matter where the person happens to reside.I have taken the liberty to convey some of my thoughts on this delicate subject to you through this column.l will be interested in your thoughts
Respectfully yours,
Bob
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