From "The Analects" Zengzi was ill, and Meng Jingzi asked about it

Original text

Zengzi was ill, and Meng Jingzi asked about it. Zeng Zi said: "When a bird is about to die, its song is mournful; when a man is about to die, its words are also kind."

Notes ① Meng Jingzi; Zhongsun Jie, a senior official in the state of Lu.

Translation: Zengzi was bedridden, and Meng Jingzi went to ask about him. Zengzi said: "When a bird is about to die, its chirping sound is sad; when a person is about to die, his words are also kind."

Interpretation Zhu Xi explained: "Birds are afraid of death, so "Mourning; when people are poor, they turn to their roots, so they say good things." (Analects of Confucius) In other words, birds make mournful cries because they are afraid of death, and people reflect on their lives and return to the end of life because they are at the end of their lives. Essence, so speak kind words.

When a person reaches the end of his life, all the battles, all the calculations, all the glory. All shame has become a thing of the past, and the present world has gradually faded away, becoming like the other side, and has no connection with itself.

A kind of regret and a kind nostalgia for life arise spontaneously. Is this the "discovery of conscience" that people often say? If so, then it’s really too late to discover it!