All of us have read thrilling stories in which the hero had only a limited and specified time to live. Sometimes it was as long as a year， sometimes as short as 24 hours. But always we were interested in discovering just how the doomed hero chose to spend his last days or his last hours. I speak， of course， of free men who have a choice， not condemned criminals whose sphere of activities is strictly delimited. Such stories set us thinking， wondering what we should do under similar circumstances. What events， what experiences， what associations should we crowd into those last hours as mortal beings？ What happiness should we find in reviewing the past， what regrets？

    Sometimes I have thought it would be an excellent rule to live each day as if we should die tomorrow. Such an attitude would emphasize sharply the values of life. We should live each day with a gentleness， a vigor， and a keenness of appreciation which are often lost when time stretches before us in the constant panorama of more days and months and years to come. There are those， of course， who would adopt the Epicurean motto of “Eat， drink， and be merry，” but most people would be chastened by the certainty of impending death. In stories the doomed hero is usually saved at the last minute by some stroke of fortune， but almost always his sense of values is changed. he becomes more appreciative of the meaning of life and its permanent spiritual values. It has often been noted that those who live， or have lived， in the shadow of death bring a mellow sweetness to everything they do. Most of us， however， take life for granted. We know that one day we must die， but usually we picture that day as far in the future. When we are in buoyant health， death is all but unimaginable. We seldom think of it. The days stretch out in an endless vista. So we go about our petty tasks， hardly aware of our listless attitude toward life. The same lethargy， I am afraid， characterizes the use of all our faculties and senses. Only the deaf appreciate hearing， only the blind realize the manifold blessings that lie in sight. Particularly does this observation apply to those who have lost sight and hearing in adult life. But those who have never suffered impairment of sight or hearing seldom make the fullest use of these blessed faculties. Their eyes and ears take in all sights and sounds hazily， without concentration and with little appreciation. It is the same old story of not being grateful for what we have until we lose it， of not being conscious of health until we are ill. I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were stricken blind and deaf for a few days at some time during his early adult life. Darkness would make him more appreciative of sight； silence would teach him the joys of sound.我們大家都讀過一些令人激動的故事，這些故事里的主人公僅僅活在有限并且特定的時間內(nèi)，有時長達一年，有時短到２４小時。但我們總是有興趣發(fā)現(xiàn)，那命中注定要死的是那些有選擇自由的人，而不是那些活動范圍被嚴格限定了的判了刑的犯人。

    這樣的故事讓我們思考，在相似的情況下，我們該怎么辦，作為終有一死的人，在那最終的幾個小時內(nèi)安排什么事件，什么經(jīng)歷，什么交往？在回顧往事時，我們該找到什么快樂？什么悔恨？

    有時我想到，過好每一天是個非常好的習慣，似乎我們明天就會死去。這種態(tài)度鮮明地強調(diào)了生命的價值。我們應(yīng)該以優(yōu)雅、精力充沛、善知樂趣的方式過好每一天。而當歲月推移，在經(jīng)常瞻觀未來之時日、未來之年月中，這些又常常失去。當然，也有人愿按伊壁鳩魯?shù)男艞l“吃、喝和歡樂”去生活。（譯注：伊壁鳩魯是古希臘哲學家，他認為生活的主題目的是享樂，而最高的享受唯通過合理的生活，如自我控制才能得到。因為生活享受的目的被過分強調(diào)，而達此目的之手段被忽視，所以伊壁鳩魯?shù)男磐浆F(xiàn)今變?yōu)樽非笙順返娜�。他們的信條是：“讓我們吃喝，因為明天我們就死亡”），但絕大多數(shù)人還是被即將面臨死亡的必然性所折磨。

    在故事里，注定要死的主人公往往在最后一刻由某種命運的突變而得救，但幾乎總是他的價值觀被改變了。他們對生活的意義和它永恒的精神價值變得更具欣賞力了。常�？吹侥切┥�活或已生活在死亡的陰影之中的人們都賦予他們所做的每件事以芳醇甜美。

    但是，我們大多數(shù)人把生活認為是理所當然的。我們知道，某一天我們一定會死，但通常我們把那天想象在遙遠的將來。當我們心寬體健時，死亡幾乎是不可想象的，我們很少想到它。時日在無窮的展望中延展著，于是我們干著瑣碎的事情，幾乎意識不到我們對生活的倦怠態(tài)度。

    恐怕，同樣的懶散也成為利用我們所有的本能和感覺的特點。只有聾子才珍惜聽力，唯有瞎子才體會到能看見事物的種種幸福，這種結(jié)論特別適合于那些在成年階段失去視力和聽力的人們，而那些從沒有遭受視覺或聽覺損傷之苦的人卻很少充分利用這些天賜的官能。他們模模糊糊地眼觀八方，耳聽各音，毫無重點，不會鑒賞，還是那相同的老話，對我們所有的官能不知珍惜，直至失去它，對我們的健康意識不到，直至生病時。

    我常常想，如果每個人在他成年的早期有一段時間致瞎致聾，那會是一種幸事，黑暗會使他更珍惜視力，寂靜會教導(dǎo)他享受聲音。