One of the everyday things modern people do when entering a new year—such as 2026—is to make various resolutions, commitments, or firm determinations to achieve something in the new year. Some resolve to live healthier than in previous years, then arrange a regular exercise schedule, plan a balanced diet, set sufficient rest time, and so on. Others commit to tightening their budget, buying only what is needed rather than what is merely wanted. Still others are determined to improve their financial lives, family relationships, and many other areas.
In short, all of these resolutions are oriented toward ensuring that different aspects of life go well throughout the year. There is nothing wrong with such resolutions, commitments, or determinations. There is no prohibition, and there is no limit to what humans may choose to pursue. Every human has free will to pursue what they consider essential. However, we must be honest that all those resolutions touch only a very short span of life—70 years, 80 years, or perhaps 100 years.
As human beings, we do need to be optimistic: optimistic about success, optimistic about health, confident about having a harmonious household. But we must also be realistic, because hopes often do not align with reality. When reality contradicts expectations, it usually produces anxiety, restlessness, and fear.
The author is not spreading an aroma of pessimism or despair, but inviting us to be realistic, not excessively optimistic nor fatally pessimistic. Let us reflect on the reality of the resolutions and commitments we make. No matter how healthy a person is, life remains limited. Only very few people reach the age of one hundred. And it is not uncommon for someone who appears very healthy—exercising regularly and living with discipline—to die suddenly, whether on a badminton court, a jogging track, a mountain, or elsewhere.
Once again, this is not an invitation to think negatively about health. We must be responsible for our health by exercising regularly, consuming nutritious food, and getting enough rest. But all of this lasts only briefly, “no more than 70 years”—like grass that quickly withers, which is the reality of human life: very short. The Bible states it clearly in 1 Peter 1:24, “All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass; the grass withers and the flower falls.” Everything that lives—including humans—is like grass.
Therefore, people commit themselves to improving their quality of life by obtaining certain wealth. But the reality is, humans are never satisfied with what they have. When they have a hundred, they feel they need a thousand. When they reach a thousand, they chase ten thousand, a hundred thousand, a million, and so on, without ever feeling enough. All wealth, reputation, and human achievements—often pursued with great effort—ultimately become nothing more than the flower of grass: beautiful at first, but withering and falling in the end.