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The host (from TEDxTaipei) invited me to speak about “Positive Destruction.”

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After giving it some thought, I thought I might as well share my own story.

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Among all the physicians in Taiwan,

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I am probably the one ER doctor who has seen the most cadavers.

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I've seen many cases of life and death.

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Perhaps that's why I'm suited to share such stories on this stage.


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There's a joke about


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the most famous physician -- Dr. Yeh

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here in Taiwan.

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After Shao Xiao Ling's (Taichung First Lady) car accident,

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a patient went to Chi-Mei Hospital in Liu-Ying city


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to seek a doctor named Yeh.


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The staff in the hospital said

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that there's no Dr. Yeh.


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"There is, " said the patient.

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"I was told that his name is 'Yeh Ker-Mo' (ECMO: Extra-Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation).

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This Dr. Yeh was the one who saved Shao Xiao Ling's life!"

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Speaking of ECMO, its concept is quite easy to understand.

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You divert the blood flow from the femoral vein

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and pass it through a pump,

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which serves as an artificial heart.

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The blood then passes through a membrane oxygenator,

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which acts as a pair of artificial lungs.


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Afterwards, the blood re-enters the body.

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So, ECMO is a temporary substitute of a human's cardiovascular system.

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This is how an ECMO machine looks like.

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You now have a machine acting as an artificial heart

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that pumps blood to the oxygenator and back to the body.


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As a matter of fact, ECMO technique

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was already available and widely used

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at the National Taiwan University (NTU) Hospital


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since 1994 prior to the first lady's car accident.

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It was only since her incident that folks in Taiwan are aware of the ECMO technique.

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It’s similar to the saying: "One can spend decades painting in relative obscurity,"


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"but the world only sees the artist's finished masterpiece."

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That's just my personal opinion.

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ECMO became a household term due to its overexposure from Taiwan's media press.


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here's no doubt that ECMO technique has its relatively successful cases.


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One prominent example is the case of singer Jay Chou's backup dancer.

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One day, this patient was admitted with fulminant myocarditis,

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and was undergoing cardiac arrest.

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I would like to show you a photo of him at the time,

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with the patient lying on his hospital bed.

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The eyes of this patient were wide open,

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and were staring straight,


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reading the flat lines showing on the ECG screen.

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As a result of fulminant myocarditis,


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the patient's heart stopped beating.

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He suffered a cardiac arrest.


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This is a biopsy of his cardiac muscle

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magnified 100 times under the microscope.


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Even under this type of magnifying power, 


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it's still quite hard to see.

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However, magnified 400 times will be much clearer.

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Those blue spots are lymphocytes.


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From here, we can see a serious case of fulminant myocarditis.

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Lymphocytes infiltrated his entire heart,

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which caused sudden cardiac arrest.


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The patient stared at the screen,


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as it displayed no signs of a working heart.


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After the ninth day,

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after a heart and a kidney transplant,

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She returned to dance in less than one month's recovery.

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It was a great miracle in modern medicine.


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In modern medical records,

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this patient holds the longest record for CPR survival:

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4 hours.

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CPR was performed on him from Cathay General Hospital to NTU Hospital.

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When physicians tried ECMO technique at the NTU hospital,


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they found that over 100 doses

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of cardiotonic drugs


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were already given to him.


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When an incision was made

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to insert an ECMO tube,

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the patient's veins and arteries were too narrow.

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Therefore, CPR had to be conducted again


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until he was in the operating room.

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Surgeons had to saw open the patient's chest

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to insert ECMO tubes from the top.

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The entire procedure sounds surreal right now.


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Every time I recall this case, I always say it's a modern medical miracle.

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The fact that a man‘s heart had stopped for 9 days.

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And after enduring heart and kidney transplants,


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a 4 hour CPR,


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he could still survive.


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Here is anthother patient case.

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The headline reads ”World's First:

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Miracle of Taiwan".


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Man without heart for 16 days.


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In this case, the patient is a 56-year-old man.

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He had a tooth decay.

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Bacteria from the cavity went into the blood,

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and spread to the portions of the heart.

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It caused a pus buildup.

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The patient went to a different hospital


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where the surgical team opened up his chest,

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and began to eliminate


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infected tissues of the heart.


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The team continued to remove 


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more affected tissues

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until not much of the muscular organ was left.

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So what can the team do now?


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Transfer this patient to NTU hospital.


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It seems that NTU hospital is the last line of medical defense in Taiwan.

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NTU hospital has to take patients in.

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In the first case, the case was cardiac arrest.


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This case is more extreme.

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This is a man with not much of a heart left.

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It was almost all surgically removed.

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When the patient was transferred to NTU hospital,

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because of the state he was in,


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our medical team had to use two ECMOs.

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Look at this slide.



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There are two ECMO devices.


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This one is even more unbelievable.


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Since he didn't have a heart left,

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so the ECG displayed a completely flat line.


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There's not much to explain here.


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This is his CT scan result.


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Theoretically,

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there should have been a heart in his thorax.

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However, the heart is missing here.


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There are only tubes.


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After 16 days,

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our surgical team performed a heart transplant surgery on this patient.


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Cardiologist surgeon Dr. Wan showed me this.

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Dr. Wan said during the surgery,


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he opened the patient's chest

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and had expected a heart in the thorax.

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However, there were only plastic tubes

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connecting to the ECMO.


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The patient had no heart at all.


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And after 16 days, the heart transplant surgery was completed.


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The patient was discharged later.


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Here is the Straits Times of Singapore.


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A vendor I know sent me an e-mail from Singapore.

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He told me that we were featured in the Straits Times.

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16 days without heart

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A person had lived for 16 days without a heart.

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But after receiving heart transplant,


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he still went home in good shape.

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This is a third case.


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He’s a 26-year-old aboriginal Taiwanese.

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He went swimming even when he was seriously drunk.

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Jokingly, he probably thought he was Li Bai the poet.


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The pond he swam in was really unsanitary.

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He choked on water.


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As a result,

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he caught a severe case of pneumonia.

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He’d relied on ECMO for 117 days.


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Look at his lungs.


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After he ingested unclean water,

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his condition worsened to a severe case of pneumonia.


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This is called acute respiratory distress syndrome.


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The lungs became abnormally white.

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He lived on ECMO for 117 days.

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We can see clearly from this slide.


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For one entire month,

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the patient's ventilation volume

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did not exceed 100 c.c.


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But the patient still recovered.

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In short,

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in the these three medical cases,

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in the these three medical cases,

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the patient undergoing cardiac arrest,

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or the patient with lung failure,

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with the help of ECMO,

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no matter whether 9 days later

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or even 100 days afterwards,


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after a heart transplant

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or lung transplant,


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their lives were saved.


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It is really incredible.

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To be honest...


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In recent history, ECMO has retained

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a high level of awareness 


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thanks to the media presses in Taiwan.

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The reason why folks know about ECMO,


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is because of past success cases,

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and also because of the first lady in Taichung,


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and famed astrologer Nick Yen.


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However,


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the media usually


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only reports on the successful stories.

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Reporters don’t write failed cases.

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Hidden from the public eye.


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As a critical care physician,

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I am certainly glad to encounter successful patient cases.

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However, there are cases that are not as successful.


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This baby was one and half months old.


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He suffered from a congenital heart disease.

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After undergoing a heart surgery,

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the baby still could not live without a heart-lung machine.

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So, we hooked the baby up to an ECMO.


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The ECMO was inserted in the baby's heart.


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After the procedure, 


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in three days,


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the baby's feet turned black.


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Let’s zoom in.

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Look at his tiny, blackened feet.


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So now, as a physician,


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you have to make a decision.


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Should you amputate his tiny feet

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to try to save his life?

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Or should you just give up

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and let him go?


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These types of decisions are incredibly stressful to make.

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But if you can’t make the call,

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then the next case is more difficult to gauge.


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Here is a 7-year-old boy

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suffering from streptococcus pneumonia.


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His condition worsened to acute respiratory distress syndrome.

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So the medical team decided to employ ECMO technique.

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After using ECMO, however,


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there were complications.


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His limbs all turned black.

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His adorable eyes would look at you,

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his conscious in a clear state.

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He could even ask for water when he was thirsty.

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But as a doctor,


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you have to make incredibly hard decisions.


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If you want to save him,

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you have to cut off his limbs first,

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and continue with further medical treatment.


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And if you give up,


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you have to turn off the ECMO.


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Now think of this:


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Between life and death,

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when the patient is in a conscious state,


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of course, the doctor's mind is clear, too.

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How would you ask the boy?

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"Hi dear"

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"If you want to live"


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"I will need to amputate your limbs."

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"Or you'd rather give up,"

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"and rest in peace?"

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How do you communicate this type of life and death decision


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with a 7-year-old?


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This is the line of work I have to deal with

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as a critical care physician.

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In the beginning, I made decisions rather logically.

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I identified everything by patients.

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Gradually,

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I targeted diseases, not patients.

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A diseased heart, for example.


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Fortunately, when I turned fifty,


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I gradually realized that I should treat patient as a whole again.

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To be quite honest,

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I consider myself academically inclined.

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When I reached my 30s,

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heart transplants,

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lung transplants,


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ECMO technique,


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youngest chief physician in NTU hospital,

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chief physician of the Surgical Intensive Care Unit,

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Initiated the Organ Registry and Sharing Center project,


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Chief physician of the Trauma Unit.


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All these were accomplished by my 30s.

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During this journey, 


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I believed that medical knowledge was incredibly powerful.

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Medical knowledge can cure everything.


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But in my 40s,


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there were many unsuccessful cases

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with the use of ECMO.


266
00:09:27,116 --> 00:09:28,052
Sometimes the families of the patients asked me,


267
00:09:28,052 --> 00:09:29,239
“How come the First Lady of Taichung survived,

268
00:09:29,239 --> 00:09:31,926
but my family member didn't make it?”

269
00:09:31,926 --> 00:09:33,220
I don’t know how to answer such questions.

270
00:09:33,220 --> 00:09:36,495
I couldn’t say because he or she was not the First Lady, could I?

271
00:09:36,495 --> 00:09:37,390
Others ask me,


272
00:09:37,390 --> 00:09:39,234
“why do his limbs turned black?”


273
00:09:39,234 --> 00:09:40,131
If I'd known the answer,

274
00:09:40,131 --> 00:09:41,048
I would have definitely prevented it from happening.

275
00:09:41,048 --> 00:09:42,354
I have to admit that I don't know.

276
00:09:42,354 --> 00:09:44,440
So when I was in my 40s,

277
00:09:44,440 --> 00:09:46,487
I thought that

278
00:09:46,487 --> 00:09:49,553
why couldn't this patient be saved?


279
00:09:49,553 --> 00:09:51,557
Finally, when I was reached my 50s,

280
00:09:51,557 --> 00:09:54,057
the concept dawned on me.


281
00:09:54,057 --> 00:09:56,661
There's a Chinese poetry that says: "I've searched high and low for her."

282
00:09:56,661 --> 00:09:57,533
"It's only when I turned around,"


283
00:09:57,533 --> 00:09:59,652
"The woman I seek is just standing behind me near a lantern."

284
00:09:59,652 --> 00:10:00,439
That day,

285
00:10:00,439 --> 00:10:01,880
it dawned on me that

286
00:10:01,880 --> 00:10:04,143
doctors are people, not God.


287
00:10:04,143 --> 00:10:05,262
Doctors can only try our best.

288
00:10:05,262 --> 00:10:08,058
That’s it.

289
00:10:08,058 --> 00:10:10,284
I began to reason this philosophy out.

290
00:10:10,284 --> 00:10:11,144
Let's look at seasons. 


291
00:10:11,144 --> 00:10:13,199
There's spring, summer, autumn, and winter.

292
00:10:13,199 --> 00:10:15,449
Medicine has its limit.


293
00:10:15,449 --> 00:10:18,010
No matter how advanced science is,

294
00:10:18,010 --> 00:10:19,243
with today’s technology,

295
00:10:19,243 --> 00:10:19,921
a person without a heart,

296
00:10:19,921 --> 00:10:20,497
or lungs,

297
00:10:20,497 --> 00:10:21,530
or liver,

298
00:10:21,530 --> 00:10:21,894
or kidney,

299
00:10:21,894 --> 00:10:23,168
can still live.

300
00:10:23,168 --> 00:10:26,162
But can we replace our organs with devices or gadgets


301
00:10:26,162 --> 00:10:27,981
forever?

302
00:10:27,981 --> 00:10:30,493
Medicine still has its limits.

303
00:10:30,493 --> 00:10:32,696
So I came to a conclusion.

304
00:10:32,696 --> 00:10:35,604
Can gardeners change the seasons?

305
00:10:35,604 --> 00:10:37,168
Of course not.


306
00:10:37,168 --> 00:10:39,070
Gardeners can only make flowers

307
00:10:39,070 --> 00:10:42,221
grow prettier in the four seasons.

308
00:10:42,221 --> 00:10:43,490
As a doctor,

309
00:10:43,490 --> 00:10:45,806
am I capable of changing nature's rules to birth, aging, sickness or death?

310
00:10:45,806 --> 00:10:46,731
Well,


311
00:10:46,731 --> 00:10:47,990
it's very difficult.

312
00:10:47,990 --> 00:10:49,455
As a doctor,


313
00:10:49,455 --> 00:10:52,358
all we can do is to enable people

314
00:10:52,358 --> 00:10:53,692
to go through life a little easier when they’re alive.

315
00:10:53,692 --> 00:10:54,557
That’s all.

316
00:10:54,557 --> 00:10:55,356
So gradually,


317
00:10:55,356 --> 00:10:57,114
I came to realize that

318
00:10:57,114 --> 00:11:01,231
doctors are just the gardeners in the life's garden.

319
00:11:01,231 --> 00:11:05,380
As a gardener,

320
00:11:05,380 --> 00:11:07,308
when faced with the withered plants,


321
00:11:07,308 --> 00:11:09,070
how to treat them is a great question.


322
00:11:09,070 --> 00:11:11,563
As an expert in critical care,

323
00:11:11,563 --> 00:11:14,931
how do I face death?

324
00:11:14,931 --> 00:11:16,884
From a scientific aspect,

325
00:11:16,884 --> 00:11:19,289
or more precisely, from molecular science,

326
00:11:19,289 --> 00:11:20,615
a system undergoing physical reaction

327
00:11:20,615 --> 00:11:21,548
on a molecular level


328
00:11:21,548 --> 00:11:22,398
will tend to minimize energy

329
00:11:22,398 --> 00:11:23,418
and maximize entropy.

330
00:11:23,418 --> 00:11:26,607
So delta S (entropy) should be greater or equal to zero.


331
00:11:26,607 --> 00:11:29,524
Some may ask how delta s is greater than zero.

332
00:11:29,524 --> 00:11:31,317
Some believe it's from the Big Bang theory,

333
00:11:31,317 --> 00:11:33,748
as it describes the state of ever-expanding universe.

334
00:11:33,748 --> 00:11:35,827
So that's how delta S is greater than zero.

335
00:11:35,827 --> 00:11:36,697
Or you may ask,

336
00:11:36,697 --> 00:11:38,784
is anything constant in the laws of this universe?

337
00:11:38,784 --> 00:11:39,353
Honestly,

338
00:11:39,353 --> 00:11:40,244
I don’t have an answer to this.

339
00:11:40,244 --> 00:11:41,720
There’s an old saying


340
00:11:41,720 --> 00:11:46,173
"A blind man is no judge of colors."

341
00:11:46,173 --> 00:11:47,329
Visually impared folks

342
00:11:47,329 --> 00:11:48,644
can’t distinguish colors

343
00:11:48,644 --> 00:11:50,435
so it's pointless to ask them to judge.

344
00:11:50,435 --> 00:11:52,263
Does constant apply

345
00:11:52,263 --> 00:11:53,449
to the laws in this universe?

346
00:11:53,449 --> 00:11:55,297
Does eternity exist


347
00:11:55,297 --> 00:11:55,993
in space and time?

348
00:11:55,993 --> 00:11:56,483
Frankly,

349
00:11:56,483 --> 00:11:57,535
I don’t know these answers.

350
00:11:57,535 --> 00:11:58,562
But at least,

351
00:11:58,562 --> 00:12:00,605
within the realm of our discussion


352
00:12:00,605 --> 00:12:02,618
delta S is still positive.


353
00:12:02,618 --> 00:12:04,490

What does it mean when we say delta S is positive?


354
00:12:04,490 --> 00:12:05,295
In theory,

355
00:12:05,295 --> 00:12:07,157
objects tends to be in minimum energy and maximum entropy,

356
00:12:07,157 --> 00:12:08,176
creating greater disorder.


357
00:12:08,176 --> 00:12:10,140
My existence

358
00:12:10,140 --> 00:12:11,361
would mean a delta S less than zero,

359
00:12:11,361 --> 00:12:14,958
which defies molecular science.


360
00:12:14,958 --> 00:12:17,202
Then how should we view life and death?


361
00:12:17,202 --> 00:12:18,611
Actually,


362
00:12:18,611 --> 00:12:20,682

we often see ourselves only.


363
00:12:20,682 --> 00:12:22,601

We don’t realize that we are in the universe.

364
00:12:22,601 --> 00:12:24,923
The universe is the combination of us and the environment.

365
00:12:24,923 --> 00:12:26,347
So total delta S


366
00:12:26,347 --> 00:12:29,446
equals to delta S system and delta S surrounding.


367
00:12:29,446 --> 00:12:30,437
So

368
00:12:30,437 --> 00:12:32,631
this is an important concept.

369
00:12:32,631 --> 00:12:35,202
Any organized group


370
00:12:35,202 --> 00:12:37,240
is always in an unstable state.


371
00:12:37,240 --> 00:12:39,428
The group disrupts its surrounding.


372
00:12:39,428 --> 00:12:41,178
So even if delta S for the group is negative,

373
00:12:41,178 --> 00:12:43,284
because the group disrupts its surrounding,


374
00:12:43,284 --> 00:12:44,561
delta S total is greater than zero

375
00:12:44,561 --> 00:12:46,361
to make the equation positive.

376
00:12:46,361 --> 00:12:47,188
So my existence

377
00:12:47,188 --> 00:12:49,326
is to disrupt my surroundings

378
00:12:49,326 --> 00:12:50,298
until one day


379
00:12:50,298 --> 00:12:52,062
when I can no longer do so,

380
00:12:52,062 --> 00:12:53,659
that's when I disrupt myself


381
00:12:53,659 --> 00:12:56,399
so Delta S total can remain positive.

382
00:12:56,399 --> 00:12:58,207
In essence, our existence is to disrupt.

383
00:12:58,207 --> 00:12:59,268
When you’re unable to disrupt the surrounding,


384
00:12:59,268 --> 00:13:00,311
you end up disrupting yourself.

385
00:13:00,311 --> 00:13:01,635
That is the meaning of death.


386
00:13:01,635 --> 00:13:04,917
It's death from a molecular science aspect.


387
00:13:04,917 --> 00:13:07,544
However,


388
00:13:07,544 --> 00:13:08,797
as a doctor,

389
00:13:08,797 --> 00:13:10,885
I understand molecular science.

390
00:13:10,885 --> 00:13:13,159
But what about the meaning of life?

391
00:13:13,159 --> 00:13:14,758
One day, when I was in ICU

392
00:13:14,758 --> 00:13:15,620
making my rounds


393
00:13:15,620 --> 00:13:16,907
I came to realize

394
00:13:16,907 --> 00:13:18,623
that humans only have two types of ending.


395
00:13:18,623 --> 00:13:19,286
One is with inserted tubes.


396
00:13:19,286 --> 00:13:21,529
The other is without.

397
00:13:21,529 --> 00:13:24,340
Both represent death.


398
00:13:24,340 --> 00:13:26,855
Death is every person's final journey.

399
00:13:26,855 --> 00:13:27,804
So


400
00:13:27,804 --> 00:13:30,780
what does death mean to us?


401
00:13:30,780 --> 00:13:33,692
I'd like to share a contrasting viewpoint on this.

402
00:13:33,692 --> 00:13:35,840
If you ask me what death is,

403
00:13:35,840 --> 00:13:37,486
I will ask you:

404
00:13:37,486 --> 00:13:40,495
what does it mean to be alive?

405
00:13:40,495 --> 00:13:41,452
Everyone here in this audience

406
00:13:41,452 --> 00:13:43,149
came to hear a lecture.


407
00:13:43,149 --> 00:13:45,157
I hope you can do one thing when you leave.

408
00:13:45,157 --> 00:13:46,567
Before falling asleep tonight,

409
00:13:46,567 --> 00:13:47,433
when you’re lying on your bed,

410
00:13:47,433 --> 00:13:49,017
ask yourself this question:

411
00:13:49,017 --> 00:13:58,424
"What does it mean to be alive?"


412
00:13:58,424 --> 00:13:59,208
Because


413
00:13:59,208 --> 00:14:00,621
this question


414
00:14:00,621 --> 00:14:02,552
leads us to contemplate 


415
00:14:02,552 --> 00:14:03,831
on the meaning of life.


416
00:14:03,831 --> 00:14:05,909
My answer to the question is this:

417
00:14:05,909 --> 00:14:07,168
"When you’re searching for the answer to the question,

418
00:14:07,168 --> 00:14:10,508
it is the answer to the question."

419
00:14:10,508 --> 00:14:12,331
Everyone dies eventually.


420
00:14:12,331 --> 00:14:14,200
No one will set death


421
00:14:14,200 --> 00:14:15,404
as his or her goal in life.

422
00:14:15,404 --> 00:14:17,299
Therefore, life is just a process.

423
00:14:17,299 --> 00:14:20,082
In this process 


424
00:14:20,082 --> 00:14:21,371
during one's entire lifespan


425
00:14:21,371 --> 00:14:23,530
we keep searching for the answer

426
00:14:23,530 --> 00:14:25,133
to the meaning of existence.

427
00:14:25,133 --> 00:14:27,403
So when you’re searching for the answer to existence

428
00:14:27,403 --> 00:14:29,042
that is the very answer to the question.


429
00:14:29,042 --> 00:14:31,249
Death is not the goal of life.


430
00:14:31,249 --> 00:14:33,491
Life is just a process.

431
00:14:33,491 --> 00:14:37,558
Recently, I've been sharing the story of feces.

432
00:14:37,558 --> 00:14:39,110
At one time, my advisor was going to retire.

433
00:14:39,110 --> 00:14:39,673
So he said,

434
00:14:39,673 --> 00:14:40,556
"I am going to retire,

435
00:14:40,556 --> 00:14:41,375
treat me to somewhere fancy."

436
00:14:41,375 --> 00:14:42,480
I said, "Of course."

437
00:14:42,480 --> 00:14:44,389
So my advisor, another schoolmate, and I

438
00:14:44,389 --> 00:14:46,503
went to the 2nd floor of the Sheraton Hotel

439
00:14:46,503 --> 00:14:48,959
to celebrate in a French restaurant.

440
00:14:48,959 --> 00:14:51,654
The three of us spent TWD$ 26,000.

441
00:14:51,654 --> 00:14:54,397
I was astonished when I got the bill.


442
00:14:54,397 --> 00:14:56,010
How could I eat something so expensive?


443
00:14:56,010 --> 00:14:57,909
I’d never been to that kind of restaurant before,

444
00:14:57,909 --> 00:14:58,596
so we ordered

445
00:14:58,596 --> 00:14:59,993
some random and unknown dishes.

446
00:14:59,993 --> 00:15:01,369
When I saw the bill,

447
00:15:01,369 --> 00:15:03,168
TWD$ 26,000, I was too shocked to speak.

448
00:15:03,168 --> 00:15:04,927
The next morning, in the toilet,


449
00:15:04,927 --> 00:15:09,081
I examined my feces carefully.

450
00:15:09,081 --> 00:15:10,606
I thought in my mind,


451
00:15:10,606 --> 00:15:15,390
"I’d spent TWD$ 9,000 dollars producing this."

452
00:15:15,390 --> 00:15:15,909
After careful examination, I concluded that


453
00:15:15,909 --> 00:15:18,394
this "poo" looks no different from the feces I produced after dining in the NTU hospital cafeteria.

454
00:15:18,394 --> 00:15:19,800
The buffet there costs TWD$ 70 only.

455
00:15:19,800 --> 00:15:23,550
I couldn't tell the difference.

456
00:15:23,550 --> 00:15:26,659
On the toilet, I came to realize that

457
00:15:26,659 --> 00:15:28,606
all the wealth one desires

458
00:15:28,606 --> 00:15:35,666
turns out to be crap.

459
00:15:40,074 --> 00:15:43,061
Confucianism is the most important philosophical system in the Chinese culture.

460
00:15:43,077 --> 00:15:45,613
The advantages of Confucianism are that

461
00:15:45,613 --> 00:15:48,047
its philosophy is about human virtues.


462
00:15:48,047 --> 00:15:50,254
Let's look at a few passages

463
00:15:50,254 --> 00:15:51,104
in the Analects of Confucius.

464
00:15:51,104 --> 00:15:52,455
"“If you don't understand what life is, how will you understand death?"

465
00:15:52,455 --> 00:15:53,059
"If you can't yet serve men,"

466
00:15:53,059 --> 00:15:54,474
"how can you serve the spirits?”

467
00:15:54,474 --> 00:15:55,223
“When your parents are alive,"

468
00:15:55,223 --> 00:15:55,624
"serve them with propriety;"

469
00:15:55,624 --> 00:15:56,015
"when they die,"

470
00:15:56,015 --> 00:15:56,921
"bury them with propriety,"

471
00:15:56,921 --> 00:15:58,320
"and then worship them with propriety."

472
00:15:58,320 --> 00:15:59,975

Confucianism refused to talk about life and death.


473
00:15:59,975 --> 00:16:00,955
Instead, Confucius gave answers to

474
00:16:00,955 --> 00:16:02,620
sacrificing life for justice

475
00:16:02,620 --> 00:16:04,293
and how man holds no regret

476
00:16:04,293 --> 00:16:06,653
once he understands "the way".

477
00:16:06,653 --> 00:16:09,508
To a follower of Confucianism, the question of life and death

478
00:16:09,508 --> 00:16:11,074
is a topic to be avoided.

479
00:16:11,074 --> 00:16:12,281
He offered no direct answers.

480
00:16:12,281 --> 00:16:14,439
So...

481
00:16:14,439 --> 00:16:15,292
on the positive side,

482
00:16:15,292 --> 00:16:15,986
he focuses on the time when he is alive.

483
00:16:15,986 --> 00:16:17,812
Just avoid these big questions

484
00:16:17,812 --> 00:16:19,564
and focus on the things you have at hand.

485
00:16:19,564 --> 00:16:20,551
But there is one problem.

486
00:16:20,551 --> 00:16:23,685
He totally sidesteps the question of life and death.

487
00:16:23,685 --> 00:16:26,098
The following is what I think.

488
00:16:26,098 --> 00:16:27,749
In Chinese culture,


489
00:16:27,749 --> 00:16:29,722
Confucianism is the most crucial philosophy.

490
00:16:29,722 --> 00:16:31,506
Back then, our forefathers didn't want to discuss life and death.

491
00:16:31,506 --> 00:16:33,372
They tried to avoid the question.

492
00:16:33,372 --> 00:16:36,354
There’s a saying from Sun Tzu's Art of War:

493
00:16:36,354 --> 00:16:38,198
"Force soldiers to see the face of death; they will fight to stay alive."

494
00:16:38,198 --> 00:16:40,219
Only when we can face death

495
00:16:40,219 --> 00:16:42,735
or even face death straight up

496
00:16:42,735 --> 00:16:45,724
can we begin to reflect on

497
00:16:45,724 --> 00:16:47,234
what life is.

498
00:16:47,234 --> 00:16:49,549
We will all die one day.

499
00:16:49,549 --> 00:16:51,760
Life is just a process,

500
00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:55,428
a process of searching for the meaning of existence.

501
00:16:55,428 --> 00:16:57,351
That's just my humble opinion.

502
00:16:57,351 --> 00:16:58,845
I think I can be considered an astute person.

503
00:16:58,845 --> 00:17:00,571
My stamina is good, too.

504
00:17:00,571 --> 00:17:03,362
I've biked around the entire Taiwan island on my first biking tour.

505
00:17:03,362 --> 00:17:05,459
Just because I'm asute

506
00:17:05,459 --> 00:17:07,231
and also in good physical shape,

507
00:17:07,231 --> 00:17:09,225
can I use these blessings

508
00:17:09,225 --> 00:17:10,153
to bully 


509
00:17:10,153 --> 00:17:11,317
or to take advantage of others?

510
00:17:11,317 --> 00:17:12,127
Definitely not.

511
00:17:12,127 --> 00:17:12,815
So

512
00:17:12,815 --> 00:17:14,870
those who are blessed

513
00:17:14,870 --> 00:17:16,527
should be grateful.


514
00:17:16,527 --> 00:17:18,480
If we are very capable,

515
00:17:18,480 --> 00:17:20,088
shouldn't we actively help others

516
00:17:20,088 --> 00:17:22,717
and make our lives more meaningful?

517
00:17:22,717 --> 00:17:23,861
Life is about "knowing gratitude" and "repaying gratitude."

518
00:17:23,861 --> 00:17:25,832
When I visited Dharma Drum Mountain Monastery,

519
00:17:25,832 --> 00:17:27,717
the abbot there, Veneralble Guo-Dong, shared with me

520
00:17:27,717 --> 00:17:28,709
the idea of "knowing and repaying gratitude,"

521
00:17:28,709 --> 00:17:29,568
as well as "being grateful, not resentful."

522
00:17:29,568 --> 00:17:31,245
He said,

523
00:17:31,245 --> 00:17:32,530
“I know you've been wronged,”

524
00:17:32,530 --> 00:17:34,504
“but you can’t complain."

525
00:17:34,504 --> 00:17:38,666
"Instead, you should make greater vows to help others in need.”

526
00:17:38,666 --> 00:17:40,659
Lastly, let me share a concept

527
00:17:40,659 --> 00:17:42,430
called “a to the power of n.”


528
00:17:42,430 --> 00:17:44,080
If "a" is greater than 1,

529
00:17:44,080 --> 00:17:45,442
"a" to the power of "n" is infinity.

530
00:17:45,442 --> 00:17:46,679
If "a" is less than 1,

531
00:17:46,679 --> 00:17:48,282
"a" to the power of "n" will approach zero rapidly.

532
00:17:48,282 --> 00:17:49,763
What does that mean?

533
00:17:49,763 --> 00:17:52,543
If what I give to the society

534
00:17:52,543 --> 00:17:54,062
is greater than what I take from the society,

535
00:17:54,062 --> 00:17:55,283
my "a" is greater than one.

536
00:17:55,283 --> 00:17:57,256
This society will become better and better accordingly.

537
00:17:57,256 --> 00:17:58,801
If what I take from the society

538
00:17:58,801 --> 00:18:00,488
is greater than what I give to the society,


539
00:18:00,488 --> 00:18:01,642
my "a" will be less than 1.

540
00:18:01,642 --> 00:18:03,431
Consequently, this society will increasingly collapse.

541
00:18:03,431 --> 00:18:05,419
I will end my speech

542
00:18:05,419 --> 00:18:07,295
with these words.

543
00:18:07,295 --> 00:18:09,415
"Facing hardships is not the most difficult thing."

544
00:18:09,415 --> 00:18:11,167
"The most difficult thing is..."

545
00:18:11,167 --> 00:18:12,784
"to facing the hardships"

546
00:18:12,784 --> 00:18:14,241
"without loosing your passion for mankind."

547
00:18:14,241 --> 00:18:16,177
Thank you, everyone!