This morning, out of nowhere, as I was pondering technology, humanity, and life… my mind paused at a single word: Immortality.

It is something vast, something I had never even dared to dream of. Not because I don’t allow my imagination to wander, but because I look at it through the lens of lifespan, calculating based on what I currently have, the numerical probability of immortality is astronomically low, a mere 0.001%. At this point, calling it an “fantasy” feels far more accurate than that number.

It occurred to me that when people long to stay forever young, wishing for the freshness of age eighteen to return, it isn’t just about facial muscles, skin layers, or collagen. In teenage, my diet was far worse than it is now: I was a picky eater, underweight, often dizzy, assuming I was just tired because I lacked the knowledge that I was malnourished, or iron-deficient. Yet despite being skin and bones, weighing only about 35–37 kg, my face still held the plump, rounded vitality of youth. That delicate, innocent youth needed no makeup or technology to explain itself, even if my skin was sun-sunk or dotted with freckles.

Now, in midlife, reflecting back, returning to that youthful era would require countless external interventions: from creams, oral supplements, and stem cells to cosmetics, accessories, and aesthetic procedures. But that clear, youthful, innocent appearance of the past was never just a physical trait. It was an innocence of the mind, a time when, beyond studying and playing with friends, I had no need to worry about the hardships of life. Of course, I had my own anxieties and quiet sadness, but when a young girl doesn’t have to worry about putting food on the table, keeping clothes on her back, or affording tuition, the burden on the mind is immeasurably lighter.

Once adulthood arrives, those worries suddenly become daily burdens, as routine as eating meals. Life turns into a loop of work, struggling to secure food and shelter for oneself, and then for one’s children. That alone is enough to make the facial muscles contract and harden, and solving it is no easy feat, because solving one issue means taking on a dozen connected ones.

Thus, the pure composure of the past was, in truth, the reflection of an innocent heart and a carefree, uncomplicated mind.

I read in the papers that many people say something quite true: they love the natural wrinkles on their faces and wear them like life’s medals. They are certificates of maturity, golden trophies for having magnificently overcome the seemingly impossible, allowing them to look into the mirror every day with a smile. Those are the brief, fleeting moments along the path toward immortality.

We have had the past, we are in the present, but what about the future? On what basis are we shaping our future face and body? Which stage of the past, the present, or what undiscovered combination are we building upon?

If we were to preserve youth forever, would it be the face of age 20, 25, or 30, the moment we felt most beautiful and wished to freeze in time? Or, even at 80, would we still prefer the naive, delicate features of 18?

But what about the eyes? Would they still remain crystal clear, as they were before knowing anything of life? Would a sharp, experienced, world-weary gaze fit a plump, unblemished face? Or would a hesitant, bashful look be more fitting?

And returning to those full lips of the past, what about the smile? Could we still laugh with the carefree abandon of our twenties, or would there be a cold, subdued smirk of maturity hiding behind that youthful visage? Would we accept being viewed by others as a naive, foolish child, until we open our mouth and demonstrate the mastery of a life fully lived, revealing how thoroughly appearances deceived them?

Because to be truly young, one is forced to think like a young person. If the mind within has grown old and murky, every effort to hold on through cosmetics or plastic surgery merely turns a youthful face into a mask entirely detached from its actual facial muscles. Murky, exhausted eyes resting upon artificially smooth skin… how pitiable and absurd that looks.

How fascinating it is to contemplate these things.

Perhaps there lies an irresistible allure: when everyone remains young and beautiful, yet carries a quiet, profound maturity like the deep sea. Imagine a hall filled with youthful faces, yet the aura of those who have lived for ages glows with a warm, grounded composure, while the heat of genuine youth burns impulsively like an uncontained flame.

Why are the heavens and earth eternal? Because they follow the cycles of Nature: returning to dust, dissolving into the void, only to be reborn in a form never anticipated.

Immortality? When the outer shell becomes strong enough to defy time, will our mind remain trapped in the past, or will everything transform in the future?

When speaking of immortality, its true preciousness is precisely what this world requires to endlessly renew life in perpetual cycles. People often imagine that what is eternal is the faith of those who believe in immortality from the very moment they close their eyes. But that faith was, in that very moment, being stopped.

It does not follow them into any eternal realm. It survives only by transforming into a reincarnated belief transferred to the heart of the one left behind, the one holding what is called a “mission” or a “promise,” without a single guarantee, save for the hope and faith that they will fulfil it, for the sake of something greater than themselves. Not beauty, not youth, knowledge, nor wealth… we carry nothing with us except a promise surrendered to the world.

Nature has its own laws, and above all, it is utterly indifferent. It cares nothing for whether one is a historical giant or an ordinary person; it has no regard for social standing, does not care whether you are beautiful or ugly, and pays no mind to who tells the truth or who lies. Every metric, rank, or value that humans bestow upon one another becomes almost meaningless before the laws of eternity.

Immortality? Have you truly prepared for the continuous youth and rebirth of the soul to keep pace with the outer shell? Remember, the inner world is a realm of absolute solitude, a place where, apart from yourself, no one and no technology can ever step in to intervene or clean up on your behalf.

So, before craving immortality, we must ask ourselves the most raw and naked question: Within this body and soul, what truly possesses enduring value, worthy of being preserved by Nature and gifted a life without end above all else?

My little mantra, at least for now: If you wish to prepare for a body that remains perpetually young, make sure you also nurture and train your brain to continuously renew and regenerate, so that your mind can truly stay compatible with the youthful vessel you carry.