You Are All Going To Die!, page 3

indeed we all die, happiness is the only wealth we can have.
though we could never hope to achieve immortality in our consciousness as we know it, and it's obvious that it's useless to trivialize about whats on the other side of the fence until your actually there, there is one way we CAN live forever, not as individuals, but as a whole. it doesn't matter what is on the other side of that fence, all we know is what is on this side, so making the best out of it is important.
but are we so selfish as to live in excess to such extremes as to leave our future generations with nothing to enjoy?
if life is worth living then it is for them. that is the immortality we can achieve, and even that can't continue on forever.
"live for yourself and you live in vain, live for others and you live again" bob marley
it's easy just to forget about all of the evils(for lack of a better word) of the world and isolate yourself, everyone needs a sanctuary of sorts to relax and relieve stress. but it's important to remember that if the caring and the wise are kept isolated, there will be no enlightenment for those who are manipulated by the greedy.
those who can think for themselves may be ostracized, and many social stigmas are put on those people by those who would take control and keep it, but keeping your ideas and perceptions to yourself will do no good, even if the penalty for such is death.
there are three treasures that come from the tao, and all life could never exist without them

the first is love or just kindness. this is the root of all courage and bravery. a benign leader will always have fearless warriors because they have the same goals, the same motivation.

the second is moderation. one who knows when enough is enough is he who truly can have enough. in this way resources can be used where they are needed. those who live in insufficiency will never have a chance to live in moderation. one who lives in overabundance is like a man who keeps filling his cup though it is full, hoarding all that he can until there is nothing left for his neighbors.

the last is humility. this is the root of all trust. by not taking precedence over others we can gain from their perspectives and wisdom. even the smallest and insignificant of things, living or inanimate, can yield the most profound wisdom.

every living thing on the planet lives according to these three things in perfect balance. every one of them except for us. we are poised to destroy everything just for the sake of ignorance and apathy. but if there is anything worth doing, any satisfaction to be had, it is in enlightening a civilization who lives in darkness, but not to blind them.
it's easy to be cynical. it's easy to give in to what is widely accepted. it's easy to go through the motions of every day without any new experiences or ideas. but the creative process is the essence of life itself, and as long as we happen to be living and conscious, it's in our best interest not to make a mockery of it.