年近古稀的我，應該說是飽經風霜、世事洞明了。但依然時而明白，時而懵懂。孔子曰：“七十而從心而欲，不逾矩。”大概已達到大徹大悟的思想境界了吧。吾輩凡夫，生存在功利社會，終日忙忙碌碌，為柴米油鹽所困，酒色財氣所惑，既有追求，又有煩惱，若想做到從心所欲，難矣哉！

老年人的從心所欲，不是說可以我行我素，倚老賣老，從心所欲，說白了，就是要有自己的的活法，在心靈深處構筑獨自的“自由王國”。海空任魚躍，天高任鳥飛，悠悠然自得其樂。這種自由，既是無限的，又是有限的，無限的從心所欲寓于有限的生活空間。我想，這大概就是孔夫子所說的“不逾矩”吧。

Approaching the age of 70, I should be said to be weather-beaten and insightful about the mundane affairs yet I’m still alternately sober and muddled. When Confucius said: “Once I was seventy I was able to follow my heart’s desire freely without overstepping the bounds”, he must have achieved supreme enlightenment. We ordinary people, living in a utilitarian-oriented society, rush about all day long, vexed by daily necessities like fuel, rice, cooking oil and salt, and tempted by cardinal vices such as wine, women, avarice and pride. What an immense difficulty to follow our hearts’ desire in the face of conflicts between pursuits and cares.

To say that we elderly people should have a free rein does not mean we could follow our bigoted course and presume on our advanced age. It means that we, after the discovery of our individual way of living, build our own “Realm of Liberty” in the depths of our minds. The wide sea allows the fish to leap about and vast sky the birds to fly. With such freedom from restraint, we are content with our lot, taking delight in whatever we do. Such freedom is infinite as well as finite in that the infinite liberty of mind is confined in the finite living sphere. To me, that is what Confucius defines as “not overstepping the bounds”.