Dear Teachers and Students:
In the spring month of March with sprouting grass and twittering birds, the 2020 SWJTU “3·25 (Love Yourself)” Campus Mental Health Cultural Festival gathers teachers and students online due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The date March 25th is chosen because of its similar sound to “Kindly Love Yourself” in Chinese. On the same day back in 2012, SWJTU launched the month for mental health education and promotion for the first time, with the aim of advocating self-love and self-care among college students. It was hoped that you appreciate and accept your whole selves with such warmth and tolerance and face each experience with a positive and open mindset to grow happily and amount to something in a healthy manner. We should treat others and the society with love and harmony from within so as to create a beautiful campus together and contribute to the building of a beautiful China.
The March 25th University Campus Mental Health Education and Promotion Campaign has been held for 8 years in a row. It has enjoyed the staunch support from and promotion by the Department of Ideological and Political Work of the Ministry of Education and the Department of Education of Sichuan and received positive responses from universities across China.
The theme of this year’s campus mental-health cultural festival is: Love yourself, respect and embrace life. The spring festival of 2020 will definitely go down in history as a special one. A virus named COVID-19 suddenly invaded, breaking the hustle and bustle and peace of the spring festival. For the first time, the virus has brought people across the 9.6 million square kilometers of China into close touch with the threat of death.
For more than two months, the heroes in harm’s way have been at the frontline against the outbreak, embodying the Nightingale Oath with action and care: the whole country answered the call of stay-at-home to be safe from the virus, while some of the heroes are in the worst-hit areas, even closing the doors doesn’t shut out the creeping fear; some people in low-risk areas are rattled and anxious due to the mixed information gushing from the Internet.
In his important speech on February 23rd, General Secretary Xi Jinping pointed out: “the Chinese nation has gone through a lot of trials and tribulations, but has never been crumbled. Instead, we have become stronger each time, constantly growing in and emerging from the hardships.” The COVID-19 outbreak is both a crisis and a major test. With the painstaking efforts of all Chinese, the current situation is positive and improving. But we are far from the moment for celebration of triumph. The virus is wreaking even greater havoc overseas. There are still many people fighting for their lives in places we know and in those we are unaware of.
But we do have reason to believe that under the strong leadership by the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping as the core, we will win this battle of prevention and control against the virus! Just like the past, the dust will settle and we will embrace a better future together.
While sickness, separation and death cause people pain, they also teach us to cherish what we have. Life is unpredictable and short. Be it the present day or the future, we need to live life to the fullest, cherish it, be grateful and content with what we have. We hereby call on everyone to “love yourself, respect and embrace Life”.
Love the angry, sad, anxious, panic-stricken, helpless, aggrieved and avoidant self;
Love the self-willed, battling, persistent, brave, kind, happy and friendly self.
Respect those suffering, helpless, weak and ordinary lives;
Respect those tenacious, strong, fighting and indomitable lives.
Embrace the lonely, isolated, frustrated and lost parts of life;
Embrace the life when we can touch the sunshine, the grass and the breeze freely.
It is only hoped that the outbreak will fade away, that each of us can slow down a bit, put our souls in sync with our bodies, treat ourselves well, respect life and move on with a heart of gratitude. We hope to cherish of beauty of life and the beauty of happiness “where we can face the ocean with spring blossoms”.
