The Geese Story

Walking around the lake has been a great pleasure of mine since I am in Darlington. Each time is fresh for thoughts. The reason is that every element is changing: trees, sky, grass and even the lake itself. Each of them brings me different inspiration in my thinking. This week, I am happy to see that we have new members in the lake family, the Canadian geese. As a Chinese, the first thing I think of them is an ideal material for my dinner. However, it does not take long for me to discover that they are incredible artists and abandon my initial idea. They are experts in position arrangement, not too strict and accompany with a beauty between order and disorder. The thing they benefit me the most is accompany. I can find privity-rich harmony among them. Every action is individual and at the same time in the group. Think of swimming with your company, what a pleasure. They remind me of the importance of my community, there is a Chinese saying goes “When you are in happiness, you don’t realize it.” It is often too late for us to cherish when we already lose it. I am just an international student, maybe after my graduation I will never come back again in my life. Seldom will I have chance to meet my good friends here for another time. The geese are telling me about the company. Look at the corrugations they draw, there are smiles on the water. Every little minute I spend with my friends should draw corrugations as well, and let them spread like the smiles forever.

Phantom Darkness

I have been walked alone in the chapel after dinner for some times. There was complete dark and silence. Nothing can be felt, seen or touched. However, there was something up rising from the bottom of my mind. It was the phantom of darkness---dread, solitude, misery, etc. Generally speaking, the thoughts of human should be based on realistic beings; I know they come from darkness, but in fact, however, can anyone figure out what darkness is? How to describe it? What is in it? We don’t know. Only are we able to feel those awkward thoughts from it, they are from unknown but we know how they are, they are the phantom of darkness. Human are award of their mind power, yet on the other hand, human suffer from mind too. They are strangely powerful. There were several days when I was having class, everything was normal, however, I was stuck. They arose from my heart and eroded it, isolated me from material to immaterial world. They are the phantom of darkness; you don’t know when they will come out and occupy the bright room. So powerful they are, still not undefeatable. The reason that I called them phantom is because they are not solid. The solid of a man is volition. You cannot stop phantom but you can distinguish it. Never give up when you are in bad mood, everyone is feeling bad some time. However, true volition meets no limit of time. No matter how many times you fall, the important consequence is that you get up after it. We cannot see or feel, but it exists. We cannot avoid or give up, but we are to fight. Instead of stuck ourselves in the phantom of darkness, why not get out and enjoy the true life with sunshine? Let the steel volition lead my way.

Reevaluate Emerson's Ideas on Nature

In Emerson’s essay, he suggests that all that is separated and unchanged by human. It can be air, mountains, or even arts. To get into nature, a man needs the ability of isolation, just as what the monks do. Though his perspective is strong, it is of his time. Literature is most popular at its time; arguments are most eloquent in the decades. Everything is changing. As the development of science and technology, nature can be conquered and changed by men. We make use of nature, we pollute nature, and we protect nature. From this point, we can see that some of his ideas cannot be applied to modern society anymore. However, mind and soul is not that unstable. The idea of the self-thinking to get into nature is still significant. There have been too much for our life in everyday life. People’s life has been in a kind of hush, in order to satisfy the rapid developments. Sometimes we cannot see the truth of the problems. We need to purify our thoughts and keep them away from molestation. Only in this way can we conform ourselves, find the value of ourselves and eventually build our own world, that is, be a part of nature.

Mind Power

The relationship between nature and human beings is an eternal topic. Human beings are part of nature but also distinguished from it. Based on this contradiction, there arose eloquent debaters. Emerson regards fate as a part of nature. Men are easily crushed by visitation of providence and disease. On the contrary, human beings are as powerful as nature. They are not order of the nature; they see, observe, learn and grow. Although the natural is powerful, it does not develop so fast as human. It is too ordinary, but humans think. Man thinking means changes, and changes reflect infinite possibility. In spite of the existence of fate, we are not the slave of fate. Control or be controlled, that is not a problem. We are to be the controller of our fate. Emerson suggests that “Intellect annuls Fate. So far as a man thinks, he is free.” Whatever is fated, it will take place. Yet the consequence is always changing. You are going to face the bad things happen in your life. Like him say, at least for your good. There is a Chinese maxim goes “If human don’t do things for his own good, the providence and the earth will destroy him.” As long as a human thinks, he has the possibility to control his life on his own.

Philosophy of the maples

It has been 3 months since I come to United States. Everything surrounds me is new but friendly. Although much busier, I find myself a way to live with joy and satisfaction here. The most important part of my life here is walking around the lake. It is an amazing masterpiece of the nature, graceful swans, peaceful stone walk, and the maples, which are my favorite.

From September and the first half of October, they are turning golden. I met new friends and became a member of the tiger family. The new life was not hard, the adaption moves favorably. Most often, I would take a walk around the lake after dinner by myself. It was quiet, giving me a time when I can think with pleasure. Then I started to walk with my friends. In spite of my insufficient ability in English, talking was not a tough job for me, I learnt every day. Talking with friends, sharing opinions or experience made the walk more meaningful to me.

Even though I am an atheist, I think that sometimes maples, or nature, guiding people’s destiny with their changes. In the late summer and early November, the maples were catching red. Those have been a remarkable period. Life was warm as the maples, filled to the brim happiness. It was a season of sunshine, marching into and starting my every day. The maples were breathless, not only because its invincible beauty, but also of the walking people. They taught me to appreciate life.

Then they began to fall. If they could really guide people’s destiny, they could make it both happy and miserable. The surroundings began to fall, no longer was the sunshine pretty and warm, without the maples, it became licentious and hurt. Although life must continue and I made it, I found myself become vulnerable and over thoughtful. Also did I found myself so weak that I could be completely beaten by the miserable thoughts sometimes and even made my cheeks wet. Today one of my best friends left here and everybody knew he was not coming back. When everyone’s eyes were turning red, I tried to control myself, but eventually I failed when I was back to my room alone.

Sometimes we just couldn’t stop something bad from happening. However, it does not mean to make our own lives worse. Every happy feast has an end. To too many people and things in our lives, we are just passengers. Although they are sometimes wonderful, the unchanged result is that we will separate and never get together again. Instead of cease to see them because of the fear of being apart, I would rather try not to miss and work hard to enjoy and cherish the very moments. What does man thinking mean to us? In my opinion, the man thinking is learning from life, working with life and making it better.

Beauty as they are, to be on the path. Let the reddish happiness stay. This is the philosophy of maples.

Considerations on Self-Reliance

Self-reliance can be explained as one considers himself of the sovereign principle of life. It is solid and strong. As it is so extreme, there show two very different sides.

Generally, self-reliance is more likely to be considered as a negative word. Highly concentrated in him, a self-reliant person often ignores outer factors. He doesn’t intend to listen to other’s opinion, for he is so confident of himself, or think himself as scared. As stated in Read Ralph Waldo Emerson's "Self Reliance"-“the only right is what is after my constitution, the only wrong what is against it.” The man is carrying himself to oppositions of his surroundings. Histories, especially histories about significant figures, abound with such instances. Qin Shi Huang (Emperor Qin) was the first emperor of China who united the whole mainland. However, he was also criticized for his brutal rule. He was so self-reliant that he ignored the position of the common people. In his eyes, common people only vary by obey or disobey.

Although can drive people to ignorance, at some degree self-reliance is also beneficial. Up till now, there have been several important individuals in my life who told me that the only person can help you is yourself. As an old Chinese saying goes “Far water does not put out near fire.” When encountering problems, the most direct way to solve it is DIY. It does not mean that don’t ask for any help, everyone need help some time. However, if always depend on others; one will gradually reduce his capability. It can be fatal. If you can stand, don’t ask others to help you up. Self-reliance provides the mental condition which is able to satisfy this principle. It is a way to build up independence. Cooperation works most sufficiently when the individuals are capable. Appropriate self-reliance does not contradict cooperation, on the contrast, it makes it perfect and so that benefits.

My views on Being dissocial

Humans have various moods or traits. Obviously, they varies by their qualities, there are some traits which are dreadfully harmful. In my opinion, being dissocial is one of the worst ones.

The world "community" is essential in our life---family, neighbourhood, school, company, etc. No one can get himself out of his own community. If being dissocial, you are just pushing yourself out of life. The capability of an individual is limited, withdrawing from community will result in the difficulty or even impossibility in solving some vital problems. Besides this kind, there is another kind of being dissocial which commonly exists in teenagers. Sometimes they want to be rich in personality, or try to be "cool", and thus they try to act differently. For example, in the school, some of the students will break the dress code in purpose just because they want to look different. There are worse things happening. When there is a big event, everyone is going to fight for their team, and there are some kind of people who don't want to join. The reason is that they are selfish. They may think it does not benefit them at all or it makes him look stupid by doing so. It is truly selfish to think in that way. So being dissocial is also an origin of selfishness.