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Ocean View (筑楼听海)Copyright ©Jade Meng (mengjade@yahoo.com)
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August 27 Quotes from "As a Man Thinketh" - by James Allen
Man is made or unmade by himself; in the armory of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself; he also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace. Man is the master of thought, the molder of character,and the maker and shaper of condition, environment, and destiny. Good thoughts and actions can never produce bad results; bad thoughts and actions can never produce good results. Out of a clean heart comes a clean life and clean body. Out of a defiled mind proceeds a defiled life and a corrupt body. The universe does not favor the greedy, the dishonest, the vicious, although on the mere surface it may sometimes appear to do so; it helps the honest, the magnanimous, the virtuous. The vision that you glorify in your mind, the Ideal that you enthrone in your heart-this you will build your life by, this you will become. The strong, calm man is always loved and revered. He is like a shade-giving tree in a thirsty land, or a sheltering rock in a storm. August 19 Forgiving and Letting Go
Nearly everyone has been hurt by the others’ words and actions. If you hold feelings of anger and grudge within yourself, you can never have real lasting happiness and inner peace.
Some people overact to your words or put words to your mouth; some people make conclusions with little information and they believe their illusions are truth, and they spread falsehoods; some people use worst imagination to think about others and they think they are kind and trying to help; some people are natural liars who can't stop lying.
You can forgive people without excusing their acts. You can free yourself from bitterness and thoughts of revenge. Forgiving will give you a freer and happier life. People are mean because they are losers, or vice versa, people are losers because they are mean. Forgive them; if they can’t hurt you, they are hurting themselves by collecting negative karma.
Let go all the bad feelings; don’t let bitterness grip on you. Let go the past, focus on the present and create a promising future. Move forward to live a life with success, love, happiness, mercy and kindness. Focus on improving yourself; focus on your good life. Your success and happy life is the best revenge to the jealous and mean-spirited people.
No one knows the entire truth. You can’t judge. Only God can. No one can escape the net of destiny. August 12 The Bliss of Solitude
Around 1100 BC, there was a sage who lived alone in the mountains and fished in the river.
A woodman passed by and said, “You old lonely man, you are isolated.”
The sage replied calmly without looking up, “The government is corrupt, and the society is in disorder. People around thwart me to become who I am supposed to be. I am here to develop my knowledge, build up my strength and grow my wisdom. Actually, I isolate them.”
One day, a wise king went hunting in the mountains. He saw the sage fishing in the river and talked with him. The king was convinced by the sage’s remarks and philosophy, so he asked the sage to be his Prime Minister.
As Prime Minister, the sage assisted the king build a strong kingdom with reasonable legal system and healthy economic policy. The society became organized and prosperous and people lived abundantly and contentedly.
We can observe a person’s character better when he is in solitude than when he is surrounded by people. August 07 Mental Health and Intelligence
A very intelligent man who holds stereotyped view of women will destroy a woman’s self-image. Contrarily, an open-minded man will boost a woman up. My husband told me several times, “You are who you are.” “You can be who you want to be.” Although I am still pursuing who I am, I am less crippled by my self-imposed limitations.
When you are weak, a mentally strong man will not think you are a problem; when you are strong and smart, he will not feel intimidated. A confident man will value and respect your real self.
A mentally healthy man seldom gossips. He only talks about events and ideas. When you are perplexed, he will analyze cause and effect of a situation, and help you find a constructive solution. He takes responsibility while giving space. He knows the value of appreciation and gratitude.
A mentally healthy man will exert good influence on you, uplift you and help you develop your full potential. He also can conceive and raise healthy kids with you. If you are a woman who is searching a husband, go for a man who has a healthy mind and a positive outlook of society, who respects others, has good life habits and is self-disciplined. These qualities are basic; intelligence, wealth and other are plus.
August 05 The Night of Sevens
The seventh day of the seventh lunar month of Chinese calendar, literally, “the Night of Sevens”, is called Chinese Valentine’s Day.
In the legend, the heavenly Empress had a beautiful daughter “the weaver girl”, who weaved clouds and spread them in the sky. The weaver girl came to the earth for fun and happened to fall in love with a young cowherd. They lived happily together and had two children. The heavenly Empress was furious about this marriage. She forced the weaver girl back to the heaven to weave colorful clouds. The cowherd followed them to the heaven. The Empress was angry, so she used her hairpin to scratch a wide river, “the Milky Way”, to separate them. The weaver girl missed her husband and children very much and cried all days. As a result, the Empress allowed them to cross the Milky Way to meet once per year at the Night of Sevens.
This sad story reminds me my college friend Yan. Yan had a boyfriend when she was at school. When they graduated, her boyfriend found a job in Beijing, but she couldn’t find a job there. She went to a Southern city. Two years ago, I googled her and found a news picture, in which she was dancing for a Spring Festival Party, in green skirt, with two silk fans. I remember she ever danced in school party. She moved gracefully and swiftly as she was floating on the water. She waved and rotated two fans nimbly. I thought she must have had a good life and felt happy for her.
Recently, I googled her again, and found her name on a list of legal transfer orders from National Department of Personnel to allow her legally to move into Beijing living with her husband there. Twelve years’ nominal separation! What strong love! What a strong marriage! It is inhuman.
Twelve years ago, I was the emcee of a student New Year’s party in Beijing. A tall handsome boy sang a song, “I can’t help feeling very very sad. Before it starts, it has already ended. I can’t tell the difference between love or not to love. The sorrow in my heart, the smile on my face, it feels as I am separating from myself. ” After a long time, I still remember the sad song and the sad voice.
Before it starts, it has already ended. At some circumstance, love means “hoping you have a better life than mine”.
Tomorrow will be the seventh day of the seventh lunar month of Chinese calendar. I hope all the policy constrained, financially constrained, and physically constrained lovers and couples happy. August 02 Special Love
July 31 Diamond and Balloon
If you inflate a balloon excessively, the balloon will explode.
Excessive stress can build up your inner strength. Extreme exaltation may make you generate wrong sense of self; afterwards you will receive unbearable internal and external pressure.
Some excellent people were destroyed not by extreme pressure but by unreasonable exaltation which they were incapable to handle. July 26 Burden is a Blessing
A camel trekked in a desert carrying a lot of cargos. She promised to transport all the goods to the other end of the desert. She was exhausted by the burning sun and the scorching sand, so she crouched down waiting for someone to help her.
A camel came across. He asked, “Can we travel together?” “Yes, but I have a lot of burden.” He answered, “I like you, but I dislike your burden. I love an easy life.” Then he walked away.
After a while, another camel arrived. He saw all the cargos, and then sighed, “I hope someone can share my burden. You already have a lot.” He tottered away.
The female camel was irritated, she said to herself, “I hate my burden. I am so constrained.” But she wanted to fulfill her promise to carry the cargos all the way to the destination.
She became weaker and weaker. Not only she had a lot of burden, but also she looked like a burden.
Finally, a camel arrived, he said, “I already have a lot of burden, but I don’t mind carrying your entire burden. Travel with me, you will get stronger and stronger.”
The female camel ever hated her burden, and then she realized that her burden was a blessing, which helped her find a strong, responsible and kind travel partner.
Nothing comes from pure luck. If someone enjoys something good, he must have merits and virtues to deserve it. If you take your responsibility, never give up, you are blessed. It is called hidden virtue in Buddhism.
What does "burden" mean? In this essay, burden can mean emotional stress, cultural loss, financial problem, family responsibility or a combination of all of them. The more burden you have, the less choice you can make. For a unique lock, only a unique key can open it. Sometimes, even you are willing to help, you are unable to solve. Burden is not always burden. At some point, burden turns into great motivation. July 20 Lever and Footing
Great imagination! If Archimedes wanted to move the world, he had to stand somewhere out of the world, maybe on moon or Mars.
If you cannot stand on your feet, you are nobody, you will never get a lever; even if you have a lever, you are unable to exert your entire strength on the lever without a solid foothold, and the lever may work against you. Find your footing, stand on your own, get your lever, then put the lever on a firm fulcrum, you can move something definitely.
Be surefooted, stand, then walk, and then run. The first step is to find your footing. July 15 Living Well, Writing Well You sit down there, you feel your brain is empty and you cannot write down a word. You wonder why some people have capability to depict an event so vivid as if you went through it by yourself; why they can describe people and situations so true that you even feel they knew you and they were talking about you.
Good writers care about life and they pay attention to things around them. Here comes my first suggestion: Live your life to the fullest. Put your heart and mind into daily life. Care people, nature, and activities around you. Seize every moment to explore the world. Feel everything around: the gentle breeze, the soothing moonlight, the flowers in the garden, and the flying birds, even the traffic, the pollution, and the natural disasters. Go to a concert. Go to museums. Go to a plantation. Go to Disney World. Don’t miss a thing. Observe and experience the world around you, you will find there are a lot of feelings, memories and thoughts in your mind; you have so much to tell, words flow out under your fingertips.
Think and meditate often. Have a meditation everyday, relax and think: what happened today; what I can learn from it. When good ideas and meaningful thoughts pop up, write down them quickly before you forget. It will build your wisdom and provide you plenty of ideas and thoughts in reserve. Live a truthful and confident life, think in a positive way. All the ups and downs, peaks and valleys, sunny days and rainy days can become writing material for you. After you understand every cloud has its silver lining, you can write an essay or a poem passionately even while you are in the dumps.
Your personal experience and knowledge is still not enough. Read widely to expand your view. Reading is a surefire way to build up your vocabulary, to expand your vision and to create your wealth of knowledge. What’s more, you can learn how to write well from good writers. Read Earnest Hemingway, Mark Twain, Anton Chekhov and all the other good writers. Read the bestselling, there must be a reason they are popular. When you read, not only focus on the information and the story, but also on the way of thinking and the style of writing. Read with a focus mind; memorize good lines which intrigue you. Emulate good writing style, until you are adequate enough to create your own style. As the Tang Poet Du Fu wrote, “Reading thousands of books, you can write magically.”
Put your heart and your passion into your writing. When people read your writings, they want to know you, know your personality, your individuality. Feel free to be yourself. Write with your heart; let your passion shine through your writings. Readers will feel your excitement, be captivated and follow your thoughts. Only heart can touch heart. When they are moved, they will remember not only your writings but also yourself. They will return to you again and again.
Content is the soul of a piece of writing, but the soul needs a fine way to show. Pay attention to structure and flow. Make your feelings, your stories and your points work together smoothly. When you write an essay, you can tell a story, and then make a point; or you can put your conclusion first, then give several examples to prove it; or you can just follow the classic five-paragraph format. Whatever way you choose, you have to grab the readers’ attention at the beginning, drive them to read through to the end.
Content is always the essence, form and style are supportive. What you say is important, how to say it is also important. Saying in the right way will surely enhance your idea; saying it in the wrong way will ruin your purpose. Writing techniques can be learned. To polish your writing, you can read published books which offer you a compendium of specific tips. I just got a copy of “The Elements of Style” by William Struck Jr. and E. B. White, which is highly recommended by a lot of writers. As they suggested, if you only have time to read one book about writing, read this one.
Writing is an important communication tool to express your opinions and feelings. Writing skills are critical for your success at school and at work. By deliberate practice, you can improve your writing skills and will not be daunted by a writing task anymore. You can enjoy the beauty to express yourself freely, to connect with people effectively and to influence people positively.
Published on Vita Issue 5, ASIAPAC Books. July 05 Rainbow in the Sky
I feel more and more there exist miracles in this world. When I was 33 weeks pregnant with my second boy, I was involved in an accident. My vehicle was hit by a SUV, ran off from the road, destroyed some shrubs, and then stopped slantwise in a ditch. I sat peacefully at the driver’s seat and felt God was at my side in my car.
Yesterday we drove our two sons to Disney Orland for July 4th celebration. On I-4, I saw a rainbow in the sky. When I watched the splendid firework show at Magic Kingdom, I thought there really is God, whichever religion you believe.
This world is a mix of lies and truths, imaginations and realities, which are hard to discern. It is better to live a truthful life, because you can cheat people, but no one can cheat God. Cause and Effect are linked through the past, present and future. The law of Cause and Effect are inescapable. People who collect merits and virtues will be rewarded; People who talk evils and conduct wrongdoings are collecting their negative karma. Nothing happened whithout a reason. We have to be careful of our speech and action. June 29 Things I learned from “Kung Fu Panda” (功夫熊猫）
This afternoon, I brought my elder son William to a movie theatre to watch “Kung Fu Panda”. It is an entertaining but deep movie, combining Chinese culture elements and Hollywood humor. It embodies wisdom from Taoism, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Martial Arts. I learned a lot of wisdom from this cartoon:
Finally, everyone can be a Kung Fu Panda!
If you wonder how I can get all above from an animated film, go to see it yourself. You should not miss this masterpiece! June 22 We are Different, We are Alike
June 15 All’s Well That Ends WellWhen I was a school girl, relatives liked to send their kids to our home for weekends. Because we siblings were good students, they thought their kids could get positive influence from us.
My middle school ever invited my father to give a speech about how to educate children. My father didn’t go, for he had nothing to say.
Privately, we didn’t think our father was a good nurturer or good educator. Sometimes, we even complained him.
Recently, I called my sister who lives in Canada. We talked about our father and reached to a conclusion that our father did a fair job because the result is good that my father sent all four children to college. I ever worked in an institute, where a lot of professors were unable to achieve that.
My father worked hard and sacrificed a great deal for us children, otherwise we couldn’t go this far. He is a result-driven person. I inherited this feature from him. I care much that it is a happy ending when curtain falls.
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Vita, an educational magazine, is an introduction to a brighter and more energetic way of life.
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