A famous saying about awe

Zhang Xiaofeng

It was a long summer afternoon in Indiana [Indiana: a state in the United States, located in the eastern United States. ) At a lake. At first, I sat reading casually, and suddenly I found some white fibers floating around the lake, like cotton, some floating on the grass and some floating into the lake. I didn't care too much at that time, but it was brought by the accidental wind.

However, gradually, I found the situation simply surprising. A few hours later, the trees are still unconsciously sending those small clouds, as if they were an infinite cloud bank. The whole afternoon, the whole night, the sky is full of that kind of thing. The situation the next day was exactly the same, and I was surprised and shocked.

In fact, when I was in primary school, I knew that there was a kind of seed that was planted by wind-blown fibers. But I only know the answer to a test question. I really saw it that year, and what I felt wholeheartedly was a kind of certainty. ), an indescribable awe. I almost met life for the first time-although it was a plant.

I feel that the seeds like clouds collide strongly with something in my heart, and I can't help but be moved by the luxury, luxury and cost-free investment of life. Perhaps only one seed, after wandering day and night, is enough to make a tree, but the creator is willing to do such a thrilling feat.

When I meditate, I still think of that lovely lake. I don't know which seed on the lake has become a small tree. At least, I know one has grown up. That seed once met a piece of land, and in the heart valley of a passerby, it became overcast and taught her how to fear life.

Note: This book is selected from Exquisite Prose Philosophy and Culture Volume (Changjiang Literature and Art Publishing House, 1995). Zhang Xiaofeng is a writer in Taiwan Province.

● Relevant materials are available.

I. Introduction to the author

Zhang Xiaofeng, born in Jinhua, Zhejiang Province in 194 1, arrived in Taipei in 1949 and graduated from the Chinese Department of Soochow University. She is one of the famous essayists in Taiwan Province Province. There are many kinds of plays, novels and essays. Her creation is permeated with the spirit of Christian faith, her prose is full of self-sincerity, and her plays contain China's local consciousness.

Second, the appreciation of "Fear of Life"

Zhang Xiaofeng is a woman writer who is good at delicacy and sensitivity. Many of her essays are often based on daily life and what she has seen and heard, exploring the meaning of life and the themes of goodness and beauty in her imagination, such as Mother's Feather and Water Mae. Fear of Life is a short and meaningful work of this kind.

The article is about the association caused by the author's little experience in Indiana. One summer afternoon, when I was reading by the lake, I happened to find large groups of white fibers like cotton scattered on the trees by the lake. The author who was immersed in the book thought it was just blown away by the wind for a while and didn't care. However, gradually, this endless cloud-like seed has completely diverted the author's attention. They drifted away in a spectacular way. They were originally people who came to read books, but they sat quietly by the lake and spent the whole summer afternoon and night unconsciously.

Yes, many of us know that "there is a seed that is broadcast by optical fiber". In plants that we are used to, such as willow, seeds are spread in this way. Then, in the season of willow catkins, what impression did the snow-white Yang Shuhua leave in your heart? Maybe it's Yang Wanli's thought that "Huayang is affectionate and the flying boat falls on the wine"? Or is it as sad as Daiyu's "Wandering is as thin as life, empty and romantic"? Or is the smoke causing the wind? Or flirtatious and dazzling? Sometimes, the endless noise will make you feel helpless unexpectedly? -of course, it may also cause beautiful reverie in your heart, such as Han Yu's "Go to the cleaning mirror, wet and never return"; However, Huayang, a seed flying all over the sky, is always not active in the mindset accumulated by our national cultural tradition.

However, the author felt a different kind of shock in the overwhelming drift. It was "an admiration, an indescribable awe". What we see, whether it is the feeling of hurting spring or the feeling of disgust, is actually our own mood; What the author sees is the seed itself, not life. If you don't have a material heart, you will always see yourself; Faced with such a grand scene, the author sincerely feels that he is "almost meeting life for the first time". Aren't all beings visible from the eyes, plants, birds and animals between the stadiums all life? No, the author does not mean the concrete objective existence, but the vitality of life itself, which is the soul-stirring persistence of life to life.

As a result, "the seeds like clouds collide strongly in my heart, and I can't help but be moved by the" luxury, luxury, regardless of cost "of life." Perhaps only one seed, after wandering day and night, is enough to create a tree ",but this is the result of the creator inadvertently, belonging to the vigorous beauty of life itself." What touched the author's heart was actually her sincere gratitude when she faced the great creator.

Are you familiar with this feeling? In your somewhat casual life, has it gone through? Have you been moved by this kind of heart for a long time? -The author, with his unique consideration, refines and strengthens everyone's beautiful feelings about life. Do you still want to grieve for the Spring and Autumn Period? Think about what you already have: red maple and green grass, spring catkins and autumn fireflies, no matter what is weak, it is also a tenacious life!

This is a purely emotional essay, which is short in words and concise. However, it is not just prose. These short hundreds of words, each of which is a fresh seed of the tree that has become turbid in the author's mind, are floating silently regardless of cost and harvest. After that, if you are suddenly touched by the knee-high grass or the thin wings of dragonflies for a moment, it is that one of those seeds floating in your heart has quietly grown and taught you how to fear life.

Third, the appreciation of "Fear of Life"

The earth has given birth to countless lives, but people living in a vibrant world often do not feel the existence of life including themselves, let alone the rich philosophy hidden under simple and ordinary life forms.

This paper chooses the "life" of trees (plants) as the description object, and vividly expounds the awesome persistence and tenacious life consciousness and vitality of trees.

The author's "awe" of trees has gone through a process from shallow to deep, from the outside to the inside. First, it was found that "some white fibers were scattered on a tree by the lake, like cotton, some floated to the grass and some floated to the lake", but "I didn't pay much attention at that time"; Then the situation is "absolutely amazing": "Those trees are still unconsciously sending those little clouds, but it seems to be a giant cloud library", and the author's attitude further becomes "surprise and shock".

The following discussion is the key part of the main idea. The reason why the author feels "impressive" and "awe-inspiring" is that the seeds strongly collide with the author's heart with the persistent spirit of "luxury, luxury, regardless of cost" and "one seed is enough to make a tree fall day and night". It throws a lot, but it can recover a little, and the yield is almost zero; It is extremely small and powerless in the harsh living environment, but it also completes the inheritance of life and realizes the continuation of species with its unique silent persistence. This is really a "thrilling feat".

At this point, the word "life" has been resolved from the platitudes. Full and heavy texture will not only make people respect and impress, but also trigger rich associations and savor the world and all beings in their hearts.

A seed can easily break a person's skull that can't be opened by manpower;

In order to obtain water, the willow roots in the desert are very developed and can stretch for several kilometers.

The pine trees in the crevices of steep cliffs can still stand out from the wind and frost, resist the cold and remain evergreen all the year round.

……

Is the essence of life to constantly break through difficulties, gain new life in desperation, and return to eternity after death?

Four. Appreciate the love of life

Life is relative to life. The best way to love life is to cherish time and love life. Similarly, "death" is another form of "life" and the ultimate state of a passionate and rich life form. If you can fully enjoy all the happiness given by life, will you pay attention to the arrival of death?

-This is the basic meaning level indicated in this paper.

We can understand the first level as a "normal" life. In this case, there are two attitudes towards life: "degree" and "killing" and "hard life"; Take your time and have a good time. But the author goes on to say that life is "superior", "commendable" and "interesting", and we have turned it into "a painful thing and a despicable thing". It can be seen that the loveliness of life depends entirely on our own understanding and attitude towards life. As Seneca said: "A confused person has a dull and uneasy life, but he places all his hopes on the afterlife."

The second level explains the "special" state of life: death. But the author has the secret of turning death into a living, that is, cherishing and loving life, because "only those who are willing to live can truly feel the distress of death" and because "the joy of life depends on our concern for life". Finally, the author said with deep feeling that he was confident that he "enjoyed life twice as much as others". Even if he has entered the twilight of his life, his last days will be more "rich and substantial" because he "takes the time to keep the fleeting days" and "makes up for the fleeting time by making effective use of time"!

This article is a philosopher's quotation, simple and profound; Translated from French nearly 500 years ago, it is a bit awkward to read. But perhaps increasing the difficulty of reading can help people get rid of impetuousness and correct their attitude, so as to better understand and comprehend life?