The purpose of striving for knowledge is to contribute a little to the society of mankind.
Mark Twain once said, "There were two wonders of the nineteenth century, one was Napoleon and the other was Helen Keller." Recently I read a book about Helen--If You Give Me Three Days of Light, and my heart was y shocked by Helen's spirit after reading this book!
In the book, Helen said, "Knowledge gives love, light, and wisdom, and it should be said that knowledge is happiness, for to have knowledge is to feel the pulse of human activity that has ever existed, or else not to understand the music of human life!" . Indeed, the power of knowledge is infinite, and it is knowledge that has enabled Helen to create these human miracles!
Helen was unfortunate, but she was fortunate, and it was because of knowledge that she was so lucky. In her 19 months after the loss of sight and hearing, and the world lost communication, lost contact, this young life do not know how to put off the isolation of loneliness, she is eccentric, rude, rude, until her Sullivan teacher came into her life, teach her to recognize words, only to make her open the eyes of the soul, to communicate with people. Once exposed to knowledge, the lonely Helen realized that only knowledge can pave the way to light. When Helen perceived "water" - the first word she recognized, it began to knowledge, a strong thirst for the world, began to wait to recognize the word, reading, like a sponge constantly from life itself to draw knowledge. The thirst for knowledge made her learn German, Latin, French and other languages in the unimaginable monotony and tedium, read many literary and philosophical masterpieces, and absorbed the essence of the thoughts of those great men and wise men. She compares learning to climbing the dangerous peaks of strange mountains, falling down and climbing up again, every little progress, there is an encouragement, and gradually see a broader world, until the bright clouds, the depths of the blue sky, the peak of hope! This knowledge, like a rainbow, lit up the lamp in Helen's heart, illuminated her inner world, and built a bridge between Helen and the world!
In the book, Helen used delicate strokes to describe the natural scenery, making it hard to believe that from a deaf-blind person's pen; she went horseback riding, boating, swimming, sledding, and even canoeing alone in the moonlight, to appreciate the beauty of the pond under the moonlight; she went to visit museums, to "listen" to concerts, and even to "enjoy" the opera. She visits museums, "listens" to concerts, and even "enjoys" the opera. ．．．．．． I believe she must have felt the world with her heart and enjoyed life with her heart. She is far happier, fuller and more meaningful than us normal people! It is the knowledge that gives her the courage to live, it is the knowledge that gives her the strength to accept the challenges of life, so that she can face the difficulties with amazing perseverance and finally find the light of life in the darkness. It was knowledge that gave her a kind of faith: the reality of the environment is certainly terrible, but human beings should hold hope and continue to struggle. What is the meaning of life, what is the value of life? Human life is short, we never seem to think or dare not imagine the future of the world, daily lazy life, lazy work, encountering difficulties, complaining about God, complaining about God's injustice. In this way, year after year, day after day, time flies like running water, and the past days are no longer reproducible, when we look back, is it worth staying? Is it worth remembering? If, each of us, with knowledge to light up the lamp in their hearts, I believe that the world will be a bright!
Helen, with her difficult but happy life, interpreted the meaning of life. Her life is a miracle of mankind, her autobiography, make me sweat, but also make me wake up.
In this world, why is it that only the deaf cherish their lost hearing? Why is it that only the blind cherish the happiness of seeing the light of day again? Let's cherish every day of our lives, to enrich our lives, to enjoy life! Helen said, "The purpose of my efforts to seek knowledge is to contribute a little to the society of mankind."
How great is the power of knowledge, which can make a disabled person into a person who is beneficial to mankind and society. If, every one of us, can be like Helen Keller, in our lifetime, we will be able to learn more about the world. Keller, in her lifetime to the thirst for knowledge, as the pursuit of life, every day with this pursuit, with friendly, energetic, eager to live, our life will add how many joys, how happy ah!
Helen's life, is living in the darkness but to bring light to the human life, she proved the courage of mankind to overcome life, leaving the world with a song of life never to be forgotten!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If I were given Three Days of Light (excerpt)
Day One (1)
Author:Helen Keller
On this day, I will glance hastily out into the world, past and present. I want to see the wonders of human progress, the ever-changing millennia of the ages. How can so many eras be compressed into a single day? Through a museum, of course.
On the second day of having a vision, I will rise at dawn to see the moving miracle of night turning into day. With awe, I will look up at the magnificent panorama of dawn that coincides with the sun awakening the sleeping earth.
On this day, I will glance hastily toward the world, past and present. I want to see the wonders of human progress, the ever-changing millennia of the ages. How can so many ages be compressed into a single day? Through museums, of course. I have often visited the Museum of Natural History in New York and run my hands over the many exhibits on display there, but I have longed to see with my own eyes a brief history of the earth and the inhabitants of the earth on display there-animals and men depicted according to their natural environments, the fossils of the gigantic dinosaurs and saber-toothed elephants, which long ago, long before man appeared and conquered the animal kingdom with his short stature and powerful They roamed the earth long before man appeared and conquered the animal kingdom with his short stature and powerful mind; the museum also gives a realistic account of the development of animals, of man, and of the tools of labor, which man used to create for himself a safe and secure home on this planet; and the museum describes countless other aspects of natural history.
I wonder how many readers of this article have seen the living animals depicted in that fascinating museum in all their shapes and sizes. Of course, many people don't have that opportunity, but I'm sure many who do have the chance don't take advantage of it. It really is a great place to use your eyes while you are there. Those of you who have sight can spend many gainful days there, yet I, with the aid of three days of imagining what I can see, have only been able to pass by in a hurry.
My next stop will be the Metropolitan Museum of Art, for just as the Museum of Natural History shows the physical appearance of the world, so the Metropolitan Museum of Art shows the myriad little facets of the human spirit. Throughout all phases of human history, mankind has had an intense desire for artistic expression almost as urgent as it has for food, hiding places, and procreation. Here, in the enormous galleries of the Capital Museum of Art, the spirit of Egypt, Greece, and Rome manifested itself in their art, unfolding before me.
I knew clearly by hand the gods and goddesses of the ancient land of the Nile. I touched the replicas in the Parthenon and felt the rhythmic beauty of the Athenian chargers. Apollo, Venus, and the winged goddess of victory, Shamoris, endeared themselves to me. Homer's tumorous and bearded face was extremely precious to me, for he too knew what it meant to be blind. My hand lingers on the realistic marble carvings of Rome and its later periods, my hand touches Michelangelo's touching and heroic stone statue of Moses, I perceive the power of Rodin, and I am in awe of the Gothic devotion to woodcutting. These works of art, which I can touch, are extremely meaningful to me, yet they are not so much to be touched as to be seen, and I can only speculate on the beauty that I cannot see. I can appreciate the simple lines of a Greek vase, but I can't see the patterns that decorate it.
So this day, the day that gave me light, I will search for the soul of man through art. I will see those things that I know by virtue of touch. Even better, a whole magnificent world of painting will open up to me, from early Italian art, with its serene religious overtones, to modernist art with its rhapsodic style. I will scrutinize the paintings of Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Titian and Rembrandt. I will feast my eyes on the warm colors of Veronessa, study the mysteries of El Greco, and see nature anew in the paintings of Corot. Ah, that you people with eyes could appreciate such a wealth of meaning and beauty in art through the ages! In my short visit to this temple of art, I cannot comment at all on the great world of art that unfolds before me; I shall have only a superficial impression. Artists have taught me that in order to achieve a deep and true appreciation of art, one must train the eye. One must learn by experience to judge the quality of line, composition, form and color. How happy I would be if I had the vision to engage in such a fascinating study! But I am told that for many of you who have eyes, the world of art is still a world to be further explored.
I left the Metropolitan Museum of Art, which holds the key to beauty, with great reluctance. But people who can see often don't need to go to the Capital Museum of Art to find that key to beauty. The same key is waiting in smaller museums or even on the shelves of small libraries. But in my hypothetical limited time with sight, I should pick a key that will unlock the greatest treasures in the shortest possible time.
The second night of my renewed sight I shall spend in a theater or cinema. Even now I often attend a wide variety of performances at the theater, but the plot must be spelled out in my hand by a companion. Yet how I would like to see with my own eyes the enchanting presence of Hamlet, or the angry Falstaff in his brightly colored Elizabethan costume! How I would have loved to gaze at Hamlet's every graceful movement, at the strutting of the spirited Falstaff! Since I could only see one play, this made it very difficult for me, as there were dozens of other plays I wanted to see.
You have the vision to see any of your favorite plays. When you watch a play, a movie, or any scene, I wonder how many of you actually have an awareness of, and a sense of gratitude for, the wonders of the vision that allows you to enjoy its color, beauty, and movement? Since I live in a sphere limited to the touch of my hands, I cannot enjoy the beauty of rhythmic movement. But I can only vaguely visualize the grace of Bardolova, although I know a little of the thrill of rhythmic movement, for I can often feel the beat of music as it shakes the floor. I could fully imagine the rhythmic movements, which must have been one of the most delightful sights in the world. I can infer a few things by running my fingers over the lines of a marble statue. If this static beauty can be so lovely, it must be even more exciting to see dynamic beauty. One of my most cherished memories is of Joseph Jefferson letting me touch his face and hands as he talked and acted out his beloved Rib Van Winkle.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The next day ( 2)
I can relate more or less to the world of theater, and I will never forget the joy of that moment. But how I long to watch and listen to the interplay of dialogue and action as a theater performance proceeds! And how much pleasure those of you who can see should get out of it! If I could see just one scene, I would know how to picture in my mind the plots of the nearly one hundred plays I have read or learned about in Braille letters. So, on the second night of my fictitious regaining of sight, I did not sleep and spent the whole night enjoying dramatic literature.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ---
Day 3 (3)
Today, I would spend my time in the current, everyday world, going to places frequented by people running for their lives, and where could I find people in as many activities and in as many situations as in New York? So the city became my destination.
The next morning I would greet the dawn once more, eager to find new joy, for I believed that for those who could truly see, each day's dawn must be a new vision of beauty that would repeat itself forever. Based on the duration of my fictional miracle, this will be the third and last day that I have vision. I will have no time to spend in regret or fervent hope, for there is too much to see. The first day I dedicated to my animate and inanimate friends. The second day showed me the history of man and nature. Today, I would spend my time in the current everyday world, going to places frequented by people running for their lives, and where could I find people in so many activities and in so many situations as in New York? So the city became my destination.
I set out from my home, the small, quiet suburb of Fraser, Long Island. Here, surrounded by green meadows, trees and flowers, with neat little houses, full of the happy voices and activities of women and children, it was very happy, a quiet retreat for the working people of the city. I drove across the steel ribbon bridge that spans the Isthmus River and had a fresh impression of the power and ingenuity of the human brain. Busy boats rattled and raced through the river - speeding skiffs, slow, snorting tugboats. If I have any visible days ahead, I'm going to spend many of them gazing out over this delightful sight of the river. I look forward, and in front of me looms New York - a city of singularly tall buildings that seem to have been lifted from the pages of a mythical book. What awe-inspiring architecture! These splendid church spires, these vast stone and steel embankment slopes-truly as if the gods had built them for themselves. This vivid picture is part of the daily life of millions of people. How many, I wonder, will cast a glance back at it? Only a few, I'm afraid. They are oblivious to this magnificent view because it is all too familiar to them.
I hurried to the top of the Empire State Building, one of those huge buildings, because not so long ago I had "looked down" on the city from there with my secretary's eyes, and I longed to compare my imagination with reality. I was sure that I would not be disappointed by the full view that lay before me, for it would be a view of another world for me. At this point, I began to travel around the city. First of all, I stood on a busy street corner and just looked at the people, trying to understand a little bit about their lives with my observation of them. I felt happy when I saw their smiles, proud when I saw their serious decisions, and I couldn't help but be filled with sympathy when I saw their pain.
I took a walk down Fifth Street. I looked around, not at any particular target, but only at the kaleidoscopic, colorful scene. I was sure that the colors of the clothing of the women moving through the crowd would be a gorgeous sight that would never bore me. Yet if I had vision, I would probably be like most other women - interested in the fashionable styles of individual garments and paying little attention to the vast array of brilliant colors. And I am also sure that I would be a window shopper whose habits would be hard to break, for it must be a blessing to the eye to view these myriad fine displays.
From Fifth Street I make a tour around the city -- to Park Avenue, to the slums, to the factories, to the parks where the children play, and I visit the foreign settlements for a trip abroad without leaving home. I always keep my eyes open for the full picture of happiness and misery so that I can dig deeper and learn more about how people work and live.
My heart is filled with images of people and things. My eye never lets a little thing go easily; it strives to pay close attention to everything it sees. Some sights are pleasant and intoxicating; but others are exceedingly dismal and sad. In the case of the latter, I never close my eyes, for they are also a part of life. To close one's eyes before them is to close one's heart and mind.
The third day of my having a vision is coming to an end. There may be many important and serious things that I need to see and do with these remaining hours. But I fear that on my last night, I will once again run to the theater and see a hilarious and entertaining play so that I can appreciate the harmonies in the human mind.
By midnight, my brief moment of freedom from the misery of blindness would come to an end, and permanent darkness would once again close in on me. In those three short days, I naturally could not see all that I wanted to see. Only when darkness came upon me again did I feel how much I had left unseen. However, my heart was filled with sweet memories that gave me little time for remorse. Thereafter, with each item I touched, my memory would reflect vividly what that item was like.
This brief account of how I spent the three days when I regained my sight may not be consistent with the arrangements you have made for yourself assuming you knew you were going blind. However, I believe that if you do face that kind of doom, your eyes will try to look at things you have never seen before and store them in your memory for the long dark nights ahead. You will make better use of your eyes than ever before. Everything you see is so precious to you, and your eyes will feast on every object that appears within your sight. Then you will truly see, a world of beauty unfolding before you.
Blind me can give a hint to those who can see -- a word of advice to those who can make the most of their gift of sight: use your eyes as if tomorrow you will be struck by the catastrophe of blindness. The same method can be applied to the other senses. Listen to the music of a tune, to the song of a bird, to the loud and resonant strains of an orchestra, as if tomorrow you would be deaf. Touch every object that you wish to touch, as if tomorrow your sense of touch would fail you. Smell all the flowers and savor every bite of food as if tomorrow you could no longer smell and taste. Make full use of every sense, through the several means of contact that nature has given you, and be proud of all the pleasant and beautiful details that the world shows you! Of all the senses, however, I believe that sight must be the most pleasing to the eye.