The 128 most classic philosophical essays in the world

Chapter 44 Free Sunshine

[Chinese] Rossi
We can be a ray of free sunshine. If we can’t be a great sun that can shine in every corner, then learn to look up.

There is an old woman who lives on the street, almost every evening at dusk, sitting and panting on an abandoned sofa by the side of a small alley near my house, with gray hair, messily tied with grass, dirty like a fly all over her body home" (my daughter's language).I often buy her a piece of bread or a bag of milk, and she always takes it with a blank face. At first, I was a little annoyed. At least you, the old man, have to give me a response, such as nodding or smiling. Later, I also got used to it. I thought that if she reacted strongly, kneeling and thanking her, I would not be able to bear it, and would put a lot of pressure on myself.I admit that I am not a completely good person, I can only do good things within my power and with little effort.

One day, on a whim, I took my daughter who was in fourth grade to visit the old woman, hoping to give the child an educational opportunity to cultivate her love.When the daughter walked over carefully and handed the bread to the mother-in-law shyly, the old man smiled in surprise. Although her expression was a little weird, I saw the sunshine stretching between her brows, but it was only a moment. The old lady stretched out her hand not to pick up the bread, but to touch my daughter's face. This made the little girl scream in fright, dropped the bread, and quickly got away... I was worried that the old woman would be stimulated, so I just walked away. Someone came up to her and asked her, "Are you okay?" She still looked at my daughter who was hiding not far away, and waved her hand and said, "It would be great if I had a granddaughter!" He muttered to himself, and then his eyes dimmed again.At the beginning of the Chinese lanterns, I feel a little pain in my heart, because I can't do anything, we can't satisfy the old man's request to "touch" a relative.

When I picked up the bread that fell on the ground and handed it back to the grandmother, I saw those ugly dirty hands. Maybe they were warm, but my daughter was afraid of them. In fact, I was also afraid of them. I didn't have the courage to say: "Grandma, then touch my face."

After returning home, the first thing my daughter did was to wash her hands.I don't blame her.In fact, I also washed my hands, because I moved the old lady's backpack, a bag that was so black that it shone with oil.My daughter said to me a little ashamedly: "Dad, I'm sorry, I really can only love so much." I stroked her head, not knowing what to say.In the end, I honestly said what I thought, but in fact, I couldn't do it, if the old man wanted to touch me.We must admit that our love can only go so far in many cases.

We can be a ray of free sunshine. If we can’t be a great sun that can shine in every corner, then learn to look up.Yes, in addition to sympathy, we can also admire, admire some things we can't do and people who are better than us.

Heart mark notes
We praise the sun because she shines generously on every corner of the earth, but we should not underestimate that warm sunshine.In this society, we may not all be shining suns, but everyone can be free sunshine—doing good deeds within our power, helping, caring, and loving others to the best of our ability without requiring anything in return.At the same time, we must also learn to admire the sun—a person who has selflessly dedicated all his love.

Helping those who are in trouble and respecting those who give love, this is the enlightenment given to us by a harmonious society.

If you have the energy of the sun, then you can radiate the light of the sun; if you only have the temperature of the sun, then it doesn't matter, please try your best to shine as far as you can.

(End of this chapter)