The 128 most classic philosophical essays in the world

Chapter 79 The Lights of a Winter Night

[France] Maurice Gibson
All I heard along the way was the constant rumble of car engines, the whine of the wind and the screeching of the wheels on the snow.But I never felt alone, it was like passing a lighthouse in the dark.

My wife, Janet, and I left our own clinic, our cozy and lovely home, and traveled [-] kilometers to this desolate town in western Canada called Octokos.It is very remote and the weather is very cold; but we feel: the place where we live is vast and full of warmth, friendship and optimism.

I remember a farmer calling one winter night to say he was the only one in the house and the baby was having a high fever.Although there is heating in the car, he dare not take the baby on the road.He had heard that I was willing to see the doctor no matter how late, so he asked me to come and treat his baby.

His farm is fifteen kilometers away, and I want him to show me how to get there.

"It's easy to find here. Out of the town, walk six and a half kilometers west, turn north and walk one and a half kilometers, turn west and walk three kilometers, and then..."

I was so confused by him that even though he repeated the directions to his house, I couldn't figure it out.

"I know what to do now, doctor. I'll call the farmers along the way and tell them to turn on the lights, and you drive up to me by the lights, and I'll put the truck with the headlights on at the gate, so you Just find it.” He told me this method on the phone, and I thought it was good.

Before setting off, I went out to observe the vast and boundless arches over Alberta.In winter, we have to watch out for storms at any time, and the accumulation of dark clouds on the mountains may be a sign of snow in the cold weather.Every year, people are caught off guard and frozen in the car. They have not experienced the ferocious attack of wilderness wind and snow, and they do not know its danger.

I was driving the car on the road, and the cold wind was howling outside the window.Sure enough, as the farmer said, all the farmhouses along the way turned on their lights.Usually, the wilderness is always dark at night, because the farmers at that time used lamps very economically at night.The lights along the way guided me, so that I finally found the person seeking medical treatment.

I hurriedly checked the baby's condition.The baby had a severe fever, but it was not life-threatening. I gave the baby an injection and prescribed some medicine, and then explained to the farmer how to take care of the baby and how to give the baby medicine.When I was packing the medicine box, I was thinking in my heart, how can I know the way back to such a complicated country night road?

At this time, it was snowing heavily outside.The farmer told me that if it was inconvenient to go home, I could stay overnight at his house, but I politely declined.I have to go back, maybe there will be sick people coming to see a doctor late at night.I bravely started the engine and drove the car slowly away from the door of this family. To be honest, my heart was full of fear.But after a while on the road, I realized that my fears and worries were unfounded.The lights of the farmhouses along the way were still on, and the bright and shining lights seemed to greet me, and people used their lights to send me back.Every time my car passed a house, the lights went out, and the front lights were still on, waiting for me... All I heard along the way was the constant rumble of the car engine, and the whine of the wind and the rolling of the wheels. The rustling of snow.But I never felt alone, it was like passing a lighthouse in the dark.

At this time I began to understand the artistic conception of Arthur Chapman when he wrote these lines:

The handshake is stronger there,
where the smile lasts longer,
That's where the west begins.

Heart mark notes
Love is the eternal theme of human beings.Whether it is relatives, lovers, friends, neighbors or villages, they can play a melody that touches the heartstrings and touches the heart.This short article has no poetic and picturesque literary talent, no extravagant exaggeration, but uses a simple narrative to tell you a story that happened in a winter night lightly, but there is always a sentimental beauty in it. It flows and makes people feel warm.The lights of winter night, like a navigation light, guide us forward.Through this light, we walked into a bright and beautiful world; through this light, we walked into the most tender heart of people; Warm places in corners.

(End of this chapter)