Summary:
The author had gone to California for mountain expedition for two weeks. The weather was very good in first week. But there was a storm coming in so fast they didn’t notice on Tuesday of week two. Their guide, Ethan, had said that it is best not to be there when it rains and suddenly a bolt of lightning struck a tree which is not far away from them. With the lightning dying down, they tried to get to the shelter and pray for rain to subside but nothing comes out as they plan. So the author and his friend, Mike, decided to challenge the knee-deep water with not-so waterproof equipment. Because of raining lasting all day, they found a drier place and construct their tent at night. But while rain poured down and a small stream flow into their tent, they kept awake all night.
Actually, the first paragraph is the author’s memory. All of this happened last summer; the author attended a mountaineering program because he wanted to challenge himself. This experience impressed him so much. For the first time, his head was crystal clear suddenly.
This experience enlightened the author on thought of future. “What had he been doing for the last three years?” the author said to himself. The author thought if he always follows his parents’ or teacher’s suggestion, he would not grow up. He was just like a typical teen who always thinks that he can do well without preparation. But stubbornness and rebellion will be terrible if they get out of control. The last year in high school, the author chose to clear his head and buckle down. At last, he is on the right track. Now he feels new born and he is a new person.
Eventually, he said that Jonathan Harker wrote in his journal:“No man knows ‘till he has suffered from the night how sweet and how dear to his heart and eye the morning can be.”
Response:
At the beginning, the author flashbacks the article and uses a lot of vivid adjectives to let readers feel they were on the spot. This experience influences the author so much. It makes a confused teenager transform into a man who will think about future seriously.
For us, it is important to experience everything ourselves now. Where is the future? This is a serious question. In the confusing age, we always do not know what I should do for the future. Should we study constantly or try to learn a professional skill? We always learn theories in class but do not know how to use it without experiencing in reality. In the article, the author decided to attend a program which he never did that. This decision is important for the author because maybe that is the first time he try to decide it himself.
Parents cannot always protect their children and make decisions for them all the time. Let them try to decide some things themselves. Their own decision will give them positive power to do their best. Give them confidence is our responsibility. If they fail it, try to comfort them and tell them that is necessary process. People are comparative animals. If they did not know what the feeling of failure is, they also did not know what the feeling of success is. Do not be afraid of our decision. Try to make a decision yourself, and do your best. Maybe one decision will change your life.
Do not be afraid of failure. Failure is the mother of success. If you do it constantly, you will succeed one day.
There’s no definite answer for what thing is absolutely right or wrong. As if we are choosing what we are going to do in the future, we will make a decision depending on our interests. But we students often have a wrong sense that we may regard some careers with high salary as good careers, and careers with low salary as bad careers. It seems that our values seem to go wrong.
回覆刪除When we were children, we always dreamed for many careers and did not care whether we could achieve or not. Some answers such as an astronaut, a police officer, a baseball player, a scientist or even a president appeared in our memory when we were in kindergarten. I guess most of us must decide a favorite career at that time and spoke out loud: “I want to be it in the future!” But the education today gradually narrow our road named future and make us feel that we can not make money without a high academic degree. If this concept keeps growing in our children or grandchildren’s mind, our values do break.
Just understand what you want and make your plan to achieve it. Do not worry that you may go wrong, it is always not too late to turn your way to the right track. With this, you can fly higher than you think in the rest of your life.
In your reflection, you focus on the experience which allows the author starts to face himself and make plans toward his future. You point out an important issue which encourages me to ponder. We should face the situations by ourselves because our future is judged by ourselves. When I ponder this part, it is difficult for me to avoid recalling my childhood.
回覆刪除When I was a little girl, I was innocent to say what I wanted to do in the future. However, the time passed day after day. When I grow up, I am afraid of dreaming of my future. The most reason I think is that I gradually understand reality of our society. There are more and more people who cannot find jobs. Most importantly, my original enthusiasm becomes weak. Every time I ask to myself,”What do I want to be in the future?” or “What are my interests?” However, there is always no answer in the end.
I hope that I can find my interest as soon as possible and then I will have the target which can enhance my motivation. At that moment, just like what you mention, I will have the chance to make decisions by myself.