刘梦 武汉大学

                        The Power that Sees us Through

It used to fret me when I saw my father working indefatigably in his garden. As if all the domestic issues in the household were of no concern to him. On an usual afternoon of a sweltering summer, there he is, with his shabby hoe and a smelly bucket of homemade compost, nurturing, in his own words, "babies" in the sun-gilded garden. I always wondered, where did he get all those illegitimates from. One day, while he was trying to get rid of some weeds from the root of camellias, I decided to confront him with my puzzle. He thought that I was taking a special interest in his giant enterprise and then started passionately babbling some jargon that I've never heard of before. I was taken aback by his restless enthusiasm. For the first time I seemed to comprehend the significant importance of what my father was doing.

People always compliment the exquisite beauty of my father's garden but never ponder over the hardship he went through when both of his hands were covered with dirts and muds. We see phenomenal figures like Warren Buffett wearing decent suit and immersed in admirable applause. However, we never see the struggle when he is besieged by obstacles. It never crossed our minds that it is passion that sees them through. For my father, as long as he is working in his "palace", the dirt on his face does not matter, the blister on his hand does not matter, the ache in his back does not matter.

The harvest is not easily gained. I think we young people are facing a similar situation. Under the worsening stress due to the speedy soar of economic development, we are confronted with the challenge much greater than people used to face. The success is hard to gain under this circumstance. We have no money to buy an apartment let alone a car. We have no glamour to attract an employment, let alone a nice girl. However, what we can have, is a heart like my father's, a heart full of passion.
 
He reaps what he sows. We can succeed in what we love. If we can imbue passion in what we are doing now, we can distinguish ourselves from the crowd, we can placate the frustrations, we can even perform wonders.

Modern life is full of challenge and competition. However, is life really as stressful as it was hundreds of years ago? When there was no way to find free and full expression for one's own thoughts and emotions? We are endowed with all the opportunities that life has to offer. The only problem is how we can seek them out among the camouflage of pressure. Passion is one gem that can lead us through all the doubts and difficulties.

Shakespeare wrote, "Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more." I feel obliged to question this idea. In so far as we have passion, by no means are we ordinary.