| Past vs Present | |
|---|---|
| Sep 7, 2006 19:20 |   |
 | It is quite common for us to hear these : "People of earlier days were more happy than we are now" or "When I was young, the society was much better .....", ........ something like that. On the other hand, it is also not uncommon to hear glorification of the present : "People are now better off than before" & "Women are more free and equal than they were before" or "This country is now more liberated", .... etc. Is this really true or are we just lamenting a part of us having gone with time ? Is China or for that matter the world, better off today than she was, say 100-200 years or even 1000-2000 ago ? What about women folks - is wearing veil bad ( the Muslims in Middle-east) ? Is living without the TV a deprivation ? Is receiving education & having beter knowledge really good ? What do we mean by "better off" ? Views & comments are welcome. |
| Sep 7, 2006 19:41 | #1 |
| I heard of that saying : The God closed the door ,he will open another window for you . But I would rather reverse the order , the God opens a window for you , he would close your door :( I'm happy that I can earn some money to support my life , and being educated ,that made me have a widen sight span to understand the world ,but my door lead to the innocent childhood was closed ,I could not be that happy as before ,there are a lot of trifles and work everyday , it is hard to make people laugh easily :( |
| Sep 7, 2006 19:42 | #2 |
| hi pinetree, personally speaking, "better off" means a better access to your ideal, to the dream lifestyle. nomatter people is suffered from poverty or rich enough to enjoy life, lifelong pursuit is the most important. |
| Sep 7, 2006 20:00 | #3 |
| "past is history, future is mystery, present is a gift, so we call it 'present'" Enjoy here and now. I never had the fantasy of living in the past or the future, perhaps I am not so curious or I am too realistic. I think I was born in the right place at the right time, no complains. *Is this really true or are we just lamenting a part of us having gone with time ? Yup, that is in human's nature, no way for human to grow younger and younger, we never gain time, we always lose it if we are alive. hehehe~~ *Is China or for that matter the world, better off today than she was, say 100-200 years or even 1000-2000 ago ? Absolutely, we are better off materially, but we are not necessarily happier than the past generations. *What about women folks - is wearing veil bad ( the Muslims in Middle-east) ? Nah, I hope i could wear a veil if others don't take me as freak here in China. I love it, seriouly, to keep me mysterious, haha~~ *Is living without the TV a deprivation ? It depends, some people can't live without a tv set, if you take their tvs away, it is a deprivation. - but why would you do that??:)) *Is receiving education & having beter knowledge really good ? Not necessarily. The misuse of knowledge might be fatal or bring unhappiness. * What do we mean by "better off" ? "In a better or more prosperous condition" , in my opinion, the state of being happier than ever in a healthy way emotionally or materially can be said: better off. I give you an example with the phrase in it: "he sighed quite sorrowful, and gazed at the chirping birds that hopped contentedly from branch to branch, "they are much better off than I" joking:)) Enjoy the 'present'! |
| Sep 7, 2006 20:09 | #4 |
| Is living without the TV a deprivation ? For my part , it is absolutely not ,but if you bring my computer which can surf the internet away , I'm going to die ,555 ~~ so just bring my TV away ,do leave the computer to me ,hehe~~ |
| Sep 7, 2006 20:10 | #5 |
| Yesterday,today and tomorrow!!! Haha,really funny! Song Dandan said:"We got the announcement yesterday,and arrive CCTV today,will go home tomorrow,thanks"! |
| Sep 7, 2006 20:16 | #6 |
| Oh ,my God ,Cali ,can you say it in Dongbei dialect ? It would be much funny ,lol~~ *Is China or for that matter the world, better off today than she was, say 100-200 years or even 1000-2000 ago ? Chian is much stronger and rich than before , we lived in a prosperous society , though rich in material ,I doubt if we are rich in spirit too :( the burden is much heavier than before . |
| Sep 7, 2006 20:17 | #7 |
| O, My God! I enjoy your humor, California! "We got the announcement yesterday,and arrive CCTV today,will go home tomorrow,thanks"! hahahaha!!! |
| Sep 7, 2006 20:22 | #8 |
| haha,conny,I try to do that,but it needs your image:-) Pinyin in Dongbei dialect:"Zuo2 tian1 wo3 lia3 de3 dao4 xiang1 li4 de tong1 zi1,jin1 tian1 zai3 zher4 lu4 jie2 mu4,ming'er4 ge4 hui2 qie4,xie4 xie4" so difficult~~~~~~ I think you can understand!!! Sorry,pinetree!!! |
| Sep 7, 2006 20:28 | #9 |
| lol~~ exactly ,Cail , I can't help to laugh ,hahaha~~ wow~~ can Pinetree understand ? Mmmm ... mayber we should introduce the opusculum to him .lol~~~ |
| Sep 7, 2006 20:42 | #10 |
| Maybe "Mie'er2",not Ming'er4,sorry! I think Pinetree's chinese is good enough:-) |
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