Love has many definitions :: a free road ahead

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a free road ahead Life is full of ups and downs. <<<Sunrise | 首页 | 为父之爱>>> Love has many definitions 时间：2004-06-19 I've never taught a course in Shakespeare, and for many good reasons I probably never will. But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy or admire him. Now and again I muse a bit on his "Romeo and Juliet" probably because, like most people, I love a good love story. "For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo," isn't that how the line goes? But wait just a minute. Why "woe?" I thought this was supposed to be a love story, not a sad story! It seems to me that some of life's toughest mysteries are often revealed precisely at the point where sadness and love meet, like the special sadness that results in the passing away of a loved one. We care for another person, so when he or she dies, we die a little too. Sooner or later it happens to all of us, even if our name isn't Romeo or Juliet. Let me ask you a question - What do you think is the single most important issue for aged people in China today? What is the one thing our youth think and worry about more than anything else? I believe the answer is friendship. Notice I did not say "love", not yet at least, and surely not romantic love of the Romeo and Juliet variety. Romantic love does not come first on the list. Friends are first. Others may well disagree. After all, a host of concerns take centre stage in public discussions of young people and their tensions in China today. We hear so much about young people's anxiety about the future, or fear of failure in entrance examinations, or their struggles with drugs and alcohol or premarital sex . But friends are on their minds more than anything else, this I truly believe. Luckily, deep and intensely felt emotions about friends are not confined by age markers. We need friends in life when we're four years old and when we're 24, 34 and 94 too. And we all need friends of different ages and different backgrounds. Just recently a local basketball star died in an automobile accident. That death made headlines for many reasons, but my words today look at the story within the story of that sad loss. In a game soon after the tragic crash, one of the basketball player's teammates wore the victim's number on his uniform as a sign of mourning. Officials of the local basketball association were thrown into a dilemma because they wanted to retire that number, also as a symbol of sadness for the fallen star. The teammate held out however, and quietly insisted that he would defy his superiors' wishes. "I want to wear his number one last time," he said, "because I'm dedicating this game to him. He was my friend, and this game tonight, I play for him!" he pledged. At first glance such a gesture might appear to be showy, or even downright theatrical. But not this time, for the deceased basketball hero really was his friend, and a close friend at that. One man was Chinese, the other a Westerner, making the friendship even more special. There's a notion in the air that professional athletes from overseas find it difficult or even impossible to make good friends with their Chinese teammates. The familiar old barriers prove to be too formidable

squabbles about salaries, differences in social and family backgrounds, variances in cultural views about athletic performance, differences in language. The reasons cited go on and on. If we want them to, if we allow them to, friendships can form. Well, friendships do form. And they can form in ways and with people we don't expect. Every friend in our life is a beautiful gift, and perhaps it is true that friends in unexpected places are the greatest gifts of all. I was uncertain about opening these words today with a reference to Romeo and Juliet, for although I'm a romantic at heart, I'm a firm believer in the gospel of many ways. There are many ways of loving, this I have learned in my life, and many ways too of being a friend. The athletes spoken of above cared about each other. They were friends, and though it was not a friendship that would warrant the words "parting is such sweet sorrow," spoken by our literary characters, they shared a deep sense of love, and that should speak to us. It's not wise at all to only talk of love in a romantic or sexual sense. It is not true that only "people in love" or only a young man and woman, or only people physically involved with one another, would know the happiness or the pain of loving somebody. Love is much bigger than all those silly little categories. There are simply many ways of loving, and many ways to be a friend. Among all those other problems in our collective lives, let's not forget that very important truth. New Words and Expressions Muse on/about/upon/over 沉思，冥想 Woe n.痛苦，悲伤 A host of 一大堆，许多（又作hosts of ） Premarital sex 婚前性行为 Make headlines 成为头条新闻 Hold out 拒绝妥协，坚定不移 Downright adj. 彻头彻尾的，十足的 Deceased adj. 死去了的 There's a notion in the air …有一种谣传 Formidable adj. 难以克服的，难对付的 Gospel n. 信条，行为准则 Speak v. 表明，显示 Halle 发表于 2004-06-19 12:36 引用Trackback(0) | 编辑评论 I have seen your new page,I agree with you,we need friends all the time,perhaps including our important family members. Halle回复june说： thank you. you are the first person who maked comment on this blog. thanks again. :) (2004-06-20 12:51) june ( ) 发表于 2004-06-19 22:25 Hi,welcome to beijing ,it is really nice to know you. Halle回复June说： Hi, I just came back from BJ last Friday. Are you in BJ now? Do you have your own blog? If so, I'd be glad to have a look. (2004-06-27 14:42) June ( ) 发表于 2004-06-23 11:35 I don't have a blog,I will let you know when I built one in future. I'm curious about your profession,are you a translator? PS,I'm in BJ. Halle回复June说： haha...I'm not qualified to be a translator. Your english is rather good. Are you girl or boy may i know? (2004-06-27 23:03) June ( ) 发表于 2004-06-27 20:20 Sure,I'm a girl,hehe... What about you? A girl,right? Halle回复June说： yes, you are right. :) (2004-06-29 23:43) June ( ) 发表于 2004-06-28 14:32 发表评论最后更新暂别择友一年为期陪我倒数基辅号航母古文化街法文词汇乡下一日香舍丽榭 Have A Nice Day 访问我的收音机:Just Music-绝对音乐我的 blogone