Change and be changed（My Way一等獎作品）

"My Way"征文大賽一等獎作品 作者：對外經貿大學國際經濟貿易學院 王晨菲

World has pioneers, pioneers that wanted to change the world.

They were no scientists, inventors or politicians; they were special ones who were considered as pioneers for being rebellious, radical and totally different.

In their opinions, the world turned a vast horrible grinding machine, into which what was fresh and bright and pure was pushed at one end, to come out old and crabbed and wrinkled at the other. So they seemed reluctant to accept the realities of living a boring life; they might repeatedly ask questions like: "What do I live for？" and "Am I satisfied with my position in the socio-economic hierarchy？"；they were governed by overwhelmingly strong emotions--the longing for love，the search for truth and justice， and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind.

They fought stability, for they deemed life deeply and fundamentally about change. In that case, they looked at the rising sun, feeling the whole world throbbing and seeing within this brilliant orb the options, the possibilities, the potential--all these of change.

So they were pioneers who wanted to change the world. That's why we had John Lennon, Kurt Cobain and guys like Mark Redon in the film Train spotting. These people proved that to change the world meant changing its mode of thinking rather than merely changing the outer presentation. And they really did it. They protested the injustice, conducted personal independence; they let their voices be heard, their minds be read, their names be spread; their ideas so disobedient that the mediocre could hardly catch, their thoughts so ideal that no mortal soul could reach. They brought fresh air to those living in muggy houses; they were like firework that once in its time flashed heavenward. Meteor-like, it blazed for a moment and lit within its singularity the whole world beneath.

But they were just like meteor. Extreme may make a good story, yet moderate satisfies the public. Those pioneers' spirits were bound to be covered with snow of cynicism and ice of pessimism, and the night of sordid commonplace life closed in around light and, the burned-out case, falling back to earth, lay useless and uncared for, slowly smoldering into ashes. So little by little, they decided to make the ultimate choice--to accept the world. They began to leave the former extreme thoughts behind; they commenced busily running for ordinary life; they turned concerned with everyday trifles. Sometimes when they looked back, they might even make mockery of being such pioneers and sneer at the so-called cynicism and pessimism!

A poet once said, "If we cannot change the world, we can at least change our life in order to live more freely." People may take this as a proof of tragedy for pioneers, because in the end they turned against what they pursued originally and had to accept it without alternatives. However, it is not the truth. The truth is, those ones have gradually been affected by the good of this world of which they themselves were not aware. In the point of fact, the world is such a wonderland for all creatures that we have nothing to lose but everything to gain. It is full of kindness, love, beauty, and hope……all that deserve our pursuit. Chances are that the pioneers who were in the very beginning antagonistic and cynical were just encumbered by the darkness and thus ignorant to the sunlight. But absolutely the sun is so predominant that the shadow or dark is only merely relative to be an accident of intervention. Hence, the cynicism and pessimism turned out childish, even boring, for it is easier to suspect than to believe: to believe that something beautiful really exists; to believe that man can enjoy happiness that life brings; to believe that it definitely pays providing that we make efforts.

So this is the truth.

As the saying goes, "Man is a born child; his power is the power of growth." This applies to all men without exception. The pioneers would begin to breathe; they would outgrow their distrust, prejudice as well as ambition of changing the world. Yet the world-changing campaign didn't end up with failure, instead, it helped the counter culturists make their own changes.

World has pioneers, pioneers that wanted to change the world but finally learnt to accept the world and were changed in return. This is not a tragedy, this is the truth.