The following is an award-winning story written by Mr Burton who lives in Springfield, Missouri.
"I lost my mother when I was nine and my father when I was twelve," Burton wrote. "My father died in a car accident, and my mother ran away from home one day nineteen years ago. Since then, I have never seen her or her two sisters. It was seven years after she left home that she wrote to me. My father died in a car accident three years after his mother left home. He and a partner bought a coffee shop in a small town in Missouri. The partner sold the coffee shop while he was on a business trip and ran away with cash. A friend telegraphed his father to hurry home. In a hurry, his father died in a car accident in Salina, Kansas. My two aunts, poor, old and sick, took three of our five children to their home. Nobody wants me and my little brother, so we have to rely on the people in the town for help. We were called orphans or treated as orphans, but what we were worried about soon happened.
There was a time when I lived in a poor family in the town, but my life was very sad. The man in that family lost his job, so they can't support me any more. Later, Mr. Luo Futing and his wife took me in and let me live on their farm eleven miles away from the town. Mr. Luo Futing is seventy years old. He told me that as long as I didn't lie, steal and do as I was told, I could always live there. These three requirements have become my Bible, and I live by them completely. At the beginning of school, other children came to trouble me, making fun of my big nose, calling me an idiot and calling me a' little smelly orphan'. I was so angry that I wanted to hit them, but Mr. Luo Futing, a farmer who took me in, said to me,' Always remember that people who can leave without fighting are much greater than those who stay and fight.' I've never been in a fight.
Then one day, a child grabbed a handful of chicken manure in the school yard and threw it in my face. I gave the boy a good beating. As a result, I made some friends. They said that guy deserved it. I am proud that Mrs. Luo Futing bought me a brand-new hat. One day, a big girl tore off my hat and filled it with water. My hat is broken. She said that she put water in it so that my big head could be wet and my popcorn head would stop swinging. I never cried at school, but I often cry when I get home. One day, Mrs. Luo Futing gave me some advice, which made me eliminate all my troubles and worries and turned all my enemies into friends. She said,' Rove, if you are willing to show interest in them and pay attention to what you can do for them, they will stop making fun of you or calling you' little smelly orphan'. I accepted her advice and I will study hard.
Soon I became the first in my class, but no one was jealous of me because I always tried my best to help others. I helped several male students write their compositions and finish their reports. One child was embarrassed to let his parents know that I was helping him, so he often told her mother that he was going to catch kangaroos. Then he came to Mr. Luo Futing's farm, locked his dog in the barn and asked me to teach him to read.
Death attacked us, two very old farmers died, and the husband of another old lady died. I am the only male in these four families, and I have helped those widows for two years. On my way to or from school, I go to their farm to cut wood and milk them, and feed and drink their livestock. Now everyone likes me very much, and everyone treats me as a friend. When I came back from the navy, they thanked me. On my first day home, more than 200 farmers came to see me, and some even drove from 80 miles away. Their concern for me is sincere, because I am busy and willing to help others, so I have no worries, and no one has called me' little smelly orphan' for thirteen years. "
So did the late Dr. Frank Pei Lu in Seattle, Washington. He has been in bed for 23 years because of rheumatism. But Stuart whitehouse, a reporter from Seattle Daily, wrote to Carnegie and said, "I visited Dr. Pei Lu several times. I have never seen anyone who can live so selflessly and live so well. "
How can a cripple lying in bed like him live a good life? His approach is to take the famous saying "I serve the people" of the Prince of Wales as his motto. He collected the names and addresses of many patients and wrote them letters full of happiness and encouragement, which made them feel happy and inspired himself. In fact, he organized a club for patients to communicate. Finally, it became a national organization called "Society in Wards". Lying in bed, he writes 1400 letters every year on average, giving radios and books donated by others to people in need, bringing happiness to thousands of patients. What is the biggest difference between Dr. Pei Lu and others? That is, Dr. Pei Lu has an inner strength, a purpose, a task, and a sense of happiness knowing that he is serving a much nobler and more important ideal than himself, instead of being a "self-centered, sick and painful old guy" like Bernard Shaw said, complaining all the time that the world has not made him happy.
No matter how ordinary your situation is, you will meet some people every day. What do you think of them? Are you just looking at them? Or will you try to understand their lives? For example, a postman has to walk hundreds of miles to deliver letters at your door every year, but have you ever thought about asking him where his family lives? Or look at pictures of his wife and children? Did you ask if his feet hurt? Does his job make him feel tired? Or a grocery deliveryman, a newspaper seller, someone who polishes your shoes on the street corner. These people all have their troubles, their dreams and personal ambitions, and they are eager to have the opportunity to enjoy it with others, but have you given them this opportunity? Are you interested in their lives? You don't have to be a nightingale or a social reformer to help improve the world. You can start tomorrow morning, starting with the people you meet. What good is it for you? This will bring you greater happiness and more satisfaction. Aristotle called this attitude "selfish to people".
Zoroja, the ancestor of Zoroastrianism in ancient Persia, said, "Doing good for others is not a duty, but a pleasure, because it can increase your own health and happiness." Henry Link, head of new york Psychotherapy Center, said: "The most important discovery of modern psychology is that science has proved that you must have the spirit of self-sacrifice or the ability of self-restraint, so that you can gain self-understanding and happiness." Being considerate of others can not only help you stop worrying about yourself, but also help you make many friends and have a good time. How do we do this? See what Professor William Li Ang Phelp of Yale University said. He said: "Every time I go to a hotel, barber shop or shop, I always say something that makes everyone I meet happy;" That is, treat them as a person, not a small part in a big machine. Sometimes I praise a lady who greets me in the shop, saying that her eyes are beautiful-or her hair is beautiful. I asked a barber, are you tired of standing like this all day? How did you get into the barber business? How long have you been in this business? I find that when you are interested in others, you can make them very happy. I often shake hands with the waiter who helps me with my luggage, which makes him feel very happy and can work mentally all day.
On a particularly hot summer day, I walked into the dining car on Wenbo Road in New Haven for lunch. It was crowded with people, almost like a madhouse, and the service was very slow. When the waiter finally handed me the menu, I said,' People who cook in stuffy kitchens must be miserable today.' The waiter began to curse, and his voice was full of resentment. At first, I thought he was angry. He said loudly,' Everyone who comes here complains that the food is not delicious, that we are too slow, that the weather is too hot and that the price is too high. I have been listening to 19 years. You are the first and only person who has expressed sympathy for the chef. I really hope God can have more guests like you. "The waiter was so surprised because I looked at those black cooks behind me as people, not as small screws in a big railway organization. What ordinary people want is that others treat them as human beings. Every time I see my owner holding a dog in the street, I always praise the dog for its beauty. Then I go on and go back. I usually see a man patting the dog with his hand to show his love. My praise made him like his dog, too.
Rockefeller pursued his goal wholeheartedly as early as the age of 23. According to his friend, "In Zhan Yan, nothing can make him laugh except good business news. When he makes a business deal and makes a lot of money, he will happily throw his hat on the ground and dance happily. But if he fails, he will get sick. " At the peak of his career, wealth flowed into the vault like the golden magma of Mount Vesuvius, but his private world collapsed. Many books and articles condemn the chaebol behavior of Standard Oil Company, which used secret kickbacks with railway companies to ruthlessly overwhelm any competitors.
In Pennsylvania, Rockefeller is the most hated by the locals. His defeated competitor hung his portrait on a tree to vent his hatred. Letters filled with gunpowder poured into his office like snowflakes, threatening to take his life. He hired many bodyguards in case he was killed by the enemy. He tried to ignore these angry hatred waves and once sarcastically said, "You can kick me and scold me, but I still go my own way." But he finally found himself a mortal and could not stand the erosion of people's hatred or anxiety. His health began to decline. The disease attacked him from the inside, leaving him unprepared and at a loss. At first, he tried to hide his occasional discomfort. However, insomnia, indigestion and alopecia-these diseases cannot be concealed. Finally, his doctor told him the truth frankly. He has only two choices: wealth and trouble or life. They warned him that he had to choose between retirement and death. He chose to retire. But before he retired, worry, greed and fear had completely destroyed his health. Ida Tabu, the most famous biographer in America, was frightened when she saw him. She wrote, "His face shows terrible aging. I have never seen anyone as old as him. " The doctors began to save Rockefeller's life, and they made three rules for him-these are the three rules that he thoroughly pursued all his life:
(1) Avoid trouble. Don't worry about anything under any circumstances.
② Relax. Do more appropriate outdoor sports.
③ Pay attention to dieting. Always remain semi-hungry. Rockefeller obeyed these three rules, thus saving his life. After retirement, he learned to play golf, tidy the yard, chat with neighbors, play cards and sing. But he also does other things.
Winkler said, "In those sleepless nights, Rockefeller finally had time to reflect on himself." He began to think about others. He once stopped thinking about how much money he could earn and began to think about how many people's happiness money could buy. In short, Rockefeller is now considering donating millions of dollars. Sometimes, it is not easy to do one thing. When he devoted himself to a church, missionaries from all over the country shouted in unison: "corrupt money!" " "However, he continued to donate. When he learned that a college on the shore of Lake Michigan was forced to close because of a mortgage, he immediately launched an aid operation and donated millions of dollars to help the college build it into a world-famous University of Chicago. He also tried his best to help black people. For example, Taskey Gee Black University needs funds to fulfill the volunteer of black educator Washington Calvin, who donated huge sums of money without hesitation. He also helped eradicate the duodenal worms. When Dr. Steyr, a famous expert on duodenal worms, said, "As long as a medicine worth 50 cents can cure a person of this disease, who will donate this 50 cents? "Rockefeller donated millions of dollars to eliminate the duodenal worm, which almost paralyzed the United States. Then, he went one step further and set up a huge international foundation-Rockefeller Foundation, dedicated to eliminating diseases, illiteracy and ignorance all over the world. A feat like the Rockefeller Foundation is unprecedented.
Rockefeller knows that many people of insight all over the world are engaged in many meaningful activities, but these superb works often end because of lack of funds. He decided to help these humanitarian pioneers, not to "take over" them, but to give them some money to help them finish their work. Today, you and I should thank john D Rockefeller, because with his support, penicillin and many other new drugs were discovered. He stopped your child from dying of "meningitis"; He enabled us to defeat malaria, tuberculosis, influenza, diphtheria and other diseases that still harm the world. Did Rockefeller feel relieved after donating money? He was finally satisfied, and Rockefeller was very happy. He has completely changed and is not worried at all.
In fact, in life, happiness depends on yourself. It won't come to you easily. It needs you to create and explore. When you have happiness, you will find that there are many kinds of happiness, such as happiness when people who despise you respect you, happiness when they lend a helping hand to those in need, happiness when they are hostile to you, and happiness when they drive away troubles and worries. Since there are many kinds of happiness in the world, let's find happiness and enjoy it!
-Quoted from The Complete Works of Human Weaknesses by Yanbian People's Publishing House.