Winners and Losers in the Race of Life

Our societies have advanced tendencies to label certain people ‘winners’ and others — logically enough — ‘losers’.【小题1】

And yet the more confusing and complex truth is that life is really made up of a number of races. There are races for money and fame. But there are also races that measure other kinds of skills worth respecting. There is a race for who can remain calmest in the face of frustration. 【小题2】 There are races focused on how good they are at getting pleasure from autumn fruits.

A striking fact about the multi-race event of life is, quite simply, that no one is ever able to end up a winner in every genre of competition available. 【小题3】 When we have failed in certain races in the long journey of life, we keep ample opportunities to train and develop our strength to win in others. We may never again be able to compete in the race for fame, honor or money, but it’s still entirely open to us to compete in the race for kindness, friendship and forgiveness. We may even win at the not insignificant race for enjoying one’s own company or sleeping very soundly.

【小题4】   There is only a person who has won in some areas and messed up in others. We never entirely fail at life itself. When we feel depressed and isolated, the universe is just giving us another chance. 【小题5】 Only by showing gratitude to life can we learn to win.

After college I wanted to make a difference in the world，so I joined the Peace Corps and became a volunteer teacher in Namibia，my country of assignment(任务).Honestly,my first choice wasn't Africa，but I am extremely grateful that I was sent there.

Various tribes and racial groups live in Namibia and a number of languages are spoken.When Namibia gained independence in 1990,English became the official language.Teachers were supposed to teach in English,but many lacked the language skills to do so.My job was to train the teachers.

Schools were quite bare．Some classrooms consisted merely of sticks stuck in the sand and a metal roof.Each student had only one threadbare uniform.The students had exhausting days.They walked miles to get to school,often barefoot.They also did many daily chores.Even with their mountains of work，few possessions and little opportunity,these children were joyful.I admired that.

This was my first time living abroad in a different culture.Simply adapting to the living conditions was a big adjustment.I had no electricity，running water,phone or Internet.Imagine no air conditioning where the temperature was often above 38 degrees Celsius! However,I could end each day with a splendid African sunset.And at night,I could have an incredible pollution-free view of the entire Milky Way(银河).

Before Namibia，I never thought a girl like me would adapt to such an environment.My experience awakened me to not only the limitations we place on ourselves，but also our amazing ability to adapt.

Step outside of your comfort zone and throw yourself in another culture.You won't regret it.

Teenage life is quite dramatic but that doesn't mean you cannot enjoy your life in these years. Even with your daily troubles, your life is not very hard if you know how to deal with them.

I know exactly how you feel. Life as a teenager can be hard. You are not a kid anymore, because you are smart enough to observe and analyze your surroundings. However, you are still not an adult because there are still lots of experiences that you need to have and lessons that you need to learn from these experiences. To top it all, the hormonal (荷尔蒙的)imbalance in you body can really mess you up emotionally. I have been there. I was in it for 6 years exploring what life is about.

As a teenager, I had a major problem completing my chores on time. And at that time, all that I needed to do was to finish my assignments, study for the upcoming test and clean my room. Now, I have much more things to do: cooking, cleaning and working while striking a balance between all my relationships related to work, family and friends. That really is a lot of work. So, I will just give you one golden tip, quoting from Benjamin Franklin," Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today."

Life becomes much easier now because I finish all my work on time and I have enough time to let my hair down. Half the problems as a teenager are because we hate doing things. We'd rather go and have fun than sit down and take care of our duties and responsibilities. That is why you have so much trouble in your life; your parents won't let you go out with friends because you haven't cleaned your room or your teacher is always criticizing you because you haven't finished your assignments.