When I graduated from high school, I wanted to major in comparative literature. But, once I found out my friends were going into “real” majors, like marketing, nursing, and engineering, I figured I needed to do the same to ensure a good career. So I changed my mind and chose Business Management as my major. I forced myself to believe that I would enjoy it and succeed in the future, but eventually I exhausted myself understanding the economy and trying new marketing techniques. Coming out of this experience, I realize it is OK to be different from others and to study things like classics, art history and other majors offered in the College of Humanities!

The worries most people have about a Humanity degree and finding a career afterwards are that the majors are too abstract, and one will not obtain any applicable skills. Actually ideas discussed in Humanities classes, which are occasionally different from what people commonly believe, offer a broad perspective. How could one effectively be an unbiased writer with only a knowledge of the popular opinion of society? How could one speak persuasively with closed minds? Only seeing the world through a single perspective leads to missed learning, missed friendships, and missed growth! With a broader perspective, we will be more free, more open-minded, and less limited in what we can become!

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) graduates learn actual skills in their studies, while humanities majors learn “soft skills” like communicating effectively through writing critically and speaking persuasively, synthesizing ideas through gathering and interpreting information, and developing cultural awareness. Do those soft skills sound useless and inapplicable to you? Think of it. How often do you communicate with others? Produce ideas? Encounter people from other cultures? Every day. Every SECOND of every day. So why not master these skills?

If you choose a major in the College of Humanities, you will be needed. The job market is quietly creating thousands of openings a week for people who can bring a humanist’s grace to our rapidly evolving high-tech future. Your skills will be valuable to any workplace you hope to be in. Chase after your dream major with all your energy, no matter what other people think.

The other day a friend,a sociable man,told me he had found himself alone in New York for an hour or two between appointments.He went to the Whitney and spent the"empty"time looking at things.He then felt unexpectedly happy.Suddenly alone,he discovered there was a new self to meet.

＂One alone is never lonely."There is great difference between being alone and lonely.Loneliness is most strongly felt with other people,for with others,even with a lover sometimes,we suffer from our differences of tastes,personalities and moods.The fear of hurting or being hurt in a social situation brings us loneliness.Alone,we can afford to be wholly whatever we are,and to feel whatever we feel absolutely. That is a great luxury(奢侈）！

I have been alone for the last twenty years and it becomes increasingly rewarding.When I can wake up and watch the sun rise over the ocean,as I do most days,and I know that I have an entire day ahead, uninterrupted,in which to write a few pages,take a walk with my dog,lie down in the afternoon for a long think,read and listen to music,I am flooded with happiness.

I'm lonely only when I am overtired,when I have worked too long without a break,when from the time being I feel empty and need filling up.And I am lonely sometimes when I come back home after a lecture trip,when I have seen a lot of people and talked a lot,and am full to brimful(满满的）experience that needs to be sorted out.Then I need to be alone to find where my self is hiding.

It takes a while, but the moment comes when the world falls away,and the self comes out again from the unconscious,bringing back all I have recently experienced to be explored and slowly understood.