酷我-北美枫

[Wenxin]

'We are all of the human race'

With British and American troops bearing down upon Baghdad, many teens are feeling overwhelmed in the sweeping tides of global politics. In the face of a war of international proportions, it is easy to feel small, powerless, and unimportant. We are, after all, young, inexperienced and easily disregarded by the rest of society. As teens, we are expected to be indifferent, too absorbed in our own problems to be responsible global citizens. That does not mean, however, that we cannot make a difference.

In a time when the world seems to have lost its way, it is up to us to point it in the right direction. Without marching in the streets, without choosing a side, without calling one person right and another wrong, we can remind the planet of the true meaning of humanity. The world appears to have forgotten that humanity is not about oil, or weapons, or regimes. Nor is it about justice, or revenge, or punishment. It is about the things we all share: compassion, kindness, and generosity. In arguing over small, unimportant trinkets, we are letting our most valuable treasures slip away. In our preoccupation with differences, we too often overlook how much more we all have in common. To be truly humane, is to recognise that common ground. How different am I, really, from a youth in Iraq, or in Pakistan? We both share the same love for the world, the same hopes for the future, and the same fear for warfare and destruction.

We are the future. Bit by bit, we can change the world.

In some ways, everyone is the same. In other ways, each person is unique. Both are things to cherish and to celebrate. We acknowledge this whenever we smile at a stranger, whenever we forgive a wrong, or whenever we lend a hand to another human being.

Every person really does count. The ones who really move the world never have to appear on television, attend a rally or join an interest group. They are the ones who quietly make a difference. Every little act of kindness, by every person, is a small step forward for all humanity. By living what we believe, by setting a personal example, we can turn our dreams into reality.

Slowly, our leaders may one day realise that we don't really care how much our gas costs, how high our taxes are, or how many cars we have in the garage. We do care, however, that the shoes we wear were not made by sweatshop workers, that the schools we attend are safe and clean, and that the cities we live in are not suffocating our planet.

It does not matter whether you are American, or Iraqi, or ., or straight, or Muslim, or Hindu. We are all of the human race, and that makes us family.


(North York Mirror, April 11, 2003)

[[许文辛]]

'We are all of the human race'

With British and American troops bearing down upon Baghdad, many teens are feeling overwhelmed in the sweeping tides of global politics. In the face of a war of international proportions, it is easy to feel small, powerless, and unimportant. We are, after all, young, inexperienced and easily disregarded by the rest of society. As teens, we are expected to be indifferent, too absorbed in our own problems to be responsible global citizens. That does not mean, however, that we cannot make a difference.

In a time when the world seems to have lost its way, it is up to us to point it in the right direction. Without marching in the streets, without choosing a side, without calling one person right and another wrong, we can remind the planet of the true meaning of humanity. The world appears to have forgotten that humanity is not about oil, or weapons, or regimes. Nor is it about justice, or revenge, or punishment. It is about the things we all share: compassion, kindness, and generosity. In arguing over small, unimportant trinkets, we are letting our most valuable treasures slip away. In our preoccupation with differences, we too often overlook how much more we all have in common. To be truly humane, is to recognise that common ground. How different am I, really, from a youth in Iraq, or in Pakistan? We both share the same love for the world, the same hopes for the future, and the same fear for warfare and destruction.

We are the future. Bit by bit, we can change the world.

In some ways, everyone is the same. In other ways, each person is unique. Both are things to cherish and to celebrate. We acknowledge this whenever we smile at a stranger, whenever we forgive a wrong, or whenever we lend a hand to another human being.

Every person really does count. The ones who really move the world never have to appear on television, attend a rally or join an interest group. They are the ones who quietly make a difference. Every little act of kindness, by every person, is a small step forward for all humanity. By living what we believe, by setting a personal example, we can turn our dreams into reality.

Slowly, our leaders may one day realise that we don't really care how much our gas costs, how high our taxes are, or how many cars we have in the garage. We do care, however, that the shoes we wear were not made by sweatshop workers, that the schools we attend are safe and clean, and that the cities we live in are not suffocating our planet.

It does not matter whether you are American, or Iraqi, or ., or straight, or Muslim, or Hindu. We are all of the human race, and that makes us family.


(North York Mirror, April 11, 2003)

[晓鸣]

这篇关于伊拉克战争的文章发表后North York Mirror收到很多读者来信. 该报在一个星期后(April 23, 2003)选载了两封来信如下:

Rita Hiorth的信如下:

I wish to pass on congratulations to The Mirror and to writer Wenxin Xu on a well-written column. It was well thought out, and hopefully many others feel the same way as he was written.
With columns like this, I predict a great future for him in journalism.


Helen Hansen的信如下:

Many thanks to Teenbeat columnist Wenxin Xu. I wish I'd read that or said that when I was a teen.
Keep writing and keep smiling.

[[自己的敌人]]

这篇关于伊拉克战争的文章发表后North York Mirror收到很多读者来信. 该报在一个星期后(April 23, 2003)选载了两封来信如下:

Rita Hiorth的信如下:

I wish to pass on congratulations to The Mirror and to writer Wenxin Xu on a well-written column. It was well thought out, and hopefully many others feel the same way as he was written.
With columns like this, I predict a great future for him in journalism.


Helen Hansen的信如下:

Many thanks to Teenbeat columnist Wenxin Xu. I wish I'd read that or said that when I was a teen.
Keep writing and keep smiling.

[Catherine]

文辛小小年纪，有如此深刻的思考和独到的见解，足见天姿的聪慧与学习的勤奋。

[[如意]]

文辛小小年纪，有如此深刻的思考和独到的见解，足见天姿的聪慧与学习的勤奋。