英语课外阅读:富有并非成功
In order to tell what I believe, I must briefly sketch something of my personal history.
The turning point of my life was my decision to give up a promising business career and study music. My parents, although sympathetic, and sharing my love of music, disapproved of it as a profession. This was understandable in view of the family background. My grandfather had taught music for nearly forty years at Springhill College in Mobile and, though much beloved and respected in the community, earned barely enough to provide for his large family. My father often said it was only the hardheaded thriftiness of my grandmother that kept the wolf at bay. As a consequence of this example in the family, the very mention of music as a profession carried with it a picture of a precarious existence with uncertain financial rewards. My parents insisted upon college instead of a conservatory of music, and to college I went - quite happily, as I remember, for although I loved my violin and spent most of my spare time practicing, I had many other interests.
Before my graduation form Columbia, the family met with severe financial reverses and I felt it my duty to leave college and take a job. Thus was I launched upon a business career - which I always think of as the wasted years.
Now I do not for a moment mean to disparage business. My whole point I is that it was not for me. I went into it for money, and aside from the satisfaction of being able to help the family, money is all I got out of it. It was not enough. I felt that life was passing me by. From being merely discontented I became acutely miserable. My one ambition was to save enough to quit and go to Europe to study music. I used to get up at dawn to practice before I left for "downtown", distracting my poor mother by bolting a hasty breakfast at the last minute. Instead of lunching with my business associates, I would seek out some cheap café, order a meager(贫乏的) meal and scribble my harmony exercises. I continued to make money, and finally, bit by bit, accumulated enough to enable me to go abroad. The family being once more solvent(有偿付能力的), and my help no longer necessary, I resigned from my position and, feeling like a man released from jail, sailed for Europe. I stayed four years, worked harder than I had ever dreamed of working before and enjoyed every minute of it.
"Enjoyed" is too mild a word. I walked on air. I really lived. I was a free man and I was doing what I loved to do and what I was meant to do.
If I had stayed in business, I might be a comparatively wealthy man today, but I do not believe I would have made a success of living. I would have given up all those intangibles, those inner satisfactions, that money can never buy, and that are too often sacrificed when a man's primary goal is financial success.
When I broke away from business, it was against the advice of practically all my friends and family. So conditioned are most of us to the association of success with money that the thought of giving up a good salary for an idea seemed little short of insane. If so, all I can say is "Gee! It's great to be crazy."Money is a wonderful thing, but it is possible to pay too high a price on it.
-
初中语文教学工作总结(通用13篇)
东流逝水,叶落纷纷,荏苒的时光就这样悄悄地,慢慢地消逝了,经过这段时间辛勤付出,我们一定积累了不少经验和教训,是不是需要好好写一份教学总结呢?在写之前,要先考虑好内容和形式喔,下面是小编为大家整理的初中语文教学工作总结,欢迎阅读与收藏。初中语文教学工作总结篇1...
-
校学生会宣传部工作总结通用8篇
总结是对取得的成绩、存在的问题及得到的经验和教训等方面情况进行评价与描述的一种书面材料,他能够提升我们的书面表达能力,不如我们来制定一份总结吧。那么如何把总结写出新花样呢?下面是小编整理的校学生会宣传部工作总结,欢迎阅读与收藏。校学生会宣传部工作总...
-
八年级的英语月考反思(精选5篇)
在现实社会中,课堂教学是我们的任务之一,反思过去,是为了以后。怎样写反思才更能起到其作用呢?下面是小编收集整理的八年级的英语月考反思,仅供参考,希望能够帮助到大家。八年级的英语月考反思1这次月考结束了,成绩很不理想。面对成绩,谈几点自己的反思。1.学生的基础...
-
大班下学期教学计划(通用10篇)
日子在弹指一挥间就毫无声息的流逝,又将开始安排今后的教学工作了,让我们一起来学习写教学计划吧。我敢肯定,大部分人都对这个教学计划很是头疼的,以下是小编整理的大班下学期教学计划,希望对大家有所帮助。大班下学期教学计划1幼儿发展状况分析:上本学期我班开展了...