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Reading Nature Self King Nature is natural, which is the most important feature of Nature. Being natural is nature of Nature and the most eminent personality for a man. Laozi holds that the ways of men are conditioned by those of earth and the ways of earth,by those of heaven, of which by those of Tao,whose by being natural, in this sense.[Translated by Arthur Waley] Ancient Chinese people initiated their knowledge of the heaven and earth from observing nature, and then extended its knowledge to society, thus “the heaven is running so powerfully, so a man spares no efforts for self-improvement.” That is to say, ancient Chinese people based their knowledge on their observation on natural phenomena. Nature was the source of knowledge for them. Nature is not only the source of knowledge but also the cure for hearts. In Chinese literature as well as western literature, works can be found which eulogize nature as it cured men of hearts hurt in the field of worldly life. Wordsworth, for example, saw the daffodils beneath the trees,beside the beach and became joyful though he had been depressed. As Lin Yutang put it, this feeling for nature practically overflows in all Chinese poetry, and forms an important part of the Chinese spiritual heritage. Nature means ancient and simple, so even now people who are leading a modern life still yearn for a life completely natural: We go to work at sunrise. And come back to rest at sunset. We know nothing and learn nothing. What has the emperor's virtue to do with us? The worship of the ancients then became identical with the worship of simplicity. A man who discards the worldly life returns to nature as a fish goes back to water and feels so joyful that he will sing and dance regardless of how poor a life he is leading, because he finally starts his ideal life as a recluse. Not only do the Chinese people yearn for such life in nature but western people also eulogize such life: Happy the man, whose wish and care The life described in this poem by Alexander Pope is so like the one described in the famous article A Record of Peach Blossom Stream by Tao Yuanming. So we are safe to say people both in China and in western countries like a peaceful and simple life. Nature enlightens those who long for such a life in their inner hearts. Nature is so important for human beings not in a sense of environment only that an American scholar named Emerson wrote a book bearing the title of Nature, which soon became world well-known and it was really a masterpiece as well as a milestone for his writing, in which he says Nature satisfies the soul purely by its loveliness. In Chinese culture does Nature dominate a lofty position as well. In this sense, we can, emulating Qian Zhongshu, form our own precept: no matter where they are, people share the same feelings about nature. A conversation with you for one night is worth more than reading books for ten years, a Chinese saying goes like this, but if one learns to talk with nature, it may be worth more than reading books for a hundred years, because learning from nature is more important than learning from books. Another Chinese saying goes like this: reading ten thousand books and travelling ten thousand li, the latter actually means talking with nature. As Li liweng has pointed out, those who are wise seldom know how to talk, and those who talk are seldom wise. Thus, one prefers to talk with nature rather than talk with a man, since Nature is wise as well as knows how to talk. A poet who talked with nature wrote: In my eyes, green hills are so attractive, So, in their eyes, attractive am I, too. Also, Li Bai,who was famous for his conversations with Nature ever wrote: Looking at each other, Jingting Peak and me, Never will I feel tired of you, and nor you of me. So, get close to nature and find the beauty of nature, we can lead a healthier life. |
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