(One 's Duty)

I have always liked lying down in bed reading and

daydreaming, on one hand it is because I am lazy by
nature but the biggest reason is because I have always
been sick because of poor health. Father usually scolded
me, shaking his head at me while sighing, however, I still
long for those times that I lie down in bed - how
comfortable it felt, how wonderful it felt.

Looking at the bright rays of the sun that shone through

the glass tiled roof, the changing clouds made the room
turn bright and dark alternately and quickly led me into a
dreamy state. In my dream, I thought of myself as having
done many great things and that I became an unrivalled
celebrity.

When I reached senior high school, I still maintained my

lofty ideals and I considered myself as someone capable
of doing great things and I had high expectations of
myself. Only after I failed the college entrance exams and
had to choose between studies and employment that I
understood objective reality and thus no longer pursued
my lofty ideals, only then did I consider myself as having
grown up.

I was disillusioned with my own growing up process,

indeed there were things that hurt, but it was from real life
that I began to comprehend many of lifes philosophies. I
finally realized that many great men did not deliberately
wanted to become great men at the outset, but it was
during the performance of their duties that they were able
to make significant contributions to the society and to the
people and thus became well respected by others.

Therefore, as long as we perform our duties

wholeheartedly and to the best of our ability, then we can
become great men too.

A farmer, who is not afraid of the cold wind, hot sun and
the hardships in farming, tends to his crops daily with
care and industry; and this is his way of performing his
duty. It is because he treats his work with such

conscientiousness that we are able to eat such delicious

rice and savor such lucky taste. People who are like the
farmer who is so dedicated to his work, everywhere, they
will be like the great men who deserve our respect.

Doing ones duty is the most basic requirement, but there

are many people who cannot even do this. People often
have an indolent nature and are always looking for

reasons to cover up their laziness, they often abandon

their duties and do not do the things that needs to be done,
instead they do unrealistic things, and if nothing gets done
they indulge in self pity and then blame it on their bad
luck.

Actually, the ability of each person has its limits, how

much ability one has and how much work needs to be
done, so I often reflect whether if work done within the
scope of ones abilities already means the fulfillment of
ones duties already. As long as I feel that a person has
already fulfilled his duty, and feels that his life has been
enriched, then he can live out his remaining life
peacefully. Therefore, no matter what stage of life you are
in, as long as you can dismiss the highly ambitious
attitude and maintain that spirit of fulfilling ones duties
and work; then it is easy to live a successful life.