You and Me - Beijing Olympic Theme Song

                                                    Music as a Catalyst for Change
    One of the most important songs for me is You And Me, the 2008 Beijing Olympic theme song. The original version is performed by two tycoons in the music world--Liu Huan and Sarah Brightman. The lyrics are as below:

 

You and me  from one world   we are family  travel dream   a thousand miles meeting in beijing   come together   put your hand in mine   you and me   from one world   we are family  you and me  from one world   we are family come together    meeting in Beijing

    The reason why this song was a catalyst to me was that it gave me a new perspective to see my country and the world. I was honored to participate in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games as a volunteer. It was my first time to serve so many people who have different colors and cultures getting together to join in such a fantastic event. The Olympic Games was hosted in August, so the weather was hot. However, everyone was responsible for his or her work with enthusiasm. Although we did not know too much about each other, we tried our best to provide guests with the best service. Our service exchanged for guests’ satisfaction. I still remembered when I watched the opening ceremony of and heard the theme song, I was so pound of being the host of the Games. The rhyme, lyrics and performance were mixed in such a perfect way that I suddenly felt that world peace was the objective of the whole world and everyone in the globe lived in harmony at that moment. That was an unforgettable experience. Just like the lyrics write, you and me travel a thousand miles and we are family.

    In addition, the Olympic theme song implicates the spirits of athletes. As each Olympic Games has four-year interval, athletes have to devote themselves to exercise during these periods and show their results only in the competition. Sometimes, we can see that some athletes compete with each other, but they become true friends through competition. Some athletes injure themselves, but they continue to reach their destination. The Olympic theme song tells me what perseverance, friendship and spirit are.

An Interesting Gesture-V Sign

    An interesting gesture used by Chinese people is the V sign. Most Chinese people like posing a V sign when taking photos. They do not realize and even do not know why they do that. I think the V sign in my country has several meanings. First, the V sign means victory just because the V sign looks like the first letter of the English word - victory. Second, posing a V sign when taking a photo shows a person is very cute. Third, a V sign means number two. Number two can be used to describe people in Chinese and has a deep meaning in Chinese culture. In a comparison, in Britain a V sign with the palm facing you and especially with fingers fast moving shows a taunt or ridicule. Many foreigners do not understand why Chinese people like the V sign, but they have realized that interesting gesture. In intercultural communication, using right body language in right situations is really important. We are responsible for knowing that gestures may have different meanings in different countries. If we know more about other countries’ gestures, we may avoid some conflicts and set up good social relationships. Another example is thumb-up. It is used by hitchhikers or it means Okay in the U.S.. However, it means fuck in Australia and insult in Nigeria. In Japan, it means “five” but “one” in German. In China, thumb-up means good. If we do not know that thum-up has a negative meaning in Australia, we may be in a  very embarrassed situation when we do that in Australia. Thus, we need to improve our ability in observing, evaluating, and behaving in an appropriate and effective way in our daily life.

Misfortune May Be an Actual Blessing

    The old saying “Misfortune May Be an Actual Blessing” means that every bad thing will pass and good luck will follow. Although sometimes we are in adversity, we do not need to become too much depressed because something good may be ahead of us. If we hange our minds and attitudes, we will find that the sunshine comes after the storm.

    Sometimes, it takes us a long time to realize that what we have experienced actually teaches us a lot and misfortune is a kind of luck. When I look back to the past, I find that the failure I have experienced lays a foundation for my today’s life. Most of Chinese students and parents consider the college entrance examination as the turning point of life, not only because our traditional idea is that we receiving twelve-year education and working hard are all for being admitted by our dreamed colleges, but also because it is the only chance for many students who grew up in the remote rural areas to leave their poor hometown and to enter the dreamed college in the metropolitans, which guarantees them a bright future. I screwed up my examination and failed to go to my dreamed college. I was under great pressure at that time because my family, my friends and my teachers cared about my exam results. I was originally supposed to apply for a top Chinese Science and Engineering college. As a result, I had to study at a common economics and business college. However, because of this college, I was brought to the business world and was inspired to study more business knowledge. Because of this college, I had the opportunity to volunteer during the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008. Because of this college, I met my boy friend and made a lot of good friends. Afttr studying at this college, I was familiar with the humanities, knowing that without proper management, workers cannot work in such a high efficiency. I found my goals due to studying business knowledge that I would go to set up my own nursing home and heart foundation in the future. I could put what I had learned into practice, and at the same time lend a hand to those who need a help. If I had entered my “dreamed college,” I would not have known how to fulfill my dreams. We cannot predict what will happen ahead of us, but we can believe that misfortune may be a blessing.

 

The Definition of Justice

    According to Aristotle, people actually speak of a partial justice when they talk about justice. One reason is that people pass judgment on themselves and cannot judge correctly in their own case. Justice includes both things equality and people equality. However, people always have disagreement on people equality. Another reason is that people consider they are speaking of absolute justice, but they are unware that what they are talking about is partial justice. The state is not only for alliance, security from injustice, exchange, mutual intercourse, but for a good life, a perfect and self-sufficing life. The law should not only be a surety which is powerless to guarantee a good life of people. Companionship is only the prerequisite of constituting a state. The state is the union of families in a perfect life where people who contribute most have a greater share and who contribute less in one respect, such as wealth, but have the same or greater freedom are inferior in the society. Aristotle maybe think that the purpose of taxing the rich heavily to help the poor is to make a well-being life in the whole society. He thinks that who contributes more needs to gain more in the political virtue. Some people think it is fair to heavily tax the rich just because they earn a lot. Some people think it is unfair for the rich to be taxed more in order to help the poor. All these ideas are based on the partial justice. There is a gap in the society and sometimes it is hard to treat everyone absolutely fairly, so the government has to interfere with the allocation of wealth.

Independence

    I think the independence of a country marks an important historical moment because the

country is no longer ruled or controlled by others. The country owns its sovereign rights, sets up its own government, enacts its laws, organizes its own military. An independent
country could provide people with better-off lives and happiness because people are equal
and have their ownrights. They can also join hands to make contributions to the country.
Although I did not experience the moment when Chairman Mao announced that the People's 
Republic of China was founded, I am still excited when I imagine that scene.It is our responsibility to know the history and inherit our history to the next generation.

    The independence for me means I can support myself, lead my own life and do something 

following  my heart. When I was young, I was always dreaming if only I could grow up overnight. 

However, when I really grew up, I realized that living independently was not easy.The more mature I became, the more difficulties I faced. I am happy that I can share the burdens of 

my family and I have more freedom, but I sometimes really miss the carefree time of my childhood.
    I know that if you usually recall something,that means you are getting old. I think I am now getting more and more mature.