Career Achieve Career - For Whom Are You Really Working?

Author: Yu Fan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: A young man, due to an impulsive act, caused serious harm to others and was sentenced by the local court. When he heard from the solemn judge that he would be sentenced to 12 years in prison, he instantly felt utterly despondent. He believed that his most precious and cherished years of life would be spent behind bars, which was destined to make his life a tragedy. After several years of aimless imprisonment, he felt even more that his future was bleak, to the point where he thought there was no future left for him at all. Due to his melancholic mood and eccentric temperament, he could not get along well with other inmates and found it difficult to focus on the learning courses arranged by the prison for inmates. When kind people around him encouraged him to accept what had already happened, he always felt they were mocking him, so he couldn’t free himself from the unchangeable past. Unable to release his mind, his thoughts grew increasingly radical, even to the extent of attempting suicide in his third year of incarceration. However, due to the strict prison supervision and his own lack of resolve, the suicide attempt ultimately failed. In this way, consumed by misery and sorrow, the young man had already served four years of his sentence.
In the spring of his fourth year of imprisonment, he discovered an ant in his cell. With no friends around, he began to "chat" with the ant—though, of course, it was always him talking, and the ant "listening." The presence of the ant alleviated much of his suffering. He placed the ant in his pocket and would "communicate" with it whenever he had something on his mind: he could "confide" his pain to the ant or share his joys with it. Through long-term "communication" and "," the ant gradually began to understand many of his feelings. The ant could even perform amusing actions at his command. Seeing this miraculous ant, the young man was overjoyed. He regarded it as a special gift from God. He thought that after his release, he could take the ant on a tour, performing around the world. While many people earned a living by taming animals, no one had ever successfully trained an ant. The young man even imagined that he might rely on this ant to live a prosperous and carefree life in his later years: the ant would not only bring him a steady income but also keep him company—a truly delightful idea!
With this thought, the young man’s hope for life was reignited. In fact, he had placed all his hopes for the future on the ant before him. With hope for the future, the young man began to serve his sentence more actively. Due to his good behavior, he was released early after his seventh year in prison. He finally realized his dream of taking the ant on tour. From the moment he stepped out of the prison gates, it seemed as if he could already see an unlimitedly bright future ahead.
The elated young man took the ant to a bar, and he was...