We are not vegetarians.

Author: Cai Chongda, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2001-02-01
Features: Written by students, edited by students, read by students, nationwide copies! Most of the authors are winners of the New Concept Composition Competition. A gathering of talents, excellent writings! The works are outstanding, showcasing individuality, truly enjoyable! This book not only reflects rebellion against campus life but also includes many interesting stories. Having just studied philosophy, one must look at things in two aspects! Due to academic pressure, we study intensively every day, surrounded by countless exercises, and life seems monotonous. In reality, these are just surface appearances. Life is a garden. If you focus solely on picking the "big red flower" that everyone is supposed to have, while ignoring the existence of other flowers, the sweetness and bitterness are self-evident. Why not broaden your perspective and gather more flowers? This is entirely possible. We can learn many things from teachers' lectures that are not in books. For example, one of my teachers always made his lessons emotionally uplifting, relaxing, and incredibly beneficial. Once, he lectured on "corruption" and asked, "Would you become corrupt if you become officials?" We found it amusing, but he analyzed the reasons behind the "26-year-old phenomenon" and the "39-year-old phenomenon" in relation to reality. These events happen right around us, helping us understand the essence of social phenomena more clearly. In composition class, I don't believe we lack life experience and can only write about good people and good deeds. Similarly, we can use our hearts and words to interpret friendships among classmates, teacher-student relationships, parental love, or even budding romance. Perhaps this is not valued by traditional education, but at least we can be moved by it for ourselves. I don't think I have lost anything by not studying solely for university entrance exams. Learning is not just for exams. If you only aim to score higher by doing more exercises and memorizing more words, that kind of life is like a monk's, devoid of richness. Ultimately, it leads to high scores but low ability. The illiteracy of the new century is no longer about whether you can read or write, but whether you can "learn by yourself" and continuously improve through learning. In We Are Not Vegetarians, so many middle school students use their pens to depict this colorful life, and we are no exception. We are not vegetarians; we have ideals and goals. Our lives are more radiant because of learning and thinking.