My Soul's Autobiography: Time and Temperament

Author: Zhou Guoping
Publisher:
Publishing Time: Not available
Features: The book is divided into four parts, arranged in chronological order, covering childhood and youth, university life, the period after graduation working and training in the countryside, and the time spent returning to Beijing for graduate studies and engaging in philosophical research. When people recall their lives, they are often governed by a principle opposite to perspective. They may find that even the smallest childhood events seem significant, while recent major events appear comparatively minor. The first part focuses on trivial memories from childhood, but childhood holds no small matters. The earliest impressions of life are particularly vivid because they are written on white paper, and seemingly insignificant details may have played a significant role in shaping one's personality. The second part constitutes the largest portion of the book, with considerable dedicated to Guo Shiyin, as he was the person who influenced my entire life. My lifelong spiritual pursuits were established under his influence. If readers wish to know how a person with a strong spiritual instinct spent their long, solitary years in the countryside, they might find answers in the third part. The fourth part spans a long time but is relatively brief, with a somewhat rushed tone. My defense for this is that many events are still in progress, lacking the necessary distance for reflection. However, it is here that my life's path has found its fundamental destination, and in this part, I have more concentratedly expressed my mature understanding of myself and the world. Sensitivity and detachment—or perhaps perseverance and transcendence—constitute the two poles of my temperament. This book describes the process of their coexistence and growth, which is also my journey of temperament.