Xinhua News Agency, together with Sina Weibo and Xinshixiang, jointly launched the #Year-end Question 2021# campaign, inviting four pioneers of the times - Zhang Guimei, Zhang Wenhong, Su Bingtian and Wang Chi to respond to the confusion and thoughts raised by everyone on the road of growth. According to the messages and questions from the whole network, since December 20, we have released 4 sincere replies, and 4 replies will share their most sincere thoughts on life.
Choosing a path that few people take, how to overcome the loneliness of life? On the way to the sea of stars, how to overcome the temptations of the outside world? Wang Chi, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, replied in a letter about how he embarked on the road of scientific research. He said that loneliness is the norm in life, and we must learn to get along with loneliness and use it to recognize what we really want in our hearts.
Find a light from loneliness
youngster:
Hello! I am a space physicist. When I saw so many young people talking about their loneliness in messages, my heart was also very emotional. Because in my nearly 30 years of space science research, the most often accompanied me is loneliness.
In 1993, at the age of 26, I bid farewell to my family and went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) alone to study for a Ph.D. At that time, there was no Internet, and contact was basically by writing letters, because making international calls was very expensive. When the plane took off from the capital airport, I also felt a little lonely and wandering. The destination, Boston, is only a name I have seen in books, but I am dreaming of going to an unknown place, and when the plane is about to land over Boston, I see the brightly lit city, and my heart is put down, because I know that I am going to start a new stage of my life in this strange city.
Fortunately, my PhD supervisor was the chief scientist of the Voyager 2 plasma instrument in the United States, and because of this opportunity, I was exposed to nasa's greatest space program ever, which taught me the never-ending spirit of exploration, the pursuit of scientific excellence and the pursuit of excellence in technical research. The process of studying for a phD was painful and lonely, and the strict requirements of MIT made me work all night to do homework, once spent new year in the library, and once drove hundreds of miles to ask questions. But realizing the ideal is the light in loneliness, which makes me feel that there is always hope.
However, just when I felt that I had integrated into this society, like a fish in the water, there was one thing, a more important thing that made me feel a greater kind of loneliness. Every time you go to a meeting at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), you have to apply for a security clearance long in advance, and you wear a sign with the word "escort" written on the day of the meeting. This means that as long as I am active in the laboratory, I must be accompanied by Americans, and I cannot act alone. The loneliness and frustration in my heart arise at this moment.
It just so happened that the Chinese Academy of Sciences had a talent introduction plan, and Mr. Wei Fengsi, director of the Open Research Laboratory of Space Meteorology, contacted me and asked me if I wanted to come back. I had just become a research scientist at MIT, and my salary was double that of a postdoc, which was a good reward at the time. On the one hand, returning to China is almost from scratch but gives you unlimited scientific research space, on the other hand, it is a high-paying but restrictive job, and after thinking about it, I choose to return to China.
At that time, my wife had a brief hesitation, but I had already thought about it in my heart: I had identified space science, and my goal was to concentrate on scientific research without being restricted, and to contribute to the development of China's space science cause. I believe that my work has value and I believe that I have made the right choice.
At the beginning of this century, China, the level of space science is too far behind in the world, there was no first-hand observation data in this field at that time, more is the use of foreign data to do research, you can imagine what we do, "others eat the meat, you go to nibble the bones."
Looking back now, although it is already the age of "knowing the destiny of heaven", when you choose a path you like, many times such a choice is not understood or supported by the people around you, and even sit on the "cold bench", everything can only be carried by yourself, you can only be alone, gritting your teeth and moving forward.
In my opinion, the achievements of the individual and the development of the whole country in this field are closely related, this field as a whole is not good, and your personal development is not much better. Now, 20 years later, looking back, I did make a very correct decision. I have caught up with a great era, and I feel very fortunate and proud to be able to integrate personal development into the rapid development of our country's space science cause and make progress together.
At the same time, these years of experience have also made me deeply understand that if a person wants to achieve something, loneliness is almost inevitable. The wandering of a foreign country, the search for truth in the vast universe, the confusion of losing my direction in scientific research, these are all things that I experienced and overcame when I was young.
It is precisely because of this that I have more confidence in you who are reading this letter at this moment, because I know that you must have better conditions and a wider road than you did then, so you should be braver and more confident, and if I can overcome it, you will certainly be able to do it. I will tell you about my 3 experiences of overcoming loneliness, hoping to help you a little.
First, accept "loneliness." The so-called everything is difficult at the beginning, and the more difficult it is, the easier it is to feel lonely. When I first returned to China, I was faced with a huge field gap, and even the biggest ambition was worn away. Loneliness is the norm in life, and when you recognize that this is the status quo, you accept this real situation and find a way to build a new "module" from 0 to 1.
Second, learn to live with "loneliness" and use it to recognize what you really want in your heart.
When I was a child, next to a reservoir in the countryside of Hunan, I used to lie in the field and look up at the stars, and the stars attracted me and made me want to fly up to see what secrets were there. That was the first time I had decided to study the stars. Later, when I actually participated in the Voyager 2 mission, I was shocked by the vastness of the universe and strengthened my interest in the field of space science. You must firmly believe that the lonely moments given to you by God must be the best opportunity for you to talk to yourself, and don't miss it.
Finally, please believe that as you move toward your dreams, more and more people will begin to understand and support you. On the day I received the honor of "Academician", I used to express my feelings with "gratitude, responsibility, and cherishing". I am grateful to my parents who raised me, to accompany my family, to nurture my school, to bring up my mentors and friends, and to support my units, which have opened up new possibilities for my scientific research. Without them, it is difficult to imagine that I would have the opportunity to participate in the "Meridian Project", "Space Science Pilot Project", "Chang'e-4" and "Tianwen-1" these major tasks, such a groundbreaking national heavyweight.
To this day, like you, I still feel a little lonely from time to time. After all, China's space science is still in its infancy, and there is still a long way to go in the future. May we all grow with loneliness and find our own light from loneliness.