Text/Blue Sea Shimmer
The most important reason why a classic is a classic is to be able to give people spiritual strength. "The Old Man and the Sea" is such a spiritually inspiring work. It presents the deepest truth about life with a simple story, so that every reader can learn to fear life and feel the infinite possibilities of life.
The story of "The Old Man and the Sea" is very simple, it tells the story of Santiago, an elderly fisherman, who went to sea for 84 consecutive days without finding anything and was ridiculed, and went to the deep sea to fish alone on the 85th day. This time, he went through hardships and caught an 18-foot-long, 1,500-pound marlin, but lost the flesh he caught with his life in a desperate struggle with the shark on the way back, and finally only brought back the skeleton of the marlin.
Hemingway used Santiago's experience to tell the world that man can be destroyed, but not defeated.
In my opinion, "The Old Man and the Sea" can bring people more than the spiritual inspiration of "man can be destroyed, but he cannot be defeated", but it also reveals some of the most important truths about life.
The old fisherman Santiago went to sea for 84 consecutive days without finding anything, and even the boy who followed him to fish went to another fishing boat at the request of his family. Santiago is considered an obscure, unlucky guy. Some people mocked him, and some people felt sorry for him, but he didn't care, and still confidently began his 85th day of sea trip.
Most people lose confidence after trying and failing again and again, and don't dare to try again. Not to mention the failure 84 times, many people have completely lost confidence after 3, 5, 10 times, feeling that they will never succeed, and Santiago after 84 consecutive days of failure, the biggest reason why he can still persist in the challenge is that he has the strongest belief in fishing, in his life, never "give up" two words.
Life is a "fishing trip" that never knows where the surprise is and where the success is, and the "big marlin" is our dream, and the reason why many people abandon their weapons and surrender before 84 fishing failures is because their inner belief in the "dream" is not firm enough.
Faith is a magical power that allows people to see hope in desperate situations and to realize possibilities in the impossible. As Santiago says, "If you want to do it, you can beat anyone." Only if you believe in yourself, and always believe in it, can you meet your own "big marlin".
For Santiago, whether it is in the deep sea and the big marlin wrestling, or on the way back to face wave after wave of shark attacks, he never thought of giving up his big fish, and it is the deepest belief in fishing that he can never be defeated.
A person's firm belief is like a bright light in the dark night, it not only brings warmth, but also guides the direction of our lives, so that we are not confused in the fog, not discouraged when frustrated, not disturbed by the outside world, and will not easily surrender on the road of life.
Was it luck that Santiago was able to catch 18-foot-long, 1,500-pound marlin?
No.
It is the wisdom he has accumulated over decades of wandering at sea.
Do not underestimate the seemingly repetitive and boring life day after day, which may contain the most important wisdom essence of life, with the grinding of time, the washing of the years, one day you can see its light.
Whether it is under the guidance of the seabird, all the way to find the big fish, or in the boundless sea again and again with the big fish, relying on the wisdom given to him by life. Through his decades of fishing knowledge in two days and two nights, Santiago knew when to rest and adjust, when to replenish food and energy, and when to grasp the fishing line in his hand and overcome the limits of pain to completely defeat the marlin.
Through the fishing line to feel the state of the big fish, accurately judge the timing of subduing it, this is not what anyone can do, it needs is the experience of life experience, but also the wisdom of life in the sea breeze and waves. If it weren't for every voyage in previous decades, perhaps, this time, Santiago's life would have been threatened.
Seemingly inconspicuous fishing journey, but contains the real wisdom of life, bit by bit of life experience is not remarkable, it is this little experience that is not valued in the accumulation, continuous growth, and continuous accumulation, becoming the light of wisdom of life, not only can shine themselves and even save lives in danger.
Catching big fish was a blessing, but it was followed by one of the biggest disasters of Santiago's life.
Because the blood of the big marlin continues to flow into the sea, it attracts groups of sharks to attack.
In the face of the shark attack, Santiago had little hope of winning, but he still had to fight for once. It was also at this time that he uttered the time-honored saying, "Man can be destroyed, but he cannot be defeated." ”
What a great courage, he used a harpoon to kill the largest sharp-toothed shark he had ever seen in his life, and after losing the harpoon, he tied the knife to the handle of the oar as a weapon, and killed two shovel-nosed sharks without flinching, and when the blade was broken, everything that could be used on the Santiago ship, the two oars, the tiller handle, and the short stick, became the weapons for fighting sharks.
In this desperate struggle, the elderly rely on not only the hope of life, but also the courage to persevere to live. Groups of sharks chased after them, and in addition to quickly punching the boat forward, Santiago repelled every shark group that came after him with the courage to break through the limits of his body in a state where his weapons were exhausted and his strength was running out.
It's a miracle, it's a miracle about life, it's about courage. You never know how much courage and energy life can burst out when it is in danger. If it is normal, it is the limit to be able to defeat a shark, but this time, Santiago, in a state of no strength, is still desperately fighting with feeling and hearing, getting rid of the shark's pursuit.
Most people will shrink back in the face of difficulties, lose courage and strength, and thus become losers in life, and Santiago declares with his life-fighting battle that life can never be limited, and as long as you have enough courage to maintain hope for life, you may create the miracle of life.
Life is a lonely journey, many people come and go in our lives, but the most important roads have to be completed by one person.
Santiago has lived alone since the death of his wife, and his fishing trip has been lonely, except for once when a boy accompanied him to the sea, most of the time he had to face the vast ocean and unknown risks alone.
He is accustomed to loneliness, will talk to himself in the vast sea, and can think about all things related to himself in loneliness. The birds and fish in the sea are the objects of his talk, and the lighthouses in the distance and the sea breeze in the near distance are his companions in life.
Enjoying solitude can keep people clear-headed, can see their situation clearly, and can make people learn to endure pain, waiting and loneliness. Only in this way can we maintain the purest mentality, taste in the boring life, and find warmth in the cold of the long night.
People who can enjoy loneliness must be strong in their hearts, like Santiago, who dare to live alone, dare to challenge life alone, dare to explore the possibilities that life has not been explored in loneliness, and will have sufficient faith, courage and wisdom to face up when fate strikes suddenly.
Loneliness is the source of strength that a person can rise from the ground anytime and anywhere.
Being able to precipitate oneself in loneliness, and being able to be sober, restrained and brave in loneliness, is the state that everyone should have.
What if you had fought for something and ended up with nothing?
Most people will completely collapse, will sigh at their own efforts, will be trapped in their own hard work or even sleepless past, and even lose the strength and direction of life.
The big fish that Santiago caught with his life was eventually eaten by the shark swarm, leaving only the skeletons. He was almost a big fish that he had acquired with his life, and in the last nothing, he felt not disappointment and frustration, but ease. "He's gone beyond everything, he's just doing his best to sail the boat home."
He did not feel bitter about the loss of fish, and even after he went back, he did not talk to anyone about his thrilling record of three days and three nights, but just fell into a deep sleep as usual.
When others saw the skeleton of the big fish he brought back and respected him, he did not have any pride and complacency, but quietly arranged to give the skeleton of the big fish to those who needed it.
In the face of the ups and downs of life, being able to accept all the gifts calmly, not being ecstatic when you first encounter a big fish, and not losing your record, this is the most respected place in Santiago. Although the strength of life is still not gained, but also can calmly accept the ups and downs of life, such a person is the king of life, will never be easily tempted, and will not be easily overthrown.
Life is so elusive, you think that the road is fruitful, but the result is full of thorns, trying their best and still empty-handed. Be able to catch the changes of the impermanence of fate, and greet every surprise and blow of life with a calm and leisurely attitude, so that you can be proud of the world, not humble, not anxious, and live wantonly.
The reason why the classic masterpiece is enduring is because everyone who reads it can always see what they hope to look like and find the direction of life in other people's stories.
The story of Santiago has inspired countless people, either at the low point of life, or suffered from the hardships of life, or encountered the ups and downs of life. In any case, the road of life depends on us to go.
In our own country of life, all we can do is to do our best to fight for it, not necessarily to pursue success and fame, and not to be afraid of the desolation and loneliness after going all out.
Let's just run as much as we want, and the rest will wait for the flowers to bloom.
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Blue sea shimmering light: the emotional author with a handwritten heart, willing to use words to point a glimmer of light, accompany you to see the thousands of lives, and follow you through the years!