The Chinese adage above was used by Adlai E. Stevenson. US embassador to the United Nations to praise Eleanor Roosevelt after her decease in 1962. Since so. many have been utilizing this phrase to depict one’s positive actions taken when faced with troubles or mystery. “Don’t expletive the darkness. light a taper. ” To me. this phrase means ‘when one finds himself in a hard state of affairs. he should non fault the fortunes or sulk over his bad luck. Alternatively. he should take positive actions to get the better of or better his current state of affairs. The first reactions by people to this celebrated adage would be to hold with it. If adult male had been cussing instead than ‘lighting candles’ . we would really likely still be at the aboriginal age. Acerate leaf to state. alteration is much more utile to kicking. However. is change ever better than staying in one’s current state of affairs and sulking over it one time in a piece? Is illuming a taper ever better than cussing the darkness?
Work forces have been taking positive actions of all time since they came to the Earth around two hundred thousand old ages ago by coming up with infinite utile inventions from the beginning of the Stone Age. Using rocks. they invented the first manus axe. By about 30. 000 B. C. . arrowheads. spearheads and even delicate run uping acerate leafs were made. Soon after. they looked for ways to better their crude life styles. After contriving linguistic communication to let better communicating. world built boats to detect huge countries of land and larn how to utilize fire. Following that was a series of astonishing innovations and finds.
Reading spectacless were invented in the fourteenth century. the first steam engine was made in 1698. the visible radiation bulb in 1879 and the telephone in 1876. The twentieth century was known as the ‘Electronic Age’ . during which the first all-transistor telecasting and the first portable computing machine were invented in 1979 and 1981 severally. This whole series of clever innovations finally made our universe a technologically advanced one. It is exactly this strong suit of ours – the power to change–that has made mankind the most powerful animate being on Earth. If work forces had done nil but complain about the rough life conditions they were in when they foremost came onto the Earth. we would hold been nonextant long ago.
Another important advantage of taking actions instead than whining would be to better men’s manner of thought and take biass and banal traditions as we progress. Womans in the 1950s were treated in an inferior manner to work forces. They were non allowed to analyze. go forth the house and were frequently abused by their hubbies. Fortunately. many adult females did non yield to the fortunes and protested strongly against the unjust interventions against them by get downing the women’s release. Thankss to our ascendants being brave adequate to take positive actions. adult females today in most parts of the universe portion equal chances with work forces. Another huge alteration we have made is the battle for equality of all races. In the 19th century. the white were superior to the inkinesss who were so treated as slaves. As clip passed. many realised that this was unjust and fought for equal rights among all races. regardless of race or clamber coloring material. These two illustrations are outstanding alterations we have made as our universe becomes more advanced. It is merely with these alterations that fewer wars will be fought and everyone would populate harmoniously.
Positive actions taken to get the better of hard state of affairss non merely conveying about benefits and advancement for the universe. but besides for an person. When one is faced with adversity and finally manages to get the better of it. he will emerge a stronger individual. By seeking for ways to better his hard state of affairs. he will acquire a strong sense of satisfaction for what he has accomplished. Thomas Edison. born during a period when there were no visible radiations. tried over a 100 times before he found the perfect stuff for the fibril ?? wolfram. Not merely did he derive acknowledgment and celebrity for his many clever innovations. he besides lived his life productively and decidedly felt a sense of achievement for the huge benefit he has brought to mankind. If he had merely whined about the inability to work at dark. he would hold led a nonmeaningful life and accomplished nil. Indeed. illuming a taper to illume up the milieus and people around us will besides light our lives in the procedure.
However. there may be state of affairss during which ‘cursing the darkness’ is better than ‘lighting a candle’ . These are normally state of affairss in which the battle for better lives might take to other black effects. If a scientist wanted to prove a freshly invented drug to widen people’s lives and the drug had possible negative side effects that may endanger people’s lives. he might hold to give up proving the drug. If he were to take a firm stand. many people’s lives and wellness might be adversely affected. In this instance. there is likely non much we can make to widen our lives besides taking healthy life styles ourselves. As seen. in state of affairss during which the procedure might convey injury to many and there is no guaranteed positive consequence. it might be best to make nil to alter the current state of affairs.
Change is. really frequently. the better option to kicking about the unfavorable state of affairs one faces. It non merely brings a sense of satisfaction and achievement to us. but more significantly. it is because of this changeless alteration that world has seen such huge betterments to their lives in such a short period of clip. It is alteration that has made our universe a technologically advanced 1. every bit good as removed the biass that we one time had. Yet. there may be some exclusions in which the procedure of alteration might convey approximately excessively many forfeits for the concluding achievement to be honoring. We must recognize. nevertheless. that illuming a taper is about ever better than cussing the darkness. for it will lighten up our lives every bit good as those around us.
