新編大學英語第四冊unit12 Text C: Romantic Ambition
UNIT 12 AFTER-CLASS READING 2; New College English (IV)
Romantic Ambition
All persons possess some level of ambition. It is not surprising, therefore, that all persons determine the goals to which their ambitions are directed. For some it may be wealth, for others power, and for many there is a strong desire to live a life with rich romantic influences. Romance in its broader meaning refers to a zest for life, an energetic pursuit in any and all relationships with others as well as with nature and indeed in all human and natural activity.
If one lacks a romantic zest and energy for daily pursuits, other goals may seem empty and pointless. Consider the fact that many persons openly admit that, while they would prefer to live comfortably, they do not wish to be wealthy in an economic sense. Perhaps they take their position from the biblical statement that "It is harder for a rich man to enter heaven than it is for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle", but more often the reason is more directly related to the same reason many persons do not aspire to great power during their lives. The reasons these goals are not greatly sought or valued, even by otherwise ambitious, talented persons, are not entirely clear, but it is absolutely certain that for many persons these goals do not have high priority in their choices. In fact, both excessive wealth and great power have often been misused, and do not of themselves lead to better personal relationships.
There clearly are goals which do not lead to greater romance in living, do not add zest to life, and do not support enthusiastic and energetic participation in relationships. How then, does one recognize a romantic individual?
First of all, romance is not just love between two people. You can't really have romance with someone else or with nature unless you are romantic yourself. Romance is something you have to take care of and to nurture. Romance needs food and water and care, of a kind all her own. You can destroy romance, or at least drive her away, almost without knowing that you are doing it.
The best way to recognize a romantic person is to be around romantics. There is a sense of passion about them, a sense of being a bit too far out on the edge emotionally. Sometimes, it's a caring for what seem to be unimportant things or persons: an old chair, a favorite knife, a favorite family member, or a piece of art or music. Romantics tend to like animals, those animals which sense the zest in the romantic, and decide to stay around and join in this place of food and laughter.
You don't have to be a poet or a painter or a musician to be a romantic. Industrialists, religious people, teachers, students, or any other persons who have a zest for their chosen field can be romantics.
Romance is practical. It provides energy for living and furnishes a sense of vision, hope and caring. Because you are working for others, not just yourself, your work takes on a certain quality that it otherwise lacks. "People who need people are the luckiest people in the world" is not just a pretty song, it is at the heart of romance.
Romance is hard to gain, hard to keep and fairly easy to drive away. If you are really intent on getting rid of romance, here are a few ways to do it. Become obsessive in your neatness, particularly in the way your desk looks. Install expensive carpets in your house so you will be upset when your friend or your dog makes a mess on it. Don't listen to good music. Focus excessively on detail at the expense of vision, of dreams, of reflection. And, finally, the surest way to lose romance is to do things just for money, even though your best conscience tells you this is not what you should be doing.
On the other hand, there are some goals which will put more romance into your life. If one would keep romance, these are some things that can help: Read some poetry every day. Try some of the old classics, such as Shakespeare, Keats, or Kipling as well as some of the good modern poetry. Even better, write your own poetry. Set up a schedule for yourself when you can read. Get up early in the morning in the solitude that is only possible when other persons do not interfere with your focus on reading. Sometime, build your own house, or at least some intimate parts of it. Design it or decorate it to your own taste and with lots of thought, and you'll find pleasure in living in a place that is a product of your own effort and ambition. Collect little things: a small box, a favorite piece of jewelry, a coin. Play a musical instrument, no matter how simple or complex, or just learn to whistle or hum a tune to yourself. Travel when possible, because novelty and new associations are important in romance. And, most of all, many romantics keep some type of journal, diary, or notes in a pocket calendar. Later these will remind you of the enjoyable time and the relationships you have formed.
Romance is not just outward bound and found away from one's familiar surroundings. It also rides on one's shoulder when one returns home. Perspective can be gained not only from reviewing one's journal notes, but by noticing the more familiar things and persons at home. Romance is all around; it's not somewhere else.
Romance occurs in the most common environment. Anyone can see the beauty of the mountains, but it takes a little more perspective to see the beauty of a rural landscape, a desert, or the long sweep of a grassland or river. Not only obvious and famous places are settings for romance. The humble, well used, and little things in life are common factors in romance.
Finally, how will you know that you have lived a romantic life? On one's death bed, when all the living and doing is finished, one might well think of R. M. Rilke's poetic musing:
"I live my life in growing orbits
which move out over the things of this world.
Perhaps I can never achieve the last,
but that will be my attempt.
I am circling around God,
around the ancient tower,
and I have been circling for a thousand years.
And I still do not know
if I am a falcon,
or a storm,
or a great song."
When one has done this, if one can smile and nod quietly to oneself, one has been a romantic, and romance will ride on one's shoulder while returning home, and for eternity.
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