[习作点评] Issue 120 欢迎大家修改哦 [复制链接]

100 "So much is new and complex today that looking back for an understanding of the past provides little guidance for living in the present."

现在有太多新的、复杂的事物，因此回首了解过去对于现在的生活没有什么指导意义。

The author asserts that looking back for an understanding of the past has little value for living in today’s world as there exist a large number of new and complex things. In spite of the fact that this issue is a multifaceted and controversial one, I stubbornly disagree with the author in the finally specific analysis.

First of all, the reason why I hold such an opinion is that distinguished achievements made by our ancestors or pioneers in the past have penetrated into our daily life. Even in some realm, it is their precious theories that help certain professionals at present make a breakthrough. To maintain this point, I can think of no better illustration than the following one. Newton, the eminent mathematician and physicist, once said, “I saw further than others because I stood on the shoulder of giants.” His prominent works of modern science such as the laws of gravitation, the foundation of calculus, three fundamental laws of mechanics, have greatly influenced our daily life. Furthermore, the laws of gravitation are applied well by our scientists to explore the mysterious outer space; many industries are based on the fundamental laws of mechanics. Under such circumstance, it is apparent that the experience we gain from the past is not only the reference but also the most precious for human and entire society’s development during a long period.

In addition, studying the past can help us avoid the repeating mistakes which were ever made in the past. In today’s complex and rapidly changing world, though the development of modern science and technology, there are still some problems we haven’t solved for centuries. Political, cultural and ethnic conflicts remain unsolved; wars, international terrorism, environmental pollution are still open questions. As a result, we should learn lessons through looking back for an understanding of the past, and figure out some ways to, at least, reduce these disasters effectively. Just imagine the case to the contrary that we handle the problems with our own will and ignore the history, we might face the similar difficult in the history, which will waste enormous time and energy. “Forgetting the past means betrayal”, Lenin’s saying perfectly interprets my opinion.

Admittedly, it may be true that some problems appearing in nowadays which don’t exist in the past, such as nuclear war. In such situation, history seems has no use for reference. However, this alone does not constitute adequate evidence to claim that history has nothing to do with present human life. When the advantages and disadvantages of my view and the adversary point are carefully compared, the most striking conclusion is obvious.

When all the factors are examined, we may safely come to the fair conclusion that we cannot ignore the mass achievements that history has brought to us. No matter how different today is from the past, there are certain values, principles, and old life philosophies remain unchanged and still have much use in guiding us now.