Issue120， 模考第N篇，历史与现在，留链尽量返，呵呵

shadow1987UID: 2605840

TOPIC: ISSUE120 - "So much is new and complex today that looking back for an understanding of the past provides little guidance for living in the present."
WORDS: 467
TIME: 00:45:00
DATE: 2010-8-4 11:17:49

In this era, rapid social and technological changes bring about a new and complex society wherein almost everything has been changed dramatically. Therefore, it is coincides with the common sense that looking back and trying to understand the history is useless for living in the present. However, the speaker fails to consider that there are many positive spirits that we should learn from the history as well as the negative experiences which can help us avoiding the mistakes. Consequently, my firmly held view is that understanding of the meaningful content in the past could guide us in today and it is unilateral for the speaker to draw such a conclusion.

In the first place, I must concede that with the development in the field of politics, economy, science and technology, our environment and living conditions are different than before in all respects. Hence, many values and ideas are no longer appropriate in modern society, and on the other hand, many old tools and facilities have been replaced by new ones as well. For example, the telephone has replaced the role of telegram, and the E-mail is replacing the role of normal letters gradually. In these cases, history indeed provides less value for us to live in the present.

However, we should also be aware of that some positive spirits in our history is attained by going through a rough and difficult process. These precious spirits can guide us in the way to happiness and they are forever meaningful. Take a look at the "Declaration of Independence" which is one of the spirits we should preserve perpetually. Learning this spirit, we know the self evident truths that all men are created equal and independent; that from that equal creation they derive in the rights inherent and inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, and liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Millions of brave American sacrificed themselves to achieve the nation's freedom and democracy which is the also the foundation of America. Knowing this, all the American people could never forget this period of history and this spirit in history of course provides guidance for living in the present.

Moreover, we can also benefit from the existing of negative experiences in the past. From these experiences we could learn the lesson, and avoid the mistakes that were made by our older generations. In 2003, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) raged through China. Unfortunately, the Chinese Health Ministry placed less emphasis on this issue and even lied to the public about the severity about this disease. This behavior brought terrible aftermath and bad influence. In this way, the relative officials took the blame and resigned. For the today's Chinese officials, they should learn the lesson that it is very important to pay enough attention to the emergencies before they become disasters, likewise, showing respect to the citizen's right to know the truths is also important. In short, learning from the past actually means a lot to modern society.

To sum up, I find the speaker’s claim unilateral in some ways. Firstly, some of the ideas and spirits’ in the past show lasting value which were revealed by precursors, and it is our responsibility to inherit and develop these ideas and spirits. Secondly, negative experiences can also be taken as guidance for us to avoid making mistakes. Therefore, I strongly advocate looking back for an understanding of the past.