Guard Your Heart

Having read about the swindle that 250 some university professors got involved in, I felt ashamed of them. Then in class I shared my disappointment, anger, and expectation with my students, who will graduate this coming summer. The title for this posting is from the Bible--"Guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." (Proverbs 4:23)

Qyite a lot of examples in the Bible and in our daily lives have proved the fact that men tend to corrupt more rapidly and easily as they are getting old. King Solomon, the wisest man in the world, became corrupted and sinned against God when he was old--he had seven hundred wives and 300 concubines. King David, the king God loved the most, was Solomon's father. He was in love with a soldier's wife, so he sent that soldier to the battle field and took the soldier's wife. Because of the sin (adultery and murder) he committed, he had to pay the price. As for the ones who are still living, I think Chen Shui-bian is the best example. Where is this former president of ours now? Who would believe the most powerful person in a country would steal money from the country he was leading? The examples above remind us that we human beings are too vulnerable to fight against temptations such as fame, wealth, power, and sex.

However, we can overcome/beat corruptions by guarding our hearts. We can do two things to keep our integrity: First, we have to try our best to get away from all the temptations. For example, when taking exams, we should choose to sit on the first row where teachers can see us without difficulties. Don't sit in an area where you can't be seen easily. Second, examine our heart and mind regularly by meditating on the evil thoughts, bad words, or rude behaviors we have come up with. If something bad is detected, we should write it down to remind us not to say the same thing or make the same mistake again.
As your teacher, I think I should teach you important things as well as grammar. If I didn't teach you what I think you should know, I would feel I didn't do my job well. I may not see you again before you graduate from Tunghai, so I wish you all the best and hope that you can be decent people with integrity. Our country needs people like you!
As your teacher, I think I should teach you important things as well as grammar. If I didn't teach you what I think you should know, I would feel I didn't do my job well. I may not see you again before you graduate from Tunghai, so I wish you all the best and hope that you can be decent people with integrity. Our country needs people like you! (410 words)

Hugs

As a person who likes to “touch” people, I enjoy physical contacts more than many other women. It’s mainly because of two men, the ones I’ve loved most in my life—my father and my husband.

Father, a quiet man, doesn’t know how to express his love in words. I remember Father liked to hold my small hands whenever he walked with me. Sometimes when I was acting up, he would scold me. But after he did that, he would put me on his lap stroking me on my back while he was telling me why he was angry at me. However, I didn’t realize this was the way he showed his love for me until I met my husband. Like my father, my husband shows his affection and concern by touching me a lot. For example, when I am crying while watching a sad movie on TV, he would hand me some facial tissues and then pat me on my hand to comfort me. When I get angry, he would sometimes hold me into his arms to calm me down. When I go to bed, he would always tuck me in and kiss me “Good night!” However, of all the body contacts, “hug” is what I like most. Every day he gives a hug before I go to work. When I am embraced in his arms, I feel I am safe and fully appreciated and loved. What a wonderful feeling it is!

I believe that one hug carries more love and concern than one thousand words does and that we all can benefit from hugging each other. Let’s do it as often as we can to let our family and friends know how much we love them!