Abstract: Robinson Crusoe is a legendary person created by Daniel Defoe. He survived on a lonely island for twenty-eight years with his amazing willpower. And finally he overcame the adversity and created the splendor of his own life. When he was confronting adversity, he knew to lose is another way to gain, and he made plans for his future life. He did everything according to certain plans. And he never gave up. Nowadays, people live in a better society. Nobody would have the experiences like Robinson’s, but people may come across some difficulty or adversity. When they are confronting the adversity, they should adjust their attitudes, make plans for the future actively, be good at bringing forth new ideas in adversity, and never give up the hope to get out of it, struggle against it indomitably like Robinson Crusoe. Eventually they will get out of the adversity, and create the splendor of their own lives.
Key Words: adversity; hope; innovation; perseverance; splendor
摘 要:鲁滨逊是笛福创造出来的一个传奇人物，他以自己顽强的毅力和坚强的意志在孤岛上生活了二十八年之久，并且最终战胜了艰苦的环境，创造出了人生中的精彩。鲁滨逊在面对逆境的时候，懂得失去也是一种获得，不断地为将来做打算，凡事都有计划，有安排，并且从没有放弃过获救的希望。现代社会的人们生活在物质优越的环境下，也许不会有像鲁滨逊一样的经历，但生活中总会遇到一定的坎坷或逆境，面对逆境人们应该像鲁滨逊一样调整好心态，积极地为将来做打算，有计划地安排生活，并且善于在逆境中发现、创造，永不放弃走出逆境的希望，顽强地与逆境作斗争，从而创造出自己人生的精彩。
关键词:逆境；希望；创新；坚持；精彩
Introduction
It is well known that Robinson Crusoe is a great character by Daniel Defoe. Though Robinson is a fictitious great person, he tells people the truth that we should confront the adversity properly.
Robinson Crusoe’s life is full of legends. He was born in a good family in the city of York. Owing to his rambling thoughts about going to the sea, he broke loose to be a sailor against his parents’ will. Unfortunately, he was caught by the Morning and became a slave at the African shore. Because of the unbearable life, he escaped from his Patron in a boat. Then he was saved by a freighter. And he was sent to Brazils safely. He became rich by plantation. But when some one suggested going to the sea to buy and sell Negroes, he surrendered himself to his dream again. Then he stepped on his way to navigation to Africa. On the way there, they were caught in a violent storm, which brought death to everyone except Robinson. He was driven by the current and drifted to an island and was saved. Since then he began his life on the island.
Robinson’s life on the island is the most wonderful part of the whole story. Robinson’s twenty-eight years life on the island is acclaimed as the acme of perfection. Confronting such an adversity, Robinson showed his amazing willpower and staunch life-force. He also showed people how to deal with adversity in life. Under such an adverse circumstance, he overcame various difficulties and created splendor of his life.
Nowadays, people will not have Robinson’s experiences. But people will run into various adversities. How will people confront adversity? In real life, nobody’s life is plain sailing. There will always be some bump or adversity. When people are thrown into such surroundings, they are always full of remorse, not knowing what to do. Learning from Robinson’s experiences, people should learn his methods and attitudes towards adversity, confront adversity properly and create splendor of their own lives
.
I. Robinson’s Attitudes towards the Adversity Reflected from His Twenty-eight Years’ Life on the Island
Robinson’s life is full of various adversities, and especially his 28 years’ life on the island is the most arduous one of the all. And the experience of living on the island can show best his attitudes towards the adversity. It is showed in the following aspects:
A . Learning to Lose in Adversity
Robinson is not a person who was born with courage to confront the adversity. He is not a man who is eager to live stably. But owing to his rebellious thoughts about sailing, he is always faced with various adversities. Why can he deal with the adversity well? It is his attitude that is the most important factor.
When the adversity comes, is he happy? No. Just as he said, he had a dismal prospect of his condition. It is easy to see that Robinson also felt miserable. Though the adversity came unexpectedly, and Robinson also complained about his condition in the beginning, he can convert his thought to another one:
But something always returned swift upon me to check these thoughts, and to reprove me; and particularly one day, walking with my gun in my hand by the seaside, I was very pensive upon the subject of my present condition, when Reason, as it were, expostulated with me t’other way, thus: “Well, you are in a desolate condition, ’tis true, but pray remember, where are the rest of you? Did not you come eleven of you into the boat? Where are the ten? Why were not they saved and you lost? Why were you singled out? Is it better to be here, or there?” And then I pointed to the sea. All evils are to be considered with the good that is in them and with what worse attends them. (Daniel Defoe, 49)
It is his transposing thoughts that changed his attitudes towards life. When he felt miserable about his condition, he thought of his companions’ misfortunes. He understood that his condition is not bad compared with them. As he said: “All evils are to be considered with the good that is in them and with what worse attends them.” It is just the same as the truth that to lose is another way to gain. There is no doubt that Robinson lost many things, such as his companions, his comfortable life…But he got more. He was survived, which is the most important for him. That is enough. Life is everything. Where there is life, there is hope.
Besides, Robinson knew how to set the good against the evil to enjoy the comforts.
EVIL
I am cast upon a horrible desolate island, void of all hope of recovery.
I am singled out and separated, as it were, from all the world to be miserable.
I am spanided from mankind, a solitaire, one banished from human society.
I have not clothes to cover me.
I am without any defense or means to resist any violence of man or beast.
I have no soul to speak to, or relieve me.
GOOD
But I am alive, and not drowned, as all my ship’s company was.
But I am singled out, too, from all the ship’s crew to be spared from death; and he that miraculously saved me from death can deliver me from this condition.
But I am not starved and perishing on a barren place, affording no sustenance.
But I am in a hot climate, where if I had clothes I could hardly wear them.
But I am cast on an island, where I see no wild beasts to hurt me, as I saw on the of Africa. And what if I had been shipwrecked there?
But God wonderfully sent the ship in near enough to the shore that I have gotten out so many necessary things as will either supply my wants, or enable me to supply myself even as long as I live. (Daniel Defoe, 52)
It is just as Robinson said that upon the whole, here was an undoubted testimony, that there was scarce any condition in the world so miserable, but there was something negative or something positive to be thankful for in it; and let this stand as a direction from the experience of the most miserable of all conditions in the world, that we may always find in it something to comfort ourselves from and to set in the description of good and evil on the credit side of the account.
Robinson made a comparison between the evil and good, and understood that he got more than he lost indeed. As time went on, he learned to take more upon the bright side of his condition, and less upon the dark side, and to consider what he enjoyed rather than what he wanted. Somebody thinks that if one gets great prestige, he will lose the freedom that the ordinary have; if one gets enormous wealth, he will lose the ease when he is sleeping; if one gets brisk business, he will lose a lot of time…In a word, if everyone can think of his own gain and loss seriously, he will find that there is real loss in varying degrees in the process of gaining.
B. Making Plans for the Future on the Island
so that I had a tolerable view of subsisting without any want as long as I lived; for I considered from the beginning how I would provide for the accidents that
might happen and for the time that was to come, even not only after my ammunition should be spent, but even after my health or strength should decay.( Daniel Defoe, 50)
From this, people can see that Robinson is a foresighted person. When he ran into the adversity, he could deal with it calmly, and he could consider his future rationally. Some people will lose his reasoning power when he is in a bad condition. But Robinson made plans for his future life on the island. For example, he made a plan for his daily work: every morning he walked out with his gun for two or three hours if it did not rain, then worked until about eleven o’clock, then ate what he had, and lay down to sleep from twelve to two as the weather was excessively hot, and then continued to work until the evening.
He made plan not only for his daily work but also for his food, bullets and
powder. His food was very limited. He always ate cannily. And he tried his best to find something eatable. Some times he went hunting, which he could get some meat for eating through. And he tried to tame the sheep. Then he got not only milk but also some mutton. His bullets were used cannily and seriously. Only when it is quite necessary, he would use it. As for his powder, he considered it carefully; he separated his stock of powder into many little parcels to avoid danger. And he used them according to his plan. Because he did not know how long he would live on the island.
Owing to his consideration and plans for his future life, he could live on the island for such a long time. Assume that Robinson did not consider his future life and did not make a series of plans for it, he spent his food, bullets casually, and how could he live on? No one knows.
C. Learning to Bring Forth New Ideas When He Is Short of the Necessity
Though Robinson got a lot of things from the ship that wrecked, he was still short of some necessity, such as a table and a chair, a basket, some earthen vessels and a stone mortar. When he faced the shortage of the necessity, he did not give up but think of ways to make out those necessities.
Without a table, he could not write, eat or do other things. So he set to work and made a table and a chair. He just took the materials he had. Though it took him a lot of time and labor, he finished them. And when he needed a basket in his life, he tried many ways to make one. But he failed. Though he knew the methods, he did not have the materials. Observing carefully, he found the twigs which were as tough as the osiers in England. Then he tried again to make a basket with the twigs. Finally he succeeded.
He also tried to make some earthen vessels many times. Owing to the soil structure, he failed again and again. After having labored hard to find the clay, he made some jars and several small things. Because of a happy accident, he found a broken piece of one of his earthen vessels burnt as hard as a stone, which brought him an idea of burning the whole vessel. Then he did so, and he succeeded in making some vessels and some pots. And he used these vessels and pots in his life. These
necessities gave him some interest of life.
Though he had some certain necessity of life, he was still in lack of a stone mortar. He planted barley and rice, so he needed a stone mortar to pound them into powder to make bread. But he was unqualified for a stonecutter, and the stone was in solid rock which was not fit for making a stone mortar. After a great deal of time was wasted in searching for it, he gave it up, and resolved to look out for a great block of hard wood. He finished it, and he ate the bread made by himself at last, which provided Robinson more food and made his life more wonderful.
As Robinson said that reason is the substance and original of the mathematics, so by stating and squaring everything by reason and by making the most rational judgment of things, every man may be in time master of every mechanic art. (Daniel Defoe, 58) Robinson had never handled a tool in his life, but he could make out what he wanted through his labor, application and contrivance. He always brought new ideas to solve his problems, which stemmed from the enlightenments in his life. And he made his life on the island more comfortable. It seemed as if it were a kingdom of his own.
D.Being Perseverant
Twenty-eight years is not a short time. It is difficult to live on an alone island for a person for such a long time. And he must bear the bad condition. But Robinson survived.
Though he was unfortunate, he refreshed and began to plan for his own life; though he was in lack of many things, he tried his best to make them out, not to just think about what he wanted; though the things he made were not good enough, they could be useful in his life; though he met with many difficulties, he never gave up. He was perseverant until he was saved.
Living on an island alone for twenty-eight years is too difficult for a person. And he lived on the island with limited necessities. This was more difficult. And during the twenty-eight years, Robinson lived comfortably and created his own “kingdom”. This resulted from his perseverance. When he met with some difficulties, he never gave up his hope, and overcame the difficulties with amazing willpower and tenacity. At last, he was saved. And during the twenty-eight years, Robinson created the splendor of his life, which astonished many people.
Ⅱ. Present Situation of Dealing with Adversity
Nowadays people won’t have experience like Robinson Crusoe. But there is still some adversity in people’s life. For some reasons, some people can not deal with adversity very well. And they have some wrong ideas of dealing with adversity.
A. The Causes of Dealing with Adversity Improperly
There are various causes of dealing with adversity improperly, which can be spanided into two groups: one is the exterior cause, the other is interior one.
The exterior cause is the basic one. With the development of the society, people’s life has become better and better. People are accustomed to a comfortable life. When they meet with adversity, they do not know what to do. For example, a young man has already been accustomed to ascendant life that his parents provide for him. If one day his parents can not provide him with such ascendant condition, what will he do? And the society and the family put much pressure on him. Thus he may not bear the pressure, and can not change the role well. Then he may go too far, even do some illegal things to meet his needs. Though people think those who can overcome the adversity are successful, the exterior pressure becomes one obstacle on the way.
The interior cause refers to the psychological cause. It is the main reason. People always regard the adversity as something that is impossible for them to overcome. Thus they are unable to overcome it. People always feel that they lose all things in such a situation. Then they begin to be pessimistic, and complain. Fear and self-abasement are the obstacles on the way to victory. If one can not bear them, one will never be successful. Just as the Zurich Axiom saying goes: Optimism means expecting the best, but confidence means knowing how to handle the worst. People
should not be beaten by themselves. For instance, Beethoven, a famous musician, continued to compose after his hearing, and created the world-famous music. Whether one can overcome the difficulty or not depends on what they think of.B. Some Wrong Ideas of Dealing with Adversity
Nowadays, many people have poor mentalities. They cannot treat the adversity properly. So they have some wrong ideas of dealing with adversity.
Some people regard the adversity as the extreme which does not have room for convert. Consequently, they give up their hope, make no effort to get out, and they get a final loss. There is a parable about two frogs: two frogs fell into a jug which was filled with some milk. One frog thought that he would not get out of the jug for ever. Then he sank quickly. While the other made much effort to get out and succeeded in jumping out. It is easy to know the truth that adversity is different from extremity.
Life is not fair. When one suffers the unfair treatment, he will complain about it constantly. And he will think he is the most unfortunate people in the world. In fact, it is meaningless. Hugo, a great French writer, was banished by the potentate, and wandered destitute far from home. Every day he always threw a lot of stones to the sea. When a brave child asked him the reason for it, he said that he discarded painfulness of himself by doing so. Thus he overcame the adversity, created splendor of his own and achieved a lot in his career.
People who are not forethoughtful and do not create some conditions in adversity will not get away from the plight. Otherwise people who live in adversity are eager for chances. Chances belong to those who are prepared for them. One who is always positive and waits for the chance without considering the future or creating the chance will be beaten finally.
Besides, people always lack the spirit to take a risk. It is as an old saying goes, Nothing ventured, nothing gained. A series of human being’s discoveries and creature, the transformation of societies begins with the adventures. Galileo’s Astrophysics and Columbia’s discovery of the new land were owing to the adventures. If one never takes a risk or makes any mistakes, he will achieve nothing. If one will not write a
letter when he does not know the appropriate wording. The result is that the letter will never be finished. This is the same as the truth that one who does not have the spirit of adventure will not be successful. Adventure and victory go hand in hand. Especially in today’s business, competitions require adventures. When one sinks into adversity in business, he has to take a risk and bring forth new ideas. Otherwise it will be difficult for him to move even one step forward.
Being not persistent is another wrong idea of dealing with adversity. For every thing, people should keep doing and never give it up until they achieve the final success. There are many examples to prove the importance of persistency. Today, some people do not know for sure what they want. They have interest in every thing only for a short while. Finally, they have gained nothing. On the contrary, some people have the feasible dream and make sure what they really want. They persist in working hard for the life goal. In the end, they have achieved much in their life
In adversity, people should be active to think of their future and create conditions to overcome the difficulties.
Ⅲ. The Ways of Dealing with Adversity Properly
A.Being Cognizant of the Adversity Properly
Adversity is objective and people cannot help it. Only by recognizing the adversity properly can one make constant efforts in practice to get out of adversity.
Adversity has its special meaning. It is different from trifles in the daily life. Adversity refers to the bumpy experience in one’s life, such as misfortune of a family, the attack of the natural calamity and something like these which brings torment to the body and mind. Failing in the college entrance exam is not an adversity. But when the student, who has not passed the exam, suffers the pressure of the society and family, it can be called being in adversity.
Adversity can be changed into a good state. To some extent, if one can recognize the adversity properly, take of the chance, create the condition and change the bad
factors into the good ones, he can change adversity into a good state. To be cognizant of the adversity properly and dare to confront the adversity, treat the adversity as severe test, one can make adversity a flashing point of his own life like Robinson Crusoe.
B.Facing up to Adversity with Hope
R.Tagore once said : “Where there is life there is hope.”(Cai Ningning, 89) It is easy to see that hope is very important in life, especially in adversity.
In the same adversity, one who loses his own belief once he runs into the adversity will be never successful, while one who will not give up easily will succeed after overcoming a lot of difficulties. Only if one has hope in his mind, and he never gives it up, will he be successful at last.
In adversity, there are two kinds of people: one is those who have no hope in their lives; the other is those who never give up their hopes. In the end, the latter will get out of adversity and create the splendor of their lives.
Belief and hope are powerful support with which people can bear various difficulties in adversity. Einstein, a famous scientist, never dropped his hope in the adversity of scientific research. When his questions could not be explained by the law of Newton, he made research on nature constantly, and finally he put forward the Theory of Relativity.
When one is dying, he will think about how to live on. If those who commit suicide were given a chance to make a choice again, they will choose to live better. When one faces up to failure, he should never give up all hope. Filled with hopes all the time, you will have good luck sooner or later.
C.Making a Plan for the Future
A plan is a guide to the action. It plays an important role in work. When one is in adversity, to make a plan for the future becomes more important and necessary.
People must have a plan to help them finish all the things, or they will be very busy and can’t do things well. Firstly, a plan can help people save a lot of time. It
makes people know which must be done first and which can be done second. Secondly, a plan can help people do things better. A good order of doing things makes people happier and relaxed. People can do things quickly and happily and they will be interested in everything they do and want to do more. Thirdly, small plans will help people know how to make a big plan--a life study plan. So if people want to make his life better and better, he should plan all the things he will do, and at last make a good plan for his own life.
In adversity, people always lack a lot of things. If he or she does not make a plan for the future, he may not get out of the adversity. Take Robinson as an example, he made a series of plans about his food, his bullets, his powder and his daily work. He believed that he would starve or be attacked when he had not those things. So he ate very cannily. And he tried to train the sheep so that he did not waste so many bullets to shoot them. The truth proved that it was wise for him to do so.
People should be forethoughtful in adversity. To make a plan can help one face up to the adversity. When the chance that he can get out of it comes, he will know what to do. It is just as the saying goes that hope for the best and prepare for the worst. Make an ample preparation, you will get twice the result with half the effort when the difficulty comes. Chances prefer those who are well prepared for them.
D.Learning to Bring Forth New Ideas
People always think of “discovery” or “invention” when talking about bringing forth new ideas. People think that to find something new and invent something new is to bring forth new ideas. On the whole, to bring forth new ideas contains not only invention and discovery but also the methods to solve the problem in life and work, and new points of view to treat the problems.
If one does not know adaptation, and he lacks the ability to be flexible, he will be in the adversity for longer time. To bring forth new ideas always helps people to solve the problem and get out of the adversity quickly. For instance, Robinson always thought of some new ideas when he was faced with some difficulties. If he did do everything with fixed rule, he would not create the necessities that he needed in his
life. Owing to his ability to bring forth new ideas, he solved many problems. And those ideas helped him overcome the adversity.
When people are facing up to some spiny problem, they should try to break away from conventions, and think about the problem from a new prospective, which may help to solve it more quickly.
E.Being Perseverant
There is a saying that failure is the path of least persistence. Everyone has the moment that is stopped by various difficulties. If one has no enduring constancy of purpose and willpower, he will not overcome the adversity.
When people run into adversity, they may give up either at the beginning or half way. Victory always belongs to people who dare to challenge with the difficulty. They understand the meaning and value of life, and feel the happiness of being successful. While people who shrink back in adversity will never enjoy such happiness. Robinson had been perseverant for twenty-eight years, and was saved finally. People will not be unfortunate like Robinson who was persistent for such a long time. Confronting adversity with certain persistence, people will get out of it at last.
Take the Long March as an example: the Red Army met many difficulties in the Long March. Assume that they shrank back at that moment, what about today’s new China? If they were not persistent in overcoming the difficulties, today’s China could not be rich, strong and prosperous. Owing to the Red Army’s persistence, they experienced all kinds of hardships, and surmounted all obstacles and difficulties. And they achieved success at last. Then they established the People’s Republic of China.
In adversity, people should look squarely at it, and then they can overcome it. Having the determination to overcome the difficulty and making persistent efforts, people will find that the adversity can be overcome easily. Just as the saying goes: persistence is victory. Only if one is remitting to the end, he will get to the summit of victory.
People can safely draw the conclusion that persistence leads to the final success. So, take actions, and be persistent. Don’t just come up with an ambitious plan and wait for a proper date to get a start.
Conclusion
Robinson Crusoe’s life in adversity was astonishing. He overcame the adversity and created the splendor of his life. Though the story was overstated, the author gained a good deal of enlightenment from a Scotland sailor in 18th century, and then wrote this story. This shows that there is a real story. Robinson’s attitudes towards adversity tell people that adversity is not one that is impossible to be overcome. Only if one has the courage to overcome it, and he or she has the proper attitudes and methods towards it, he or she will get out of it and create the splendor of his own life.
Nowadays people live in an ascendant life. And they will not have the experiences like Robinson’s. But people will certainly come across some different adversity. When people are in an adversity, they should not be beaten by it. They should face up to it calmly, not give up the hope, make plans for the future and be persistent. Then they will overcome it and create his own splendor.
Only if one does not give up, and crack a smile in adversity, everything will be changed into a good state. No thorns, no crown. After coming through the adversity, and undergoing the anneal, one will find the beauty of life and feel the happiness of overcoming the difficulty.
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