Links Between East and West 19 My Heroes (One) 东西方的连接19 - 我的英雄（一）

History is not devoid of great figures. The presence of great figures has pushed forward human civilization. Although their lives might be vastly different from mine, their stories can cross the boundaries of time and space and resonate with my dreams. I am not alone in feeling this way. Roman scholar and historian Plutarch felt inspired by the greats of the past. His masterpiece Parallel Lives examines and compares the lives of prominent people from his time and the more distant past. Austrian philosopher and writer Stefan Zweig, in the 20th century, wrote Shooting Stars: Ten Historical Miniatures, aiming to summarize the legendary lives of ten figures that significantly impacted the world.

Inspired, I will mimic what Plutarch and Zweig did. The people mentioned below and in the following series are ones that have genuinely been shaping my ideologies and my views on history and the status quo. They are figures I admire, and although they are from various places and time periods, they knit together a web that holds my passion and aspirations.

I will start with musicians, philosophers, and authors of literature that have been creating an impact in my life.

As I explained in one previous article, music is one of the pillars that uphold my life. Although I appreciate the music of many composers from different periods, two music composers have stroke a chord in my heart: Mozart and Chopin.

Austrian-born classical composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) is a genuine angel and one of the first musicians I came to know. He is still one that continuously warms me.

My initial lasting impression of Mozart is his optimism, happiness, and pure positivity in his music. If one flips through Mozart's titanic amounts of work, one can only find two pieces in which significant negativity is conveyed. The first is his “Piano Sonata No. 8 in A Minor”, in which Mozart poured his traumatic feelings after his mother died. The second is his unfinished “Requiem”, when Mozart was about to face the end of his own life. Except for these two pieces, Mozart's music usually bursts with upbeat optimism. The iconic brisk tempo, the use of major tonalities, the clever manipulation of ornaments and scales, and many other musical elements contribute to the delivery of such positivity.

However, growing older, I do not think Mozart equals only pure happiness. There are immense warmth and soul-touching spots in his music. Take the example of the second movement of his "Clarinet Concerto in A major," the penultimate piece of music that Mozart composed before his death. When creating this concerto, Mozart was turning ill, and he could have known that the inevitable end was approaching, causing him to look back or contemplate his life more thoroughly. But simultaneously, his faith in the power of optimism and music was not waning. Hence, when Mozart combined the conception that his life would be over soon and the faith he possessed, a shockingly warm flow was added to the music. When listening to the piece's second movement, I feel this deep warmth rush through my body.

If one looks at Mozart's life, his life was cannot certainly not too fortunate. It was as if he was an angel sent down by heaven, but heaven decided to take him back far earlier than mortals. From an early age, he had to travel around Europe with his sister and father to play for the European aristocrats. His childhood was not even close to what a good childhood should look like. When he became an adult, Mozart was plagued with persistent poverty, various diseases, and the loss of friends and relatives. Suppose one of us lived his life, we would already have given up so many times; we would already have declared: I am done with this torture, let depression take me! However, what has made Mozart leave such a significant impact on my life is how he chose to deal with all these unfortunate obstacles. Mozart resided in his brilliant gift for music; he chose to let the power of music warm his soul and melt the coldness of reality. This decision to radiate with fervent heat even if real life was tough and this talent to fuse music with warmth were what touched me.

Polish musician Friedrich Chopin (1810-1849) was arguably the most influential and outstanding musician of the Romantic Era. Ever since ten years old, when I started listening to Chopin, the uniqueness and depth of his music have been solidly planted in my mind. Chopin was born in Poland, enslaved and divided by neighboring countries, namely Prussia, Tsar Russia, and Austria. At age 20, he was forced to leave his motherland and could not return for the rest of his life. This background shaped his music. He was patriotic and longed for a return. As he requested, his body was buried in Paris when he passed away, but his heart was taken back to Poland.

Some people claim that Chopin's music is melancholic and gentle. This comment is inaccurate. Robert Schumann once noted that Chopin's works are "cannons concealed amongst flowers." In beauty and hope, his music embodies war and fracture. In the soft and romantic melodies, there lies power and faith. Without the chaos caused by the war in his native Poland, firmness and acuteness would not exist in his music. Without pure nostalgia, Chopin could not shape or convey despair, agony, loneliness, and a mild and indirect beauty that pierced hearts. 

Chopin was a true genius. Oddity and extravagance filled the Romantic period, but Chopin's music remained pure and classic. In a sense, he can be called a classical "romantic knight." Any theory or traditional knowledge did not confine to his music; he only wanted his piano to sing for his heart. This wish was manifested in many of his most famous pieces, including "Ballade No. 1 in G Minor", and "Polonaise in A-Flat Major Op. 53 'Heroic'". These pieces do not have a clear or classical structure, instead having melodies that develop on their own and deliver powerful emotions. 

What struck me was Chopin's width, depth, and power in his melodic music. He is a composer that occupies a unique spot in the world of music. 

Along with music, philosophy is another intrinsic part of my life. The philosopher that I admire the most is Socrates, my moral hero. 

When we hear the name of Socrates, we naturally associate him with wisdom. He has many famous philosophical opinions. However here I want to talk about how ardent and how pure his pursuit of wisdom and the truth was. During Socrates' time, sophists were people that seemed to be wise but were actually spreading false knowledge and using tricks to gain fame along with wealth. Socrates, for his whole life, refrained from becoming a sophist, although he would receive more popularity and money. Socrates focused only on seeking the truth and knowledge itself, not on any other. Now, I have one more case to show how pure his devotion to pursuing wisdom was. Today many claim that they love wisdom. But I question here about how much those people can sacrifice for the pursuing and protection of wisdom. For Socrates, the answer was clear, life. When the Athenian court threatened him with death to force him to betray wisdom and the truth, he wisely chose not to. As a result, today we gasp at the spiritual heritage he passed down to us.

Besides being a sage and a philosopher, Socrates also possessed temperance and self-restraint as a civilian. In Xenophon's Memorabilia, a book that documents Socrates' civic life, Socrates was described as an affable, courteous, and self-restrained citizen, a citizen that never longed for a lavish life, because he knew that an "unexamined life" without temperance is not worth living. Moreover, when Socrates was in prison after the trial, he had many opportunities to escape helped by his friends, but he never did. In Crito, a book written by Plato, Socrates said that although the laws of Athens could be deeply unjust and problematic, to abide by the laws is always the just decision. From this example, we can see that Socrates' self-restraint to follow the laws was deeply rooted in his thinking, and this is a quite admirable trait.

Lastly, Socrates' bravery and courage as a philosopher are unparalleled in human history. In The Apology of Socrates, another book written by Plato, Socrates directly told the jury at the start of his trial that their minds were poisoned by his enemies when they were young. He said that his false reputation as a sophistical philosopher comes from his enemies and that all of them are malicious. In the end, Socrates did not yield to his accusers and drank the poison that caused his death without hesitation. He knew that this action was what a philosopher should do, always to follow and protect the absolute truth.

Now, I want to finish this section with J.R.R. Tolkien, my favorite fantasy writer of all time. The ingenuity poured into The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy was unimaginable for me.

There are two main understandings that I have for Tolkien. I appalled at his jaw-dropping imagination and world building abilities. Tolkien could be viewed as the first excellent trailblazer in the fantasy category of literature. He did ground-breaking work laying out what a fantasy world should look like. To elaborate, in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, he defined fantasy as a mixture of creativity and reality. For example, although fictional languages, characters, and environments exist in his work, the general setting, Middle Earth, is realistic enough to be comprehended by any reader. Most of his fictional elements are derived from reality also. Tolkien's talent is best manifested in how pioneeringly and seamlessly he wove together the virtual and the real, bright imagination and the duller reality. When we read the books or watch the films, we do not feel that any part of the plot, the setting, or the characterization is quite contrived. We feel the smoke and fierceness at the Battle of the Five Armies; we feel the etherealness and glory of Rivendell; we feel and empathize with Gollum, even though he is purely fictional. We sense Tolkien's unfettered fantasies as if they are more real than real. That is what truly makes him an author I look up to even now. 

I admire Tolkien's staunch belief in human imagination and the fantasy world no matter what the majority believe. Tolkien was born into an era in which society emphasized pure logic and science, and people dismissed the belief in spirituality or fantasy. Many of his thoughts and works were criticized by his peers and the genteel individuals of society. However, he held firm his opinion and belief. The Scientific Revolution changed how people view science, reason, and truth. New science did not try to understand the world from a holistic perspective, instead emphasizing precise measurements and theorization. While doing so enhanced human knowledge, it overlooked the importance of looking at the complex human nature itself. Tolkien believed that his Middle Earth was real, not that it actually happened, but rather that it provided a path for us to seek wisdom and truths about the world, about our inner selves in real, practical ways. Middle Earth described the existence of truth; it is a collection of some dated memories in history that were forgotten with the advent of the Scientific Revolution. This belief strikes a chord with me, and I have been feeling similarly since I read Tolkien. Fantasy should not be understood as a category of literature completely detached from science and reason. It is one fantastical yet real path into the convoluted reality and human nature.

To be continued…

历史从不缺乏伟大的人物，伟大人物的出现推动了人类文明的发展。尽管他们的生活可能与我的生活有很大的不同，但他们的故事，能够跨越时间和空间的界限，与我的梦想产生共鸣。有这种感觉的不只我一个，罗马学者和历史学家普鲁塔克（Plutarch）被过去的伟大人物所激励，他的杰作《平行列传》研究和比较了他那个时代和更远的过去中杰出人物的传奇。奥地利哲学家和作家斯蒂芬-茨威格在20世纪写了《人类群星闪耀时》，旨在总结十个给世界带来巨大影响的人物的传奇人生。

受到他们的启发，我试图仿照普鲁塔克和茨威格的做法，谈一谈那些真正塑造我意识形态的人物，以及我对历史和现状的看法。他们是我钦佩的人物，他们来自不同的地方和不同的时间段，但他们编织成一张网，承载着我的激情和理想。

我将从音乐家、哲学家和文学作家开始，他们一直在我的生活中创造影响。

音乐，正如我在以前的一篇文章中已经解释过的，是支撑我生命的支柱之一。虽然我欣赏不同时期的许多作曲家的音乐，但有两位音乐作曲家真正激荡了我的心灵：莫扎特和肖邦。

出生于奥地利的古典作曲家沃尔夫冈-阿玛迪斯-莫扎特（1756-1791）是一位真正的天使。他是我一生中最早认识的音乐家之一，至今仍是让我不断感到温暖的人。

我对莫扎特最初的持久印象显然是他的乐观，或者说他的音乐中的纯粹积极性。如果翻开莫扎特的大量作品，人们只能找到两部作品传达了明显的消极情绪。第一首是他的《A小调第八钢琴奏鸣曲》，莫扎特在其中倾注了他母亲去世后的创伤性情感。第二首是他未完成的《安魂曲》，当时莫扎特即将面临自己生命的终结。除了这两首作品，莫扎特的音乐通常迸发出乐观向上的精神。标志性的轻快节奏，大调性的使用，装饰音和音阶的巧妙操作，以及其他许多音乐元素都有助于传递这种积极性。

然而，随着我年龄的增长，我不认为莫扎特只等同于纯粹的快乐。在他的音乐中，有巨大的温情和触动灵魂的力量。以他的 "A大调单簧管协奏曲 "的第二乐章为例，这是莫扎特生前创作的倒数第二首音乐作品。在创作这首协奏曲时，莫扎特清楚，不可避免的结局即将来临，这导致他更彻底地回顾或思考自己的人生。但同时，他对乐观主义和音乐的力量的信心并没有减弱。因此，当他的生命即将结束的概念和他所拥有的信仰结合在一起时，音乐中就会有一种令人震惊的温暖流动。在听这首曲子的第二乐章时，我感到这种深深的温暖充满了我的身体，充盈着我的灵魂。

如果看一下莫扎特的生活，他的生活可以说是不幸的。他仿佛是上天派下来的天使，但相较于凡人，上天又决定把他早早地提前带回去。从很小的时候起，他就不得不和他的姐姐以及他的父亲一起在欧洲各地旅行，为欧洲的贵族们演奏。他的童年甚至不符合一个适当童年该有的模样。成年后，莫扎特被持续的贫困、各种疾病以及朋友和亲戚的离别困扰着。假设我们中一个人过着他的生活，我们可能已经放弃了很多次，已经宣布：我受够了这种折磨，让抑郁带走我吧! 然而，使莫扎特在我的生命中留下如此巨大影响的是他如何选择处理所有这些不幸的障碍。莫扎特居住在他辉煌的音乐天赋中，他选择让音乐的力量温暖他的灵魂，融化现实的冷漠。即使现实生活如何的艰难，莫扎特也要放射出热力。这种将音乐与温暖融合在一起的天赋深深地感动着我。

波兰音乐家弗里德里希-肖邦（1810-1849）可以说是浪漫主义时代最具影响力的杰出音乐家。自从10岁开始听肖邦的音乐以来，他的音乐的独特性和深度就牢牢地植入了我的脑海。肖邦出生在一个被邻国 - 即是普鲁士、沙皇俄国和奥地利奴役和瓜分的波兰。20岁时，他被迫离开了自己的祖国，并在余生中无法返回。这种背景塑造了他的音乐。他是爱国的，渴望回归。按照他的要求，当他去世时，他的尸体被埋葬在巴黎，但他的心脏却被带回了波兰。

有些人声称，肖邦的音乐是忧郁的、温和的。这种评论是不准确的。罗伯特-舒曼曾指出，肖邦的作品是 "藏在花丛中的大炮"。在美丽和希望中，他的音乐体现了战争和断裂。在柔和而浪漫的旋律中，蕴含着力量和信仰。如果没有他家乡波兰的战争造成的混乱，他的音乐中就不会存在坚定和尖锐。如果没有纯粹的怀旧思乡情绪，肖邦就无法塑造传达绝望、痛苦、孤独，以及一种刺痛人心的温和而间接的美。

肖邦是一个真正的天才。在充满怪异和浮夸的浪漫主义时期，肖邦的音乐仍然是纯粹和经典的。在某种意义上，他可以被称为古典的 "浪漫骑士"。他的音乐不受任何理论或传统知识的限制，他只希望他的钢琴能为他的心灵歌唱。这种愿望在他最著名的作品中得到了体现，包括《G小调第一叙事曲》、《降A大调波罗奈兹舞曲作品53“英雄”》。这些作品没有明确的或经典的结构，而是有自行发展的旋律，并传递出强大的情感。

肖邦在其旋律音乐中的宽度、深度和力量是令我印象深刻的地方。他是一位在音乐世界中占据独特位置的作曲家。

除了音乐，哲学是我生活中另一个固有的部分。我最敬佩的哲学家是苏格拉底，我的道德英雄。

当我们听到苏格拉底这个名字时，自然会联想到他的智慧。他有许多著名的哲学观点，然而在这里，我想重点谈谈他对智慧和真理的追求是多么的执着、多么的纯粹。在苏格拉底的时代，智术师是指那些看起来很有智慧，但实际上是在传播虚假的知识，用小伎俩来获得名声与财富的人。苏格拉底一生克制，避免自己成为一名智术师，虽然那样他可能会得到更多的名气与金钱。苏格拉底只注重寻求真理和知识本身，而无其他。还有一起案例能说明他对于智慧的追求是多么纯粹。现金的社会中我们很多人认为自己热爱智慧，但我在这里想询问一下，这些人为了追求和保护智慧能牺牲多少？对于苏格拉底来说，答案很明确---生命。当雅典法庭以死亡威胁他，逼迫他背叛智慧与真理时，他明智地选择了不这样做。因此，今天我们得以享受他传给我们的精神财富。

苏格拉底除了是一位哲学家，还是一位温文尔雅、节制自律的雅典公民。在由色诺芬所撰写的记录苏格拉底公民生活的《回忆苏格拉底》一书中，苏格拉底被描述为一位和蔼可亲、彬彬有礼、自我约束的公民，一位从不向往奢侈生活的公民，因为他知道， "未经省察的人生不值得过"。此外，当苏格拉底受审后身陷囹圄时，他有很多机会在朋友的帮助下越狱，但他从来没有这样做。在柏拉图写的《克里同篇》一书中，苏格拉底说，虽然雅典的法律可能有很大程度上的不公正和问题，但遵守法律永远是公正的决定。从这个例子中我们可以看出，苏格拉底遵守法律的自我约束在他的思想中是根深蒂固的，这是一种相当令人敬佩的公民特质。

最后，苏格拉底作为哲学家的勇气在人类历史上是无与伦比的。在柏拉图写的另一本著作《申辩篇》中，苏格拉底在审判开始时直接告诉陪审团，他们的思想是在年轻时被他的敌人毒害了。他说，他作为一个“诡辩哲学家”的虚名来自于他的敌人，而且他们都是恶意的。最后，苏格拉底没有屈服于他的指控者，毫不犹豫地喝下了导致他死亡的毒药。他知道，这一行动是一位哲学家应该做的，始终遵循和保护绝对真理。

现在，我想用J.R.R.托尔金来结束这一部分，他是我最喜欢的奇幻作家。《霍比特人》和《魔戒》三部曲中的奇幻世界是我无法想象的。

我对托尔金有两个主要的理解。他的想象力和构建世界的能力是令人瞠目结舌的。托尔金可以说是幻想类文学的第一个伟大开拓者。他做了开创性的工作，阐述了幻想世界应该是什么样子。详细地说，在《霍比特人》和《魔戒》中，他将幻想定义为创意和现实的混合体。例如，尽管他的作品中有虚构的语言、人物和环境，但总的大环境，即中土世界，是基于现实的，足以被任何读者所理解。他的大部分虚构的元素也是来自于现实。托尔金的才能最好地体现在他是如何开创性地、天衣无缝地把虚拟和现实、明亮的想象力和枯燥的真实世界交织在一起。当我们阅读书籍或观看电影时，我们并不觉得剧情的任何部分、环境或人物的塑造是很做作的。例如，我们可以感受到硝烟弥漫的五军之战的激烈；我们可以感受到瑞文戴尔的空灵与荣耀；我们感受并同情咕噜，尽管他纯粹是虚构的。我们感受到托尔金无拘无束的幻想，仿佛它们比现实更真实。这就是他真正成为我现在所仰望的作家的原因。

我钦佩托尔金对人类想象力和幻想世界的坚定信念，尽管大多数人不相信他。托尔金出生在一个强调纯逻辑和科学的时代，而对精神或幻想的信仰则被否定。他的许多想法和作品被他的同龄人和社会上的高雅人士所批评。然而，他坚持自己的观点和信念。科学革命改变了人们看待科学、理性和真理的方式。新科学不试图从整体角度来理解世界，而是强调精确的测量和理论化。虽然这样做确实增进了人类的知识，但却忽略了观察复杂的人性本身的重要性。托尔金认为他的中土世界是真实的，并不是说它真的发生了，而是说它为我们提供了一条道路，让我们以真实、实用的方式寻求关于世界、关于我们内心的智慧和真理。中土世界描述了真理的存在，它是历史上一些陈旧记忆的集合，随着科学革命的到来而被遗忘。这种信念让我很有感触，自从我读了托尔金之后，我也一直有类似的感觉。幻想不应该被理解为完全脱离科学和理性的文学类别。它是进入错综复杂的现实和人性的一条奇幻而又真实的道路。

未完，待续…