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So, next weekend I'm going to be at APE, which will mean I'm going to miss teaching this lesson. It's a pity, because it's one of my favorite ones. It's a short essay by 王鼎钧. Below is an ad hoc and informal translation.
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三种成长
Three types of growth
人是生物的一种，不断在成长之中：我们的年龄在成长，学识技能在成长，品德也在成长。
Humans are a living thing, and thus are constantly growing: we grow in age, we grow in skill and knowledge, and we grow in morality and wisdom.
“天增岁月人增寿”，年龄的成长出于自然。但是学识技能和品德的成长，却要靠我们自己的努力，如果稍一懈怠，就会停止成长，甚至倒退。人生最迫切的问题，就是如何使这三者同时成长。
"As the seasons pass, people age": the growth in age happens naturally. But the growth in knowledge and wisdom, must depend on our own efforts. If we but slack off for a moment, they stop growing, and even begin to regress. The most pressing question in our lives, is how to ensure that these three: age, knowledge, and wisdom, grow in tandem.
在人们的感觉上，光阴如顺流而下的波浪，品学却如逆流而上的船只。前者稍纵即逝，后者步步费力，听起来似乎不太公平。
然而光阴的流逝有一定的数量和速度，虽然没有办法减少，可是也不会增加。我们追求知识，学习技能，培养品德，开拓胸怀，却可以随着自己的意愿，提高速度。种瓜得瓜， 种豆得豆， 而种瓜种豆，操之在我。人生的责任在此，乐趣也在此。
The passage of time is like water flowing downstream, but improving oneself is like a boat going upstream. The former disappears in an instant of release, while the latter is difficult every step of the way. It seems rather unfair. And yet, time passes at a set pace: even though there is no way to slow it down, neither would it speed up. Whereas our pursuit of knowledge and nurturing of virtue and understanding, can be sped up according to our will. When you plant melons, you harvest melons. When you plant beans, you harvest beans. And whether you plant melons or beans, that is decided by you. The responsibility of life lies in this. The joy of life also lies in this.
光阴是不会停止的。既然如此，我们也要使自己的品学日有进境，不息不止，这才是一个充实而圆满的生命。
Time will never stop. Since that is true, we should also continue to grow in our wisdom and knowledge, without pause or rest: Only that would be a fulfilling life.
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The middle two paragraphs especially speak to me: that what you choose to put time and effort into, is what you will receive in harvest. And one can't expect a harvest in something that one hasn't planted and tended. More importantly, the choice of what to spend my time on (and thus, what harvests I want), is something that I can control. I have a sense that I wrote about it last year, but I can't find it. Regardless, it's a question that bears more frequent asking: am I planting the right things? Am I expecting impractical harvests?
I'm thinking about this today, for several reasons.
We went to look at a townhouse today. It's in a good location and within the bounds of "reasonably priced." We're probably going to have to move in 1-3 years, as Rutabaga grows, so it looked like a good option. But the subsequent discussion also brought up a sore point in our relationship: the fact that we're location-locked. My family is here, my family's business is here, and now, we also have regular activity and friend groups here. But Hoosband's family isn't here. And being here means limiting the types of jobs that Hoosband can seek out. And the Bay Area is an increasingly onerous place to live: commutes are long and housing is expensive.
In our current area, we are paying $2300 for a one bedroom. When Rutabaga gets older and we need to move to a two bedroom, it's going to be ~$3200, at least. Currently Hoosband commutes 90 minutes to work, each way (about an hour on the train, plus biking). But if we move closer to his work on the train line, he won't be able to find a place to sit or a place to put his bike, which means his commute would be shorter but more painful. If we move to somewhere on the BART line, say, Oakland, that might also be the same: shorter but more painful. If we move, it means not being able to take advantage of the 3-5 hours of free childcare my parents are providing, which comes out to be ~$1500 per month that we don't have to spend.
I'm very sad that Hoosband has such a horrible commute, but ... I really can't find a reliable way to reduce this misery.
Which brings me to the question of planting and harvesting. I say that I love Hoosband and want to make him happy, but am I putting sufficient energy into that? I've inflicted a baby on him, trapped him in the Bay Area, and can't even find a way to reduce his commute misery. Maybe we should give up everything here and move to Chicago, where he'll be happier. Right now, all of the melons that we're planting are increasingly locking us to this place -- we spend time with comics club, we have established rituals of walking around the neighborhood, etc. And if we buy a house here -- well, that's the biggest melon planting of all.
Which is why, I suppose, we will keep renting even if it's not necessarily the smart thing to do financially: easier to plant melons by accident and lament that they're not beans at harvest time, than to face the fact that we might need to make some tough choices.
-----------
三种成长
Three types of growth
人是生物的一种，不断在成长之中：我们的年龄在成长，学识技能在成长，品德也在成长。
Humans are a living thing, and thus are constantly growing: we grow in age, we grow in skill and knowledge, and we grow in morality and wisdom.
“天增岁月人增寿”，年龄的成长出于自然。但是学识技能和品德的成长，却要靠我们自己的努力，如果稍一懈怠，就会停止成长，甚至倒退。人生最迫切的问题，就是如何使这三者同时成长。
"As the seasons pass, people age": the growth in age happens naturally. But the growth in knowledge and wisdom, must depend on our own efforts. If we but slack off for a moment, they stop growing, and even begin to regress. The most pressing question in our lives, is how to ensure that these three: age, knowledge, and wisdom, grow in tandem.
在人们的感觉上，光阴如顺流而下的波浪，品学却如逆流而上的船只。前者稍纵即逝，后者步步费力，听起来似乎不太公平。
然而光阴的流逝有一定的数量和速度，虽然没有办法减少，可是也不会增加。我们追求知识，学习技能，培养品德，开拓胸怀，却可以随着自己的意愿，提高速度。种瓜得瓜， 种豆得豆， 而种瓜种豆，操之在我。人生的责任在此，乐趣也在此。
The passage of time is like water flowing downstream, but improving oneself is like a boat going upstream. The former disappears in an instant of release, while the latter is difficult every step of the way. It seems rather unfair. And yet, time passes at a set pace: even though there is no way to slow it down, neither would it speed up. Whereas our pursuit of knowledge and nurturing of virtue and understanding, can be sped up according to our will. When you plant melons, you harvest melons. When you plant beans, you harvest beans. And whether you plant melons or beans, that is decided by you. The responsibility of life lies in this. The joy of life also lies in this.
光阴是不会停止的。既然如此，我们也要使自己的品学日有进境，不息不止，这才是一个充实而圆满的生命。
Time will never stop. Since that is true, we should also continue to grow in our wisdom and knowledge, without pause or rest: Only that would be a fulfilling life.
---------
The middle two paragraphs especially speak to me: that what you choose to put time and effort into, is what you will receive in harvest. And one can't expect a harvest in something that one hasn't planted and tended. More importantly, the choice of what to spend my time on (and thus, what harvests I want), is something that I can control. I have a sense that I wrote about it last year, but I can't find it. Regardless, it's a question that bears more frequent asking: am I planting the right things? Am I expecting impractical harvests?
I'm thinking about this today, for several reasons.
We went to look at a townhouse today. It's in a good location and within the bounds of "reasonably priced." We're probably going to have to move in 1-3 years, as Rutabaga grows, so it looked like a good option. But the subsequent discussion also brought up a sore point in our relationship: the fact that we're location-locked. My family is here, my family's business is here, and now, we also have regular activity and friend groups here. But Hoosband's family isn't here. And being here means limiting the types of jobs that Hoosband can seek out. And the Bay Area is an increasingly onerous place to live: commutes are long and housing is expensive.
In our current area, we are paying $2300 for a one bedroom. When Rutabaga gets older and we need to move to a two bedroom, it's going to be ~$3200, at least. Currently Hoosband commutes 90 minutes to work, each way (about an hour on the train, plus biking). But if we move closer to his work on the train line, he won't be able to find a place to sit or a place to put his bike, which means his commute would be shorter but more painful. If we move to somewhere on the BART line, say, Oakland, that might also be the same: shorter but more painful. If we move, it means not being able to take advantage of the 3-5 hours of free childcare my parents are providing, which comes out to be ~$1500 per month that we don't have to spend.
I'm very sad that Hoosband has such a horrible commute, but ... I really can't find a reliable way to reduce this misery.
Which brings me to the question of planting and harvesting. I say that I love Hoosband and want to make him happy, but am I putting sufficient energy into that? I've inflicted a baby on him, trapped him in the Bay Area, and can't even find a way to reduce his commute misery. Maybe we should give up everything here and move to Chicago, where he'll be happier. Right now, all of the melons that we're planting are increasingly locking us to this place -- we spend time with comics club, we have established rituals of walking around the neighborhood, etc. And if we buy a house here -- well, that's the biggest melon planting of all.
Which is why, I suppose, we will keep renting even if it's not necessarily the smart thing to do financially: easier to plant melons by accident and lament that they're not beans at harvest time, than to face the fact that we might need to make some tough choices.
