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The sick plum blossom
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The sick plum blossom I remember when I was in junior high school I learned this article in my Chinese class titled something like A Journal on The Sick Plum Blossom Exhibition Hall （病梅馆记）. I could not recall the author and the main idea conveyed in this article but I can remember clearly that in this article the author described the plum blossom flowers he saw in an exhibition hall, where the flowers and its stems and leaves are largely bended and crooked in order to appeal the audience. This was good for the gardeners because these crooked plum blossoms were regarded as a kind of art and can make them a lot of money. However this kind of growing went against the nature of those plum blossoms as they would by no means grow like this in the Mother Nature environment. But those plum blossoms did not have an option, in order to be considered as qualified products, they had to adapt themselves to the environment and grew as they were required. So the author was very sorry for them because they had to grow against their own will, and became something they were not meant to be. That’s why the author called these plum blossoms sick ones because they were not natural even though they may look better for the visitors. After finished my college, I continued to pursue my PhD with a professor, who was the administrator of our department. My college study was regarded by many as successful because I got A grades on most of the classes. And I was recommended to continue my further education without the entrance examination. This experience made me believe that if I worked hard enough I could do a good job in scientific research and very likely I could become a famous scholar in future. Therefore I expected very much from my graduate study. I thought I could learn a lot of things from my professor. I even looked up to him as a father. I hoped that he could lead me into a promising field of research, where I could realize my full potential and became someone excellent. I thought my professor would be like a mentor to me just liked what I saw in the movies: we could work together and encourage each other like a team; we could talk to each other frequently like real friends; and he would take me as his assistant and even a son. But soon I discovered that he never lived up to my expectations. Most of the time, he did not care about my study and research at all, even when I went to ask him, he had no idea about the papers I read, and then he would ask me to talk to some senior students. In his class he talked a lot of things about life and fun, just killed the class time. I did not know what he was doing at that time but he was always busy. One year of my graduate study had passed before I realized it. I needed to do the opening report for my thesis. My professor told me I could choose a topic for myself. From then on, I was totally disillusioned about my professor. I never again asked him about study and research because I knew I was on my own. When we met on the campus we just said hello to each other like the greeting between acquaintances. As I remember, every time he called me it was usually about something like helping him run some errands, buy something for him, or get the reimbursement for him. He gave me a new understanding about what a professor would be like. At the beginning I was really lost in my research, especially when I had a problem I had no one to talk about it. When some of the senior students graduated with some paper published, it began dawn on me that I should find a topic and do some research so that I could publish some papers as required. Therefore I began to read many papers hoping to figure out a research topic. When I had a question I tried to write to the authors of those papers. Most of the authors would totally ignore my letters and I never got a reply. Only a few would. I really appreciated them. Then I had some ideas and wrote a paper and tried to submit my paper to some journals. At the beginning, my paper was rejected, and I failed again and again. But every time my paper was rejected I could learned something from it because the reviewer would point out the weakness of my papers. Finally I got my first paper accepted. And then my second paper, my third paper were published. From then on, I realized that in order to finish my PhD study, I just needed to publish enough papers, and in order to publish papers I had to read a lot of papers. Therefore I started to do the so called paper to paper research. I worked very hard and I seldom rest on weekends. Finally I managed to graduate with my PhD in 3 years, while more than half of my classmates used 4 or 5 years for this. My professor seemed to be satisfied with me because I was the first PhD he supervised after he was promoted as a PhD supervisor. At this point, I should have been proud of myself but I just could not, because I was not so sure if I had really met the requirement of a PhD. What I had been doing seemed very different from the concept of research in my mind. I could not see the value of my papers in reality. Thus I lost my passion for research. As years passed on, my professor got more and more PhD students, and all of them were just like me: at the beginning they were quite happy about their new life as a PhD student, and very soon they got lost about what to do for research, and then they began to know the importance of publishing papers. Therefore, they began to read a lot of papers and then began to write papers. Finally they managed to get their paper published. They graduated with their PhD diploma but none of them become real scholars. Most of them would find a job in some other places, and they would never do research again. I wonder how many PhDs will be produced in this way. When we were young, we had the curiosity about science. We had the ambition of becoming scientists and famous scholars. We studied hard because we thought we could make great achievements, which we could be proud about. We never gave up because we firmly believe we were different and we would make a difference. We went into the university with beautiful dreams in heart. It was like a seed in the soil which are hunger for the pure rain drops and sunshine. Ten years of higher education should educate us well, and our soul should be nurtured. We should develop our full potential and become someone useful to the development of science and technology in our country. But after graduation, instead of becoming good researchers, we become a journal paper maker; instead of becoming knowledge people we know less and less about the essence of science. Our curiosity and passion about science has long been extinguished and we have long forgotten our childhood dreams. We have lost our ambition to change the world, instead we adapt to our environment in order to survive. Competition is getting harder and harder, and we are too busy to think about the meaning of our work, most of us are just making a living from what we do. We are always in a hurry and have no time to care about others and therefore we become more and more selfish and self-centered. We have lost our ambition to change the world. Instead, we are changed by the world around us. Instead of becoming someone excellent, we become mediocre. Maybe a lot of people admire us because we have had so many higher educations. But we are bended and crooked like the plum blossom in the exhibition hall because the educations have made us grow to something we are not meant to be. We are PhD holders but we fail to achieve our full potential. We have got 10 years of education in universities, but our souls are not well nurtured. The professors failed to improve our souls, as they are called the engineer of human souls. When people admire us, maybe they don’t know that we are already sick, and we are so sick that we cannot even explain to them clearly and confidently what the meaning of out PhD dissertation. Today our universities are still producing papers and PhDs. Soon our country will become the largest PhD and paper producer in the world. But how many of those PhDs will live up to the expectations from our country? How many of those papers will be of any help to the development of our country? I wonder when will our universities stop making those useless papers and try to build something more useful? I wonder when will our universities educate our student in a more all-around way instead of just letting them publish useless papers? I wonder when our universities will only promote those who are really good educators and well-learned scholars to become professors instead of using those administrators or someone who are not qualified, and never care about research and the development of their students? I wonder when will the teachers in universities will take more time and responsibilities in nurturing the soul and character of their students, instead of only considering about their promotion and research fund? PS: This article is written from my own experiences, and I may be a bit cynical and dramatic here but on offense to other universities. |
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00waterh
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Lopemann: 金币+2, There is an rigid evaluation system. It's just people don't know it. 2014-01-18 14:09:44
Lopemann: 回帖置顶 2014-01-18 14:09:47
Lopemann: 金币+2, There is an rigid evaluation system. It's just people don't know it. 2014-01-18 14:09:44
Lopemann: 回帖置顶 2014-01-18 14:09:47
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it's really a thought provoking article. take it to myself, i think the problem definitely can't be put on the professors and the students like us, the whole evaluation system should take the blame as well. |
5楼2014-01-18 13:09:16
tuqin2575
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Lopemann: 金币+8, ESEPI+1, You thinking is always well-rounded. 2014-01-19 16:38:35
Lopemann: 回帖置顶 2014-01-19 16:38:38
Lopemann: 金币+8, ESEPI+1, You thinking is always well-rounded. 2014-01-19 16:38:35
Lopemann: 回帖置顶 2014-01-19 16:38:38
It is the reality in China, maybe now already in USA where there are even more PHD degrees provided every year. Many of us have suffered from it. Everyone applys for the master or PHD degree for different purposes. Some want to get better jobs (to be a college teacher, for instance), some want to be better educated, and maybe only a few of them will feel happiness in exploring the truth and doing the research. Whatever category we are under, one thing may make sense that we can get our own conceptions and understandings on science, truth, and further, properly know how to get close to them. We are adults, not kids any more. If we can not find these on the advisors, we need to search for them ourselves. And it has nothing to do with the light of truth itself. No one says that our mentors should be the agents of truth or something. Everyone errs, every scientist tries. If these are done in the right way, for just purposes, that is truth. It is hard to talk about truth in China, which may be only in some notables' brains. But I like the glim light on the way searching for it.  |
11楼2014-01-18 20:04:24
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Lopemann: 回帖置顶 2014-02-15 08:07:40
Lopemann: 金币+4, Thanks mate. 2014-02-15 08:07:51
送红花一朵Lopemann: 回帖置顶 2014-02-15 08:07:40
Lopemann: 金币+4, Thanks mate. 2014-02-15 08:07:51
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What can I say, when such an article comes in front of my face? I believe every one is a PHD of our life. Based on my experience, I think the author is a brilliant PHD because of not afraid of being successful by himself own. I knew there would be " thanks for creating something new in human knowledge circle" in the certificate of PHD. Anyhow, what is success for a professor, a PHD and, taking it more bigger, a human being? Author, however, you are successful to some point, at least from my perspective! |
16楼2014-02-15 06:03:44
Coble
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Lopemann: 金币+2, Yes. 2014-02-15 09:03:20
Lopemann: 回帖置顶 2014-02-15 09:03:21
Lopemann: 金币+2, Yes. 2014-02-15 09:03:20
Lopemann: 回帖置顶 2014-02-15 09:03:21
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Seriously, you are a pretty good boy and hardworking. You deserve to have a bright future. Your supervisor should be shamed for his behavior. The reality is just right there. What we can do is stay far away from the irresponsible activities. [ 发自小木虫客户端 ] |
17楼2014-02-15 08:20:35
凌霄傲雪
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2楼2014-01-17 23:00:57
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3楼2014-01-18 05:49:35
cyy__8906
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4楼2014-01-18 10:01:41
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6楼2014-01-18 14:30:56
gezi0913
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7楼2014-01-18 14:38:50
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