lessons from the sea
大海教我的那些事

1. Perspective changes. When I first moved here, I was just a kid. The beach was so magical back then, all I wanted to do was make sandcastles and splash about in the water. As I grew into a teen, it became ‘uncool’ to do such things, instead, it was more acceptable to sunbathe because our looks were all we cared about during those years. It was in those times when I felt most self-conscious wearing a bikini, and even though I was not totally comfortable, it was worse not to wear one when everyone else was. Eventually, we grew up, built some self confidence and sunbathing/bikini days became barbecues, bonfires and drinks on the beach with friends.

1. 情境是变化的：
当我刚搬到这里时，我还只是个孩子。这个岸边那会就是那么神奇，我所想做的就是做沙堡然后让它们被海浪打碎。当我进入青春期之后，堆沙堡就不是那么酷了，取而代之，日光浴则更可接受。因为在那个时候，我们所关心的知识我们的外表。在那些时候，我表现的更在意自己穿比基尼是什么样的，哪怕我并不觉得穿起来很舒服，却也比在有别人在场时不穿的好。最终，当我们长到以后，建立了一些自信以后，那些日光浴、比基尼的日子变成了在海边和朋友们吃烧烤，烧篝火，喝酒的日子。

I’ve learned that as we grow up, our outlook on even the same things change over time. Everything is in constant flux, nothing stays the same forever, especially ourselves.

我学到了伴随着我们的成长，我们的视野同时也在变化着。每件事都在持续的流动着，没有什么是永远不变静止不动的，由其是我们自己。

2. Nature is beauty. From the first time I saw it until now, and every time in between, I’ve never grown tired of looking at the great blue sea melt into the horizon in the distance. I’ve never grown tired of watching the sunset or sunrise change the colour of the sky, painting it all shades of pinks, purples and oranges. I’ve never not felt soothed by the feeling of sand between my toes or the sound of the waves washing into the shore. Part of the reason why I love mediation so much is because I have such a great place to do it.

2.自然是美丽的：
从我第一次看到大海到现在，这其中的每一天，我都没有厌倦过看湛蓝色的大海融化在天的劲头。我从来没有厌倦看日出日落，天色的变化，看着天空中各种形状的云彩，或是粉色，或是紫色，或是橙色。我总是在感受到脚尖的啥子，或者听到海浪声时感到真实。我热爱仲裁的部分原因是我有这么棒的一个地方去做这件事情。

I’ve learned that Mother Nature is so, so beautiful.
我学到了大自然母亲，是如此如此的美丽。

3. Pollution is a crime. On that note, there’s nothing worse than spoiling all that because of pollution. In my eyes, pollution is laziness. Normally, I am a very liberal person and I wouldn’t think twice about letting people do what they want (as long as they’re not hurting anyone) but I’ve realized I am quite intolerant of this kind of behaviour. If you can’t be bothered to throw away your rubbish in bins just a few meters away, then don’t ‘bother’ coming to the beach at all. Also, although there aren’t any visible factories in the area, on some days, the sea looks more green/grey than on other days because of junk being thrown into it downstream. And although I still think it looks beautiful, it is never the clear blue kind of sea you see in brochures.

3.污染是犯罪的：
在这一点上，再也没有因为污染的破坏更糟糕的事情了。在我眼里，污染时一种懒惰的象征。通常来说，我是一个非常自由主义的人，而且我从不犹豫人们应该做自己想做的事情（只要不是去伤害他人）但是我认识到，我实在是太不能容忍污染的行为了。如果你能多走几步把垃圾在垃圾桶里，这些垃圾就不会来到海滩上了。并且，尽管在这个区域没有一些看得见的工厂，天色还是在有的时候变得比往常更绿或者更灰。这是因为被排放在下游的垃圾的原因。尽管我依然觉得这一切很美，但是却再也不是最初的那种海了。

I’ve learned that if people weren’t so selfish, we would all be living in a much better world that would benefit everyone.
我学到了，如果人们不是这么自私，我们将生活在一个更好的环境中。每个人都将因此受益。