Today is the Dragon Boat Festival; I wish everyone all the best. Additionally, today is also the first day of the Gaokao (National College Entrance Examination); I also wish everyone all the best.
On such festivals or special days, many memories are often evoked, leading to much nostalgia. Yesterday, I posted this on my QQ Space and WeChat Moments:
Thinking back to this day in that year, I observed the Transit of Venus. If you haven’t seen it yet, I’m sorry, you’ll have to wait another 98 years.
The “this day in that year” I mentioned yesterday refers to June 6, 2012, which happened to be the “twice-in-a-century” Transit of Venus. The previous one was on June 8, 2004, and the next one won’t be until December 11, 2117—truly out of reach. Of course, besides being rare, the Transit of Venus isn’t particularly spectacular. It works on the same principle as a solar eclipse: during the day, the sun’s light is partially blocked by a celestial body. In a solar eclipse, the sun is blocked by the moon, which is clearly visible to the naked eye, and a total solar eclipse is even more magnificent. However, during a Transit of Venus, Venus only covers a very small dot on the sun. Generally, it is difficult to see clearly without a telescope equipped with a Baader solar filter.
The reason “this day in that year” is remembered is that the two consecutive days following the Transit of Venus were the days of my Gaokao. Being able to calmly bring my instruments for an observation the day before the Gaokao could be considered “heroic (willful)” haha~ However, whether then or now, I don’t feel I was being willful at all. The Gaokao wouldn’t be ruined because I went for an observation, but the Transit of Venus might never be seen again in a lifetime if I missed it. Therefore, I have always felt this choice was perfectly natural, and I am glad I understood this back then and didn’t resort to “any means necessary” for the sake of the so-called Gaokao.
Please allow me to use the term “any means necessary,” because in my view, the behavior of many students and teachers today in dealing with the Gaokao can be described as such. Don’t talk to me about “ideals,” “having no choice,” or “helplessness.” If it’s by any means necessary, then it is; there’s no need to find excuses. I didn’t say it was “unpardonable.” We had pressure and exam papers back then too, but in the end, we felt we lived quite comfortably, pursuing many of our own interests along the way. Many of those things are hard to see in today’s students.
Perhaps times have progressed, and our generation has fallen behind, unable to adapt to the new era? With many sighs and nostalgia, occasionally saying “back in my day” also proves that we are gradually getting older and becoming outdated~
On special days, we find that we always like to reminisce about certain people, events, or things—perhaps a song, or a piece of scenery. Sometimes we indulge in this nostalgia, not realizing that what we miss might not be those people or things, but the act of missing itself.
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