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. 情境是變化的：
當我剛搬到這里時，我還只是個孩子。這個岸邊那會就是那么神奇，我所想做的就是做沙堡然后讓它們被海浪打碎。當我進入青春期之后，堆沙堡就不是那么酷了，取而代之，日光浴則更可接受。因為在那個時候，我們所關心的知識我們的外表。在那些時候，我表現的更在意自己穿比基尼是什么樣的，哪怕我并不覺得穿起來很舒服，卻也比在有別人在場時不穿的好。最終，當我們長到以后，建立了一些自信以后，那些日光浴、比基尼的日子變成了在海邊和朋友們吃燒烤，燒篝火，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.

我學到了伴隨著我們的成長，我們的視野同時也在變化著。每件事都在持續的流動著，沒有什么是永遠不變靜止不動的，由其是我們自己。

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.自然是美麗的：
從我第一次看到大海到現在，這其中的每一天，我都沒有厭倦過看湛藍色的大海融化在天的勁頭。我從來沒有厭倦看日出日落，天色的變化，看著天空中各種形狀的云彩，或是粉色，或是紫色，或是橙色。我總是在感受到腳尖的啥子，或者聽到海浪聲時感到真實。我熱愛仲裁的部分原因是我有這么棒的一個地方去做這件事情。

I’ve learned that Mother Nature is so, so beautiful.
我學到了大自然母親，是如此如此的美麗。

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：
在這一點上，再也沒有因為污染的破壞更糟糕的事情了。在我眼里，污染時一種懶惰的象征。通常來說，我是一個非常自由主義的人，而且我從不猶豫人們應該做自己想做的事情（只要不是去傷害他人）但是我認識到，我實在是太不能容忍污染的行為了。如果你能多走幾步把垃圾在垃圾桶里，這些垃圾就不會來到海灘上了。并且，盡管在這個區域沒有一些看得見的工廠，天色還是在有的時候變得比往常更綠或者更灰。這是因為被排放在下游的垃圾的原因。盡管我依然覺得這一切很美，但是卻再也不是最初的那種海了。

I’ve learned that if people weren’t so selfish, we would all be living in a much better world that would benefit everyone.
我學到了，如果人們不是這么自私，我們將生活在一個更好的環境中。每個人都將因此受益。