The days that make us happy make us wise.

—John Masefield

When I first read this line by England's Poet Laureate, it 1  me.  What  did Masefield mean?Without thinking about it much, I had always assumed that the 2 was true. But his serious assurance was3 . I was deeply attracted by it.

Slowly, I seemed to 4 his meaning and realized the wisdom that happiness makes possible lies in clear perception, not 5 by anxiety nor dimmed by despair and boredom, and without the blind 6 caused by fear.

Active happiness—not mere satisfaction or 7 —often comes suddenly, like an April shower or the unfolding of a bud. Then you discover what kind of wisdom has 8 it. Amazingly, in your eyes, the grass is greener; bird songs are sweeter; the 9 of your friends are more understandable, and more forgivable.

    Happiness is like a pair of eyeglasses correcting your 10 vision.Nor are the 11 of happiness limited to what is near around you. Unhappy, with your thoughts focused on your emotional woes, your vision is cut short as though blocked by a wall. Happy, the wall12 .

Consequently, the long vision is there for the seeing. The ground at your feet, the world about you—people, thoughts, emotions, pressures—are now 13 a larger scene. Everything covers a fairer 14 . Everything around you, whether it is encouraging or frustrating, no longer seems such a big deal. And here is the beginning of 15 .

In American culture, I am noticing a lack of respect, especially among children. This should be treated1 since disrespectful children will become disrespectful teenagers, and then disrespectful adults. American culture is2 the ways of teaching respect, while other cultures have methods that Americans could learn from.

In 1995, I spent a couple of months in Kenya where I lived with a pastor's family. This pastor was a part of the Maasai tribes that have some unique customs. One of them is the 3 that the children give the adults. When an adult approaches a Maasai child, the child will4 and tilt their head slightly saying "Suppa". The adult responses by saying "Ippa" touching the top of their heads. This simple act shows respect for the adult. The children 5 that they are their elder and that the adult deserves respect.

In my early 20's, I worked at a children's home in South Carolina where the children from 4 to 19 years old were taught to respect their elders. They 6 me as "Mr. Vince" and every adult worker there with a "Mr, Mrs, or Ms.". However, as I counsel and talk to teachers and other professionals who work with children now, there seems to be a 7 in such as friendly behavior that children give adults. Fewer students treat teachers with respect: Children frequently talk back to their teachers, parents or seniors, interrupt conversations, and disregard their 8 . Children casually speak with other adults like waiters, store clerks, postmen, cashiers, etc. in the way as if they are children's 9 .

Immanuel Kant expressed two 10 attitudes in Europe that are still dominant today. One is that only humans are persons because they have autonomy—they freely choose to act on principles by 11 laws on themselves, and not on desires. It is this mind based on 12 that gives humans special status. Second, to learn to follow principles instead of desires, a human child needs to learn 13 to the laws of adults. They must practice 14 regulation before they are able to practice autonomy. Kant said that "act in the way you want others to act in the situation, taking other people as persons, not 15 you use for your own goals". Only in this way can you become a real person with intrinsic values.

In a village lived a milkman, who owned a few cows. Though his family wasn't very 1 , they had a self-sufficient life (自给自足). One day, his son asked him what the secret of his life was. He used the opportunity 2 his son. "The secret of my life this: The cow doesn't give milk," said the father. The boy asked his father in 3 , "What are you saying?" "As you hear it, son, you must know the cow doesn't give milk 4 , and you have to milk it. If you don't milk it every day, it will 5 giving milk. And I won't be able to support our 6 . When you search for 7, remember what I said," said the father.

The milkman continued, "I have to get up at 4 o'clock every day. First, I need to clean the waste on the farm. Then I need to 8 the legs of the cows and start to milk them. After that, I have to try my best to 9 the milk." Hearing this, the son was 10 , and he decided to go to the 11 to help his dad.

Yes, what one 12 is from what one does. Happiness is the result of efforts. A cow doesn't give milk on its own, and neither do all the things that one 13 to have. Thus one has to work hard to get whatever he needs, and it can lead to new 14 in life, and one may be 15 one day.