脚踏实地

A good friend of mine send me a very meaningful article. There was no profound knowledge or new discovery in it. It was just a simple sharing call "being down to earth". Many of us would have heard this teaching many times during school days but after we step into the society, we want "fast track to success". While some are genuine skills, many fell into his own trap - greed.

And I always wonder, if there is really a sit-at-home-and-get-rich method, and everyone becomes millionaires, then what is the value of a millionaire?

From all the stories I heard from friends or in the paper, it seems that usually the teacher/trainer himself actually gets richer. As for the hundreds of students or followers.......

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（联合早报网讯）台湾中国时报报道，台湾第一夫人周美青最近疯棒球，连马英九都笑称「她本来只是个小球迷，已经快要变成大球迷了」。不过，周美青不只看棒球，还在部落格发表文章，以美国职棒年薪最高的打击名将A-Rod服用禁药的例子为教材，教育全国小朋友「脚踏实地胜过取巧」。

周美青在部落格撰文指出，美国职棒年薪最高、被视为最有希望超越邦兹七百六十二支全垒打纪录的打击名将A-Rod，承认自己曾因压力太大、力求表现而服用禁药，这个事件让所有棒球迷感到震惊与失望。 　　美国总统奥巴马在记者会中被问到对这事件的反应，除了表示沮丧外，也希望所有的孩子在看到A-Rod承认违禁的转播时，了解到成功是无法取巧，没有捷径的。

周美青指出，功利主义社会下，人比较躁进而没有耐心，凡事追求迅速、快捷。看书要速读，学习要速成，吃饭有速食，行车要飙速，书店里充斥教人如何迅速致富、快速减肥、一分钟成为各种达人的书。 　　但她认为，做事积极、讲求效率当然很好，人格的养成、知识的学习、技巧的磨练，是需要一定的过程、长时间的潜移默化、日以继夜反覆训练的，一味追求短时间内达到目标，往往揠苗助长；最坏的情形，是为了快速成功，不择手段，摒弃了道德良知。

「抄捷径也许短时间可以达成目标，但因未经磨练，所以经不起考验。」周美青强调，许多事情「过程」比「省时」重要，应该注重孩子学习的过程与品质，而不是学习的快慢与成绩；成功没有捷径，经济的复苏亦然，脚踏实地、安分守己的态度才是最重要的。周美青撰文：脚踏实地胜过取巧