2003年专八英语作文真题:A Self-conscious and Sympathetic Generation

It seems to have become a common consent that young people today are more self-centered and unsympathetic than were previous generations. Many complain that young people are no longer obedient to their parents and always have their own ways of doing things. Some even accuse that young people today seldom show sympathy to others, especially when their own benefits are threatened. I don't agree with these kinds of opinions. I think young people today are more self-conscious, not self-centered, as some people say. They have better self-esteem and therefore they are able to respect and sympathize with others better. For many older people, they were taught to always put others interests first and ignore their own feelings, even to the sacrifice of their own families. Self-value was unheard of for most of them. Young people today, however, are very blessed to realize that they were born first as individuals and then members of the society. They are supposed to love and respect themselves first and thus learn to love and respect others. They love their parents but don't agree that they belong to their parents. They have their own wills and own ways of living. Owing to awakening of self-consciousness, young people today show more respect to other people's choices. One of the many ways by which they express their sympathy is to respect other people's privacies, encouraging but never prying. They are also very willing to give material and financial supports to the poor. I know two young ladies who have been helping different kids in remote countryside pay their tuition fees for many years and I've also worked as a volunteer to help the orphans. Thousands of young volunteers for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games are another case in point for the spirit of devotion in the younger generation. Being self-centered and being self-conscious are two different things and sympathy can be expressed in many different ways. In every generation, there are people who are self-centered and never sympathize with others. Generally speaking, most of the young people today are not like that. Besides respecting their own value, they are kind and sympathetic.