I discovered the world on September 5th， 2017. Not in the usual insight flashing type you might expect， but rather through a book， with a man， in another world. In retrospect， I was merely another insignificant reader of his numerous influential pieces， but he， through his perspicacious judgements， has reshaped my life in the most profound way possible. This man is Neil Postman， author of Amusing Ourselves to Death.

　　In his book， Postman appraises cultural shifts since the advent of modern technologies. He elaborates on how media is forming us to perceive in particular manners， and warns of the alteration in people‘s epistemologies. But what astounded me the most were his views on televison. He believes that they are insidiously infiltrating our public discourse by prizing entertainment as the epitome of truth， and demonstrates how non-stop stimulation and quick decisions have taken the place of rational deliberation.

　　Prior to my reading， I had only thought of the television as an apparatus through which I could access the world. So it was only to be expected that upon comprehending Postman‘s thoughts， I was shell-shocked. It took me several full minutes to get to grips with the fact that the TV hanging innocently in the living room， from which I acquired daily news and entertainment， was debilitating our society in a subtle but minacious way. And that was when I realized what seemed like the easiest truth in the world —— everything has two sides.

　　I can well remember my excitement as I set the book down that afternoon. The fatigue usually sweeping in after long hours of reading was suppressed by my eagerness to explore the vistas of probabilities opening up in front of me. I logged online， and all of a sudden， it was as if I was seeing the world anew. The ads I saw online suddenly had ulterior motives behind them， poignant comments became suspects of emotion manipulation， and the click-bait articles weren‘t so intriguing anymore. Every time my impulse tried to take over， I would check my actions and consider the motives and implications of doing so. Only then did I realize how much one was missing by taking everything at face value， and how much more one could see by thinking about other， less evident elements and factors.

　　Gradually， I started to encompass real-life situations into my practice. Everything which had been taken for granted before was taken down and scrutinized， I learned to doubt before I believed， and took a critical approach to anything that drew my attention. Through the course of time， these small habits have consolidated to form my critical thinking skills， which have eventually become an inseparable part of my character and an even more integral part of my life. Now， I even participate in debate tournaments， something I would never have taken interest in before. So it wouldn‘t be much of an overstatement to say that much of who I am， and what I have at present is owing to the establishment of my ability to analyze and reflect objectively.

　　Now， as I look back upon that fateful day， I‘m amazed at how several short hours spent with Postman has transformed me so utterly. I imagine it would be quite analogous to what souls of ancient time would have felt like after being led， by their ferrymen， towards reincarnation. After all， both were， in their own way， epochal events， the likes of which men would be fortuitous to encounter even once in their own lives.

　　作者：陈俊豪（Howard Chen）　所在学校：深圳中学　指导老师：李绍明

　　本文系“摆渡人”杯全国高中生征文大赛二等奖获奖作品，转载请注明出处。