erusing the guiding principles of every contemporary nation, as long as they intend to survive through diverse trials and turbulences, you will easily locate their yearnings for a modern society, which is regarded as an inevitable trend of social development. According to the essence of historical materialism, everything has its objective laws, since we cannot go against them or run counter to the trend of history, we follow the path of building a modern society, and even attempt to speed up the modernization drive, crazing for a tremendous leap. While skipping numerous necessary steps, gaining unexpected benefits and working unbelievable miracles, we missed pieces of ourselves along the way. What I have always been pondering over, and will always ponder over is the role of a modern society. Is it a marvelous magician creating dazzling wonders, or a subtle thief stealing delicate goodliness?

I cannot deprive this magician of his earth-shaking contributions to mankind. Characterized by his capabilities in technology and effectiveness, he streamlined our daily routines and trivia to a great extent. Without him I can only handwrite this essay, which may be full of spelling and grammatical mistakes, let alone the untidy paper and scrawl, causing the inefficiency of both writing and correcting. A high level of democracy, accompanied with a relatively compete set of rules and regulations let a modern society seem like a Utopia where no conflicts may occur, where superficial peace lies. With the aid of this magician, our society is well-developed in an all around way, fitting in with every demand from people.

Are we happy? A magician is supposed to spread happiness; however, this is far from truth today. Two friends of mine happen to share their birthday the same day. I made a tough choice, and thus chose A’s birthday party. Following the tradition of birthday party, I bought an expansive limited purse for my friends on the Internet before her party; for I have bear in mind that she is crazy for bags. Nevertheless, at the heart of my hearts, I was quite sorry for B since I had to miss her party. With heartfelt apologies, I prepared a handmade album for her, which cost me far less money but two days in the whole progress of printing photos, cutting and gluing, and decorating it all by myself. When received my present, interesting contracts emerged: A hugged me as a way of showing gratitude. As for that dear bag, maybe it just buried in her pile of birthday gifts. While B, called me the moment she received my elaborately-prepared album. That phone call was brimming with her overwhelming appreciation. Judging from her tearful voice, she was deeply touched by my present, which is neither costly nor exquisite, though. As regards to that album, she mentioned that unforgettable album time after time even many years later, crowning that tiny little brochure as “the best birthday present ever”. I was very confused at first, for such consequence was far from my imagination. Since when was the word “expansive” no longer equal to “valuable”? What on earth is at the helm of happiness?

Maybe Mark Twain’s attitudes that river are consistent with my friend A’s. In the era when the accumulation of material goods is being beefed up at an extraordinary speed, she gained much easier access to those luxuries she desired. After numerous realizations of dreams, she could no longer achieve that sort of happiness as she used to. After purchasing a rare handbag, she tended to cheer herself up; however, that delight lasted only a few days, soon putting her back to that bog of loneliness. That loss of self-fulfillment, or in simpler words, happiness, is brought about by that talented magician, the modern society. Branded by fast lifestyle, the modern society supplies people with bountiful material wealth, while at the same time, furtively steals their senses of happiness. People are unwarily turning to greedy animals coveting affluent life. Along the pursuit of wealth breaks are intolerant; Exhausted as these pilgrims are, this excursion seems endless. Of course there’s no end; for due to the unpredictable modern life, people can never be satisfied.

As mentioned above, a modern society, the lofty goal universally enshrined, is a subtle thief, who mercilessly supplanted our sensation of happiness with an inexhaustible eagerness for money, bewildering millions of contemporary men completely. Besides, this thief is heinous for his theft of public conscience. A qualified modern society is well confined by regular laws and regulations, which perhaps are outwardly abundant, but inwardly, they are far from satisfactory. A modern society is like a huge machine, while people are designated to fixed responsibilities. Hence, every part of this conglomerate is occupied with his own work, never concerning his neighbors or associates. Though superficially deemed as harmonious, this machine actually is rotten down to its core, close to its breakdown. The atmosphere of apathy and behavior out of selfishness prevails every corner of the society, resulting in Xiao Yueyue’s regrettable tragedy, giving rise to unbelievable social evils like gutter oil. Is this the actual features of a modern society? A thief guilty of unpardonable evil?

I am not an optimist, neglecting those frightful results originated from modernization; neither am I a pessimist, blind to those fruitful benefits triggered by modernization. I’d rather call a modern society a wizard, whose disposition is hard to identify, depending on our own outlooks. This wizard furnishes us with multitude of happiness, as long as we can seek where it lies. Happiness can be everywhere. Just like my friend B, she relocated her long-lost happiness in a friend’s sincere wish. With the fast pace of social development, our resource of happiness ought to be wider. If only we were wholeheartedly dedicated in our pursuits, this wizard would do anything magnificent to enrich our life. Speaking of the social degradation under the trend of advancement, mankind should take blame for it. Owning to human’s exceeding impulses towards progress, they rushed hither and thither and took the emission of details for granted, thus causing potential crackdown bits by bits. Therefore, we never mind the oddness of those villainous spells cast by that powerful wizard.

The society is moving ahead on the path where no precedents appeared. Every possibility, expected or unexpected may billow forth. Only by staying poised and careful involvement with self-awareness can people, both individuals and nations, master the principles of modernization.

The author is a student at the School of English Studies, Shanghai International Studies University.