How easy to fall out tune with daily life_美文

How easy to fall out tune with daily life

The driver pulled up the emergency brake, took the cab out of gear, and reached over to turn on the radio.

Usually, I’ve found, cab drivers enjoy listening to cross-talk performances or story-tellers on the radio, neither of which hold much interest for someone of my sadly limited abilities in Chinese.

But this driver was different. He passed over several radio stations and finally stopped on one with a woman singing folk music. How beautiful it was!

Before the light changed to green, the driver turned up the volume and began singing along with her. My petty worries and needless stress melted away. I joined them, humming the melody as best I could.

Eventually, we got underway again, and after what seemed far too little time, the driver pulled up at China Daily.

How quickly those worries I had manufactured for myself were washed away by the simple, and for that all the more sincere, beauty of that folk music, and by the opportunity of sharing it with a Beijing taxi driver.

It makes me think of something the German philosopher Friedrich Nietsche once said: “Without music, life would be a mistake”.

Broadcaster:

Greg Fountain is a copy editor and occasional presenter for China Daily. Before moving to Beijing in January, 2016 he worked for newspapers in the Middle East and UK. He has an M.A in Print Journalism from the University of Sheffield, a B.A in English and History from the University of Reading.