When I was a child, I loved taking cars, especially trains. I would occupy a seat by the window and stand by the window to look at the scenery outside the window. This hobby has not changed to this day.

The train is speeding, nothing stays outside the window forever, and the scenery is always fresh.

In fact, it doesn’t matter what scenery passes by outside the window. What I like is the feeling of flow. The scenery is flowing, and so are the thoughts. The two merge into one, as if they are in a smooth dream.

When I looked at the scenery passing by outside the window, the window of my soul was also opened. Many past events that seemed to have been forgotten long ago, feelings gained and lost, and thoughts that were too busy to take care of came uninvited at this time, passing by the window of the soul like the scenery outside the window. So I discovered that I am usually busy with all kinds of so-called necessary work, which makes the window of my soul closed for too much time, and there are still too many scenery in the world of my soul that have not been appreciated. At this moment, these spiritual landscapes that are usually ignored flashed continuously in front of the open window.

So, I never find long journeys boring, or rather, I kind of like this kind of boredom. On long journeys I do not feel obliged to have a companion to chat with, or to have some kind of entertainment to amuse me. I don't even want to spend time reading a good book, because I can read a book at any time, but daydreaming is not something I can do if I want to.

Just because I covet the enjoyment in front of the car window, whenever I travel, I would rather take the train than fly. The plane took me to my destination too quickly, leaving me no time to feel lonely and thus unable to trigger that state of trance and reverie. Therefore, I would feel as if I had never traveled. When sailing on the rivers and seas, I would rather take an ordinary ship and stand on the deck for a long time, watching the waves flow forever, than take a closed luxury speedboat. Once, from Shanghai to Nantong, I unfortunately took this kind of speedboat by mistake. While others were contentedly leaning on comfortable soft chairs and watching color videos, I painfully stared at the narrow sealed windows on the bulkhead. I felt as if I was imprisoned.

I understand that these are just my personal quirks and perhaps outdated quirks. Modern people pay attention to efficiency and comfort when traveling. It is best to be so fast that the journey can be reduced to zero, and as comfortable as living in your own home. What puzzles me is, if this is the case, why bother traveling? If life is likened to a long-distance journey, then the train that modern people take seems to be composed of a work carriage and an entertainment carriage, and their usual life The way is to work hard and earn money in the work car, and then enjoy and spend the money hard in the entertainment car. This goes back and forth, and there is no time or thought to look at the scenery outside the car window.

Time flies and the world is noisy. I have to be vigilant. It is not easy to maintain a childlike and leisurely mind on the journey of life. If one day I just immerse myself in the various things in life and no longer have the interest to stand by the car window to watch the scenery along the way and listen to the music in my heart, then I will be truly old and vulgar, and I will have failed to live up to this journey of life. Wonderful trip.

——Zhou Guoping "Outside the Car Window"