1. Sample Essay 1
2. Sample Essay 2
3. Sample Essay 3
Express your thoughts on the current prevalence of emotional numbness in our daily lives.
Sample Essay 1: Share your thoughts on the current phenomenon of emotional numbness in our society
'Emotional numbness' is the absence of feeling, emotion, or reaction to events, phenomena, or issues in life. The disease of emotional numbness afflicts those lacking love and compassion, living indifferent to the pain of humanity, society, and mankind...
Having endured wars against invaders, grappling with harsh natural disasters, our people have a tradition of unity, mutual care, and support. It seems that through hardships, sorrows, and losses, humans draw closer, care for, and help each other more. The love for one's village and neighbors, caring for others as if they were family, has become a principle of the nation: 'Sell a distant relative to buy a close neighbor.'
Today, with material life improving, becoming more abundant, people tend to focus on themselves and their families, paying little attention to social issues. In the past, our ancestors criticized the lifestyle of those who only cared for themselves. Such individuals are not uncommon in today's society. They live apathetic to everything happening around them, closing their doors to the world. When a neighbor faces difficulties or a child falls into the traps of social vices, they remain indifferent as if they don't see. Witnessing children fighting on the street, even physically, they turn a blind eye. Faced with the suffering of the disabled and the unfortunate, they show no emotion... Emotional numbness has rendered humans insensitive, apathetic, and unable to integrate into the community.
In the professional realm, emotional numbness turns humans into mere machines, performing tasks monotonously and without enthusiasm. Individuals afflicted by emotional numbness in their work inevitably witness a decline in work efficiency, and in some cases, it leads to stagnation, causing significant repercussions.
As public servants, succumbing to emotional numbness estranges individuals from the people, resulting in a lack of dedication to their duties. A doctor devoid of empathy cannot harbor compassion for the sick, especially the impoverished patients. There are instances where patients receive inadequate care due to the healthcare provider's emotional numbness, leading to regrettable deaths. An indifferent engineer may turn a blind eye to the human lives affected by the subpar quality of their constructions. An emotionally numb driver willingly disregards the lives of others while recklessly speeding and overtaking. A dispassionate teacher merely focuses on completing the lecture without considering the teacher-student relationship, especially with struggling students from challenging backgrounds. Emotionally numb officials remain oblivious to the circumstances of each citizen, ignoring their grievances and failing to offer genuine assistance.
Recent events in the news have been shockingly revealing of the alarming 'heartlessness' of humanity. A young man weeps bitterly on a bus as thieves snatch his wallet, met with a chilling silence. More heartbreaking is the footage of bystanders looting beer cans from an overturned bus, while the unfortunate driver lies lifeless on the road. Reflecting on these incidents, I shudder and wonder about the hidden conscience and love of modern humans. Does societal development equate to the loss of compassion?
As students, let's actively combat emotional numbness in our daily tasks and studies. Care for and assist your friends, share what you can with the less fortunate lives around you. Do not let a day come when you witness an elderly beggar, an orphaned child, or a lost traveler, and your heart remains silent. Ignite the light, sow the seeds of love in your heart, my heart, and the hearts of us all.
Love is the precious essence of humanity; emotional numbness has robbed us of that virtue, turning the once vibrant red blood into a lifeless shade of green. Each person's heart needs to illuminate dreams, aspirations, willpower, and creativity intertwined with the community. This will combat emotional numbness and enrich human life.
Reflect on the current phenomenon of emotional numbness in our lives is a valuable lesson. Following this lesson, we proceed to answer questions, Write a short essay expressing thoughts on the frequent occurrences of school violence along with a section on Social discourse on honesty to improve our Vietnamese language studies.
Sample 2: Reflect on the current phenomenon of emotional numbness in our lives
In a rapidly advancing world of technology and machinery, where individuals can amass wealth and prosperity, there seems to be a diminishing concern for one another. The industrialized pace of life, filled with hustle and bustle, appears to have led to a lack of interpersonal care. Could this busy lifestyle be the catalyst for the widespread prevalence of the 'emotional numbness' phenomenon?
Emotional numbness is a condition not officially recognized by the medical field, yet it profoundly impacts human life. So what exactly is 'the numbness disease'? 'Numb' stands for lacking, and 'emotion' refers to feelings and sentiments. Numbness is a state where individuals lack emotions, living in isolation and indifferent to everything around them. In today's modern life, some only focus on personal well-being, turning their backs on societal connections. They become distant, indifferent, and oblivious to the joys and sorrows of others. This is the 'numbness disease'. Pursuing materialistic values, people unintentionally lose the true beauty of their souls. Even with wealth and luxury, life is not truly fulfilling when people don't care for and love one another, deviating from the traditional moral values of our ancestors, the belief that 'Good deeds bring good results.'
In contemporary times, some individuals only think of themselves. When they encounter the unfortunate on the streets, they offer no help, and, in some cases, they even mock and ridicule the misfortunes of those pitiful lives. Despite the prevalence of crimes and heinous acts in daily life, no one dares to intervene. Why? Why are humans so indifferent? Perhaps it's fear, fear of getting involved in complications, leading them to selfishly ignore the issues of others. This is not just 'someone else's problem'; it is the collective issues of society. How can humans turn their backs on the very community they live in? It's not limited to individuals; even governmental bodies exhibit such selfish tendencies. Some affluent institutions always find ways to exploit the populace, seizing land, assets, and then callously turning away, leaving behind the struggling lives and tearful grievances. Is this not a manifestation of 'numbness disease' or something similar?
If this continues, life will lose its tenderness, empathy will vanish, and the precious moral values of the past will disappear. It won't be a case of 'one suffering horse leaves the entire carriage without grass,' but rather a cold, indifferent state of numbness. 'Love is the happiness of humans,' and will life still have meaning if people isolate themselves and live only for themselves? Are you happy being wealthy? Are you successful? But when you become numb, you only see yourself. Does wealth and success bring happiness when you live in isolation, detached from the community, refusing to share? Living is sometimes simply about learning to love. Try opening your heart even just a little. Pain shared is halved, and happiness shared is doubled. Imagine, the elderly person across the street could safely cross if you took a little time to help. The lost child wouldn't be in the market if you took a moment to take them to the police station to find their mother. Every day on your way to school, you could contribute a little money to the 'For the Poor' fund. There's so much you can do if you're willing to give a 'little.' Your contributions might seem small, but most importantly, they are expressions of love, care, and a whole heart. Do what you can to alleviate the pain of others. Sometimes, the act of giving love is itself a source of happiness. It must be said, the more civilized society becomes, the more humane people are towards each other. However, there still exists a practical, selfish lifestyle that harms our nation's cherished tradition of 'many things covered by the price of a mirror.' Therefore, we shouldn't attribute the rise of 'numbness disease' to industrialized life but rather to the lack of seriousness in educating our children and citizens. It's challenging to find the complete cause, so I'll leave this question to educators, social scientists, psychologists, and others to ponder.
Living is, at times, simply learning to love. Try baring your heart, even if just a little. Because shared pain is diminished by half, and shared happiness is multiplied. Consider, the elderly gentleman across the road could safely cross if you took a moment to help him. The lost child wouldn't be wandering in the market if you took a little time to escort them to the police station to find their mother. Every day on your way to school, you could contribute a small amount to the 'For the Poor' fund. There's so much you can do if you're willing to give a 'little.' Your contributions might seem insignificant, but, above all, they are expressions of love, care, and a whole heart. Do what you can to alleviate the pain of others. Sometimes, the act of giving love is itself a source of happiness. It must be acknowledged that as society becomes more civilized, people treat each other more compassionately. However, there still exists a pragmatic, selfish lifestyle that contradicts our nation's time-honored tradition of 'many things covered by the price of a mirror.' Hence, we shouldn't attribute the emergence of the 'numbness disease' to industrialized living but rather to the lack of earnestness in the education of our children and citizens. Finding the complete cause is challenging, so I'll leave this question for educators, sociologists, psychologists, and others to contemplate.
In the song 'Pink Rain,' the late composer Trinh Cong Son wrote: 'How long is life, and yet, it slips away so carelessly.' Yes, don't rush through life! Don't let the hurried stream of existence sweep you away! Don't turn your back on everything! Don't let the red flow within you turn cold and dark. Don't let a moment of pause make you realize you've unintentionally lost too much! Cultivate compassion and love within yourself and with others to push back against that 'numbness disease.' And because tomorrow may never come, give and receive what you have today.
Sample Essay 3: Express your thoughts on the phenomenon of numbness in our lives today
Living without emotions is akin to self-destructing the two syllables of 'human.' The Vietnamese tradition of 'caring for others as if they were family' has been cherished for generations. However, as society advances, individuals with corrosive lifestyles erode these beautiful traditions. These are people afflicted with the dangerous disease of numbness.
Numbness is not listed in the medical field's catalog of diseases. Nevertheless, it causes profound sadness and pain. While diseases like AIDS dominate medical attention due to their deadly nature, numbness is not merely an individual's survival issue; it is a societal and humanitarian concern.
The 'clinical manifestations' of this condition are easily recognizable. Day after day, numerous acts of indifference occur, sometimes considered normal. Witnessing cruelty or injustice fails to elicit intervention or defense for the vulnerable. Excuses like 'it's someone else's business, why bother...' further aid the malevolent, allowing evil to prevail. Specifically, seeing someone in distress walking away draws cold, indifferent glances, and opportunists seize the chance to steal from them. These are individuals who lack empathy, remain unmoved by others' pain, and fail to express indignation or disgust in the face of wrongdoing. Such dry, desolate, and emotionally scarce lifestyles are disheartening. Even more disheartening is the fact that it exists across all social classes and age groups. A child might catch a dragonfly, pluck its wings, and view it as a mere amusement. They show no empathy or fear. Many parents dismiss it as normal child's play. However, unknowingly, they sow the seeds of numbness. The futile attempts to escape the child's grasp on the dragonfly do not evoke sympathy. Can we be certain that this child won't treat humans similarly as they grow older? In other words, it might sound extreme, but not implausible; they might treat people as they did the dragonfly.
At times, people think that the youth are the most civilized because they possess knowledge. However, that's not always the case. They are taught scientific knowledge but rarely educated on emotional living or interpersonal skills. Perhaps the dull theoretical statements lose their effectiveness over time. They only live better if they are surrounded by an emotionally responsive environment. Hence, scenes of chasing away beggars, mocking gazes, and disdainful attitudes from young people are not uncommon. They are willing to spend hundreds or even millions on frivolous things but hesitate to spend a few thousand to buy a newspaper or a lottery ticket that young children are desperately begging for. Who dares to claim this is civilization?
If ordinary citizens are already indifferent, and leaders also harbor apathy, those in compassionate professions like doctors and teachers are also indifferent—what then? Life is becoming more chaotic and rushed. People keep chasing the cycle of life. They strive for money, often letting it control them. Traditional human virtues are obscured by money. People only think of personal benefits, forgetting others. Gradually, they live a numb, even inhumane life, devoid of care, sharing, or concern for others. Someone living in an environment lacking mutual care and sharing is more likely to fall prey to numbness. There's nothing more dangerous than a society full of indifferent people.
We often hear the saying: 'People live to love each other.' Without human love for each other, society cannot be called human. Therefore, we must create an environment filled with love, care, and sharing to heal the numbness disease.
In the Literature 12 program, the section on Analysis of the Symbolism of the Wave in the poem of the same name and Reflection on the Woman's Soul in Love is an important topic for you to focus on and prepare for.
In addition to the aforementioned content, you can explore the section on Social Discourse on Living Responsibly to get ready for this lesson.
