A young friend of mine asked me in a letter, “What kind of man should I be?” My answer was, “Be a fighter.”
Another friend of mine inquired, “How should I live my life?” Again my answer was, “Be a fighter.”
The author of In Praise of the Fighter says:
Riding on the ceaseless rushing torrent of life, I should pursue and overtake it so as to create an even greater and deeper torrent of my own.
If I were a lamp, it would be my duty to light up thick darkness. If I were the sea tide, I would marshal rolling waves to cleanse the beach of all accumulated filth.
This quotation reflects aptly the state of mind of a lighter.
Fighters are badly needed in our time. But such fighters do not necessarily go to the battle- field gun in hand. Their weapons are not necessarily bullets. Their weapons may be knowledge, faith and strong will. They can bring the enemy sure death without drawing his blood.
A fighter is always in pursuit of light. Instead of basking in the sunshine under a clear sky, he holds a burning torch in the darkness of night to illuminate people's way so that they can continue their journey till they see the dawn of a new day. It is the task of a fighter to dispel darkness. Instead of shirking darkness, he braves it and fights the hidden demons and monsters therein. He is determined to wipe them out and win light. He knows no compromise. He will keep on fighting until he wins light.
A fighter is perennially young. He is never irresolute or inactive. He plunges deep into teeming crowds in search of such vermin as flies and venomous mosquitoes. He will fight them relentlessly and refuse to coexist with them under the same sky. To him, life means nothing but continuous fighting. He either survives by winning light, or perishes with his body covered all over with cuts and bruises. In the course of the struggle, it is the “future” that serves as the beacon light to him; the “future” gives people hope and inspiration. He will never lose his youthful vigour.
A fighter will never lose heart or despair. He will pile up broken pieces of brick and stone to rebuild a nine-story pagoda on the ruins of failure. No blows will ever break his will. He will never close his eyes until he has breathed his last.
A fighter is always fearless. His steps are firm. Once he has settled on an objective, he will press right ahead. He is never afraid of being tripped by a stumbling block. No obstacles will ever make him change his mind. His eyes will never be hoodwinked by false appearances. His actions are guided by faith. He can endure any hardships or sufferings while striving to attain his chosen objective. He will never abandon work as long as he is alive.
This is the kind of fighter we now need. He is not necessarily possessed of superhuman capability. He is just an ordinary person. Anyone can be a fighter so long as he has the determination. Hence a few words of mine about “being a fighter” to encourage those young people who wander about in a depressed state, not knowing which way to go.
《做一名进攻型战士》
一个年轻的朋友写信问我：“应该做一个什么样的人？”我回答他：“做一个战士。”
另一个朋友问我：“怎样对付生活了？”我仍旧答道：“做一个战士。”
《战士颂》的作者曾经写过这样的话：
“我激荡在这绵绵不息、滂沱四方的生命洪流中，我就应该追逐这洪流，而且追过它，自己去造更广、更深的洪流。”
“我如果是一盏灯，这灯的用处便是照彻那多量的黑暗。我如果是海潮，便要鼓起波涛去洗涤海边一切陈腐的积物。”
这一段话很恰当地写出了战士的心情。
在这个时代，战士是最需要的。但是这样的战士并不一定要持枪上战场。他的武器也下一定是枪弹。他的武器还可以是知识、信仰和坚强的意志。他并不一定要流仇敌的血，却能更有把握地致敌人的死命，战士是永远追求光明的。他并不躺在晴空下享受阳光，在晴夜里燃起火炬，给人们照亮道路，使他们走向黎明。驱散黑暗，这是战士的任务。(www.lz13.cn)他不躲避黑暗，却要面对黑暗，跟躲藏在阴影里的魑魅、魍魉搏斗。他要消灭它们而取得光明。战士是不知道妥协的。他得不到光明便不会停止战斗。
战士永远是年轻的。他不犹豫，不休息。他深入人丛中，找寻苍蝇、毒蚊等等危害人类的东西。他不断地攻击它们，不肯与它们共同生存在一个天空下面，对于战士，生活就是不停的战斗，他不是取得光明而牛存，便是带着满身伤痕而死去。在战斗中力量只有增长，信仰只有加强，在战斗中给战士指路的是“未来”，“未来”给人以希望和鼓舞。战士永远不会失去青春的活力。
战士是不知道灰心与绝望的。他甚至在失败的废墟上，还要堆起破碎的砖石重建九级宝塔。任何打击都不能击破战士的意志。只有在死的时候他才闭上眼睛。
战士是不知道畏缩的，他的脚步很坚定。一旦他认准目标，便会向前走去。他不怕被绊脚石摔倒，没有一种障碍能使他改变心思，假象绝不能迷住战士的眼睛，支配战士的行动的是信仰。他能够忍受一切艰难、痛苦，而达到他所选定的目标。除非他死，否则他决不放弃工作。
这便是我们现在需要的战士。这样的战士并不一定具有超人的能力。他是一个平凡的人。每个人都可以做战士，只要他有决心。所以我用“做一个进攻型的战士”来激励那些还在苦闷中彷徨，不知何去何从的年轻朋友。