By

Per Jespersen

Jim and his girl friend,
whose name was Sarah,
used to take a stroll
in the city
Saturday morning.

They loved
to walk in the streets
among the many people
and hear them talk.

They very often relaxed
in a small cafe,
sipping their tea
and enjoying
the busy people.

"We live in a strange world,"
Sarah said.
"Why is everybody
so busy?"

"That's what you like,
isn't it?"

"In a way yes,
but as I see it now
I wonder a little."

"About what?"

"Life.
Are we born
to rush around
and be stressed
all the time?"

"We are not born
to anything
but to live our lives."

"There must be
a goal of some kind.
Take me and you.
Did we ask
to be born?
No!
But we are here
and are supposed to live
like other people live."

"Stop, stop!
Nobody told us
to live like others do.
We can live as we like."

"Yeah, in a way you're right.
But you must have
some courage
to live as you like,
maybe opposed to
other people's
way of living."

"So you mean,
that we all do
the same as we see
other people do.
That's weakness."

"So you mean
that we have to be
so strong,
that we could decide
our way if living.
How can one fight
against fashion?"

"What is fashion
after all?"

"That is difficult.
In a way
I don't know.
Everybody knows
what it is
without being able
to explain it."

"Well,
fashion is to do
what everybody else
is doing."

"But it's crazy
to do that.
You have to go
your own way."

"And that needs courage.
I do admire people
who live as they like
despite of
what other people do."

"But they are called weirdos.
Dad told us once,
that when he was a boy
there were more weirdos
than nowadays."

"I guess he's right.
But all the artists,
authors and scientists
are weirdos.
You have to be
a weirdo
to work as an artist,
and we do need artists.
They can tell us
what Life is."

Sarah laughed.
"You have a chance, then.
You are weird,
but in a good way.
Even the talk we have here
is weird.
Many people would not
talk about that.
That's a pity.
We are growing
too selfish
and narrow-minded."

They went home,
feeling rather hungry
after that talk.
They felt relieved
and felt sure,
that the meaning of Life
is not to be busy,
but to feel relaxed
and committed.


Living Life
Engelsk for 7. klasse
Skole-forum.dk




Opgaver til "Living Life"

In your exercise book:


Tell in your own words, what Jim and Sarah are talking about.


Is Sarah right, when she says, that we grow more selfish?


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Can you give some examples:


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Is it fashion to be busy? Explain:


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Is it right that many people live their lives as others do?


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Is it right that we need artists? Explain:


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How would Life be if we were all alike?


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Opgaver til "Living Life"
Engelsk for 7. klasse
Skole-forum.dk