Don't judge a child

On May 2, a super-lightweight title fight will take place in Las Vegas between Manny Pacquiao of the Philippines and Michael Hatton of Britain.

Pacquiao, known as the "Destroyer of Asia", is close to "god" in the Filipinos' minds. He has fans all over the world. Even Queen Elizabeth of Britain is a big fan of Olympic Games. In addition to boxing, Pacquiao is also a skilled pianist and singer. But this is the same Pacquiao who was considered a "hopeless bad boy" by his father, who beat and cursed him a lot and one day killed and ate his pet dog. This enraged Pacquiao, who left home and wandered, surviving by day by selling donuts and by night curled up in discarded cardboard boxes on the streets. It wasn't until he turned pro at the age of 14 that he was able to fight his way out of poverty, and how many more years would pass before he became the man he is now.

Like Pacquiao, many of the most successful men in the world have been judged and even humiliated in their early years.

After Fred Astaire's first screen test at MGM in 1933, the director on the scene wrote that he had no acting chops, a slightly bald forehead, and a slight knowledge of dancing. Astaire framed the piece of paper and hung it in his room for encouragement. He went on to become a famous movie star.

Opera singer Carl Russell was known around the world for his beautiful singing voice, but his parents wanted him to be an engineer when he grew up, and his teachers declared that "he couldn't sing with that voice."

Darwin, the author of the Theory of Evolution, was keen on biology when he was a child, but his father snapped at him: "You don't do anything but hunt and catch rats all day, you worthless fellow!"

Einstein could not speak until he was 4 years old, and could not read until he was 7 years old. His teacher said that he was slow, unsociable, and full of unrealistic fantasies. He was kicked out of school, and when he applied to attend the Technical Institute of Zurich, he was rejected.

When Rodin failed the art Academy three times, his father lamented that he had given birth to an "idiot son."

Tolstoy, author of War and Peace, was kicked out of university for his poor grades, with teachers saying he had "neither the mind for reading nor the will to learn".

Churchill was a legendary statesman, strategist, writer and painter, but many people thought he was "not cut out for reading". When he applied for university, he failed three times.

William Wrigley, the "King of Chewing gum", was known as a "bad boy" in his childhood. Every time he pulled a prank at school, his father would go to school and apologize.

Adolf Menzel, a famous German painter, was admitted to the Berlin Academy of Arts at the age of eighteen, but within six months the director decided that he was "lacking in art" and ordered him to drop out.

Stevie Wonder is one of the most outstanding singers and composers in the United States today, but he was blind. One of his elementary school teachers kindly advised him, "You have three things against you: being poor, being black, and being blind. A man like you should learn to weave a rug or a pot cushion."

Mei Lanfang, a master of Peking Opera, was nearsighted, droopy and prone to tears when he was young. His aunt once said to him, "He is not distinguished in speech and his appearance is not amazing."

Qi Baishi was a master of modern painting, calligraphy and seal cutting, but when he was young, everyone believed that he could only be a "carving carpenter" in his life.

Famous writer Cao Yu posted his debut novel Thunderstorm when he was studying at Tsinghua University. When the editor saw that it was "a manuscript from a student", he threw it into the wastebasket with disdain. Fortunately, it was found by Mr. Ba Jin, who read it and praised it, and recommended it for publication in the Literary Quarterly.

The list could go on and on. Thinking about these characters prevents us from making judgmental judgments about seemingly worthless, worthless children. It is true that "hard times make the best", but if we can find out the unique and shining points in these children, give them a little more love and care, and guide them on the road to success, wouldn't they start earlier and take bigger steps on the road to success?