the most inflence people in my life
perhaps
the most vital person i have ever met is an italian professor of
philosophy who teaches at the university of pisa．although i last met
this man eight years ago，i have not forgotten his special qualities．
first
of all，i was impressed by his devotion to teaching． because his
lectures were always well-prepared and clearly delivered，students
swarmed into his classroom． his followers appreciated the fact that he
believed in what he taught and that he was intellectually stimulating．
furthermore，he
could be counted on to explain his ideas in an imaginative
way，introducing such aids to understanding as
paintings，recordings，pieces of sculpture，and guest lecturers． once he
even sang a song in class to illustrate a point． second，i admired the
fact that he would confer with students outside of the classroom or talk
with them on the telephone． drinking coffee in the snack bar，he would
easily make friends with students．
sometimes he would challenge a
student to a game of chess． at other times，he would join groups to
discuss subjects ranging from astronomy to scuba diving． many young
people visited him in his office for academic advice others came to his
home for social evenings． finally，i was attracted by his lively wit． he
believed that no class hour is a success unless the students and the
professor share several chuckles and at least one loud laugh．
through
his sense of humor，he made learning more enjoyable and more lasting．if
it is true that life makes a wise man smile and a foolish man cry，then
my friend is truly a wise man． probably the best example of his wit is
this bit of wisdom with which he once ended a lecture：“it is as
dangerous for man to model himself upon his invention，the machine，as it
would be for god to model himself upon his invention．”
