Q&A
1. Why saying no is important? Have you had a hard time of turning down someone’s request( for example, you wanted to say no, but what came out of your mouth was yes, and next day you kicked yourself for saying yes) ? Please include a personal story.
Rejection makes our life better. There are always some moments you said yes instead of no making you want to kick yourself for doing so. For instance, I once was asked for exchange work shift with one of my colleges. I really wanted to turn her down because I had planed to have a rest for several consecutive workdays. However, she said it was her best friend's birthday party or whatever. I failed to say NO, but to take the consequence of working for a long term.
2. Why Saint Petersburg was one of the Mark’s favorite trips?
It was the first time that he experienced a particular flavor of freedom: the ability to say whatever he thought or felt, without fear of repercussion.
3. Why commitment gives you freedom?
Commitment gives you freedom because you're no longer distracted by the unimportant and frivolous.
Commitment gives you freedom because it hones your attention and focus, directing them toward what is most efficient at making you healthy and happy.
4. How to build trust?
To build trust, you have to be honest. That means when things suck, you say so openly and without apology.
You have to be honest instead of wanting each other to feel comfortable.
My Ideas
But, in the "free" West, my Russian teacher continued, there existed an abundance of economic opportunity--so much economic opportunity that it became far more valuable to present yourself in a certain way, even if it was false, than to actually be that way. Trust lost its value. Appearances and salesmanship became more advantageous forms of expression. Knowing a lot of people superficially was more beneficial than knowing a few people closely.
Like the author said, trust lost its value. This is why people doubt even when close friends tell them something. People intend to get economic benefit, so they reconfigure their entire personality depending on the person they're dealing with. People lost their personality.
The truth is, there are healthy forms of love and unhealthy forms of love. Unhealthy love is based on two people trying to escape their problems through their emotions for each other—in other words, they’re using each other as an escape. Healthy love is based on two people acknowledging and addressing their own problems with each other’s support.
Absolutely right! Much as you're not in a relationship using each other as an escape, after reading this section, never ever let your relationship turn bad into this.
Expressions
a modest amount of
例句：I was actually making a modest amount of money selling PDFs and courses online.
造句：I only have a modest amount of money to spend on buying new clothes.
wear on v. pass slowly (of time)
例句：But as the weeks wore on, I got used to the Russian.
造句：As the days we read wore on, we each achieve a lot.
Gone are the fake niceties and verbal webs of politeness.
造句：Gone are the bitter sweet memories and transient youth.
ins and outs all the details especially the complicated and difficult ones
例句：But, unfortunately, the young couple hasn’t learned the ins and outs of good marital communication yet, and the young girl totally forgets to mention something about it to her new husband.
造句：We are learning the ins and outs of how to read a book by reading, writing and thinking.
marble a way of referring to someone's intelligence or mental ability
例句：He then totally loses his marbles and he commits suicide, thinking he’s going to be with her in the afterlife or some shit.
造句：He totally lost his marbles when the car suddenly came out of nowhere and hit his girl.
