What I've Learned from Sherlock

“When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth”. - Quote from The Sign of the Four by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Addicted to detective fiction, I’m a fan of Sherlock Holmes, deeply absorbed in Sherlock’s keen observation and rigorous reasoning. Though always cold minded when profiling his suspects, Sherlock was caring to people around him. In fact, what I appreciate the most about Sherlock is his passion to make a contribution and benefit others with his talent. It was he who led my way to be a detective of sorts in my own life -- to find those in need of help.

Seeking out and solving problems for the sake of good can take all forms. From a local newspaper, I read the story of a little boy diagnosed with Leukemia. His family was poor and had run out of their money to fight against the disease. They had no other options, so they terminated all medical treatment and returned home from the hospital. Yet I organized a Bake Sale to raise money for him. My classmates and I borrowed a big oven from the school canteen and brought other ingredients from home. As a result, with six flavored delicious cookies, all heart shaped, we raised a total of 7835 yuan for the boy. I also called a local TV station and persuaded a reporter to cover the Bake Sale on the Nightly News. More citizens lent their aid and a bank account was created for the boy to receive donations. Finally, he was able to accept proper medical treatment.

No doubt Sherlock was charming and attractive. But he was never alone. Part of his success should be owing to Watson, his loyal partner. For both of these masters of mystery, teamwork was of great significance. In April 2016, I participated in National High School Debate League of China. With 24 hours of warming up, my partner and I cooperated well and found abundant materials on our topics. We had simulation debates for more than 5 rounds and tried to cover as many points as we could. Finally, we made it to the Top 16 among 100 participants. Back to Sherlock, whose brother Mycroft Holmes didn’t show that much in the series. However, readers could suppose that his wisdom was no less than Sherlock’s since he was always the one whom Sherlock would turn to when a case got truly tough. As smart as Sherlock was, he had to ask others for help sometimes. There is no limit if you look up. So I will always stay hungry and foolish.

Sherlock didn't simply love his mind; he also cared for his body. There was a reason why he survived after falling down the cliff with his well-matched adversary Prof. Moriarty in The Final Problem. I love sports to strengthen my body as well, through swimming, ping pang, bike riding, yoga, and Tai Chi. Thanks to my habit of regular exercise, I won the first prize in 100m Race in the Autumn Sports meeting of my school. After a time, motivated by my array of activities and by the magic power of books, I began writing and aimed to create my own detective character; I started publishing a fiction series on a Chinese social network in my spare time. After three years’ updating now and then, I am grateful for those hundreds of netizens who fanned my story, for the encouragement which supported me to keep on. My classmates and friends gave me a nickname Writer Queen and became my readers, too. In the 10th grade, I was recommended by my class adviser to write a story for a microfilm as a gift to the upcoming 50th anniversary of my school.

Calm, keenly observing, strong and persistent, I will embrace life passionately and enjoy it more deeply. Life is dull. One thing I try to avoid is spending my whole life in nonsense, so Sherlock said.