中文感悟：
读17章让我想起了暑假上过的一门哈佛大学公里课《积极心理学》，也有人叫它幸福课。里面的讲师Tal在课上多次强调Yoga和Meditation（冥想）的重要性。联系这一章来看，它们的目标都是相同的：养成稳定的品格。如果说对于长生不老的追求算是古代文人们一个浪漫的理想的话，我觉得在此过程中得出的对于养生法的发现和总结就可算作一个务实的收获了。反思现代社会，虽然我相信在不久的将来人类肉体的寿命长短限制可能会在现代医学和生命科学技术的进步中得到解决，但是我却不敢苟同人们会在精神方面得到“永生”，所以似乎我们现在的问题和古时候的正好反过来了。
字词学习：
...and this colored his thinking and writing afterwards.
color此处作动词，表示 to affect something, especially in a negative way. 例如the disaster colored his entire life.
另外color作动词除了表示“涂色、上色”之外，还可表示(of a person or their face) to become red with embarrassment，相当于blush，例如she colored at his romantic words.
color something in表示“给…涂色”
造句：His favorite dog's death colored his entire life.
...and medicine has proved of no avail.
avail作动词表示 1 to to helpful or useful to somebody
2 to make use of something, especially an opportunity or offer
avail yourself of something: to make use of something, especially an opportunity or offer利用（尤指机会、提议等）例如the students avail themselves of every opportunity available
avail作名词主要构成一些固定表达例如 to little/no avail没什么效果、不成功
of little /no avail没什么用处
另外，本句中的of + noun.也值得借鉴，of + noun.= adjective.
造句：Water has proved of no avail in this fire.
...the important thing is to practice mental poise by concentration.
poise此处作名词表示 a calm and confident manner with control of your feelings or behaviour沉着自信，稳重
2 the ability to move or stand in an elegant way with good control of your body优雅的举止、仪态
另外，poise还可以作动词，表示to be or hold something steady in a particular position, especially above something else保持某种姿势、抓住、稳定
造句：she poised herself and was ready to run.
