Be Whole（人生在于追求完整）

来源：国际在线

Once a circle missed a wedge. the circle wanted to be whole, so it went around looking for its missing piece. but because it was incomplete and therefore could roll only very slowly, it admired the flowers along the way. it chatted with worms. it enjoyed the sunshine. it found lots of different pieces, but none of them fit. so it left them all by the side of the road and kept on searching. Then one day the circle found a piece that fit perfectly. it was so happy. now it could be whole, with nothing missing. it incorporated the missing piece into itself and began to roll. now that it was a perfect circle, it could roll very fast, too fast to notice the flowers of talking to the worms. When it realized how different the world seemed when it rolled so quickly, it stopped, left its found piece by the side of the road and rolled slowly away. The lesson of the story, i suggested, was that in some strange sense we are more whole when we are missing something. the man who has everything is in some ways a poor man. He will never know what it feels like to yearn, to hope, to nourish his soul with the dream of something better. he will never know the experience of having someone who loves him give him something he has always wanted or never had. There is a wholeness about the person who has come to terms with his limitations, who has been brave enough to let go of his unrealistic dreams and not feel like a failure for doing so. There is a wholeness about the man or woman who has learned that he or she is strong enough to go through a tragedy and survive, she can lose someone and still feel like a complete person. Life is not a trap set for us by god so that he can condemn us for failing. life is not a spelling bee, where no matter how many words you’ve gotten right, you’re disqualified if you make one mistake. life is more like a baseball season, where even the best team loses one-third of its games and even the worst team has its days of brilliance. our goal is to win more games than we lose. When we accept that imperfection is part of being human, and when we can continue rolling through life and appreciate it, we will have achieved a wholeness that others can only aspire to. that, i believe, is what god asks of us---not “be perfect”, not “don’t even make a mistake”, but “be whole.” 人生在于追求完整 从前有一只圆圈缺了一块楔子。圆圈想保持完整，便四处寻找失去的那块楔子。由于它不完整，所以只能滚动很慢。一路上，它对花儿露出羡慕之色。它与蠕虫谈天侃地。它还欣赏到了阳光之美。圆圈找到了许许多多不同的配件，但是没有一件能完美地与它相配。所以，它将它们统统弃置路旁，继续寻觅。 终于有一天，它找到了一个完美的配件。圆圈是那样地高兴，现在它可以说是完美无缺了。它装好配件，然后滚动起来。既然它已成了一个完整的圆圈，所以滚动得非常快，快得以至于无暇观赏花儿，也无暇与蠕虫倾诉心声。圆圈快奔急骋，发现眼中的世界变得如此不同，于是，它不禁停了下来，将找到的那个配件留在路旁，又开始了慢慢地滚动。 我觉得这个故事告诉我们，从某种奇妙意义上讲，当我们失去了一些东西时反而感到更加完整。一个拥有一切的人其实在某些方面是个穷人。他永远也体会不到什么是渴望、期待以及对美好梦想的感悟。他也永远不会有这样一种体验：一个爱他的人送给他某种他梦寐以求的或者从未拥有过的东西意味什么。 人生的完整性在于一个人知道如何面对他的缺陷，如何勇敢地摒弃那些不现实的幻想而又不以此为缺憾。人生的完整性还在于一个男人或女人懂得这样一个道理：他（她）发现自己能勇敢面对人生悲剧而继续生存，能够在失去亲人后依然表现出一个完整的人的风范。 人生不是上帝为谴责我们的缺陷而给我们布下的陷阱。人生也不是一场拼字游戏比赛。不管你拼出多少单词，一旦出现了一个错误，你便前功尽弃。人生更像是一个棒球赛季。即使最好的球队比赛也会输掉1/3，而最差的球队也有春风得意的日子。我们的目标就是多赢球，少输球。 我们接受了不完整性是人类本性的一部分，我们不断地进行人生滚动并能意识到其价值，我们就会完整人生的过程。而对于别人来讲，这只能是一个梦想。我相信这就是上帝对我们的要求：不求“完美”，也不求“永不犯错误”，而是求得人生的“完整”。 （编辑：赵露）

[ 本帖最后由 艾米 于 2007-1-1 12:31 编辑 ]

Love Your Life

　

　Henry David Thoreau/享利.大卫.梭罗

However mean your life is,meet it and live it ;do not shun it and call it hard names.It is not so bad as you are.It looks poorest when you are richest.The fault-finder will find faults in paradise.Love your life,poor as it is.You may perhaps have some pleasant,thrilling,glorious hourss,even in a poor-house.The setting sun is reflected from the windows of the alms-house as brightly as from the rich man's abode;the snow melts before its door as early in the spring.I do not see but a quiet mind may live as contentedly there,and have as cheering thoughts,as in a palace.The town's poor seem to me often to live the most independent lives of any.May be they are simply great enough to receive without misgiving.Most think that they are above being supported by the town;but it often happens that they are not above supporting themselves by dishonest means.which should be more disreputable.Cultivate poverty like a garden herb,like sage.Do not trouble yourself much to get new things,whether clothes or friends,Turn the old,return to them.Things do not change;we change.Sell your clothes and keep your thoughts.



热爱生活

不论你的生活如何卑贱，你要面对它生活，不要躲避它，更别用恶言咒骂它。它不像你那样坏。你最富有的时候，倒是看似最穷。爱找缺点的人就是到天堂里也能找到缺点。你要爱你的生活，尽管它贫穷。甚至在一个济贫院里，你也还有愉快、高兴、光荣的时候。夕阳反射在济贫院的窗上，像身在富户人家窗上一样光亮；在那门前，积雪同在早春融化。我只看到，一个从容的人，在哪里也像在皇宫中一样，生活得心满意足而富有愉快的思想。城镇中的穷人，我看，倒往往是过着最独立不羁的生活。也许因为他们很伟大，所以受之无愧。大多数人以为他们是超然的，不靠城镇来支援他们；可是事实上他们是往往利用了不正当的手段来对付生活，他们是毫不超脱的，毋宁是不体面的。视贫穷如园中之花而像圣人一样耕植它吧！不要找新的花样，无论是新的朋友或新的衣服，来麻烦你自己。找旧的，回到那里去。万物不变，是我们在变。你的衣服可以卖掉，但要保留你的思想。

Ambition Joseph Epstein 作者：西安新东方学校 来源：华商报

here is a strong view that holds that success is a myth, and ambition therefore a sham. Does this mean that success does not really exist? That achievement is at bottom empty? That the efforts of men and women are of no significance alongside the force of movements and events? Now not all success, obviously, is worth esteeming, nor all ambition worth cultivating. Which are and which are not is something one soon enough learns on one’s own. But even the most cynical secretly admit that success exists; that achievement counts for a great deal; and that the true myth is that the actions of men and women are useless. To believe otherwise is to take on a point of view that is likely to be deranging. It is, in its implications, to remove all motives for competence, interest in attainment, and regard for posterity. 　　We do not choose to be born. We do not choose our parents. We do not choose our historical epoch, the country of our birth, or the immediate circumstances of our upbringing. We do not, most of us, choose to die; nor do we choose the time or conditions of our death. But within all this realm of choicelessness, we do choose how we shall live: courageously or in cowardice, honorably or dishonorably, with purpose or in drift. We decide what is important and what is trivial in life. We decide that what makes us significant is either what we do or what we refuse to do. But no matter how indifferent the universe may be to our choices and decisions, these choices and decisions are ours to make. We decide. We choose. And as we decide and choose, so are our lives formed. In the end, forming our own destiny is what ambition is about. 抱负 约瑟夫•爱泼斯坦　　有一种盛行的观点认为，成功是一种神话，因此抱负亦属虚幻。这是不是说实际上并不存在成功？成就本身就是一场空？在诸多运动和事件的力量相形之下，男男女女的努力显得微不足道？显然，并非所有的成功都值得景仰，也并非所有的抱负都值得栽培。对值得和不值得的选择，一个人自然而然很快就能学会。但即使是最为愤世嫉俗的人暗地里也承认，成功确实存在，成就的意义举足轻重，而把世上男男女女的所作所为说成是徒劳无功才是真正的无稽之谈。不相信成功的存在，就等于接纳了一种很可能造成混乱的观点。这种观点的本意是一笔勾销所有提高能力的动机、求取业绩的兴趣和对子孙后代的关注。　　 我们无法选择出生，无法选择父母，无法选择出生的历史时期与国家，或是成长的周遭环境。我们大多数人都无法选择死亡，无法选择死亡的时间或条件。但是在这些无法选择之中，我们可以选择自己的生活方式：是勇敢无畏还是胆小怯懦，是光明磊落还是厚颜无耻，是目标坚定还是随波逐流。我们决定生活中哪些至关重要，哪些微不足道。我们决定，用以显示我们自身重要性的，不是我们做些什么，就是我们拒绝做些什么。但是不论世人对我们所做的选择和决定有多么漠不关心，这些选择和决定终究是我们自己做出的。我们决定，我们选择。而当我们决定和选择时，我们的生活便得以形成。最终构筑我们命运的就是抱负之所在。

[ 本帖最后由 艾米 于 2007-1-3 10:59 编辑 ]

If I Rest, I Rust

By Orison Marden作者：西安新东方学校 来源：华商报　 The significant inscription found on an old key—“If I rest, I rust”—would be an excellent motto for those who are afflicted with the slightest bit of idleness. Even the most industrious person might adopt it with advantage to serve as a reminder that, if one allows his faculties to rest, like the iron in the unused key, they will soon show signs of rust and, ultimately, cannot do the work required of them. 　　Industry keeps bright the key that opens the treasury of achievement. If Hugh Miller, after toiling all day in a quarry, had devoted his evenings to rest and recreation, he would never have become a famous geologist. The celebrated mathematician, Edmund Stone, would never have published a mathematical dictionary, never have found the key to science of mathematics, if he had given his spare moments to idleness. Had the little Scotch lad, Ferguson, allowed the busy brain to go to sleep while he tended sheep on the hillside, instead of calculating the position of the stars by a string of beads, he would never have become a famous astronomer.　　Labor vanquishes all—not inconstant, spasmodic, or ill-directed labor; but faithful, unremitting, daily effort toward a well-directed purpose. Just as truly as eternal vigilance is the price of liberty, so is eternal industry the price of noble and enduring success. 如果我休息，我就会生锈奥里森•马登　　在一把旧钥匙上发现了一则意义深远的铭文——如果我休息，我就会生锈。对于那些为懒散而苦恼的人来说，这将是至理名言。甚至是最为勤勉的人也可以此为警示：如果一个人有才而不用，就像废弃钥匙上的铁一样，这些才能很快就会生锈，并最终无法完成安排给自己的工作。

　　勤奋使开启成功宝库的钥匙保持光亮。休•米勒如果在采石场劳作一天后，晚上停下来休息消遣的话，他就不会成为名垂青史的地理学家。著名数学家爱德蒙•斯通如果闲暇时无所事事，就不会出版数学词典，也不会发现开启数学之门的钥匙。如果苏格兰青年霍格森在山坡上放羊时让自己那思维活跃的大脑处于休息状态，而不是花费心思计算星星的位置，他就不会成为著名的天文学家。

　　劳动改变一切。这里所指的劳动不是断断续续的、变化无常的或方向偏差的劳动，而是忠诚的、不懈的、方向正确的日夜劳动。正如要想获得自由就必须时刻警惕一般，要想真正取得永久性的成功，就必须坚持不懈地努力。

[ 本帖最后由 艾米 于 2007-1-4 12:34 编辑 ]

A Perfect Mistake





作者：文/Cheryl Walterman Stewart 译/何朝阳 来源：新东方专稿

My Grandpa Nybakken loved life -- especially when he could play a trick on somebody. At those times, his large Norwegian frame shook with laughter while he feigned innocent surprise, exclaiming, “Oh, forevermore!” But on a cold Saturday in downtown Chicago, Grandpa felt that God played a trick on him, and Grandpa wasn’t laughing. Mother’s father worked as a carpenter. On this particular day, he was building some crates for the clothes his church was sending to an orphanage in China. On his way home, he reached into his shirt pocket to find his glasses, but they were gone. He remembered putting them there that morning, so he drove back to the church. His search proved fruitless. When he mentally replayed his earlier actions, he realized what happened. The glasses had slipped out of his pocket unnoticed and fallen into one of the crates, which he had nailed shut. His brand new glasses were heading for China! The Great Depression was at its height, and Grandpa had six children. He had spent twenty dollars for those glasses that very morning. “It’s not fair,” he told God as he drove home in frustration. “I’ve been very faithful in giving of my time and money to the poor, and now this.” Several months later, the director of the orphanage was on vacation in the United States. He wanted to visit all the churches that supported him in China, so he came to speak on Sunday night at my grandfather’s small church in Chicago. Grandpa and his family sat in their customary seats among the sparse congregation. “But most of all,” he said, “I must thank you for the glasses you sent last year. You see, the Communists had just swept through the orphanage, destroying everything, including my glasses. I was desperate.” “Even if I had the money, there was simply no way of replacing those glasses. Along with not being able to see well, I experienced headaches every day, so my coworkers and I were much in prayer about this. Then your crates arrived. When my staffed removed the covers, they found a pair of glasses lying on top.” The orphanage director paused long enough to let his words sink in. Then, still gripped with the wonder of it all, he continued: “Folks, when I tried on the glasses, it was as thought they had been custom-made just for me! I want to thank you for being a part of that!” The people listened, happy for the miraculous glasses. But the director surely must have confused their church with another, they thought. There were no glasses on their list of items to be sent overseas. But sitting quietly in the back, with tears streaming down his face, my grandfather, an ordinary carpenter, realized that God had used him in an extra-ordinary way to help someone whose need was bigger than his!

完美的错误 外公尼拜肯达观、幽默，尤其是在他与人玩笑的时候，常一脸茫然无辜的惊讶状，那厚实宽大的挪威体魄，随着他的笑声抖动着，“哦，就是这样的！”可是，在芝加哥那一个寒冷的星期六的冬日，外公感到上帝在跟他开了一个玩笑，而且，上帝没有笑。 外公是个木匠，这天他正在给他所在的教堂赶制木箱，准备装上衣服送往中国的一家孤儿院。完工后回家的路上，他伸手摸衬衣胸袋时，发现眼镜不见了。他记得早晨将眼镜放进衣袋的，于是连忙开车回教堂寻找，可遍寻教堂的每一个角落也没有找到。 外公仔细回忆这一天的情景，意识到眼镜一定是在他干活时滑落，掉进其中的一只木箱了。他的崭新眼镜要跟着运往中国！ 那正是经济大萧条最严重的时候，外公养有六个孩子，而这副眼镜是他那天早晨刚刚花20美元买来的！ “真不公平，”外公沮丧极了，驱车回家时一路向上帝抱怨，“我一直真诚地奉献我的时间和钱帮助穷人，现在又搭上了我的眼镜！” 几个月后，孤儿院的院长来美度假，希望参观帮助中国孤儿院的所有教堂，这个星期日，他来到了芝加哥我外公所在的这个小教堂作演讲。在这个人数不多的集会上，外公他们一家坐在他们常坐的座位上。 “我首先要感谢你们去年给我们捐赠的那副眼镜，”院长说，“当时我们孤儿院刚遭劫难，什么都被砸坏了，包括我的眼镜。我当时简直绝望到了极点。” “要知道，即便有钱我也难买到眼镜呀。没有眼镜我不但看不清，还头疼。我和我的同事们天天祈祷，结果，你们捐赠的箱子到了，打开箱子，发现最顶层躺着一副眼镜。” 院长顿了一会儿，会场哑雀无声，大伙儿屏息静气。院长接着说，“伙计们，我带上眼镜试了试，嗬！简直就像与我定做的一般！真是太谢谢你们了！” 大家静静地听着，为那神奇的眼镜高兴，可心里都在想，院长一定是弄错了，去年，他们的捐赠物品单上并没有眼镜这一项。 此时，坐在教堂一角的外公正在静静流泪。我外公，这位普通的木匠，正在为上帝以一种超凡的方式，借他来帮助一位需求比他更大的人而欣喜呢！ (新东方专稿) (编辑:赵露)

[ 本帖最后由 艾米 于 2007-1-5 10:42 编辑 ]

Opportunity



　 The air we breathe is so freely available that we take it for granted. Yet without it we could not survive more than a few minutes. For the most part, the same air is available to everyone, and everyone needs it. Some people use the air to sustain them while they sit around and feel sorry for themselves. Others breathe in the air and use the energy it provides to make a magnificent life for themselves.



　　Opportunity is the same way. It is everywhere. Opportunity is so freely available that we take it for granted. Yet opportunity alone is not enough to create success. Opportunity must be seized and acted upon in order to have value. So many people are so anxious to "get in" on a "ground floor opportunity", as if the opportunity will do all the work. That's impossible.



　　Just as you need air to breathe, you need opportunity to succeed. It takes more than just breathing in the fresh air of opportunity, however. You must make use of that opportunity. That's not up to the opportunity. That's up to you. It doesn't matter what "floor" the opportunity is on. What matters is what you do with it.



空气到处都有，我们是如此容易得到它，以至我们常将其易得性视为理所当然。可一旦失去它，我们只能活几分钟。基本上，谁都能呼吸到空气，谁都需要空气。有的人呼吸空气只为碌碌无为地生活着，或是在懊悔中度过余生。有的人呼吸空气并利用它提供的能量使自己的生活绚丽多彩。



机会也是如此。机会无处不在。机会如此易得以至我们对此视为理所当然。然而只有机会并不能获得成功，而必须抓住机会，见机行事，创造佳绩。许多人都渴望能夺得先机，似乎只要夺得先机就能万事大吉。这是不可能的。



　　正如你需要呼吸空气一样，你需要机会才能成功。然而成功靠的并不仅仅是随手可得的机会。你必须利用机会。成功并不取决于机会，而是取决于你。重要的并不是你在哪一个阶段遇见机会，而是面对机会你是如何把握的。



[ 本帖最后由 艾米 于 2007-1-6 21:16 编辑 ]

清理心灵的空间

作者：西安新东方学校 来源：华商报

Clear Your Mental SpaceJennifer Givler Think about the last time you felt a negative emotion－like stress, anger, or frustration. What was going through your mind as you were going through that negativity? Was your mind cluttered with thoughts? Or was it paralyzed, unable to think?

The next time you find yourself in the middle of a very stressful time, or you feel angry or frustrated, stop. Yes, that’s right, stop. Whatever you’re doing, stop and sit for one minute. While you’re sitting there, completely immerse yourself in the negative emotion.

Allow that emotion to consume you. Allow yourself one minute to truly feel that emotion. Don’t cheat yourself here. Take the entire minute－but only one minute－to do nothing else but feel that emotion.

When the minute is over, ask yourself, “Am I willing to keep holding on to this negative emotion as I go through the rest of the day?”

Once you’ve allowed yourself to be totally immersed in the emotion and really feel it, you will be surprised to find that the emotion clears rather quickly.

If you feel you need to hold on to the emotion for a little longer, that is Ok. Allow yourself another minute to feel the emotion.

When you feel you’ve had enough of the emotion, ask yourself if you’re willing to carry that negativity with you for the rest of the day. If not, take a deep breath. As you exhale, release all that negativity with your breath.

This exercise seems simple－almost too simple. But, it is very effective. By allowing that negative emotion the space to be truly felt, you are dealing with the emotion rather than stuffing it down and trying not to feel it. You are actually taking away the power of the emotion by giving it the space and attention it needs. When you immerse yourself in the emotion, and realize that it is only emotion, it loses its control. You can clear your head and proceed with your task.





想一下你最近一次感受到的消极情绪，例如压力、愤怒或挫折。当你处于那种消极情绪时你在想些什么？是充满了混乱的思绪？还是陷于麻木，无法思考？

下次当你发现自己处于非常紧张的状态时，或是你感到气愤或受挫时，停下来。是的，对，停下来。不管你在做什么，停下来坐上一分钟。坐着的时候，让自己完全沉浸在那种消极情绪之中。

让那种消极情绪吞噬你，给自己一分钟的时间去真切地体会那种情绪，不要欺骗自己。花整整一分钟的时间——但只有一分钟——去体会那种情绪，别的什么也不要做。

当一分钟结束时，问自己：“我是否想在今天余下的时间里继续保持这种消极情绪？”

一旦你允许自己完全沉浸在那种情绪当中并真切体会到它，你就会惊奇地发现那种情绪很快就消失了。

如果你觉得还需要点时间来保持那种情绪，没关系，再给自己一分钟的时间去体会它。

如果你觉得自己已经充分体会了那种情绪，那就问自己是否愿意在今天余下的时间里继续保持那种消极的情绪。如果不愿意，那就深呼吸。呼气的时候，把所有的消极情绪都释放出去。



这个方法似乎很简单——几乎是太过简单了，但却非常有效。通过给自己空间真正体会消极情绪，你是在处理这种情绪，而不是将其压制下去然后尽量不加理会。通过给予消极情绪所需的空间和关注，你实际上是在消解其力量。当你沉浸在那种情绪之中，并且明白它只是一种情绪时，你就摆脱了它的控制。你可以清理头脑并继续做事。

[ 本帖最后由 艾米 于 2007-1-7 14:19 编辑 ]

,so many,i can's catch your speed of lauching articles,so many,so many,i hardly see all of them.

but ,in other words,you are diligent here,thank you,if i have time i will go here to appreciate these wonderful essays.

What Is Life? 　　 　Life is a gift—accept it. 　　Life is a struggle—face it. 　　Life is a song—sing it. 　　Life is an adventure—dare it. 　　Life is beauty—praise it. 　　Life is a mystery—unfold it. 　　Life is a game—play it. 　　Life is a puzzle—solve it. 　　Life is an opportunity—take it. 　　Life is a goal—achieve it. 　　Life is a mission—fulfill it. 　　Life is it—live it.

人生是什么

人生是一件礼物，接受它。 　　人生是一场斗争，面对它。 　　人生是一首歌曲，歌唱它。 　　人生是一场冒险，挑战它。 　　人生是一种美，颂扬它。 　　人生是一个谜，揭开它。 　　人生是一场游戏，玩好它。 　　人生是一道难题，解答它。 　　人生是一次机遇，抓住它。 　　人生是一个目标，实现它。 　　人生是一项使命，完成它。 　　这就是人生，过好它。

[ 本帖最后由 艾米 于 2007-1-8 11:35 编辑 ]

so good one!

The life of perfection

Once a circle missed a wedge. The circle wanted to be whole, so it went around looking for its missing piece. But because it was incomplete and therefore could roll only very slowly, it admired the flowers along the way. It chatted with worms. It enjoyed the sunshine. It found lots of different pieces, but none of them fit. So it left them all by the side of the road and kept on searching. Then one day the circle found a piece that fit perfectly. It was so happy. Now it could be whole, with nothing missing. It incorporated the missing piece into itself and began to roll. Now that it was a perfect circle, it could roll very fast, too fast to notice flowers or talk to the worms. When it realized how different the world seemed when it rolled so quickly, it stopped, left its found piece by the side of the road and rolled slowly away.

The lesson of the story, I suggested, was that in some strange sense we are more whole when we are missing something. The man who has everything is in some ways a poor man. He will never know what it feels like to yearn, to hope, to nourish his soul with the dream of something better. He will never know the experience of having someone who loves him give him something he has always wanted or never had.

There is a wholeness about the person who has come to terms with his limitations, who has been brave enough to let go of his unrealistic dreams and not feel like a failure for doing so. There is a wholeness about the man or woman who has learned that he or she is strong enough to go through a tragedy and survive, she can lose someone and still feel like a complete person.

Life is not a trap set for us by God so that he can condemn us for failing. Life is not a spelling bee, where no matter how many words you've gotten right, you're disqualified if you make one mistake. Life is more like a baseball season, where even the best team loses one third of its games and even the worst team has its days of brilliance. Our goal is to win more games than we lose.



When we accept that imperfection is part of being human, and when we can continue rolling through life and appreciate it, we will have achieved a wholeness that others can only aspire to. That, I believe, is what God asks of us -- not "Be perfect", not "Don't even make a mistake", but "Be whole."



If we are brave enough to love, strong enough to forgive, generous enough to rejoice in another's happiness, and wise enough to know there is enough love to go around for us all, then we can achieve a fulfillment that no other living creature will ever know.





健全的人生 从前，一只圆圈缺了一块楔子。它想保持完整，遍四处寻找那块楔子。由于不完整，所以它只能慢慢地滚动。一路上，它对花儿露出羡慕之色；它与蠕虫谈天侃地；它还欣赏到了阳光之美。圆圈找到了许多不同的楔子，但没有一件与它相配。所以，它将它们统统弃置路旁，继续寻觅。终于有一天，它找到了一个完美的配件。圆圈是那样的高兴，现在它可以说是完美无缺了。它装好配件，并开始滚动起来。现在它已成了一个完美的圆圈，所以滚动得非常快，以至于难以欣赏花儿，也无暇与蠕虫倾诉心声。当圆圈意识到因快奔疾驰而失去了原有的世界时，它不禁停了下来，将找到的配件弃置路旁，又开始慢慢地滚动。



我觉得这个故事告诉我们，从某种奇妙的意义上讲，当我们失去了一些东西时反而更加完美。一个拥有一切的人其实在某个方面是个穷人。他永远也体会不到什么是渴望、期待及如何用美好梦想滋养自己的灵魂。他也永远不会有这样一种体验：一个爱他的人送给他某种他梦寐以求的或者从未拥有过的东西意味着什么。

人生的完整性在于知道如何面对缺陷，如何勇敢地摒弃不现实的幻想而又不以次为缺憾。人生的完整性还在于学会勇敢面队人生悲剧而继续生存，能够在失去亲人后依然表现出完整的个人风范。



人生不是上帝为谴责我们的缺陷而给我们布下的陷阱。人生也不是一场拼字游戏比赛，不管你拼出多少单词，一旦出现了一个错误，你便前功尽弃。人生更像是一个棒球赛季，即使最好的球队也会输掉1/3的比赛，而最差的球队也有春风得意的日子。我们的目标就是多赢球，少输球。



当我们接受不完整性是人类本性的一部分，当我们不断地进行人生滚动并能欣赏其价值时，我们就会获得其他人仅能渴望的完整人生。我相信这就是上帝对我们的要求：不求“完美”，也不求“用不犯错误”，而是求得人生的“完整”。

如果我们能够勇敢地去爱，坚强地去宽容，大度地去为别人的快乐而高兴，明智地理解身边充满爱，那么我们就能取得别的生物所不能取得的成就。





[ 本帖最后由 艾米 于 2007-1-9 12:23 编辑 ]

Life is What We Make It

作者：文/Anonymous 来源：新东方专稿



Are you dissatisfied with today’s success? It is the harvest from yesterday’s sowing. Do you dream of a golden morrow? You will reap what you are sowing today. We get out of life just what we put into it.

Nature takes on our moods: she laughs with those who laugh and weeps with those who weep. If we rejoice and are glad, the very birds sing more sweetly, the woods and streams murmur our song. But if we are sad and sorrowful, a sudden gloom falls upon Nature’s face; the sun shines, but not in our hearts; the birds sing, but not to us.

The future will be just what we make it. Our purpose will give it its character. One’s resolution is one’s prophecy. Leave all your discouraging pessimism behind. Do not prophesy evil, butgood. Men of hope come to be front.



生活靠我们自己创造

你对今天的成就感到不满意吗？今天的丰收源自昨日的播种。你梦想有一个金色的明天吗？你今天种下了什么，将来就会收获什么。我们从生活中获取我们所投入的。

大自然是受我们的情绪影响的；你笑她也笑，你哭她就哭。如果我们的心情是喜悦的，鸟儿们的歌声会分外甜美，森林和小溪也会吟唱着我们的歌儿。但如果我们本身充满忧伤，大自然就会被一层阴暗的气氛所笼罩。太阳虽然灿烂，但照不到我们的心里；鸟儿们虽然在歌唱，但与我们产生不了共鸣。

未来是我们自己创造的。我们的人生目标决定着它的性质；我们的决心是它的预言。抛开令人沮丧的悲观情绪吧！心里充满希望的人总能走在最前面的。

[ 本帖最后由 艾米 于 2007-1-10 14:39 编辑 ]

Catch of a Lifetime



He was 11 years old and went fishing every chance he got from the dock at his family’s cabin on an island in the middle of a New Hampshire lake. On the day before the bass season opened, he and his father were fishing early in the evening, catching sunfish and perch with worms. Then he tied on a small silverlure and practiced casting. The lure struck the water and caused colored ripples in the sunset, then silver ripples as the moon rose over the lake. When his peapole doubled over, he knew something huge was on the other end. His father watched with admiration as the boy skillfully worked the fish alongside the dock. Finally, he very gingerly lifted the exhausted fish from the water. It was the largest one he had ever seen, but it was a bass. The boy and his father looked at the handsome fish, gills playing back and forth in the moonlight. The father lit a match and looked at his watch. It was 10 P.M.-- two hours before the season opened. He looked at the fish, then at the boy. “You’ll have to put it back, son,” he said. “Dad!” cried the boy. “There will be other fish,” said his father. “Not as big as this one,” cried the boy. He looked around the lake. No other fishermen or boats were anywhere around in the moonlight. He looked again at his father. Even though no one had seen them, nor could anyone ever know what time he caught the fish, the boy could tell by the clarity of his father’s voice that the decision was not negotiable. He slowly worked the hook out of the lip of the huge bass and lowered it into the black water. The creature swished its powerful body and disappeared. The boy suspected that he would never again see such a great fish. That was 34 years ago. Today, the boy is a successful architect in New York City. His father’s cabin is still there on the island in the middle of the lake. He takes his own son and daughters fishing from the same dock. And he was right. He has never again caught such a magnificent fish as the one he landed that night long ago. But he does see that same fish-again and again-every time he comes up against a question of ethics. For, as his father taught him, ethics are simple matters of right and wrong. It is only the practice of ethics that is difficult. Do we do right when no one is looking? Do we refuse to cut corners to get the design in on time? Or refuse to trade stocks based on information that we know we aren’t supposed to have? We would if we were taught to put the fish back when we were young. For we would have learned the truth. The decision to do right lives fresh and fragrant in our memory. It is a story we will proudly tell our friends and grandchildren. Not about how we had a chance to beat the system and took it, but about how we did the right thing and were forever strengthened.



一生的收获 他11岁那时，只要一有机会，就会到他家在新汉普郡湖心岛上的小屋的码头上钓鱼。 鲈鱼季节开放的前一天晚上，他和父亲早早开始垂钓，用小虫作饵钓太阳鱼和鲈鱼。他系上鱼饵，练习如何抛线。鱼钩击在水面，在夕阳中漾起一片金色的涟漪，夜晚月亮升出湖面时，涟漪就成了银色。 当鱼杆向下弯的时候，他知道线的另一端一定钓到了一条大鱼。父亲看着他技巧纯熟地在码头边沿和鱼周旋，眼神充满赞赏。 最后他小心翼翼地将筋疲力尽的鱼提出水面。这是他所见过的最大的一条，还是一条鲈鱼。 男孩和他父亲看着这条漂亮的鱼，它的鱼鳃在月光下一张一翕。父亲点燃一根火柴，看了看表。十点了--离开禁还有两个小时。他看了看鱼，又看了看男孩。 “你得把它放回去，孩子，”他说道。 “爸爸！”男孩叫道。 “还有其他的鱼嘛，”父亲说道。 “但没这么大，”男孩叫道。 他环视了一遍湖。月光下附近没有其他的渔民或船只。他又看了看他父亲。从父亲不可动摇的语气中，他知道这个决定没有商量余地，即使没有人看到他们，更无从得知他们何时钓到了鱼。他慢慢地将鱼钩从大鲈鱼的唇上取下，然后蹲下将鱼放回水中。 鱼儿摆动着它强健的身躯，消失在水中。男孩想，他可能再也看不到这么大的鱼了。 那是34年前的事了。现在，男孩是纽约的一个成功的建筑师。他父亲的小屋依然在湖心岛上，他带着自己的儿女仍然在同一个码头上钓鱼。 他猜得没错。自那次以后，他再也没有见过那么大的鱼了。但每次他面临道德难题而举棋不定的时候，他的眼前总是浮现出那条鱼。 他父亲曾告诉他，道德即是简单的对和错的问题，但要付诸行动却很难。在没人瞧见的时候，我们是否仍始终如一，一丝不苟？为了将图纸及时送到，我们是不是也会抄近路？或者在明知道不可以的情况下，仍将公司股份卖掉？ 在我们还小的时候，如果有人要我们把鱼放回去，我们会这样做，因为我们还在学习真理。正确的决定在我们的记忆里变得深刻而清晰。这个故事我们可以骄傲地讲给朋友和子孙们听，不是关于如何攻击和战胜某种体制，而是如何做正确的决定，从而变得无比坚强

[ 本帖最后由 艾米 于 2007-1-11 11:25 编辑 ]

Growing Roots When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor named Dr. Gibbs. He didn’t look like any doctor I’d ever known. He never yelled at us for playing in his yard. I remember him as someone who was a lot nicer than rcumstances warranted. When Dr. Gibbs wasn’t saving lives, he was planting trees. His house sat on ten acres, and his life’s goal was to make it a forest. The good doctor had some interesting theories concerning plant husbandry. He came from the “No pain, no gain” school of horticulture. He never watered his new trees, which flew in the face of conventional wisdom. Once I asked why. He said that watering plants spoiled them, and that if you water them, each successive tree generation will grow weaker and weaker. So you have to make things rough for them and weed out theweenie trees early on. He talked about how watering trees made for shallow roots, and how trees that weren’t watered had to grow deep roots in search of moisture. I took him to mean that deep roots were to be treasured. So he never watered his trees. He’d plant an oak and, instead of watering it every morning, he’d beat it with a rolled-up newspaper. Smack! Slap! Pow! I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the tree’s attention. Dr. Gibbs went to glory a couple of years after I left home. Every now and again, I walked by his house and looked at the trees that I’d watched him plant some twenty-five years ago. They’re granite strong now. Big and robust. Those trees wake up in the morning and beat their chests and drink their coffee black. I planted a couple of trees a few years back. Carried water to them for a solid summer. Sprayed them. Prayed over them. The whole nine yards. Two years of coddling has resulted in trees that expect to be waited on hand and foot. Whenever a cold wind blows in, they tremble and chatter their branches. Sissy trees. Funny things about those trees of Dr. Gibbs’. Adversity and deprivation seemed to benefit them in ways comfort and ease never could. Every night before I go to bed, I check on my two sons. I stand over them and watch their little bodies, the rising and falling of life within. I often pray for them. Mostly I pray that their lives will be easy. But lately I’ve been thinking that it’s time to change my prayer. This change has to do with the inevitability of cold winds that hit us at the core. I know my children are going to encounter hardship, and I’m praying they won’t be naive. There’s always a cold wind blowing somewhere. So I’m changing my prayer. Because life is tough, whether we want it to be or not. Too many times we pray for ease, but that’s a prayer seldom met. What we need to do is pray for roots that reach deep into the Eternal, so when the rains fall and the winds blow, we won’t be swept asunder. 成长的树根 在我还是小孩子的时候，我有一个老邻居叫吉布斯医生。他不像我所认识的任何一个医生。我们在他的院子里玩耍，他从不对我们大喊大叫。我记得他是一个非常和蔼的人。 吉布斯医生不拯救人性命的时候就去种树。他的住所占地10英亩，他的人生目标就是将它变成一片森林。 这个好医生对于如何持家有一番有趣的理论。他来自一个“不劳无获”的园艺学校。他从不浇灌他新种的树，这显然与常理相悖。有一次我问为什么，他说浇水会毁了这些树，如果浇水，每一棵成活的树的后代会变得越来越娇弱。所以你得把它们的生长环境变得艰苦些，尽早淘汰那些弱不禁风的树。 他还告诉我用水浇灌的树的根是如何的浅，而那些没有浇水的树的根必须钻入深深的泥土获得水分。我将他的话理解为：深根是十分宝贵的。 所以他从不给他的树浇水。他种了一棵橡树，每天早上，他不是给它浇水，而是用一张卷起的报纸抽打它。“啪！噼！砰！”我问他为什么这样做，他说是为了引起树的注意。 在我离家两年后，吉布斯医生就去世了。我常常经过他的房子，看着那些25年前我曾看着他种下的那些树。如今它们已是像石头般硬朗了。枝繁叶茂、生气勃勃。这些树在早晨醒过来，拍打着胸脯，啜饮着苦难的汁水。 几年前我也种下两三棵树。整整一个夏天我都坚持为它们浇水。为它们喷杀虫剂，为它们祈祷。整整9平方码大的地方。两年的悉心呵护，结果两棵树弱不禁风。每当寒风吹起，它们就颤抖起来，枝叶直打战。娇里娇气的两棵树。 吉布斯医生的树真是有趣。逆境和折磨带给它们的益处似乎是舒适和安逸永远无法给予的。 每天晚上睡觉前，我都要看看两个儿子。我俯视着他们那幼小的身体，生命就在其中起落沉浮。我总是为他们祈祷，总是祈祷他们的生活能一帆风顺。但后来我想是该改变我的祈祷词的时候了。 这改变是因为将吹在我们要害的不可避免的寒风。我知道我的孩子们将遇到困难，我祈祷他们不会幼稚而脆弱。在某些地方总会有寒风吹过。 所以我改变了我的祈祷词。因为不管我们愿不愿意，生活总是艰难的。我们已祈祷了太多的安逸，但却少有实现。我们所需要做的是祈祷深植我们的信念之根，这样我们就不会被雨打风吹所伤害。

[ 本帖最后由 艾米 于 2007-1-12 15:05 编辑 ]

Be Happy

Lloyd Morris



作者：西安新东方学校 来源：华商报 “The days that make us happy make us wise.”－John Masefield

When I first read this line by England’s Poet Laureate, it startled me. What did Masefield mean? Without thinking about it much, I had always assumed that the opposite was true. But his sober assurance was arresting. I could not forget it.

Finally, I seemed to grasp his meaning and realized that here was a profound observation. The wisdom that happiness makes possible lies in clear perception, not fogged by anxiety nor dimmed by despair and boredom, and without the blind spots caused by fear.

Active happiness－not more satisfaction or contentment－often comes suddenly, like an April shower or the unfolding of a bud. Then you discover what kind of wisdom has accompanied it. The grass is greener; bird songs are sweeter; the shortcomings of your friends are more understandable and more forgivable. Happiness is like a pair of eyeglasses correcting your spiritual vision.

Nor are the insights of happiness limited to what is near around you. Unhappy, with your thoughts turned in upon your emotional woes, your vision is cut short as though by a wall. Happy, the wall crumbles.

The long vista is there for the seeing. The ground at your feet, the world about you－people, thoughts, emotions, pressures－are now fitted into the larger scene. Everything assumes a fairer proportion. And here is the beginning of wisdom.

快乐 “快乐的日子使人睿智。”——约翰·梅斯菲尔德



第一次读到英国桂冠诗人梅斯菲尔德的这行诗时，我感到十分震惊。他想表达什么意思？我以前从未对此仔细考虑，总之认定这行诗反过来才正确。但他冷静而又胸有成竹的表达引起了我的注意，令我无法忘怀。

终于，我似乎领会了他的意思，并意识到这行诗意义深远。快乐带来的睿智存在于敏锐的洞察力之间，不会因忧虑而含混迷惑，也不会因绝望和厌倦而黯淡模糊，更不会因恐惧而造成盲点。

积极的快乐——并非单纯的满意或知足——通常不期而至，就像四月里突然下起的春雨，或是花蕾的突然绽放。然后，你就会发觉与快乐结伴而来的究竟是何种智慧。草地更为青翠，鸟吟更为甜美，朋友的缺点也变得让更能让人理解、宽容。快乐就像是一副眼镜，可以矫正你的精神视力。

快乐的视野并不仅限于你周围的事物。当你不快乐时，你的思维陷入情感上的悲哀，你的眼界就像是被一道墙给阻隔住了。而当你快乐时，这道墙就会砰然倒塌。

你的眼界变得更为宽广。你脚下的大地，你身边的世界，包括人、思想、情感和压力，现在都融入了更为广阔的景象之中，其间每件事物的比例都更加合理。而这就是睿智的起始。

[ 本帖最后由 艾米 于 2007-1-14 11:17 编辑 ]

The 50-Percent Theory of Life

By Steve Porter



作者：西安新东方学校 来源：华商报 I believe in the 50-percent theory. Half the time things are better than normal; the other half, they are worse. I believe life is a pendulum swing. It takes time and experience to understand what normal is, and that gives me the perspective to deal with the surprises of the future.

Let’s benchmark the parameters: yes, I will die. I’ve dealt with the deaths of both parents, a best friend, a beloved boss and cherished pets. Some of these deaths have been violent, before my eyes, or slow and agonizing. Bad stuff, and it belongs at the bottom of the scale.

Then there are those high points: romance and marriage to the right person; having a child and doing those Dad things like coaching my son’s baseball team, paddling around the creek in the boat while he’s swimming with the dogs, discovering his compassion so deep it manifests even in his kindness to snails, his imagination so vivid he builds a spaceship from a scattered pile of Legos.

But there is a vast meadow of life in the middle, where the bad and the good flip-flop acrobatically. This is what convinces me to believe in the 50-percent theory.

Although plantings past may have fallen below the 50-percent expectation, and they probably will again in the future, I am still sustained by the crop that flourishes during the drought.



生活理论半对半

史蒂夫·波特 我信奉对半理论。我觉得生活就像来回摆动的钟摆，时而比一般情况要好，时而比一般情况要糟，好坏参半。读懂生活的常态需要时间和阅历，而读懂它也练就了我面对未来荣辱不惊的生活态度。 让我们来确定一下好坏的基准：是的，我注定会死去。我已经经历了双亲、一位好友、一位敬爱的老板和心爱宠物的死亡。有些突如其来，有些却缓慢煎熬。这些都是糟糕的事情，它们属于最坏的部分。 生活中也不乏高潮：坠入爱河缔结良缘；身为人父养育幼子，诸如训练指导儿子的棒球队，当他和狗在水中嬉戏时摇桨划船前瞻后顾，感受他如此强烈的同情心——即使对蜗牛也善待有加，发现他如此丰富的想象力——即使用零散的乐高玩具积木也能堆出太空飞船。 但在生活最好与最坏部分之间有一片巨大的中间地带，其间各种好事坏事像耍杂技一样上下翻滚，轮番出现。这就是让我信服对半理论的原因。

尽管过去的播种可能没有达到50%的期望收获，而且将来也可能是这样，但我仍然要为在旱季依然繁茂生长的庄稼而坚持下去。

[ 本帖最后由 艾米 于 2007-1-15 10:52 编辑 ]

Facing the Enemies Within

Anonymous



作者：西安新东方学校 来源：华商报



Let me tell you about five of the other enemies we face from within. The first enemy that you’ve got to destroy before it destroys you is indifference. What a tragic disease this is! “Ho-hum, let it slide. I’ll just drift along.” Here’s one problem with drifting: you can’t drift your way to the top of the mountain.

The second enemy we face is Indecision. Indecision is the thief of opportunity and enterprise. It will steal your chances for a better future. Take a sword to this enemy.

The third enemy inside is doubt. Sure, there’s room for healthy skepticism. You can’t believe everything. But you also can’t let doubt take over. Many people doubt the past, doubt the future, doubt each other, doubt the government, doubt the possibilities and doubt the opportunities. Worse of all, they doubt themselves. I’m telling you, doubt will destroy your life and your chances of success. It will empty both your bank account and your heart. Doubt is an enemy. Go after it. Get rid of it.

The fourth enemy within is worry. We’ve all got to worry some. Just don’t let it conquer you. Instead, let it alarm you. Worry can be useful. If you step off the curb in New York City and a taxi is coming, you’ve got to worry. But you can’t let worry loose like a mad dog that drives you into a small corner. Here’s what you’ve got to do with your worries: drive them into a small corner. Whatever is out to get you, you’ve got to get it. Whatever is pushing on you, you’ve got to push back.

The fifth interior enemy is overcaution. It is the timid approach to life. Timidity is not a virtue; it’s an illness. If you let it go, it’ll conquer you. Timid people don’t get promoted. They don’t advance and grow and become powerful in the marketplace. You’ve got to avoid overcaution.



直面内在的敌人

让我来告诉你我们面临的其他五个内在的敌人。第一个你要在它袭击你之前将其击败的敌人是冷漠。打着哈欠说：“随它去吧，我就随波逐流吧。”这是多么可悲的疾病啊！随波逐流的问题是：你不可能漂流到山顶去。

我们面临的第二个敌人是优柔寡断。它是窃取机会和事业的贼，它还会偷去你实现更美好未来的机会。向这个敌人出剑吧！

第三个内在的敌人是怀疑。当然，正常的怀疑还是有一席之地的，你不能相信一切。但是你也不能让怀疑掌管一切。许多人怀疑过去、怀疑未来、怀疑彼此、怀疑政府、怀疑可能性、怀疑机会。最糟糕的是，他们怀疑自己。我告诉你，怀疑会毁掉你的生活和你成功的机会，它会耗尽你的存款，留给你干涸的心灵。怀疑是敌人，追赶它，消灭它。

第四个内在的敌人是担忧。我们都会有些担忧，不过千万不要让担忧征服你。相反，让它来警醒你。担忧也许能派上用场。当你在纽约走上人行道时有一辆出租车向你驶来，你就得担忧。但你不能让担忧像疯狗一样失控，将你逼入死角。你应该这样对付自己的担忧：把担忧驱至死角。不管是什么来打击你，你都要打击它。不管什么攻击你，你都要反击。



第五个内在的敌人是过分谨慎。那是胆小的生活方式。胆怯不是美德，而是一种疾病。如果你不理会它，它就会将你征服。胆怯的人不会得到提拔，他们在市场中不会前进、不会成长、不会变得强大。你要避免过分谨慎。

[ 本帖最后由 艾米 于 2007-1-16 09:37 编辑 ]

Managing Your Stress

来源：中青网



What is Stress？

　　Stress is a reaction， physical， mental， or emotional， to demands or changes in your life. Everyone is affected by stressful situations. It is easy to acknowledge that a major life change， such as losing one's job or a death in the family， causes stress. One can also “ be stressed” with an accumulation of daily pressures，such as long commutes in traffic， a hectic work schedule，or disagreements with coworkers or family members. Your stress may be apparent to you and everyone else around you，or it may be hidden.

　　Stress，if continuous， can effect your physical， mental，and emotional well-being. The following information will help you recognize stress and learn positive coping mechanisms to reduce your risk of health problems.

　　Let us first take a look at what stress does to the body. When confronted by an alarming situation，our brain releases adrenaline and other chemicals which causes our heart rate and blood pressure to increase（moving blood to our muscles and brain）， our breathing to become faster，our digestion to slow down，and we feel a sudden rush of energy.

　　When we perceive that the danger has passed，our brain stops producing the chemicals that causes the physical reactions， and our bodies return to their normal state. If we continue to react to the event，even after the event has passed， then our minds and our bodies stay in a state of alarm. If this state of tension is maintained，it can contribute to minor health problems and is thought to be associated with other more serious diseases.

　　Sources of Stress

　　The next step is to identify the sources of your stress and to write them down. Often the act of writing down your problems can be therapeutic as it may give you an opportunity to think through some possible solutions.

　　It will be easy for you to record your major life changes such as acquiring a new job， moving， getting divorced， losing your job. Be sure to include your daily stressors as well. Here are some examples：

　　Financial problems Lack of support Poor health Too much work Family problems Out of physical shape Boring work Not enough leisure time Poor diet Commuting to work Sexual problems Over/underweight Noisy environment Personality clashes No direction in life



设法对付你的重压感



　　重压感是什么？

　　重压感是一种反应，是你对生活中的需求或变化所作出的身体上、思想上或情感上的反应。生活中种种令人产生重压感的情形影响着我们每一个人。生活中的重大变化，如失业或失去亲人会使人产生重压感，这一点容易理解。可人们产生重压感也可能是日常压力的累积所致，如上下班长时间乘车、繁忙的工作安排或与同事或家人之间的分歧。你的重压感对你和你周围的人来说或许是显而易见，或许是藏而不露。

　　重压感如果持续的话，会影响你的身心健康和情绪状况。以下信息能帮助你了解何为重压感，并教你如何积极地去应付重压感，以减少其给你身体健康带来的影响。

　　首先让我们了解一下重压感会给身体健康带来什么。当我们面临惊恐的局面时，我们的大脑会释放出肾上腺素及其他化学物质。这些化学物质会导致我们心跳加速、血压增高（使血液流向我们的肌肉和大脑）、呼吸急促、消化速度放慢。我们会感到体内能量一阵快速涌流。

　　当我们感觉危险过去之后，我们大脑便停止释放导致身体产生反应的化学物，这样我们的身体便恢复至正常状态。但是如果在事情过去之后，我们仍持续不断地作出类似反应，那我们的大脑和身体会处于警觉状态。这种状态的持续可能导致轻度的身体健康问题。据信这种状态还与其他更为严重的疾病相关。

　　重压感的来源

　　下一步是辩识重压感的来源，并将其写出来。动笔写出你的问题本身通常也是一种治疗法，因为这可以给你一个机会想出一些解决问题的办法。

　　把你生活中的重大变化，如找到了新工作、搬家、离婚、失业等写下来应当是件容易做到的事。但写时一定要把你的日常压力包括进去。下面是一些例子：

　　经济问题缺乏支持身体虚弱工作过多家庭问题身材不好枯燥的工作无足够的闲暇不良的饮食长距离乘车上下班性问题过胖/过瘦吵闹的环境性格的冲突生活无目标。



[ 本帖最后由 艾米 于 2007-1-17 09:42 编辑 ]

Relish Moment



作者：By Robert J. Hastings 翻译：李端奇

Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the continent. We are traveling by train. Out the windows, we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle grazing on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, of row upon row of corn and wheat, of flatlands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hillsides, of city skylines and village halls.

But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour, we will pull into the station. Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there, so many wonderful dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles, damning the minutes for loitering --waiting, waiting, waiting for the station.



"When we reach the station, that will be it! "we cry. "When I'm 18. ""When I buy a new 450SL Mercedes Benz! ""When I put the last kid through college. ""When I have paid off the mortgage!""When I get a promotion.""When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily ever after! "



Sooner or later, we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us.

"Relish the moment "is a good motto, especially when coupled with Psalm 118：24:"This is the day which the Lord hath made;we will rejoice and be glad in it. "It isn't the burdens of today that drive men mad. It is the regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.



So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. In stead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, go barefoot more often, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more, cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. The station will come soon enough.



品味生活　　



我们的潜意识里藏着一派田园诗般的风光! 我们仿佛身处一次横贯大陆的漫漫旅程之中! 乘着火车, 我们领略着窗外流动的景色：附近高速公路上奔驰的汽车、十字路口处招手的孩童、远山上吃草的牛群、源源不断地从电厂排放出的烟尘、一片片的玉米和小麦、平原与山谷、群山与绵延的丘陵、天空映衬下城市的轮廓, 以及乡间的庄园宅第!

　　

然而我们心里想得最多的却是最终的目的地! 在某一天的某一时刻, 我们将会抵达进站! 迎接我们的将是乐队和飘舞的彩旗! 一旦到了那儿, 多少美梦将成为现实, 我们的生活也将变得完整, 如同一块理好了的拼图! 可是我们现在在过道里不耐烦地踱来踱去, 咒骂火车的拖拖拉拉! 我们期待着, 期待着, 期待着火车进站的那一刻!



"当我们到站的时候, 一切就都好了! "我们呼喊着! "当我18岁的时候! ""当我有了一辆新450SL奔驰的时候! ""当我供最小的孩子念完大学的时候! ""当我偿清贷款的时候! ""当我官升高任的时候! ""当我到了退休的时候, 就可以从此过上幸福的生活啦! "

　　

可是我们终究会认识到人生的旅途中并没有车站, 也没有能够"一到永逸"的地方!生活的真正乐趣在于旅行的过程, 而车站不过是个梦, 它始终遥遥领先于我们!

　

　"享受现在"是句很好的箴言, 尤其是当它与《圣经·诗篇》中第１１８页２４行的一段话相映衬的时候, 更是如此："今日乃主所创造；生活在今日我们将欢欣、高兴! "真正令人发疯的不是今日的负担, 而是对昨日的悔恨及对明日的恐惧! 悔恨与恐惧是一对孪生窃贼, 将今天从你我身边偷走!



那么就不要在过道里徘徊吧, 别老惦记着你离车站还有多远! 何不换一种活法, 将更多的高山攀爬, 多吃点儿冰淇淋甜甜嘴巴, 经常光着脚板儿溜达溜达, 在更多的河流里畅游, 多看看夕阳西下, 多点欢笑哈哈, 少让泪水滴答! 生活得一边过一边瞧! 车站就会很快到达!



[ 本帖最后由 艾米 于 2007-1-18 12:22 编辑 ]

Courage

——Mark Twain

(Apri1 18, 1908 )

In the matter of courage we all have our limits. There never was a hero who did not have his bounds. I suppose it may be said of Nelson and all the others whose courage has been advertised that there came times in their lives when their bravery knew it had come to its limit.

I have found mine a good many times. Sometimes this was expected--often it was unexpected. I know a man who is not afraid to sleep with a rattle-snake, but you could not get him to sleep with a safety-razor.

I never had the courage to talk across a long, narrow room. I should be at the end of the room facing all the audience. If I attempt to talk across a room I find myself turning this way and that, and thus at alternate periods I have part of the audience behind me. You ought never to have any part of the audience behind you; you never can tell what they are going to do.

I'll sit down.

勇气

　　——马克-吐温

　　

在勇气问题上，人人都有极限。从来就没有胆大包天的英雄好汉。我想，可以说，纳尔逊和所有那些被大量宣传的勇士，一生中都有勇气达到极限的时候。　　



我就多次发现自己的勇气到了极限。有时是意料之中的——经常是出乎意料的。我认识一个人．此君不怕与响尾蛇同寝，可你无法让他与保安剃刀共眠。　　



我从来就没有勇气在狭长房间的中央发表讲话。我得站在房间的一头，面对全体听众。如果我试图站在房间中央讲话，我就会不断地转身，这样，就不断有部分听众在我背后。你们永远不能让自己背后有听众；你们永远闹不清他们要干什么。

　　我得坐下了。

[ 本帖最后由 艾米 于 2007-1-19 12:15 编辑 ]