外用维生素e买哪种好:震撼心灵的哲理美文(一)

来源:百度文库 编辑:偶看新闻 时间:2024/04/17 02:19:07

  生命在时间的土壤里成长

  世间有多少行路者,通往善良与智慧的途径就有多少。世间有多少真理,就有多少探索、坚持真理的人。有多少信念与理想,就有多少仁人志士在生活中奉行并实现它们。

  永恒之脉

  威廉?佐拉奇/William+Zorach

  有时,我会想,万物的生存皆是一种奇迹。但是我坚信,有一种“永恒之脉”始终贯穿着天地万物,最具价值的遗产将会永存。每个人都渴望将自己的生命融入这条“永恒之脉”。这就是生命的动力,也有人称它为永恒的动力。

  令人惊奇的是,儿时的某些东西总会给我们留下深刻的印象。我至今还记得朗费罗的几句诗:

  “生活是真实的!生命是真诚的!

  死亡并非它最终的目标;

  你本为尘埃,必归为尘土,

  这是指肉体,而非灵魂。”

  还有:

  “伟人的生命警醒着我们

  我们能够高尚地生活,

  离开人世的时候,也会

  在时间的沙滩上留下我们的足迹。”

  诚然,与现在的年轻人相比,我们这代人的情感更为丰富。但是,无论这首诗是否为佳作,它朴素的言辞都传达了一种信息,并在一个小男孩的脑海中留下永久的记忆。

  15岁时,我幻想着自己拥有一个守护天使。每当周末去乡间写生时,我会请求它的指引,祈祷某天能够成为一名伟大的艺术家,描绘出大自然最真实的美丽。这一小小的祈祷带给了我对世界的信仰和对自己的信心。

  然而,我的信仰与信心遇到了严峻的考验。核武器时代让我们陷入了恐慌,我们的生命也似乎危在旦夕。人类的潜能与价值无法发挥出来,这也近乎是一种浪费。有时,我会想,万物的生存皆是一种奇迹。但是我坚信,有一种“永恒之脉”始终贯穿着天地万物,最具价值的遗产将会永存。

  我相信,无论用怎样的方式,每个人都渴望将自己的生命融入这条“永恒之脉”。这就是生命的动力,也有人称它为永恒的动力。我想,无论它是什么,都是有益的,因为它赋予了我们生存的目标。不过,只有目标还远远不够。在人们眼中,艺术家总会不切实际地空想,但就我自己而言,我发现在创造任何艺术作品之前,都必须做出决定和计划。我知道,我不仅要带着敏锐的情感、对美的感知,去接近生活,同时还要有一颗谦卑、崇敬的心。

  作为一名艺术家,我的人生信条是:热爱生活、热爱自由、热爱全世界人民。通常,一个热爱自己工作的人会是一个有梦想的人,而他梦想的灵魂也会以某些方式与特征表现出来。创造是一种绝妙的感觉。然而,我认为现今的人们缺乏交流的能力。如果人们,不仅仅是艺术家,而是所有的人,只要能敞开心扉,表达出忧愁与快乐、恐惧与希望,他们就会发现以前无法看到的东西,发现自己已融入生活的主流。

  有时,恐惧与嘲讽会让我们灰心丧气。每当这时,我便会努力回忆不同时代的伟大艺术家拥有着怎样的表现力。一种能与人交流、提升人的品格的力量,能使观众产生或喜、或悲或惧或敬的心灵共鸣,而不只是为了装点生活或娱乐大众。

  如果我们能扩大人类的思想与信仰领域,将会发现人人都具有创造天赋。这种才能使得我们每个人都独具个性,并赢得“永恒之脉”中的一席之地。我深信,如果我们能认识到这些,就会发现我们所生活的这个时代充满了冒险与革新的激情,我们将会在它的带领下走进一个更美好的崭新世界。

  It+is+strange+how+certain+things+make+a+great+impression+on+us+in+childhood.+I+remember+these+verses+by+Longfellow:

  +“Life+is+real!+Life+is+earnest!

  +And+the+graves+is+not+its+goal;

  +Dust+thou+art,+to+dust+returnest,+

  +Was+not+spoken+of+the+soul.”

  And+again:

  +“Lives+of+great+men+all+remind+us

  +We+can+make+our+lives+sublime,

  +And+departing,+leave+behind+us

  +Footprints+on+the+sands+of+time.”

  Of+course,+my+generation+was+much+more+sentimental1+than+today’s+youth+but+whether+this+was+great+poetry,+it+communicated+in+simple+language+a+message,+and+made+a+lasting+impression+on+a+small+boy.

  When+I+was+fifteen+I+had+an+imaginary+guardian2+angel+and+when+I+went+to+the+country+to+sketch+on+Sundays,+I+asked+for+guidance,+praying+that+someday+I+would+be+a+fine+artist+and+paint+nature+as+beautiful+as+she+really+is.+What+this+little+ceremony+brought+me+was+faith+in+the+world+and+a+belief+in+myself.

  My+faiths+and+beliefs+have+been+badly+strained.+The+Atomic+Age+has+caught+us+in+a+web+of+fear.+Our+lives+seem+so+impermanent+and+uncertain.+There+is+such+a+waste+of+human+potential,+of+things+worth+while+in+people+which+never+find+expression.+I+sometimes+think+it’s+a+miracle+that+anything+survives.+Yet+I+believe+that+a+thread+of+permanence+runs+through+everything+from+the+beginning+of+time,+and+the+most+valuable+residue+will+survive.

  I+believe+everybody+has+an+urge+to+somehow+spin+his+own+life+into+a+thread+of+permanence.+It+is+the+impulse+of+life.+Some+would+call+it+the+drive+to+immortality.+Whatever+it+is,+I+think+it+is+good+because+it+gives+purpose+to+existence.+But+purpose+is+not+enough.+Artists+are+supposed+to+be+notoriously+impractical,+but+for+myself,+I+found+I+had+to+make+decisions+and+plans+if+I+were+to+try+to+create+anything.+I+realized+that+I+must+approach+life+not+only+with+a+sensitivity,+a+perception+of+beauty,+but+with+a+feeling+of+humility+and+reverence.

  My+creed+as+an+artist+is+to+love+life+and+liberty+and+the+world+of+people.+A+man+who+works+and+loves+his+work+is+often+a+man+dreaming,+and+the+spirit+of+his+dreams+will+find+forms+and+symbols+to+express+that+dream.+It+is+a+wonderful+feeling+to+create+something.+But+today,+I+think+there+is+a+lack+of+power+of+communication.+If+people,+not+just+artists,+but+all+kinds+of+people,+could+only+open+their+hearts+and+express+their+sorrow,+their+happiness,+their+fears+and+hopes,+they+would+discover+they+had+an+identity+with+the+main+stream+of+life+which+they+never+saw+before.

  Sometimes+fear+and+cynicism3+so+grip+our+minds+that+we+lose+heart.+Then+I+try+to+remember+how+the+great+artists+of+the+ages+had+the+power+of+expressiveness.+Theirs+was+the+power+to+communicate,+to+exalt,+to+move+the+observer+to+joy+or+tears,+to+strike+terror+and+awe+in+the+hearts+of+men;+not+just+to+decorate+or+merely+entertain.

  If+we+can+expand+the+boundaries+of+men’s+thoughts+and+beliefs,+we+will+discover+we+all+have+creative+possibilities—talents+to+make+ourselves+real+identities+as+individuals,+with+a+hold+on+the+thread+of+immortality.+If+we+can+awaken+ourselves+to+it,+I+am+convinced+we+shall+find+that+this+is+an+alive+and+exciting+age+of+adventure+and+experimentation+from+which+a+new+beauty+and+a+finer+world+will+emerge.+

  乐于奉献

  哈罗德?泰勒博士/Dr.+Harold+Taylor

  慷慨与对人类行善力量的信心是人类天生的美德,这便是我人生哲学的基础。如果人类能够有机会发挥自己的力量,那么这一人生哲学就能够使人充满活力,富有创新精神,对未来充满信心。

  我们所生活的这个时代,是人类历史上思想与价值充满革命性变化的一个时代。在这样的时代背景中,我们必须从自身寻找生活所需的思想、信仰与理想。除非我们找到这些理想,并恪守它们,否则当面临世人都会遇到的危险时,我们根本无力抗争。

  我信仰人类,信仰透明、纯粹的人性。倾听人们的心声,帮助他们达成所愿,得到需要的东西,这也是我的信仰。当然,有些人类的行为如同禽兽一般,他们杀戮、欺诈、哄骗、破坏。但是,如果不相信人类,不相信人类创造未来的可能,那我们就会对未来失去希望,只能苦叹往日已逝。我相信,我们每个人都必须树立自己的生活哲学。也有人以质疑一切为自己的生活哲学。他们说,世间没有真理,所谓的仁慈不过是对自己自私自利的伪装。他们认为,生活不过是痛苦出生与必然死去间的短暂瞬间。而其他人则认为,人性本恶,生命是历尽苦难的净化过程,而死亡则是一切苦难的解脱。还有人说,人就好比一台遵循一定规则运转的机器,如果你了解其中的规则,掌控了操纵权,就能够将他人掌控手中,让他们为满足你的意愿而服务。

  我认为,这些所谓的哲学皆是谬论。人生最重要的事情就是以何种方式生活,除了人的信仰与将信仰付诸于行动之外,再没有任何抽象的幸福、善良或美德,也没有任何空泛的事物。唯有一个活着或仅仅存在着的人,亲身体验着生活中的每一刻,感受着快乐或悲伤、高尚或卑微、睿智或愚笨。

  丰富的哲学是支撑生命的力量之源,但问题是,如何才能将这种哲学充分应用到人生经历的每一个瞬间呢?除非我们乐于奉献,除非我们能够与人们一起生活并帮助他们,否则我们的人生就失去了最重要的意义。慷慨与对人类行善力量的信心是人类天生的美德,这便是我人生哲学的基础。如果人类能够有机会发挥自己的力量,那么这一人生哲学就能够使人充满活力,富有创新精神,对未来充满信心。

  世间有多少行路者,通往善良与智慧的途径就有多少。世间有多少真理,就有多少探索、坚持真理的人。有多少信念与理想,就有多少仁人志士在生活中奉行并实现它们。+

  We+are+living+in+one+of+those+periods+in+human+history+which+are+marked+by+revolutionary+changes+in+all+of+man’s+ideas+and+values.+It+is+a+time+when+every+one+of+us+must+look+within+himself+to+find+what+ideas,+what+beliefs,+and+what+ideals+each+of+us+will+live+by.+And+unless+we+find+these+ideals,+and+unless+we+stand+by+them+firmly,+we+have+no+power+to+overcome+the+crisis+in+which+we+in+our+world+find+ourselves.

  I+believe+in+people,+in+sheer,+unadulterated+humanity.+I+believe+in+listening+to+what+people+have+to+say,+in+helping+them+to+achieve+the+things+which+they+want+and+the+things+which+they+need.+Naturally,+there+are+people+who+behave+like+beasts,+who+kill,+who+cheat,+who+lie+and+who+destroy.+But+without+a+belief+in+man+and+a+faith+in+his+possibilities+for+the+future,+there+can+be+no+hope+for+the+future,+but+only+bitterness+that+the+past+has+gone.+I+believe+we+must,+each+of+us,+make+a+philosophy+by+which+we+can+live.+There+are+people+who+make+a+philosophy+out+of+believing+in+nothing.+They+say+there+is+no+truth,+that+goodness+is+simply+cleverness+in+disguising+your+own+selfishness.+They+say+that+life+is+simply+the+short+gap+in+between+an+unpleasant+birth+and+an+inevitable+death.+There+are+others+who+say+that+man+is+born+into+evil+and+sinfulness+and+that+life+is+a+process+of+purification+through+suffering+and+that+death+is+the+reward+for+having+suffered.+There+are+others+who+say+that+man+is+a+kind+of+machine+which+operates+according+to+certain+laws,+and+that+if+you+can+learn+the+laws+and+seize+the+power+to+manipulate+the+machine,+you+can+make+man+behave+automatically+to+serve+whatever+ends+you+have+in+mind.

  I+believe+these+philosophies+are+false.+The+most+important+thing+in+life+is+the+way+it+is+lived,+and+there+is+no+such+thing+as+an+abstract+happiness,+an+abstract+goodness+or+morality,+or+an+abstract+anything,+except+in+terms+of+the+person+who+believes+and+who+acts.+There+is+only+the+single+human+being+who+lives+and+who,+through+every+moment+of+his+own+personal+living+experience,+is+being+happy+or+unhappy,+noble+or+base,+wise+or+unwise,+or+simply+existing.

  The+question+is:+How+can+these+individual+moments+of+human+experience+be+filled+with+the+richness+of+a+philosophy+which+can+sustain+the+individual+in+his+own+life?+Unless+we+give+part+of+ourselves+away,+unless+we+can+live+with+other+people+and+understand+them+and+help+them,+we+are+missing+the+most+essential+part+of+our+own+human+lives.+The+fact+that+the+native+endowment+of+the+young+mind+is+one+of+liberalism+and+confidence+in+the+powers+of+man+for+good+is+the+basis+of+my+philosophy.+And+if+only+man+can+be+given+a+free+chance+to+use+his+powers,+this+philosophy+will+result+in+a+boundless+flow+of+vital+energy+and+a+willingness+to+try+new+things,+combined+with+a+faith+in+the+future.

  There+are+as+many+roads+to+the+attainment+of+wisdom+and+goodness+as+there+are+people+who+undertake+to+walk+them.+There+are+as+many+solid+truths+on+which+we+can+stand+as+there+are+people+who+can+search+them+out+and+who+will+stand+on+them.+There+are+as+many+ideas+and+ideals+as+there+are+men+of+good+will+who+will+hold+them+in+their+minds+and+act+them+in+their+lives.

  横看成岭侧成峰

  达里尔?F.+柴纳克/+Darryl+F.+Zanuck

  从不同角度看待事物,你就能更轻松地抓住生活的精髓;而当你仅从一个角度片面地观察世界时,就很可能会变得愤世嫉俗。

  我经历了两次世界大战,环游了世界大部分的地方,接触过很多当代的名人。如今,回想起这些丰富的阅历,我深感欣慰,因为它们肯定了我儿时在内布拉斯加州一个小镇上学到的那些基本价值观。

  我发现有一点极为正确——儿时学到的很多美德在今天依然重要。岁月流逝,我和朋友们的想法与观点自然都有所变化,然而这不过是个人看待事物的方式改变了。就好比一个小男孩站在内布拉斯加平原上看山,山没有变,只是随着男孩的长大,他看山的角度发生了变化。

  从此,为了从不同的角度看山,我总会试着围绕发现的每一座山走上整一圈。我认为,这就是诚实正直之人与愤世嫉俗者之间的区别。从不同角度看待事物,你就能更轻松地抓住生活的精髓;而当你仅从一个角度片面地观察世界时,就很可能会变得愤世嫉俗。

  从我在内布拉斯加州瓦胡镇的童年时代起,直到今天,忠诚与仁爱这两种最基本的美德始终为我的生活带来莫大的慰籍。孩提时,我还学到了其他的一些基本准则,但最重要的还是这两条。

  在我看来,忠诚不只是一个简单的词,而是一种生活方式。我所指的并不只是忠于家庭与朋友,还要忠于我们建国的基础,即诚实正直的价值观。我认为,忠诚这一必需的原则也意味着对我们内在自我的忠诚。

  成长过程中,我曾几度叛逆,与生活中的很多基本观念背道而驰。但是,多次叛逆后,我想象着自己围绕内布拉斯加平原的那座山走了整整一圈,终于明白这些美德的确经得起时间的考验。

  在逆境中给予我莫大安慰的另一个原则是仁爱。这是我们必须学习的美德。生活中的我很幸运,因为我能够乐善好施。行善者不应祈求回报,因为我们从行善中所得到的满足感便是最好的报答。

  行善,必须真心诚意。否则,任何形式的给予皆是对生命本身极大的欺骗。

  仁爱与忠诚深深感动着我的生命,为我生活的每一天带来极大的满足。每天临睡前,忠诚这一原则都会提醒我反省自己一天的行为,确保当日的所作所为没有为他人带来任何故意的伤害。

  每天临睡前,我都会努力为自己对他人造成的伤害予以弥补。这无疑是种自私的行为,因为只有这样,每夜我才不会辗转难眠。

  横看成岭侧成峰,人生亦是如此。无论是在伦敦、巴黎、罗马、开罗、纽约、好菜坞还是内布拉斯加的瓦胡镇,我所看到的美德始终不变。

  感谢儿时在内布拉斯加学到的那些传统美德。我希望,我能永远对我所出生的这个国家满怀谦恭、心存感激,因为它给予了我生存的机会。

  Now+that+I+can+look+back+across+the+years+from+the+socalled+vantage+point+of+experience+in+two+World+Wars,+travel+throughout+a+large+part+of+the+world,+and+contact+with+many+of+the+outstanding+personalities+of+our+time,+it+gives+me+a+great+deal+of+real+reassurance+each+day+to+know+that+way+down+deep+I+learned+some+fundamental+values+when+I+was+a+boy+in+a+small+town+in+Nebraska.

  I+have+found+one+thing+to+be+so+very+true—the+virtues+I+learned+as+a+boy+are+still+fundamental+virtues.+My+point+of+view+has+changed,+of+course,+over+the+years,+and+so+has+that+of+my+friends,+but+so+much+of+all+this+change+of+viewpoint+is+like+a+small+boy+gazing+at+a+hill+on+the+plains+of+Nebraska.+The+hill+remains+the+same.+The+small+boy+only+sees+it+from+another+angle+as+he+grows+up.

  I+have+always+tried+to+walk+completely+around+every+hill+I+have+found+in+existence+since,+so+that+I+could+get+a+view+from+every+angle.+This,+I+think,+reveals+the+difference+between+honesty+and+cynicism.+When+you+see+the+hill+from+every+angle,+you+have+a+much+better+chance+at+keeping+life+in+focus.+When+you+only+see+it+from+one+angle+you+run+the+very+great+danger+of+becoming+cynical.

  Two+of+the+fundamental+virtues+that+have+been+such+a+great+comfort+to+me+in+my+life,+from+the+days+of+my+boyhood+in+Wahoo,+Nebraska,+until+now+are+loyalty+and+charity.+There+are+other+fundamentals+I+learned+as+a+boy,+but+principally+loyalty+and+charity.

  Loyalty+is+not+only+just+a+term—it+has+been+a+way+of+life+for+me.+I+mean+not+only+loyalty+to+my+friends+and+family,+but+to+the+honest+values+on+which+our+country+was+founded.+And+to+me,+this+guidepost+of+loyalty+of+necessity+means+loyalty+to+one’s+own+self.

  When+I+was+growing+up,+I+rebelled+against+so+many+things,+and+fought+against+so+many+of+the+basic+ideas+of+life—but+I+found+after+so+much+rebellion+and+walking+completely+around+that+hill+on+the+Nebraska+plains,+in+my+mind’s+eye,+that+these+virtues+had+not+been+tested+over+the+centuries+in+vain.

  Charity+is+another+rule+that+has+been+of+great+comfort+to+me+in+so+many+trying+situations.+Charity+is+something+you+must+learn.+I+have+been+very+lucky+in+life+because+I+have+been+in+a+position+to+give+charity,+and+one+should+never+expect+any+other+reward+from+charity+than+the+satisfaction+it+gives.

  In+taking+part+in+any+charity+you+must+give+from+your+heart.+Any+other+type+of+giving+is+a+terrible+cheat+on+life+itself.

  Charity+and+loyalty+are+two+things+that+have+touched+my+life+very+deeply.+They+have+been+a+source+of+tremendous+satisfaction+to+me+every+day+I+have+lived.+This+rule+of+loyalty+has+caused+me+to+check+back+on+the+course+of+my+activities+at+the+close+of+each+day,+to+be+sure+I+haven’t+knowingly+hurt+anyone+in+my+day’s+activities.

  I+have+tried+to+repair+any+hurts+I+have+caused+before+the+day’s+end.+This+undoubtedly+is+very+selfish+of+me+because+I+have+learned+that+this+rechecking+of+each+day+gives+me+a+good+night’s+sleep.

  In+walking+around+the+hill+on+the+plain+each+day+of+my+life,+the+virtues+I+see—whether+I+am+in+London,+Paris,+Rome,+Cairo,+New+York,+Hollywood+or+Wahoo,+Nebraskaare+always+the+same.

  I+am+grateful+for+those+oldfashioned+virtues+that+I+learned+as+a+boy+in+Nebraska.+And+I+hope+I+will+have+enough+humility+always+to+be+thankful+I+was+born+in+a+country+that+give+me+this+chance+at+life.

  推开石头

  珀尔?巴克/Pearl+Buck

  同古时的孔子一样,我深深沉迷于对大地与人生的无限惊奇中,而不再去想什么天堂和天使。今生,我活得充实。倘若没有来世,那么为今世而生也完全值得。

  我享受着生活的乐趣,因为我对人类及其发展有着无穷的兴趣。这一兴趣引导着我不断拓宽对人们的了解,并进一步促使我坚信“人之初,性本善。”这就是说,人生来便善解人意,富有同情心,渴望被肯定及肯定他人,期望得到简单的幸福与生存的机会;而并不愿意遭受他人迫害或去迫害他人。即使人类因环境的影响而产生了邪念,也决不会完全为邪恶所掌控。无论如何退化变质,人性美好的一面终会有所保留,也依然会有弃恶从善的可能。

  我想,再没有什么信仰比我对人类的信仰更重要了。我知道,当处在恐惧、饥饿、不确定的外部环境中,人类并未意识到他们的发展受到了阻碍,就像被压在石头下却毫不知情、仍在苦苦挣扎的植物一样。只有推开石头,它才能在明媚的阳光下自由生长。但这蓬勃生长的力量是与生俱来的,唯有死亡才能将其剥夺。

  拥有了对人类的信仰,我觉得其他的信仰都不再重要。同古时的孔子一样,我深深沉迷于对大地与人生的无限惊奇中,而不再去想什么天堂和天使。今生,我活得充实。倘若没有来世,那么为今世而生也完全值得。

  我深信人心向善且拥有向往光明的力量。这使我对人类的未来充满了希望与信心。未来的某天,人类共同的感知将会向他们证实,对全人类的安全与幸福而言,相互扶持与合作是明智的。

  这样的信仰让我心甘情愿地不断尽自己所能、有目的地为营造人类自由发展的环境而努力。我相信,营造这样的环境是基于人类友谊与安全的需要。

  我坚信未来:世界拥有足够供养全人类的食物;我们的医学知识足以改善全人类的健康状况;我们的教育资源,如果全球化管理,能够提高全人类的智力。我们只需去发现如何全球化管理我们已经拥有的资源。换句话说,借用我之前的比喻那就是必须推开石头。

  这也是可行的,因为数以万计的人类已渐渐对自己与他人拥有了信心。尽管并不是所有人都同时拥有了这样的信念,但拥有这种信念的人越来越多。半个世纪前,还不曾有人对世界的食物、健康及教育等问题予以关注。而今天,很多人都在关注这些事情。在可能发生的世界大战或大规模的毁灭行动中,我只有一个疑问,那便是:如今是否有足够的人拥有信仰?是否有足够的时间让智者行动?这是无知与死亡,智者与生命之间的论争。而我对人类的信仰坚定如一。

  I+enjoy+life+because+I+am+endlessly+interested+in+people+and+their+growth.+My+interest+leads+me+continually+to+widen+my+knowledge+of+people,+and+this+in+turn+compels+me+to+believe+that+the+normal+human+heart+is+born+good.+That+is,+it+is+born+sensitive+and+feeling,+eager+to+be+approved+and+to+approve,+hungry+for+simple+happiness+and+the+chance+to+live.+It+neither+wishes+to+be+killed+nor+to+kill.+If+through+circumstances+it+is+overcome+by+evil,+it+never+becomes+entirely+evil.+There+remain+in+it+elements+of+good,+however+recessive,+which+continue+to+hold+the+possibility+of+restoration.

  I+believe+in+human+beings+but+my+faith+is+without+sentimentality.+I+know+that+in+environments+of+uncertainty,+fear+and+hunger,+the+human+being+is+dwarfed+and+shaped+without+his+being+aware+of+it,+just+as+the+plant+struggling+under+a+stone+does+not+know+its+own+condition.+Only+when+the+stone+is+removed+can+it+spring+up+freely+into+the+light.+But+the+power+to+spring+up+is+inherent,+and+only+death+puts+an+end+to+it.

  I+feel+no+need+for+any+other+faith+than+my+faith+in+human+beings.+Like+Confucius+of+old,+I+am+so+absorbed+in+the+wonder+of+earth+and+the+life+upon+it+that+I+cannot+think+of+heaven+and+the+angels.+I+have+enough+for+this+life.+If+there+is+no+other+life,+then+this+one+has+been+enough+to+make+it+worth+being+born,+myself+a+human+being.

  With+so+profound+a+faith+in+the+human+heart+and+its+power+to+grow+toward+the+light,+I+find+here+reason+and+cause+enough+for+hope+and+confidence+in+the+future+of+mankind.+The+common+sense+of+people+will+surely+prove+to+them+someday+that+mutual+support+and+cooperation+are+only+sensible+for+the+security+and+happiness+of+all.

  Such+faith+keeps+me+continually+ready+and+purposeful+with+energy+to+do+what+one+person+can+toward+shaping+the+environment+in+which+the+human+being+can+grow+with+freedom.+This+environment,+I+believe,+is+based+upon+the+necessity+for+security+and+friendship.

  I+take+heart+in+the+promising+fact+that+the+world+contains+food+supplies+sufficient+for+the+entire+earth+population.+Our+knowledge+of+medical+science+is+already+sufficient+to+improve+the+health+of+the+whole+human+race.+Our+resources+in+education,+if+administered+on+a+world+scale,+can+lift+the+intelligence+of+the+race.+All+that+remains+is+to+discover+how+to+administer,+upon+a+world+scale,+the+benefits+which+some+of+us+already+have.+In+other+words,+to+return+to+my+simile,+the+stone+must+be+rolled+away.

  This,+too,+can+be+done,+as+a+sufficient+number+of+human+beings+come+to+have+faith+in+themselves+and+in+each+other.+Not+all+will+have+such+faith+at+the+same+moment,+but+there+is+a+growing+number+who+have+the+faith.+Half+a+century+ago+no+one+had+thought+of+world+food,+world+health,+world+education.+Many+are+thinking+today+of+these+things.+In+the+midst+of+possible+world+war,+of+wholesale+destruction,+I+find+my+only+question+is+this:+Are+there+enough+people+who+now+believe?+Is+there+time+enough+left+for+the+wise+to+act?+It+is+a+contest+between+ignorance+and+death,+or+wisdom+and+life.+My+faith+in+humanity+stands+firm.+

  小教堂的晨祷

  海伦?海斯/Helen+Hayes

  每个人都会遇到挫折与打击,而真正能够帮助我们的正是我们自己。只要心中有爱,就能激发出内心的力量,帮助我们度过一切难关。

  多年前,我曾经历了一场恶狗大战。当时,我正推着婴儿车,短脚长耳的宠物犬一路小跑地跟在身边。毫无预兆的,3只狗——+一只阿富汗猎犬、一只圣比纳救护犬和一只达尔马提亚狗突然向我的狗扑来,拼命地撕咬它。我大叫着请求帮忙,只见两个人停车看了看又开走了。

  看到这些,我顿时愤怒不已,于是亲自上阵去阻止这场恶战。我的戏剧训练从未有过这样的震撼力。我怒声呵斥,动作惹眼,像驯兽师那样控制住混乱的局面,最终3只狗落荒而逃。

  回想起来,我觉得自己的行为与其说是愤怒之举,不如说是一种发自于意识到必须依靠自己的力量。自己帮助自己的举动。

  生活看起来就像是一连串必须要面对的危机。但在集中精力面对它们时,我曾自欺欺人地夸大了自我的重要性。我觉得自己可以独立面对危机,却又隐约还能感觉到周围有其他人存在。我努力奋斗着,最终获得“成功”。在戏剧圈中,我很小就懂得了为观众服务的规矩。无论台上台下,观众付了钱,就期待你献出最佳的表演。于是,我加入了委员会,发表演讲,支持公益事业。然而,不知何故,做这些事情的意义却荡然无存。

  患小儿麻痹的女儿夭折时,所有人都向我伸出了援手。然而,最初我简直无法接受这一切,甚至难以接受朋友的关爱;所有的支持似乎都显得苍白无力。

  玛丽尚在病中时,我常会早起到医院附近的小教堂祈祷。一些干粗活的人也常会静静地去那里祈祷。之前,我从未在意过自己的宗教信仰,甚至将上帝排除在我的生活之外。因此,我没有勇气请求上帝保佑我的女儿康复,只是祈求他理解我,让我进来靠近他。每天早晨,我都会去那里祈祷,渴望着能得到一个启示,然而什么都没有出现。

  后来,过了很久,就在那个教堂里,我看到了转机。我依然生动地记得那些在教学里见到的人。他们中有疲惫而严肃的劳工,也有双手粗糙的老妇。他们饱尝生活的艰辛,但就在那短暂的一瞬间,他们的灵魂得到了升华,顿时显得精神百倍。在祈祷的时候,他们成了上帝真正的子民,那饱经风霜的面容也立刻容光焕发起来。这便是我得到的启示。突然,我意识到自己也是他们中的一员。当知道他们也需要慰藉时,寻求中的我从中得到了力量,我觉得自己与他们相依相存。我感到有一种对人们的同情在心中涌动,也顿时明白了“爱你的邻人……”的真正意义。

  像小教堂中男男女女的面容一样,古朴而简单的真理照亮了我的心灵(让我豁然开朗)。如今,我常常阅读圣经,将耶稣、大卫与圣保罗的教诲当作是可信的朋友对如何生活的有益忠告。他们知道,生活错综复杂,常会给人类带来沉重的打击,他们正在为我指明一条最明智的人生之路。是的,我必须自助,但我并不能够离群索居,只做自给自足的个体。我意识到自己是上帝所创造的人世间一个有生命的部分,这是我之前从未意识到的生存意义。

  Once,+years+ago,+I+got+into+a+dogfight.+I+was+wheeling+a+baby+carriage,+my+pet+cocker+spaniel+trotting+beside+me.+Without+warning,+three+dogsan+Afghan,+a+St.+Bernard+and+a+Dalmatianpounced+on+the+cocker+and+started+tearing+him+to+pieces.+I+shrieked+for+help.+Two+men+in+a+car+stopped,+looked,+and+drove+on.

  When+I+saw+that+I+was+so+infuriated+that+I+waded+in+and+stopped+the+fight+myself.+My+theatrical+training+never+stood+me+in+better+stead.+My+shouts+were+so+authoritative,+my+gestures,+so+arresting,+I+commanded+the+situation+like+a+liontamer+and+the+dogs+finally+slunk+away.

  Looking+back,+I+think+I+acted+less+in+anger+than+from+a+realization+that+I+was+on+my+own,+that+if+anybody+was+going+to+help+me+at+that+moment,+it+had+to+be+myself.

  Life+seems+to+be+a+series+of+crises+that+have+to+be+faced.+In+summoning+strength+to+face+them,+though,+I+once+fooled+myself+into+an+exaggerated+regard+of+my+own+importance.+I+felt+very+independent.+I+was+only+distantly+aware+of+other+people.+I+worked+hard+and+was+“successful”.+In+the+theater,+I+was+brought+up+in+the+tradition+of+service.+The+audience+pays+its+money+and+you+are+expected+to+give+your+best+performanceboth+on+and+off+the+stage.+So+I+served+on+committees,+and+made+speeches,+and+backed+causes.+But+somehow+the+meaning+of+things+escaped+me.

  When+my+daughter+died+of+polio,+everybody+stretched+out+a+hand+to+help+me,+but+at+first+I+couldn’t+seem+to+bear+the+touch+of+anything,+even+the+love+of+friends;+no+support+seemed+strong+enough.

  While+Mary+was+still+sick.+I+used+to+go+early+in+the+morning+to+a+little+church+near+the+hospital+to+pray.+There+the+working+people+came+quietly+to+worship.+I+had+been+careless+with+my+religion,+I+had+rather+cut+God+out+of+my+life,+and+I+didn’t+have+the+nerve+at+the+time+to+ask+Him+to+make+my+daughter+well—I+only+asked+Him+to+help+me+understand,+to+let+me+come+in+and+reach+Him.+I+prayed+there+every+morning+and+I+kept+looking+for+a+revelation,+but+nothing+happened.

  And+then,+much+later,+I+discovered+that+it+had+happened,+right+there+in+the+church.+I+could+recall,+vividly,+one+by+one,+the+people+I+had+seen+there—the+solemn+laborers+with+tired+looks,+the+old+women+with+gnarled+hands.+Life+had+knocked+them+around,+but+for+a+brief+moment+they+were+being+refreshed+by+an+ennobling+experience.+It+seemed+as+they+prayed+their+worn+faces+lighted+up+and+they+became+the+very+vessels+of+God.+Here+was+my+revelation.+Suddenly+I+realized+I+was+one+of+them.+In+my+need+I+gained+strength+from+the+knowledge+that+they+too+had+needs,+and+I+felt+an+interdependence+with+them.+I+experienced+a+flood+of+compassion+for+people.+I+was+learning+the+meaning+of+“Love+thy+neighbor...”

  Truths+as+old+and+simple+as+this+began+to+light+up+for+me+like+the+faces+of+the+men+and+women+in+the+little+church.+When+I+read+the+Bible+now,+as+I+do+frequently,+I+take+the+teachings+of+men+like+Jesus+and+David+and+St.+Paul+as+the+helpful+advice+of+trusted+friends+about+how+to+live.+They+understand+that+life+is+full+of+complications+and+often+heavy+blows+and+they+are+showing+me+the+wisest+way+through+it.+I+must+help+myself,+yes,+but+I+am+not+such+a+selfcontained+unit+that+I+can+live+aloof,+unto+myself.+This+was+the+meaning+that+had+been+missing+before:+the+realization+that+I+was+a+living+part+of+God’s+world+of+people.++

  生命在时间的土壤里成长

  托马斯?曼/Thomas+Mann

  没有短暂,没有开始与结束、生与死,时间也就不复存在。永恒是毫无意义的停滞,它意味着时间永远没有结束,也永远没有开始,绝对令人乏味。

  短暂是我的信仰,也是我认为最重要的东西。

  然而短暂,如生命的消逝,不是非常哀伤的事情吗?不!它正是生命存在的精髓。它赋予了生命价值、尊严和情趣。短暂创造了时间——而“时间正是其本质”。至少,时间是至高的,是最有用的礼物。

  时间与所有富有创造力和活力的事物,及每一个达到更高目标的进步息息相关——是的,它甚至等同于这一切。

  没有短暂,没有开始与结束、生与死,时间也就不复存在。永恒是毫无意义的停滞,它意味着时间永远没有结束,也永远没有开始,绝对令人乏味。

  生命顽强无比。即便如此,它的存在也依赖于一定的条件,正如它有始亦有终。也因如此,我坚信,生命的价值与魅力将会不断地增长。

  人同自然界其他事物之间最重要的区别之一就是,人懂得短暂、始与终,所以也了解时间是一种恩赐。

  可以这么说,在人身上,短暂的生命达到了其活力与精神力量的巅峰。这并不是说只有人拥有灵魂。万物皆有灵性。但是对于“存在”与“短暂”的可互换性,只有人的大脑才能最清楚地意识到。

  对于人类来说,时间就如赐予的一片土地,等待他去辛勤耕种;是一个让他不断奋斗进取,实现自我价值,不断前进向上的空间。是的,在时间的帮助下,人可以从有限的生命中获得永恒。

  在内心深处,我相信宇宙中最为重要的当属我们的地球,并认为这样的信念存在于每一个人的心中。从内心深处,我相信混沌中宇宙的创造,无机中生命的萌芽,最终都是为了创造人类。我相信人类本身便是一项伟大的实验,它可能会因人类自身的罪恶而失败,但这也成为创造本身最主要的失败。

  无论这个信仰是否真实,人类如果能依此行事,将会获得更为有益的忠告。

  What+I+believe,+what+I+value+most,+is+transitoriness1.

  But+is+not+transitoriness—the+perishableness+of+life—something+very+sad?+No!+It+is+the+very+soul+of+existence.+It+imparts+value,+dignity,+interest+to+life.+Transitoriness+creates+time—and+“time+is+the+essence.”+Potentially+at+least,+time+is+the+supreme,+most+useful+gift.

  Time+is+related+to—yes,+identical+with—everything+creative+and+active,+every+process+toward+a+higher+goal.

  Without+transitoriness,+without+beginning+or+end,+birth+or+death,+there+is+no+time,+either.+Timelessnessin+the+sense+of+time+never+ending,+never+beginning—is+a+stagnant2+nothing.+It+is+absolutely+uninteresting.

  Life+is+possessed+by+tremendous+tenacity.+Even+so+its+presence+remains+conditional,+and+as+it+had+a+beginning,+so+it+will+have+an+end.+I+believe+that+life,+just+for+this+reason,+is+exceedingly+enhanced+in+value,+in+charm.

  One+of+the+most+important+characteristics+distinguishing+man+from+all+other+forms+of+nature+is+his+knowledge+of+transitoriness,+of+beginning+and+end,+and+therefore+of+the+gift+of+time.

  In+man+transitory+life+attains+its+peak+of+animation,+of+soul+power,+so+to+speak.+This+does+not+mean+man+alone+would+have+a+soul.+Soul+quality+pervades+all+beings.+But+man’s+soul+is+most+awake+in+his+knowledge+of+the+interchangeability3+of+the+terms+“existence”+and+“transitoriness”.

  To+man+time+is+given+like+a+piece+of+land,+as+it+were,+entrusted+to+him+for+faithful+tilling;+a+space+in+which+to+strive+incessantly,+achieve+selfrealization,+move+onward+and+upward.+Yes,+with+the+aid+of+time,+man+becomes+capable+of+wresting+the+immortal+from+the+mortal.

  Deep+down,+I+believe—and+deem+such+belief+natural+to+every+human+soul—that+in+the+universe+prime+significance+must+be+attributed+to+this+earth+of+ours.+Deep+down+I+believe+that+creation+of+the+universe+out+of+nothingness+and+of+life+out+of+inorganic+state+ultimately+aimed+at+the+creation+of+man.+I+believe+that+man+is+meant+as+a+great+experiment+whose+possible+failure+of+man’s+own+guilt+would+be+paramount+to4+the+failure+of+creation+itself.

  Whether+this+belief+be+true+or+not,+man+would+be+well+advised+if+he+behaved+as+though+it+were.

  拖船的哲理

  乔治?扬/George+Young

  不管每天从报纸上读到多少坏消息,我依然对国家充满信心。我祈祷着和平与理解降临到这个动乱的世界,让我的孩子们能够在一个幸福而非血腥冲突的世界中生活。我相信这一天终会到来。

  多年前的一个晚上,我在宁静的夜色中乘船经过某个大都市。站在舰桥上,我眺望着万家灯火辉映在夜空中,聆听着城市的喧嚣。而在我的另一侧,除了无尽的黑暗与无边的海水之外什么也看不到。刹那间,我意识到自己是多么的渺小,生活中的一切烦恼也显得微不足道。

  我在船上生活了25年,如今是一名港口领航员,负责将大型豪华客轮引航入港,直到它们安全地靠港。这项工作有时需要两艘拖船,或者更多,这要根据潮水、天气以及船只的吃水度而定。

  不用说,很多人都见过拖船拖拉*的情景。看上去拖船的工作似乎微不足道,很快*就可以停泊就位,下牢锚链,拖船也就完成了任务。

  无论一艘还是10艘拖船,它们的行动都是听命于我在*舰桥上的鸣笛信号。这些信号便是一种语言,它的可靠程度可与口头语言相比,甚至有过之而无不及。这是因为我们的汽笛信号几乎不会被误解。每艘拖船的船长会根据接收到的指令严格行动。而对于我的指挥,他们毫无疑问且完全信任,因此我们的配合一直很默契。

  +对于我的工作而言,团队合作尤为重要,这也影响着我的人生观。我相信,如果没有同伴们的帮助,我绝对不会有今天的成功,正如远洋航行的万吨*要想安全入港停泊,还得依靠小小拖船的帮助一样。

  第一次将*引航入港时,我感觉自己相当了不起。那艘*乘风破浪驶向海港,高塔般矗立在我所在的矮墩拖船前。当我们靠近船边时,舱门打开到水平面一样的高度,我在两名衣着讲究的船员的帮助下登上了船。在他们的陪同下我走上舰桥,从船长手中接过船的“指挥棒”。我意识到,自己正在掌控一艘价值百万美金的*,而它的主人正依靠我将它安全停泊。后来,在引领了几艘同样的*入港后,我明白自己不过是一个传达信号的人而已,没有什么了不起的。

  不管每天从报纸上读到多少坏消息,我依然对国家充满信心。我祈祷着和平与理解降临到这个动乱的世界,让我的孩子们能够在一个幸福而非血腥冲突的世界中生活。我相信这一天终会到来。我还记得,在1949年,一个名叫凯西?菲丝库斯的小女孩失足跌入了加利福尼亚的一口废井之中,全国的人们都对她充满了同情与关爱。当工程师、隧道工以及各行各业的人们经过三天三夜的努力将她从井底救出来时,她已经没有了呼吸。人们为营救工作捐了数千美金,但是营救人员及提供器械的人们却分文未收。他们之所以奋力救人是为了比钱更重要的东西。当时,我曾对驶入纽约港的一些国外客轮船长提及此事,他们也一样被深深地感动了。我相信,如同人们营救小凯西一样,他日我们也定能用同样的同情与理解赢来世界的和平。我相信,上帝总会让我如愿以偿的。

  One+night+many+years+ago+I+was+on+the+bridge+of+a+ship+that+passed+one+of+our+large+cities+on+a+quiet+night.+I+saw+its+lights+reflected+in+the+sky+and+heard+the+rumblings+of+the+city’s+noises.+As+I+looked+to+my+other+side,+I+could+see+nothing+but+open+space+of+darkness+and+endless+water.+I+realized+how+small+I+was+and+that+my+own+problems+of+life+did+not+seem+great.

  I+have+spent+twentyfive+years+on+boats.+Now+I+am+a+docking+pilot.+My+job+is+to+bring+in+the+large+luxury+liners+and+stay+with+them+until+they+are+safely+moored+in+their+berths.+Sometimes+this+requires+two+tugs,+sometimes+many+more,+depending+on+the+tide,+the+weather,+and+the+draft+of+the+vessel.

  Most+of+you+no+doubt+have+seen+these+tugs+pushing+and+pulling+at+the+big+liners.+What+they+are+doing+doesn’t+seem+to+make+much+sense,+but+presently+the+big+boat+is+alongside+her+pier,+her+hawsers+made+fast,+and+the+job+is+done.

  These+tugs,+whether+one+or+ten,+move+about+in+accord+with+whistle+signals+I+send+them+from+the+bridge+of+the+big+liner.+These+signals+make+up+a+language+that+is+just+as+dependable+as+the+spoken+word;+or+even+more+so,+because+our+docking+signals+are+rarely+misunderstood.+The+captain+of+each+tug+does+his+work+according+to+the+signals+he+receives.+He+never+asks+questions.+He+takes+everything+on+faith,+and+it+always+works+out.

  Working+around+tugboats,+where+so+much+depends+on+teamwork,+has+had+its+effect+on+what+I+believe.+I+believe+that+if+I+am+to+attain+a+successful+place+in+the+world+I+must+have+the+help+of+my+fellow+man+just+as+the+great+transatlantic+liners+depend+on+the+help+of+the+little+tugs+to+bring+them+safely+to+port.

  I+felt+very+important+the+first+time+I+ever+docked+a+big+liner.+She+came+riding+up+the+harbor+on+a+flood+tide+and+towered+high+over+the+stout+little+tug+that+carried+me.+As+we+drew+alongside,+a+doorway+opened+almost+at+water+level+and+two+smartly+rigged+sailors+helped+me+aboard.+I+was+escorted+to+the+bridge+where+I+took+over+from+the+captain.+I+realized+I+was+in+control+of+a+great+ship+worth+millions+of+dollars+and+the+owners+were+depending+on+me+to+bring+her+safely+to+her+berth.+After+I+had+docked+several+of+the+large+liners,+I+realized+I+was+not+important,+but+simply+the+quarterback+who+called+the+signals.

  In+spite+of+what+we+read+in+the+newspapers,+I+have+a+great+faith+in+this+country+and+I+pray+that+a+peaceful+understanding+will+come+to+this+unsettled+world,+so+that+my+children+can+grow+up+in+a+world+that+will+give+them+happiness+instead+of+bloodshed.+I+believe+this+will+come+about.+I+remember+the+understanding+and+sympathy+that+took+over+this+country,+back+in+1949,+when+a+little+girl+named+Kathy+Fiskus+fell+into+an+abandoned+well+out+in+California.+Engineers+and+sandhogs+and+people+in+all+walks+of+life+worked+almost+three+days,+and+when+they+got+her+out+she+was+dead.+People+sent+in+thousands+of+dollars+in+rescue+funds,+but+those+who+did+the+work+and+furnished+the+equipment+wouldn’t+take+money.+They+worked+for+bigger+stakes.+I+talked+to+captains+of+foreign+ships+that+came+into+New+York+Harbor,+and+they+were+just+as+concerned+as+we+Americans+over+the+tragedy.+I+believe+some+way+will+be+found+to+work+together+for+world+peace+with+the+same+sympathy+and+understanding+that+people+worked+to+rescue+little+Kathy+Fiskus.+I+believe+God+will+someday+bring+this+about.

  我们不能只玩卷轴

  刘易斯?B.+赫尔希将军/General+Lewis+B.+Hershey

  在接受自己的无知后,接下来便是努力去获得我们所不拥有的知识与理解。这将是一个漫长而艰难的过程,或许会像从学会如何生火到学会如何分裂原子一样漫长。

  我相信,我们对人与人之间关系的了解是最为匮乏的。这并不是对物质世界非凡发展的低估,也不是对人们为此做出的巨大贡献的贬低。但这一切仅仅是一些方法手段而已,除非我们学会制造并使用它们,使之对地球居民具有建设性的意义,否则物质生产的奇迹只会变得无用且糟糕,因为它们只会带来更多的毁灭手段。我相信,人际关系的范围还能有所扩展。但这并非易事。人类必须更加了解自己。比起钢或金的纯度测量而言,对人类情感与行为意义的衡量更是难上加难。

  或许,我们自以为了解自己,而这正是阻碍我们深入了解自己的最大障碍。当两种化学物质混合并散发出蒸汽时,能够准确说出蒸汽的气味或颜色的人往往会令同伴兴奋不已,而与此相比,当人们试图预测两种个性碰撞的结果时,反响却远不及此。面对第二种现象,我们往往会采取下面的两种解决方法:在事发前,以无法预知其结果为由而不予以理睬;或者事后,宣称所有人早已料到这不可避免的结果。无论采取何种方法,我们都是在拒绝承认自己无知。

  可以说,当我们知道并承认对自己知之甚少时,就已经战胜了妨碍人们建立良好人际关系的一大障碍。在接受自己的无知后,接下来便是努力去获得我们所不拥有的知识与理解。这将是一个漫长而艰难的过程,或许会像从学会如何生火到学会如何分裂原子一样漫长。人必须将目光与兴趣投向自身。对于他所知道与理解的控制范围而言,人类的发明与创造已远远超出了这个极限。就像圣诞节后的小孩,面对他父母曾感兴趣的陌生而复杂的机械玩具却束手无策。我们应马上承认自己的无知,并努力学习。我们不像小孩子那样可以选择。我们不能只玩卷轴,而让父母去处理那些更复杂的机械。

  I+believe+that+the+greatest+frontier+of+our+ignorance+lies+in+the+relationship+of+man+to+man.+I+do+not+discount+the+marvelous+development+in+the+world+of+things,+nor+do+I+devaluate+the+contributions+of+those+who+made+these+developments+possible.+Yet+all+these+are+but+means,+and+unless+we+can+learn+to+shape+and+to+control+them+to+ends+that+are+constructive+for+the+inhabitants+of+this+earth,+material+miracles+become+not+only+futile+but+worse;+worse,+because+they+provide+more+means+of+destruction.+I+believe+the+frontier+of+human+relationship+can+be+extended.+It+will+not+be+easy+to+do+so.+Man+must+learn+more+about+himself+than+he+already+knows.+The+human+emotions+and+the+meaning+of+human+behavior+present+difficulties+in+measurement+much+greater+than+those+encountered+in+learning+to+measure+steel+or+gold.

  Perhaps+the+greatest+impediment+to+the+advancement+of+knowledge+about+us+has+been+the+fact+that+we+have+assumed+we+know.+The+man+who+can+predict+accurately+the+smell+or+color+of+the+vapor+which+arises+when+two+substances+are+mixed+excites+his+fellow+citizens+far+more+than+one+who+tries+to+predict+the+result+of+the+clash+of+two+personalities.+In+the+second+phenomenon+we+tend+to+solve+by+one+of+two+methods.+We+dismiss+it+as+unpredictable+prior+to+the+clash,+or,+afterwards,+we+declare+the+result+to+have+been+inevitable+and+expected+by+everyone.+In+either+case+we+are+denying+our+ignorance.

  We+shall+have+overcome+one+of+the+largest+obstacles+to+a+solution+of+man’s+favorable+relationship+with+man+when+we+know+and+acknowledge+how+little+we+know+about+ourselves.+The+step+to+follow+our+admission+of+ignorance+is+to+seek+the+knowledge+and+understanding+that+we+have+concluded+we+do+not+have.+This+will+be+a+long+and+difficult+road,+as+long+perhaps+as+from+learning+how+to+make+fire+to+learning+how+to+fission+the+atom.+Man+must+turn+his+eyes+and+interest+inward.+He+has+already+made+more+gadgets+than+he+understands+or+knows+how+to+control.+He+resembles+a+child+after+Christmas,+unable+to+manage+the+strange+and+complicated+machine+toys+that+had+challenged+the+interest+of+his+parents.+Our+acceptance+that+we+do+not+know+and+must+seek+to+learn+cannot+wait.+We+have+not+the+choice+of+the+child.+We+cannot+play+with+spools+and+leave+the+more+complicated+machines+to+our+parents.+

  直面内在的敌人

  ++++++++++

  佚名/Anonymous

  即使是最基本的恐惧,也会让我们的雄心壮志彻底粉碎。我们的财富与情感皆会被恐惧所摧毁。如果不加以节制,它也会毁掉我们的生活。恐惧是蛰伏于我们内心的众多敌人之一。

  我们的勇气并非生来就有,恐惧也是如此。有些恐惧可能是来源于你自身的经历、他人的讲述或从书上读到的东西。像半夜两点独自走在城中危险地段这样的一些恐惧是可以理解的。但只要你学会避免这些情况,就不必再惶恐地生活。

  即使是最基本的恐惧,也会让我们的雄心壮志彻底粉碎。我们的财富与情感皆会被恐惧所摧毁。如果不加以节制,它也会毁掉我们的生活。恐惧是蛰伏于我们内心的众多敌人之一。

  让我跟你说一说我们面临的其他5个内在敌人。第一个敌人是冷漠,在它袭击之前,你必须先下手为强。而打着呵欠懒洋洋地说:“啊哈,就这样吧,我就随波逐流吧。”这是多么可悲的弊病!你永远无法漂至山顶,这就是随波逐流的问题所在。

  犹豫不决是我们面临的第二个敌人。它是一个窃贼,会偷去你的机会和事业。犹豫不决会将你获得美好未来的机会偷走。举起你的剑,同这个敌人决斗吧。

  内在的第三个敌人是怀疑。的确,正常的怀疑论仍有保留的余地。你无法相信一切,但也不能事事怀疑。很多人对过去、未来、彼此以及政府心生猜疑,对所有可能的事物和机会也持怀疑态度。最为严重的是,他们连自己也不放过。我要告诉你,怀疑会摧毁你的人生和你取得成功的机会。它会使你的账户出现赤字,让你的心灵干涸。怀疑是敌人,驱赶它,消灭它。

  第四个敌人是担忧。我们都会有所担忧,但不要被担忧的情绪所控制。相反,让它成为你的警钟。担忧也会有好的用途。如果你走在纽约的人行道上,有出租车朝你开来,那你就得担心了。不过你不能让担忧像只疯狗似的将你逼进墙角。你应该利用担忧,并将它们驱至墙角。无论什么想抓住你,你都要抓住它。无论什么攻击你,你都要予以还击。

  第五个内部敌人是过度谨慎。它是一种胆怯的生活方式。胆怯是一种疾病,而非美德。如果你放任它,它就会支配你。胆怯之人是不会有所发展的。在经济市场中,他们难以进步、成长,也难以强大起来。你必须要避免过于谨慎。

  向这些敌人开战吧。向你的恐惧发起攻击。鼓足勇气去对抗那些阻碍你的事物,与那些阻挡你实现目标与梦想的事物战斗吧。勇敢地生活,勇敢地追求你想要的一切,勇敢地成为你理想中的人。

  We+are+not+born+with+courage,+but+neither+are+we+born+with+fear.+Maybe+some+of+our+fears+are+brought+on+by+your+own+experiences,+by+what+someone+has+told+you,+by+what+you’ve+read+in+the+papers.+Some+fears+are+valid,+like+walking+alone+in+a+bad+part+of+town+at+two+o’clock+in+the+morning.+But+once+you+learn+to+avoid+that+situation,+you+won’t+need+to+live+in+fear+of+it.

  Fears,+even+the+most+basic+ones,+can+totally+destroy+our+ambitions.+Fear+can+destroy+fortunes.+Fear+can+destroy+relationships.+Fear,+if+left+unchecked,+can+destroy+our+lives.+Fear+is+one+of+the+many+enemies+lurking+inside+us.

  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!+“Hohum,+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+skepticism1.+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+interior2+enemy+is+overcaution.+It+is+the+timid+approach+to+life.+Timidity3+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+marketplace4.+You’ve+got+to+avoid+overcaution5.++

  Do+battle+with+the+enemies.+Do+battle+with+your+fears.+Build+your+courage+to+fight+what’s+holding+you+back,+what’s+keeping+you+from+your+goals+and+dreams.+Be+courageous+in+your+life+and+in+your+pursuit+of+the+things+you+want+and+the+person+you+want+to+become.

  关于秘诀和落瓦

  卡罗尔?宾德/Carroll+Binder

  我热爱生命,但我不惧怕死亡。死亡不过是去另一个世界的过渡,就像朋友跨越海洋一样;他们依然活在另一个世界里。”我坚信,是死亡教会了我们永生。

  在桑顿?怀尔德的+《三月的爱德斯》中,朱利叶斯?恺撒这样提醒我们:“我们所有人都处在落瓦的掌控之下。”没有人知道,我们的所爱会在何时遭到难以估量与控制的力量的沉重打击。

  55年来,我的绝大多数日子都是在多事的年月中度过,然而,我还是没有学会如何避免遭到落瓦的重击。我经历了好几次沉痛的打击。母亲在我3岁时离开人世。我的长子——+一个拥有天赋的理想主义青年,在战争中阵亡。而我依然抱着他可能存活的希望,倾尽心血苦苦寻找了20年,最终,在无法控制的环境的逼迫下,我放弃了努力。

  我之所以讲这些事情,是希望人们能够像我一样,坚信人一定要有精神依托,这样才能在遭受严重打击时,不致被打垮或是痛苦不堪。

  我相信,人一生中若能信仰并保持一种哲学与思想状态,便拥有了能够承受起落瓦打击的最大希望。我看见过拥有各种信仰的形形色色的人们,在各种不同的环境中承受着各种不同的打击。因此我相信,只要坚持不懈地寻求,每个人都能找到需求的信仰。

  对物质拥有、身体满足及他人的赞赏不予奢求,这是我所知道的最佳办法之一,它能使我们更坚强地承受不安全、难以预知的时代兴衰。人的所求越少,那他对命运变化的应对能力就越强。

  友谊是我最大的财富。不同年龄段的朋友带给我莫大的愉悦,在我需要时给予我最大的帮助。孩提时,我便明白了维持友谊的最大秘诀之一+——将每一位朋友都视为自己最重要的人,而不是利用他们来达到自己的目的。当我们在用自己的方式实现自我价值时,也应帮助身边的人通过他们的途径来实现自身的价值。

  认知自己,这是令我颇为受益的另一个道德准则。我总是努力实事求是地了解自己的能力与局限,并在自己的能力范围之内树立目标。也许我会错过一些发展自我潜能的机会,但我并没有浪费精力去奢求遥不可及的事物。

  我看到过无数的残暴、欺诈、腐败、肮脏与自私,但我并未因此变得愤世嫉俗。我看到过太多正直、善良与高尚的人们失去了创造更美好生活的信念。我相信,无论是对人类,还是国家而言,更美好的生活都是最令人满意的追求目标。

  我热爱生命,但我不惧怕死亡。我并不认为,死亡让我失去了儿子与其他的许多亲人。我相信威廉?佩恩所说的话,“在那个世界中,死亡无法将那些有爱心的人分开。死亡不过是去另一个世界的过渡,就像朋友跨越海洋一样;他们依然活在另一个世界里。”我坚信,是死亡教会了我们永生。

  +“We+are+all+at+the+mercy+of+a+falling+tile.”+Julius+Caesar+reminds+us+in+Thornton+Wilder’s+Ides+of+March.+None+of+us+knows+at+what+hour+something+we+may+love+may+suffer+some+terrible+blow+by+a+force+we+can+neither+anticipate+nor+control.

  Fiftyfive+years+of+living,+much+of+the+time+in+trouble+centers+of+a+highly+troubled+era,+have+not+taught+me+how+to+avoid+being+hit+by+falling+tiles.+I+have+sustained+some+very+severe+blows.+My+mother+died+when+I+was+three+years+old.+My+firstborn+son,+a+gifted+and+idealistic+youth,+was+killed+in+the+war.+While+I+was+still+cherishing+the+hope+that+he+might+be+alive,+circumstances+beyond+my+control+made+it+impossible+for+me+to+continue+work+into+which+I+had+poured+my+heart’s+blood+for+twenty+years.

  I+speak+of+such+things+here+in+the+hope+of+helping+others+to+believe+with+me+that+there+are+resources+within+one’s+grasp+which+enable+one+to+sustain+such+blows+without+being+crushed+or+embittered+by+them.

  I+believe+the+best+hope+of+standing+up+to+falling+tiles+is+through+developing+a+sustaining+philosophy+and+state+of+mind+all+through+life.+I+have+seen+all+sorts+of+people+sustain+all+sorts+of+blows+in+all+sorts+of+circumstances+by+all+sorts+of+faiths,+so+I+believe+anyone+can+find+a+faith+that+will+serve+his+needs+if+he+persists+in+the+quest.

  One+of+the+best+ways+I+know+of+fortifying+oneself+to+withstand+the+vicissitudes+of+this+insecure+and+unpredictable+era+is+to+school+oneself+to+require+relatively+little+in+the+way+of+material+possessions,+physical+satisfactions+or+the+praise+of+others.+The+less+one+requires+of+such+things+the+better+situated+one+is+to+stand+up+to+changes+of+fortune.

  I+am+singularly+rich+in+friendships.+Friends+of+all+ages+have+contributed+enormously+to+my+happiness+and+helped+me+greatly+in+times+of+need.+I+learned+one+of+the+great+secrets+of+friendship+early+in+life—to+regard+each+person+with+whom+one+associates+as+an+end+in+himself,+not+a+means+to+one’s+own+ends.+That+entails+trying+to+help+those+with+whom+one+comes+in+contact+to+find+fulfillment+in+their+own+way+while+seeking+one’s+own+fulfillment+in+one’s+own+way.

  Another+ethical+principle+that+has+stood+me+in+good+stead+is:+Know+thyself!+I+try+to+acquaint+myself+realistically+with+my+possibilities+and+limitations.+I+try+to+suit+my+aspirations+to+goals+within+my+probable+capacity+to+attain.+I+may+have+missed+some+undiscovered+possibilities+for+growth+but+I+have+spared+myself+much+by+not+shooting+for+stars+it+clearly+was+not+given+me+to+attain.

  I+have+seen+much+inhumanity,+cheating,+corruption,+sordidness+and+selfishness+but+I+have+not+become+cynical.+I+have+seen+too+much+that+is+decent,+kind+and+noble+in+men+to+lose+faith+in+the+possibility+for+a+far+finer+existence+than+yet+has+been+achieved.+I+believe+the+quest+for+a+better+life+is+the+most+satisfying+pursuit+of+men+and+nations.

  I+love+life+but+I+am+not+worried+about+death.+I+do+not+feel+that+I+have+lost+my+son+and+a+host+of+others+dear+to+me+by+death.+I+believe+with+William+Penn+that+“they+that+love+beyond+the+World+cannot+be+separated+by+it.+Death+is+but+Crossing+the+World,+as+Friends+do+the+Seas;+they+live+in+one+another+still.”+Death,+I+believe,+teaches+us+the+things+of+deathlessness.

  重新把握命运

  玛格丽特•米德/Margaret+Mead

  也许有时,我们的任务会是为一片荒地修起围墙,为一条河架桥,或养育后代让年轻的群体延续下去。如今,为了安宁而自由的未来生活,这就意味着我们必须承担起责任,去创造一个全新的世界。

  过去,孩子们通常会玩这样的游戏——突然指着一个人说:“你是干什么的?”有些人会回答:“我是一个人。”或回答是哪国人,或是哪个宗教的信徒。当新一代的孩子这样问我时,我答道:“我是一个人类学家。”人类学是对人类所有生活方式的研究,需要一个人将全部的精力与时间都投入其中。所以,在谈论信仰时,我无法将自己作为一个人的信仰与作为一个人类学家的信仰区分开来。

  +我相信,把人类看作整个世界的一部分,对了解人类是十分必要的。除了经历漫长岁月,由最初简单的生命形式发展成为的复杂生物结构,决定人性本质的因素还有人类社会的众多伟大发明。人类创造并一直使用着它们,而反过来它们也将诸如建筑师、思想家、政治家、艺术家、观察家、预言家等身份赋予了人类。我坚信,这样的特性存在于每一项伟大的发明之中,比如语言、家庭、工具的使用、政府、科学、艺术和哲学,将每个人性格中的潜能巧妙地结合起来。无论任何种族、任何文明的后裔,任何一个人类群体都能学习并将它发扬光大。所以,一个新几内亚岛最原始部落的新生婴儿完全有能力从哈佛大学毕业,写出一首十四行诗或发明一种新型的雷达,就像出生在比肯山的孩子那样。但我也相信,在新几内亚岛、波士顿、列宁格勒或是西藏长大的孩子,必定具备不同于他人的、属于自己国家的文化特性。这些文化特性对他们有着深远的影响,因此要想真正了解如何重新把握人类的命运,必须首先理解这些差异。

  +我相信,人性本无善恶之分,每个人生来都是先天潜能的不同组合,而决定人性善恶的是他们所接受的教育——是教育他们去信任、爱、试验和创造,还是教育他们去恐惧、仇恨和顺从——他们的人格也由此决定。我认为,人类的潜能甚至还不曾开始发挥,我相信只要以谦恭的态度坚持不懈地研究人类行为,让越来越多的人发现自身更多的潜能,我们就能自觉地学会创造文明。

  +我相信,人的生命之所以有意义,正是由于其个人树立的目标与他所处的文明、时代和国家之间有着密切的联系。也许有时,我们的任务会是为一片荒地修起围墙,为一条河架桥,或养育后代让年轻的群体延续下去。如今,为了安宁而自由的未来生活,这就意味着我们必须承担起责任,去创造一个全新的世界。

  Children+used+to+play+a+game+of+pointing+at+someone+suddenly,+saying:+“What+are+you?”+Some+people+answered+by+saying:+“I+am+a+human+being,”+or+by+nationality,+or+by+religion.+When+this+question+was+put+to+me+by+a+new+generation+of+children,+I+answered:+“An+anthropologist1.”+Anthropology+is+the+study+of+whole+ways+of+life,+to+which+one+must+be+completely+committed,+all+the+time.+So+that+when+I+speak+of+what+I+believe,+as+a+person,+I+cannot+separate+this+from+what+I+believe+as+an+anthropologist.

  I+believe+that+to+understand+human+beings+it+is+necessary+to+think+of+them+as+part+of+the+whole+living+world.+Our+essential+humanity+depends+not+only+on+the+complex+biological+structure+which+has+been+developed+through+the+ages+from+very+simple+beginnings,+but+also+upon+the+great+social+inventions+which+have+been+made+by+human+beings,+perpetuated2+by+human+beings,+and+in+turn+give+human+beings+their+stature+as+builders,+thinkers,+statesmen,+artists,+seers+and+prophets.+I+believe+that+each+of+these+great+inventions—language,+the+family,+the+use+of+tools,+government,+science,+art+and+philosophy—has+the+quality+of+so+combining+the+potentialities+of+every+human+temperament,+that+each+can+be+learned+and+perpetuated+by+any+group+of+human+beings,+regardless+of+race,+and+regardless+of+the+type+of+civilization+within+which+their+progenitors3+lived,+so+that+a+newborn+infant+from+the+most+primitive+tribe+in+New+Guinea+is+as+intrinsically4+capable+of+graduation+from+Harvard,+writing+a+sonnet+or+inventing+a+new+form+of+radar+as+an+infant+born+on+Beacon+Hill.+But+I+believe+also+that+once+a+child+has+been+reared+in+New+Guinea+or+Boston+or+Leningrad+or+Tibet,+he+embodies+the+culture+within+which+he+is+reared,+and+differs+from+those+who+are+reared+elsewhere,+so+deeply,+that+only+by+understanding+these+differences+can+we+reach+an+awareness+which+will+give+us+a+new+control+over+our+human+destiny.

  I+believe+that+human+nature+is+neither+intrinsically+good+nor+intrinsically+evil,+but+individuals+are+born+with+different+combinations+of+innate+potentialities5,+and+that+it+will+depend+upon+how+they+are+reared—to+trust+and+love+and+experiment+and+create,+or+to+fear+and+hate+and+conform—what+kind+of+human+beings+they+can+become.+I+believe+that+we+have+not+even+begun+to+tap+human+potentialities,+and+that+by+a+continuing+humble+but+persistent+study+of+human+behavior,+we+can+learn+consciously+to+create+civilizations+within+which+an+increasing+proportion+of+human+beings+will+realize+more+of+what+they+have+it+in+them+to+be.

  I+believe+that+human+life+is+given+meaning+through+the+relationship+which+the+individual’s+conscious+goals+have+to+the+civilization,+period+and+country,+within+which+one+lives.+At+times+the+task+may+be+to+fence+a+wilderness,+bridge+a+river,+or+rear+sons+to+perpetuate+a+young+colony.+Today+it+means+taking+upon+ourselves+the+task+of+creating+one+world+in+such+a+way+that+we+both+keep+the+future,+safe+and+leave+the+future+free.

  事业即人

  苏珊•科布斯/Susan+Cobbs

  每个人心中都拥有善的力量,并且能够将这种力量付诸于生活,这便是我最深且最坚定的信仰。对我来说,它意味着一种能够使人际关系变得更重要的生活模式。勇气、谦恭、无私与关爱,这些美德在这种方式下会变得更美丽、感人。

  对我来说,做到事业即人实在是一件难事。首先,我并非能言善辩之人;再者,一个人除了最主要的生活信仰之外,还会有多种信仰,比如变化的、零碎的以及短暂的信仰。我试着尽力说明自己最主要的生活信仰。但愿,我的言辞不会过于简单或过于虔诚。

  我了解,每个人心中都拥有善的力量,并且能够将这种力量付诸于生活,这便是我最深且最坚定的信仰。对我来说,它意味着一种能够使人际关系变得更重要的生活模式。勇气、谦恭、无私与关爱,这些美德在这种方式下会变得更美丽、感人。母亲一听到或读到有关美德的故事便会感动得热泪盈眶,过去我常为此而笑话她。然而现在,我不会再笑她了,因为我发现自己对同类故事的反应也愈加强烈,并且同样不合时宜。

  因而,我相信,我能够也必须为表达内心的善良付诸于行动。“未经受过审视的人生不值得去生活。”苏格拉底的这句话常常会出现在我的脑海中。经过审视,我们能发现自己的善良所在,就能明白善良意味着赢得了成就的道理。我明白,这样的自省并非易事——柏拉图认为这是灵魂永恒的追求。如今我觉得,自省尤为艰难,特别是在当今这个物欲急速膨胀、冲突四起、黑白混淆难辨的时代。

  紧随而来的一种信仰便是,如果我拥有行善一生的内在潜力以及表现它的冲动,那么人人都能拥有这种潜力与冲动了。选择的自由、对这种潜力及能造福人类的真理的信仰,是我在追求过程中必须具备的自身条件,也是人人都必须拥有的。如今,否认这些权利是我最为害怕的,因为归根结底,对它们的否认就是对我所理解的基本人性的否认。如果我的信仰具有十足的把握,那么比起人所创造的任何事物,人都更为重要,而将社会庞大的上层建筑重置于附属地位便是我们伟大的职责。

  但愿,将我们的问题归结为人类共同问题的方式,并非是对它们的一种逃避。我不相信这是一种逃避。因为它是我们多数人与自己,与接触的人合作,以及通过对两者的间接理解而与整个人类合作的唯一领域。我相信,这是最可靠的起点。这些日子以来,我看到年轻人正努力解决我们存在的重大问题。比起我们那一代学生,他们更关注这些问题,也更积极地加以参与。他们深刻意识到“平等”和“公正”两词的内涵。他们热切地希望能够匡正人世,但却易于忘记事业即人,而没有什么比人更重要。他们应当将同情、爱等更感人的美德赋予这些运动。那些让人热泪盈眶的美德,在这里再次出现。

  还有一句话:我相信,我们内心所拥有善良的力量,源自我们身外。不然,我心中的信仰不会如此坚定。

  It+has+not+been+easy+for+me+to+meet+this+assignment.+In+the+first+place,+I+am+not+a+very+articulate+person,+and+then+one+has+so+many+beliefs,+changing+and+fragmented+and+transitory+beliefs—besides+the+ones+most+central+to+our+lives.+I+have+tried+hard+to+pull+out+and+put+into+words+my+most+central+beliefs.+I+hope+that+what+I+say+won’t+sound+either+too+simple+or+too+pious.

  I+know+that+it+is+my+deep+and+fixed+conviction+that+man+has+within+him+the+force+of+good+and+the+power+to+translate+that+force+into+life.+For+me,+this+means+a+pattern+of+life+that+makes+personal+relationships+more+important.+A+pattern+that+makes+more+beautiful+and+attractive+the+personal+virtues:+courage,+humility,+selflessness+and+love.+I+used+to+smile+at+my+mother+because+the+tears+came+so+readily+to+her+eyes+when+she+heard+or+read+of+some+incident+that+called+out+these+virtues.+I+don’t+smile+any+more+because+I+find+I+have+become+more+and+more+responsive+in+the+same+inconvenient+way+to+the+same+kind+of+story.

  And+so+I+believe+that+I+both+can+and+must+work+to+achieve+the+good+that+is+in+me.+The+words+of+Socrates+keep+coming+back+to+me:+“The+unexamined+life+is+not+worth+living.”+By+examination+we+can+discover+what+is+our+good,+and+we+can+realize+that+knowledge+of+good+means+its+achievement.+I+know+that+such+selfexamination+has+never+been+easy—Plato+maintained+that+it+was+the+soul’s+eternal+search.+It+seems+to+me+peculiarly+difficult+now.+In+a+period+of+such+rapid+material+expansion+and+such+wide+spread+conflicts,+black+and+white+have+become+gray+and+will+not+easily+separate.

  There+is+a+belief+which+follows+this.+If+I+have+the+potential+of+the+good+life+within+me+and+the+compulsion+to+express+it,+then+it+is+a+power+and+compulsion+common+to+all+men.+What+I+must+have+for+myself+to+conduct+my+search,+all+men+must+have:+freedom+of+choice,+faith+in+the+power+and+the+beneficent+qualities+of+truth.+What+frightens+me+most+today+is+the+denial+of+these+rights,+because+this+can+only+come+from+the+denial+of+what+seems+to+me+the+essential+nature+of+man.+For+if+my+conviction+holds,+man+is+more+important+than+anything+he+has+created+and+our+great+task+is+to+bring+back+again+into+a+subordinate+position+the+monstrous+superstructures+of+our+society.

  I+hope+this+way+of+reducing+our+problems+to+the+human+equation+is+not+simply+an+evasion+of+them.+I+don’t+believe+it+is.+For+most+of+us+it+is+the+only+area+in+which+we+can+work:+the+human+area—with+ourselves,+with+the+people+we+touch,+and+through+these+two+by+vicarious+understanding,+with+mankind.+I+believe+this+is+the+safest+starting+point.+I+watch+young+people+these+days+wrestling+with+our+mighty+problems.+They+are+much+more+concerned+with+them+and+involved+in+them+than+my+generation+of+students+ever+was.+They+are+deeply+aware+of+the+words+“equality”+and+“justice”.+In+their+great+desire+to+right+wrong+they+are+prone+to+forget+that+causes+are+people,+that+nothing+matters+more+than+people.+They+need+to+add+to+their+crusades+the+warmer+and+more+affecting+virtues+of+compassion+and+love.+And+here+again+come+those+personal+virtues+that+bring+tears+to+the+eyes.

  One+further+word,+I+believe+that+the+power+of+good+within+us+is+real+and+comes+there+from+a+source+outside+and+beyond+ourselves.+Otherwise,+I+could+not+put+my+trust+so+firmly+in+it.

  痛苦源于自身

  利昂•J.+索尔博士/Dr.+Leon+J.+Saul

  在孩子的世界中,争斗也许是被迫的。而达到成熟目标的有效方法就是运用成熟的方法来解决。也许只有当多数人成熟起来,战争才会结束。

  我相信,生命最直接的目的便是生活——活着。所有已知的生命形式都经历着生命的兴衰周期,即出生、成熟、交配、繁衍、最终死亡。

  因此,人生的首要目的是完成每个个体的生命周期,包括从茁壮成长发展为完全成熟的个体。

  除非不良的因素使它长弯,否则松树生来便是笔直而挺拔的。人也是一样。一个最重要也最具意义的发现——成熟男女拥有成为最佳伴侣与父母的天性与特质:乐于尽责地工作,并献出自己的爱。

  假如世上所有人都是对家庭、朋友及世界充满爱心、负有责任,并多做贡献的成熟个体,那我们人类的多数问题都将迎刃而解。

  但是,多数人由于儿时的不良影响,导致他们扭曲地成长。因此,成年后,这些人就无法认识到自己完整而正确的人格。他们意识到有些地方不对劲,却不知问题出在哪里。他们自卑、灰心、焦虑且没有安全感。在内心情感的折磨下,他们如同受到伤害或威胁的野兽,随时准备争斗或逃避。逃避会使他们沉醉于酒精的麻痹,甚至精神错乱。而选择争斗往往会使他们变得残暴,走向犯罪,甚至挑起战争。

  人类社会中最基本的问题就是,一触即发的暴力以及人类之间的相互残杀。这是因为暴力与残杀引发的战争,使得全人类的生存都受到了威胁。

  如果没有争斗与逃避,远古时代的人类就无法在洞穴与丛林中幸存下来。但如今,随着社会的发展,恶劣的自然环境与凶残的野兽对人类的威胁已不足为惧。人类甚至学会了战胜疾病,并且拥有对地球现有人口衣食住房的充足供给。除非宇宙出现什么意外,否则人类唯一要面对的生存威胁便是来自自己内心深处的争斗与逃避。现在看来,这种随时准备与伤害或威胁斗争的丛林法则,就像人体器官中的阑尾,是退化的落后。它对人类与自然文明相处这一更有效的新方式造成了干扰。用争斗与逃避来解决问题,是最原始粗糙的办法,只有无知的孩童才会这么做。而随后出现的新方法,即理解与合作,就需要成年人拥有成熟的心智。在孩子的世界中,争斗也许是被迫的。而达到成熟目标的有效方法就是运用成熟的方法来解决。也许只有当多数人成熟起来,战争才会结束。

  我们人类面临的最基本问题,是适应社会并确保生存。而让人们认识到自己身心成熟的天性,努力朝其发展,并帮助孩子们成熟起来,这才是最基本的解决方法。

  人类所遭受的苦难绝大多数来源于我们自身,主要是由于成年人在孩童时代的成长之路的扭曲影响了情感的成熟。因此,他们无法尽责地工作及关爱他人,相反,他们变得贪婪自私,缺乏安全感,灰心丧气,焦虑且充满敌意。

  个人,乃至世界,若想从疯狂与杀戮中走向内心的和平与满足,成熟是唯一的途径。

  我相信这些,因为它们是我在科学的实证观察与亲身经历中体会出来的。

  I+believe+the+immediate+purpose+of+life+is+to+liveto+survive.+All+known+forms+of+life+go+through+life+cycles.+The+basic+plan+is:+birth—maturing—mating—reproducing—death.

  Thus+the+immediate+purpose+of+human+life+is+for+each+individual+to+fulfill+his+life+cycle.+This+involves+proper+maturing+into+the+fully+developed+adult+of+the+specie.

  The+pine+tree+grows+straight+unless+harmful+influences+warp+it.+So+does+the+human+being.+It+is+a+finding+of+the+greatest+significance+that+the+mature+man+and+woman+have+the+nature+and+characteristics+of+the+good+spouse+and+parent:the+ability+to+enjoy+responsible+working+and+loving.

  If+the+world+consisted+primarily+of+mature+person—loving,+responsible,+productive,+toward+family,+friends+and+the+world—most+of+our+human+problems+would+be+resolved.

  But+most+people+have+suffered+in+childhood+from+influences+which+have+warped+their+development.+Hence,+as+adults+they+have+not+realized+their+full+and+proper+nature.+They+feel+something+is+wrong+without+knowing+what+it+is.+They+feel+inferior,+frustrated,+insecure,+and+anxious.+And+they+react+to+these+inner+feelings+just+as+any+animal+reacts+to+any+hurt+or+threat:+by+readiness+to+fight+or+to+flee.+Flight+carries+them+into+alcoholism+and+other+mental+disorders.+Fight+impels+them+to+crime,+cruelty,+war.

  This+readiness+to+violence,+this+inhumanity+of+man+to+man,+is+the+basic+problem+of+human+life—for,+in+the+form+of+war,+it+now+threatens+to+extinguish+us.

  Without+the+fightflight+reaction,+man+would+never+have+survived+the+cave+and+the+jungle.+But+now,+through+social+living,+man+has+made+himself+relatively+safe+from+the+elements+and+wild+beasts.+He+is+even+learning+to+protect+himself+against+disease.+He+can+produce+adequate+food,+clothing+and+shelter+for+the+present+population+of+the+earth.+Barring+a+possible+astronomical+accident,+he+now+faces+no+serious+threat+to+his+existence,+except+one—the+fightflight+reaction+within+himself.+This+jungle+readiness+to+hurt+and+to+kill+is+now+a+vestigial+hangover+like+the+appendix,+which+interferes+with+the+new+and+more+powerful+means+of+coping+with+nature+through+civilization.+Trying+to+solve+every+problem+by+fighting+or+fleeing+is+the+primitive+method,+still+central+for+the+immature+child.+The+later+method,+understanding+and+cooperation,+requires+the+mature+capacities+of+the+adult.+In+an+infantile+world,+fighting+may+be+forced+upon+one.+Then+it+is+more+effective+if+handled+maturely+for+mature+goals.+Probably+war+will+cease+only+when+enough+people+are+mature.

  The+basic+problem+is+social+adaptation+and+biologic+survival.+The+basic+solution+is+for+people+to+understand+the+nature+of+their+own+biological+emotional+maturity,+to+work+toward+it,+to+help+the+children+in+their+development+toward+it.

  Human+suffering+is+mostly+made+by+man+himself.+It+is+primarily+the+result+of+the+failure+of+adults,+because+of+improper+childrearing,+to+mature+emotionally.+Hence+instead+of+enjoying+their+capacities+for+responsible+work+and+love,+they+are+grasping,+egocentric,+insecure,+frustrated,+anxious+and+hostile.

  Maturity+is+the+path+from+madness+and+murder+to+inner+peace+and+satisfying+living+for+each+individual+and+for+the+human+specie.

  This+I+believe+on+the+evidence+of+science+and+through+personal+observation+and+experience.

  办公室里的垂钓者

  理查德•萨蒙/Richard+Salmon

  冥冥之中,一切皆有定数。我也是如此。我相信,渺小而孤寂的地球应尽量完善地处理自己的一切——然而随着人口的增加,这一原则越来越难以实现。

  几年前,我开始通过高倍望远镜观察星空,并阅读理解一些天文学家为像我这样的天文爱好者所写的书。一时间,我痴迷上了观测星空。

  迄今为止,人类在对宇宙的探索中发现,在固定星云中,太阳不过是一颗极普通的燃烧着的恒星。对于银河,我总想称之为“星河”,它包含着无数个地球的姊妹星球,所有的星球都围绕着一个轴心转动,而这个轴心也在朝着某个未知的方向移动。地球不过是银河系中亿万颗星球中的一个,而银河系又是宇宙中无数星系中的一个。宇宙中究竟有多少个星系,我就不得而知了。

  在浩瀚的宇宙中,太阳是如此的渺小,而它的子孙地球更是不值一提,以至于一想到它的分量,我就会想起欧•亨利对它的形容——“无用的化身”。

  我存在的意义何在?我个人、我的民族或者我的世界,我们的存在又会产生怎样的影响?

  我的生命轨道究竟延伸向何方,这个问题真的有意义吗?谁是整个宇宙的主宰,他有着怎样的想法?

  我得好好想一想这些问题……一切是那样浩瀚、那样必然、那样无法掌控。当我闭上双眼思考这一切时,一幅极其悲壮的画面便会出现在我的脑海中。

  后来有一天,我在树林里看到一只长着黑色斑点的英国种塞特猎犬,几根酸模芒刺缠在了它的尾巴上。对像我这样的人而言,这种情况再平常不过了。以前,我总会停下来把刺拔掉。然而不知何故,这一次我突然意识到,这只活蹦乱跳的猎狗身负着一个艰巨的使命:将芒刺播撒到某个地方,这个道理就像司机让陌生人搭顺风车一样。芳草花会在风儿的帮助下离开故土,飘向新的家园;而这几根芒刺依靠的就是猎犬的尾巴。冥冥之中,一切皆有定数。我也是如此。

  我相信,渺小而孤寂的地球应尽量完善地处理自己的一切——然而随着人口的增加,这一原则越来越难以实现。

  多年前,初到纽约时我发现,与小镇相比,大都市里的生活和办事节奏要快很多。为了在激烈的竞争中生存,人们必须如此。

  一周内,我要与那些都市人一起挤几次地铁,他们看起来都相当可憎。但当我在溪边钓鳟鱼碰到城里人时,我会发现他和其他人没什么区别。他会兴趣十足、甚至热心地与我聊天,询问我的“战绩”,或是请教有关鱼饵的问题。我也会停下来,提醒他那块黑蠓鱼饵可能有点大。

  无论是在办公室还是在自家院中,我都会像在溪边垂钓时一样,多与同事或邻里交流,并常常静下心来体会世间万物的伟大。就这样,我试着尽善尽美地处理一切,就像那几根芒刺和那些遥远的星辰。我发现,这样做不仅有着无穷的乐趣,而且能够带给我幸福、满足以及内心的宁静。

  Some+years+ago+I+started+to+look+at+the+stars+through+highpowered+binoculars,+and+began+reading+in+books+written+by+astronomers+for+people+like+me.+I+became+an+entranced+stargazer+for+a+while.

  The+men+who+have+learned+as+much+as+we+know+about+the+universe+point+out+that+the+sun+is+an+insignificant,+moderately+hot+star+in+the+nebula+where+it+is+fixed.+The+Milky+Way,+which+I+have+always+wanted+to+spell+“Whey”,+is+composed+of+our+brothers+and+sisters,+and+we+are+all+moving+around+a+central+hub;+and+the+hub+is+moving+toward+some+place;+I+don’t+know+where.+My+brothers+and+sisters+are+numbered+in+billions+of+billions+and+our+galaxy+itself+is+one+of+many,+many...how+many+I+don’t+know.

  Our+sun+is+so+small+and+our+earth,+its+offspring,+is+so+tiny+that+when+I+think+of+the+magnitude,+I+think+of+what+O.+Henry+described+as+a+“statue+of+What’s+the+Use”.

  What+difference+does+it+make+that+I+exist?+What+possible+influence+can+I+make,+or+my+nation+make,+or+my+world+make?

  Where+am+I+going+on+this+ride+and+does+it+make+any+sense?+Who’s+the+boss+and+what’s+He+got+in+mind?

  That’s+what+I+got+to+thinking...it’s+all+too+big,+too+inevitable,+too+uncontrollable,+and+if+I+think+about+it+with+my+eyes+closed,+it’s+a+pretty+pessimistic+picture.

  Then+one+day+I+saw+a+hunting+dog+in+the+woods,+an+English+setter+flecked+with+black.+His+tail+was+tangled+with+dock+burs.+This+is+a+common+occurrence+to+guys+like+me.+I+always+want+to+stop+and+pull+out+the+burs.+But+this+time,+out+of+nowhere,+came+the+realization+that+this+bounding,+healthy+dog+was+performing+an+important+job:+the+job+of+transporting+seeds+that+were+constructed+for+the+very+purpose+of+hitchhiking.+The+fluff+of+milkweed+sails+on+the+wind+to+start+a+new+colony+miles+from+its+original+parent;+this+dog+and+his+tangle+of+dock+burs+are+all+part+of+a+plan.+And+so+am+I.

  I+believe+the+plan+on+this+small,+lonely+earth+is+to+make+the+best+of+it—a+policy+that+is+becoming+increasingly+more+difficult+as+the+number+of+human+beings+increase.

  When+I+came+to+New+York+many+years+ago,+I+found+that+in+big+cities+people+live+faster+and+decide+things+quicker+than+country+folk.+They+have+to,+in+order+to+survive+in+the+struggle+for+existence.

  Several+times+a+week+I+slug+it+out+with+city+dwellers+for+a+place+in+the+subway.+They+seem+to+be+a+bad+lot.+But+when+I+pass+a+city+dweller+on+a+trout+stream+I+find+he’s+just+like+other+people.+He’ll+speak+to+me+with+interest,+even+warmth.+He+will+ask+me+how+many+trout+I’ve+taken,+what+fly+was+successful;+and+I+break+down+and+tell+him,+and+point+out+that+perhaps+the+black+gnat+he+is+using+is+too+large.

  I+have+tried+to+make+the+best+of+it+by+doing+a+lot+of+office+fishing,+some+front+porch+fishing,+and+some+quiet+mulling+about+the+magnificent+things+like+dock+burs+and+remote+stars.+What’s+more,+I+have+found+it+fun;+fun+that+has+brought+me+a+lot+of+happiness,+a+lot+of+contentment+and+a+lot+of+peace.

  你得浇灌理解之花

  利兰?斯托/Leland+Stowe

  友谊没有国界,也让我认识到不同国界的人们真的可以互相了解。我们都必须在这个世界上生活,而我们每个人都有优点与缺点。理解就像盛开的花朵,你必须去浇灌它。当它绽放时,那是一种多么美妙的感觉啊。

  身为记者,我必须从职业的角度来说说何谓信仰。跟其他人一样,我也会从自身的经历谈起。24年来,我始终在与世界上的各种麻烦打着交道……接触来自不同国家的人们……目睹其他国家(包括美国)陷入战乱。这让我坚信,对我们每个人而言,人生最重要的事情之一就是理解并努力去了解他人的想法。我常常想,如果我能够真正站在别人的角度来看他们所看,感他们所感,那我将会是多么的宽容公正。20年代,欧洲与美国之间关于缩减战争债务的那场激烈争议,我记忆犹新。当时,我不得不为欧洲方面的想法与原因予以解释。我明白当时双方都有对与错,但我们都没有站在对方的立场上考虑。当理解的匮乏变得显而易见时,就导致了仇恨与战争。而这一点在我们的日常生活中也能体现出来。如果我以轻蔑的口吻谈论任何种族,就会增加我们社会上的仇恨与纷争。如果我属于那个种族,我会有怎样的想法,这一点我却不曾考虑过。在柏林,我看到希特勒的暴徒殴打手无寸铁的犹太人。回国后,我却偶尔会听到人们说:“那是他们的事,跟我们无关。”他们忘记了自由与公平的行事的权利属于全人类,而并非只属于幸运的美国人。他们忘记了无论信仰、肤色和国籍有何不同,人都是人。我记得,贫穷的西班牙和希腊农民曾让我分享他们最后的面包和奶酪;年老的俄罗斯妇人把她的床让给了我,自己却睡在地板上。那么,多纯朴的人们,他们虽然与我在言语不通,但却是在用心与我沟通。正如联合国的成员名单一样,我也可以列出我最好的朋友们——他们来自欧洲、亚洲、拉丁美洲、北美洲,来自世界各地。我最大的发现就是我们拥有很多共同之处——这一点常常提醒我:友谊没有国界,也让我认识到不同国界的人们真的可以互相了解。我们都必须在这个世界上生活,而我们每个人都有优点与缺点。但我发现,无论哪个国家的人们都是优点多于缺点的。我想,只要用心去看,你也会发现的。理解就像盛开的花朵,你必须去浇灌它。当它绽放时,那是一种多么美妙的感觉啊。当你拥有新朋友时,你就会明白这种感觉了。我认为,理解其实就是仁慈与爱心,它能为我们的生活带来崭新的意义。当我死去时,我希望人们可以说:“他曾为人们的相互理解做出了努力。”当然,我也常常会失败。但我的生活因这种努力似乎也充满了价值。

  For+the+things+I+believe+in+I+must+give+a+reporter’s+answer.+Like+everyone+else.+It’s+out+of+my+own+experience.+For+twentyfour+years+I’ve+been+up+to+my+neck+in+the+world’s+troubles...meeting+people+in+dozens+of+foreign+countries...watching+other+nations+drift+into+war—and+America+too.+It’s+convinced+me+that+one+of+the+most+important+things+in+life—for+every+one+of+us—is+understanding...+trying+to+see+the+other+fellow’s+point+of+view.+I’ve+often+though—if+I+could+really+put+myself+in+the+other+person’s+shoes,+see+things+the+way+he+sees+them,+feel+what+he+feels,+how+much+more+tolerant1+and+fair+I’d+be.+I+remember,+back+in+the+twenties,+the+bitter+arguments+between+Europeans+and+Americans+about+reducing+the+war+debts.+I+had+to+explain+what+the+Europeans+felt,+and+why.+I+learned+then+that+there’s+almost+always+some+right,+and+some+wrong,+on+both+sides.+We+didn’t+think+enough+about+ours.+When+lack+of+understanding+becomes+pronounced,+it+leads+to+hatred+and+war.+But+it’s+like+that+in+our+daily+life,+too.+If+I+talk+disparagingly2+about+any+racial+group,+I+promote+hatred—dissension3+in+our+society.+I+haven’t+thought+how+I+would+feel+if+I+belonged+to+that+group.+In+Berlin+I+saw+Hitler’s+thugs+beating+up+helpless+Jews.+Then,+back+home,+sometimes+I+heard+people+say:+“Well,+it’s+their+affair.”+They+forgot+that+freedom+and+fair+play+belong+to+all+human+beings—not+to+lucky+Americans+only.+They+forgot+that+people+are+people—of+whatever+creed,+color+or+nationality.+I+remember+the+poor+Spanish+and+Greek+peasants+who+shared+their+bread+and+cheese+with+me—all+they+had!...The+old+Russian+woman+who+made+me+take+her+bed,+while+she+slept+on+the+floor...So+many+simple+people+who+couldn’t+speak+my+language—but+spoke+with+their+hearts.+One+of+the+happiest+things+in+my+life+is+this.+My+best+friends+are+like+a+roster+of+the+United+Nations—Europeans,+Asians,+Latin+Americans,+North+Americans—just+people,+from+all+over+the+world.+The+best+part+is+discovering+how+much+we+have+in+common—the+constant+reminder+that+friendship+has+no+national+barriers—the+knowledge+that+all+kinds+of+people+really+can+understand+each+other.+We+all+have+to+live+in+this+world.+But+we+are+all+a+mixture+of+good+and+bad.+But+I’ve+found+more+of+the+good+than+the+bad+in+most+people—in+every+country.+I+think+you+only+have+to+look.+Understanding+is+a+flower+blossoming4.+But+you+have+to+water+the+plant.+Then,+when+it+blossoms,+what+a+wonderful+feeling!+You+feel+that+why+when+you+make+a+new+friend.+I+guess+understanding+really+is+charity5+and+love.+I+know+it+gives+a+new+meaning+to+our+lives.+When+I+die+I+wish+people+might+say:+“He+helped+people+to+understand+each+other+better.”+Of+course,+I+often+fail.+But+just+trying+makes+living+seem+worth+while.

  成功的钥匙

  佚名/Anonymous

  为了确保成功,你必须心甘情愿地改变路线,并沿途不断改正,一次次地尝试,需要多少次就尝试多少次,直到达到目标。而你对自己能力的信任则决定着你能否达到目标。

  拥有信心是一个人最重要的特质之一。在生活的每一方面,信心都是无价之宝,而对于做生意或取得怎样成就而言,它都是成功的必备要素。不幸的是,我们无处去学习这份必需的技能。但它毕竟是一种技能,也同样可以通过适合的工具来锻造。

  获得信心的第一种工具就是知识。了解你自身的能力和极限,了解你渴望跻身其中的领域的知识。但是仅有知识是不够的,它只有通过经验的证实,才会带给人们信心。我们将理论付诸于实践,通过收集经验中的信息和反馈信息以验证知识的有效性。如果经验的反应是积极的,我们便认为理论是正确的,并依照它行动。如果反应是消极的,勇敢者会调整方式,而多数胆小者则会受到消极反应的阻挡,停滞不前。

  通过认识、理解和正确运用下面的公式和因素,我们便可以获得信心。

  (1)知识+经验+肯定的反馈=信心。

  (2)肯定的反馈来源于成功的结果。

  (3)成功的结果是坚持实践和反复尝试的产物。

  (4)只有坚信我们最终会成功,才有可能反复尝试。

  这个公式似乎表明:在经历任何成功之前,我们必须相信自己有取得成功的能力,这是正确的,是信心公式中的知识部分,也是公式中第一个等式成立的原因所在。我们在没有经过任何尝试就相信自己必定会成功之前,是一定要了解一些知识的,比如:获得成功所需要的条件与能力等。另外我们也必须了解“失败”的真相。

  失败并非是尝试达到目标却未能如愿的产物。当我们允许自己达不到目标,放弃尝试时,才会失败。事实上,只有两种方式会导致失败:其一是在你达到真正想要的目标之前,放弃了;其二是在错误的道路上继续前行,你一开始就做了错误的选择,还固执地认为必须坚持这一选择。

  设想一下,你准备开车去一个朋友家,但你并不熟悉那里。你转向相反的方向,结果迷路了。

  在第一个失败的公式中,你发现自己迷路了,便尝试改变路线。然而,你已经走得太远,一次的改变并不能让你回到正轨,因此你需要一次又一次地改正。经过三四次改正之后,你觉得自己永远也找不到正确的道路,于是你放弃了,停下车,就这样你永远也达不到终点了。

  在第二个失败的公式中,你决定即使方向错误也要坚持走下去,因为做出新的选择就意味着最初导致你迷路的那个选择是错误的。所以,你坚持在错误的道路上继续前行,明知是错,却拒绝改正,因为你已经做出了选择,即便它是错误的。

  在文中,这两种假设听起来荒谬至极。但在这个世界上,在达到目标前就放弃或发现错误依然一意孤行的人们仍是数不胜数。

  为了确保成功,你必须心甘情愿地改变路线,并沿途不断改正,一次次地尝试,需要多少次就尝试多少次,直到达到目标。而你对自己能力的信任则决定着你能否达到目标。这样我们又回到信心公式上了。

  继续尝试的信心源于认知、了解自己的能力,懂得如何更有效地利用它们。在今天这个匆忙的世界里,我们有时会忘记去深入观察我们最珍贵的财富——我们自己。只有通过自我认知、自我了解,我们才会相信自己拥有找到正确解决方案的能力,才能达到目标。

  不了解自己的人,就容易走上弯路。他们对自己所处的位置没有明确的定义,也没有力量重心,而能为我们的目标指明方向的正是全面准确地自我评估。失去力量重心和个人定位的引导,我们就无法达到目标,因为我们不能确切地了解目标是什么或应该是什么。

  幸福、集中、目标明确的人了解并尊重自己的核心本质。他们拥有基本的工具来尝试新事物,树立新目标,并坚持不懈地去追求。这些便是成功之人。他们之所以成功,是因为每达到一个目标都能增强他们相信自己能取得成功的信念,使得他们能够去尝试更多的事物。幸福的结果便是高度自信,只要拥有充分的自信,成功便触手可及。

  One+of+the+most+important+attributes+an+individual+can+have+is+confidence.+Confidence+is+invaluable+in+every+area+of+life,+but+in+business+or+in+achieving+any+degree+of+greatness,+it+is+absolutely+essential.+Unfortunately,+there+are+few+places+we+can+go+to+learn+this+essential+skill.+Yet,+it+is+a+skill+and,+as+such,+can+be+developed+with+the+right+tools.+

  The+first+tool+for+gaining+confidence+is+knowledge.+Knowledge+of+your+own+strengths+and+limitations,+and+knowledge+of+the+arena+in+which+you+wish+to+excel.+But+knowledge+alone+isn’t+enough.+Knowledge+leads+to+confidence+only+when+it+is+validated+by+experience.+We+test+the+validity+of+what+we+think+or+believe+by+putting+the+theory+into+actual+practice+and+gathering+data+or+feedback+from+the+experience.+If+the+feedback1+is+positive,+we+assume+our+theories+are+correct+and+act+accordingly.+If+the+feedback+is+negative,+the+bold+among+us+will+adjust+our+course,+while+the+more+timid+often+allow+the+negative+feedback+to+stop+them+cold.

  Confidence+can+be+gained+by+knowing,+understanding+and+correctly+applying+the+following+formulas+and+factors:

  (1)+Knowledge+++Experience+++Positive+Feedback=Confidence.

  (2)+Positive+feedback+comes+from+successful+outcomes.

  (3)+Successful+outcomes+are+the+result+of+consistent+practice+and+repeated+attempts.

  (4)+Repeated+attempts+are+possible+only+when+we+believe+we+will+eventually+succeed.

  The+formula+seems+to+say+that+we+must+believe+in+our+ability+to+succeed+before+we+have+experienced+any+semblance2+of+success,+and+that+is+true.+That’s+where+the+knowledge+part+of+the+confidence+formula+comes+in,+and+why+it+is+the+first+equation+in+the+formula.+Before+we+can+believe+we+will+succeed+without+ever+having+made+an+attempt,+we+must+have+some+knowledge+as+to+what+success+entails+and+what+strengths+and+abilities+we+bring+to+the+mix.+We+must+also+know+the+truth+about+“failure”.

  Failure+is+not+the+result+of+attempting+to+achieve+a+goal+and+falling+short+of+the+mark.+Failure+occurs+when+we+allow+falling+short+of+the+mark+to+cause+us+to+quit+trying.+Actually,+there+are+only+two+ways+to+fail.+(1)+Give+up+before+you+reach+a+goal+you+really+want+or+(2)+continue+on+a+path+that+is+wrong+for+you+because+you+made+a+wrong+choice+initially+and+believe+the+erroneous3+choice+is+the+one+you+must+stay+with.+Suppose,+for+example,+you+got+into+your+car+intending+to+meet+a+friend+at+an+unfamiliar+location.+You+get+turned+around+on+the+way+there+and+get+lost.

  In+failure+formula+number+one+you+discover+you+are+lost+and+attempt+to+correct+your+course.+However,+you+are+too+far+off+course+for+just+one+correction+to+get+you+back+on+track,+so+you+make+another+correction+and+another+one.+After+three+or+four+corrections+you+decide+you+will+never+be+able+to+find+your+way,+so+you+give+up,+park+your+car,+and+never+reach+your+destination.

  In+failure+formula+number+two+you+decide+that+even+though+you+made+a+wrong+turn,+you+must+stick+with+it+because+to+make+a+new+choice+would+mean+you+failed+when+you+made+the+original+decision+that+got+you+lost.+So+you+continue+down+the+wrong+road,+knowing+it’s+wrong,+but+refusing+to+make+an+alteration+because+you’ve+already+made+a+choice,+however+wrong+it+may+be.

  Both+scenarios+sound+pretty+absurd+in+that+context,+but+the+world+is+full+of+people+who+give+up+and+quit+before+reaching+their+goal,+and+who+stay+with+bad+choices+long+after+they+have+discovered+they+are+bad.

  To+ensure+success+you+must+be+willing+to+alter+your+course+and+keep+altering+it,+and+to+try+again+and+again,+as+many+times+as+it+takes,+to+reach+your+destination.+Whether+you+reach+it+or+not+will+depend+on+your+belief+in+your+ability+to+eventually+arrive,+and+that+brings+us+back+to+the+confidence+formula.++

  The+faith+to+keep+trying+ultimately+comes+from+knowing+yourself+and+your+abilities,+and+knowing+how+to+use+them+most+effectively.+In+the+hustlebustle+of+today’s+world,+we+sometimes+forget+to+take+a+thorough+look+at+our+most+valuable+asset—ourselves.+Only+with+selfawareness+and+understanding+can+we+come+to+believe+in+our+ability+to+find+the+right+solution+and+to+arrive+at+our+goals.

  People+who+don’t+know+themselves+are+easily+sidetracked.+They+have+no+welldefined+personal+boundaries+and+no+center+of+power.+A+thorough+and+accurate+selfassessment+can+provide+the+compass+we+need+to+get+and+stay+on+track.+Without+a+center+of+power+and+personal+boundaries+to+guide+us,+there+is+no+way+we+can+achieve+our+goals+because+there+is+no+way+to+know+for+sure+what+our+goals+are,+or+should+be.

  Happy,+centered,+welldirected+people+are+people+who+know+their+own+core+being+and+honor+it.+These+are+the+people+who+have+the+basic+tools+to+attempt+new+things,+to+set+new+goals,+to+persist+in+pursuing+them.+These+are+the+people+who+succeed.+They+succeed+because+every+achieved+goal+increases+their+faith+in+their+ability+to+succeed+and+enables+them+to+try+greater+and+greater+things.+The+happy+result+is+a+high+degree+of+selfconfidence+and,+with+sufficient+selfconfidence,+success+is+certain.

  生命的精神支撑

  小弗雷德?道?法格博士/Dr.+Fred+Dow+Fagg,+Jr.

  尽管我们每个人都应该乐于勇敢、独立地发挥自己的能力,但也要相信,只要我们愿意,我们也能从外界获得力量之源。

  坐落在高山上的谢拉湖,依偎在积雪与岩石的怀抱中,岩层往上是一片森林。从高出湖面约500英尺的观景点看下去,湖面微波荡漾,美不胜收。我着急与同伴再次会合,准备在午后周围群山的阴影尚未笼罩全湖之前,一起钓鱼。离错层的页岩不远,便是一条通往山谷的蜿蜒小路。我不想再走上山时所走的那条漫长而乏味的小道,便决定试着走上页岩——虽然这其中一段路的下面是几百英尺的垂直峭壁。

  我小心翼翼地走在松动的页岩上。大约走到一半时,我发现脚下的页岩正一点点地不断下滑。我急忙寻找可以抓住的东西。我向前一扑,抓住了一块露出地表的坚硬岩石。就在这时,脚下被午后阳光照射的发热的页岩表层开始松动,从山上滑了下去,消失在峭壁上。几秒钟后,我听到它落进湖中的声音。

  稍微考虑了一下抄近路这愚蠢行为的后果后,我想办法从一个支撑点挪到另一个支撑点,最终借助一棵矮松的根将自己拉到小路上。那天下午钓了多少鲑鱼,我已经不记得了,但我绝对忘不了支撑点的重要性。

  在日常生活中,支撑点也是非常重要的。当我们的依靠即将从脚下溜走时,支撑点会带给我们安全的保障。我发现的最有价值的精神支撑是什么呢?

  首先,是拿撒勒卑微的木匠的教诲——他坚决主张个人价值至上,强调同情与理解的重要性,并为坚定的信仰提供了无可厚非的证明。

  其次,尽管我们每个人都应该乐于勇敢、独立地发挥自己的能力,但也要相信,只要我们愿意,我们也能从外界获得力量之源。

  再次,除了物质环境因素外,世界和人类的本质更多的是取决于我们个人的视野、理解和行为。也就是说,唯有出色的人才能创造出美好的世界。

  这些便是我所发现的精神支撑点,它们具有永恒的价值。它们给予我们的不仅是刺激的挑战,还有令人安心的承诺。这就是我信仰的一切。

  The+view+of+the+high+Sierra+Lake,+nestled+in+the+snow+and+rock+slightly+below+the+timber+line,+was+beautiful+from+my+vantage+point+some+five+hundred+feet+above+its+shimmering+surface.+I+was+anxious+to+rejoin+my+companions+and+try+the+fishing+before+the+afternoon+shadow―edging+out+from+the+surrounding+array+of+peaks―entirely+covered+the+lake.+Just+a+short+distance+beyond+the+intervening+shale,+the+trail+zigzagged1+down+to+the+valley.+I+disliked+the+thought+of+returning+by+the+long,+tedious2+trail+I+had+ascended,+and+decided+to+chance+the+shale―even+though+part+of+it+lay+above+a+sheer+dropoff+of+several+hundred+feet.

  I+started+working+my+way+over+the+loose+rock+with+considerable+caution+and+had+covered+about+half+the+distance+when+I+became+aware+of+a+slight+but+persistent+yielding+of+the+shale+under+my+feet.+Desperately,+I+looked+for+something+that+would+offer+support+and+lurched+forward+to+grasp+a+light+outcropping+of+solid+rock+just+as+the+surface+shale+underfoot―loosened+from+its+foundation+by+the+warm+noonday+sun―cascaded3+downward+and+disappeared+over+the+cliff.+Several+seconds+passed+before+I+heard+it+rattle+into+the+lake.

  Finally―after+due+consideration+of+the+folly+of+short+cuts―I+managed+to+move+from+handhold+to+handhold+and,+at+last,+pulled+myself+to+the+trail+by+the+aid+of+a+dwarf+juniper4+root.+I+have+forgotten+how+many+trout+I+caught+that+afternoon,+but+I+have+not+forgotten+the+value+of+a+handhold.

  Handholds+are+needed+also+during+the+course+of+everyday+life.+They+provide+security+when+the+things+we+depend+upon+seem+to+be+slipping+out+from+under+us.+What+are+the+spiritual+handholds+I+have+found+to+be+of+most+value?

  First,+the+teachings+of+the+humble+carpenter5+of+Nazareth―for+their+insistence+on+the+supreme+worth+of+the+individual,+for+their+stressing+of+the+significance+of+sympathetic+understanding,+and+for+their+unsurpassed+evidence+of+dauntless+faith.

  Second,+the+conviction+that,+while+every+person+should+delight+in+making+a+courageous+and+selfreliant+effort+to+live+up+to+his+capabilities,+there+are+wellsprings+of+power+outside++himself+that+can+be+tapped―if+he+will+avail+himself+of+them.

  Third,+that+the+nature+of+this+world+and+of+the+people+in+it+is+determined+more+by+our+individual+vision,+understanding++and+conduct+than+by+any+material+environmental+factors,+and+that―in+other+words―nothing+will+produce+the+good+world+but+the+good+man.

  These+are+the+principal+spiritual+handholds+I+have+found+to+possess+enduring+value.+They+offer+both+an+exciting+challenge+and+a+calm+assurance.+They+are+the+things+I+believe.+

  心脏定律

  J.乔治?弗雷德里克/J.+George+Frederick

  心脏定律的第一条便是心跳,是爱。没有了心跳,不再去爱,精神无疑就会迅速衰竭。

  最终,我明白可以将自己的信仰总结为一点,即所谓的“心脏定律”。这个短语是医学界欧内斯特?亨利?斯塔林教授的一项伟大发现,是证明心脏跳动在心肌作用下加快和减弱的精确方法;同时,他还发现,心脏进行的血液和体液相互渗透,对生命的存活而言是极其重要。

  +人与人之间需要有重要的情感双向交流,这是我的人生观。如果没有这种交流,那么一个人的灵魂及与他人的关系就会死气沉沉,危机重重。依赖理智会使人变得机械而空虚,正如我们发现的缺乏母爱的婴儿,即使在专业的技术护理下,也无法茁壮成长。

  +我认为,心脏定律的涵义就是,如果我的感情成熟到可以支配自己的动机和行为,那就能达到身心健康的最佳状态,也就可以在生活中与他人建立最具建设性的关系。在与头脑适当地协商后,我所表达出的真正心声便是我作为人所能做出的最绝妙、最成熟的判断。我坚信,人是一个不可分割的整体,是由心灵、精神、肉体构成的一个整体,但唯有心灵之声才是充分代表人类思想的真实声音。

  在我看来,心脏定律的作用方式充满了启发性与象征性。我们知道,为证明我们对其他虚弱、不幸之人的友善,我们需要给他们输血。我们了解,心脏和动脉僵硬且毫无反应时,就会导致猝死。我们明白,当心脏随着他人的困难、痛苦、不幸与需求而跳动时,我们就能领略到无此善心者所无从知晓的天籁之音;面对美丽、高贵、勇敢、奉献、关爱、温暖、孩子或夕阳时,心跳就会加快,并因此获得了生活的激情。那是他们的心灵之歌。是他人所不得而知的事物。我们都知道,人若是抑制心灵本能的冲动,就很可能会因内心情感的压抑,而导致冠心病的突发,甚至造成残废。

  我确信,心脏定律的第一条便是心跳,是爱。没有了心跳,不再去爱,精神无疑就会迅速衰竭。我们当中有太多的人总是以自我为中心,不能或不愿意去爱。我坚信,心脏定律的第二条是付出、宽恕和牺牲。心脏是身体每一个微小细胞原的能量供给中心,而整个身体中,最强韧的部分便是心肌。

  我的人道主义生活哲学正是基于这些我所知道并相信的知识。它们为我所用。也正因为有它,我才感觉自己能更接近现实,昂首面对生活。我的心更接近永恒的现实,虽然我完全明白,不能将虚伪的粗俗情感当成心灵的特质,而且心灵不成熟便易于导致严重的错误。我相信,拥有良好的教育及成熟的心灵,不仅是人类最为高贵的品质,也是世界的伟大希望。

  At+long+last+I+have+come+to+a+rather+simple+point+as+to+what+I+believe.+I+believe+in+what+I+choose+to+call+“The+Law+of+the+Heart”.+In+the+medical+world+this+phrase,+The+Law+of+the+Heart,+means+the+great+discovery+by+Professor+Ernest+Henry+Starling+of+the+precise+method+by+which+the+heart+accelerates+and+retards+itself+through+the+heart+muscle;+also+the+manner+in+which+it+accomplishes+the+vital+twoway+exchange+of+fluids+between+the+bloodstream+and+the+body+tissues.

  In+my+view+of+life+there+is+also+supremely+needful+a+vital+twoway+exchange+of+heart+qualities+between+human+beings.+Without+it+the+human+spirit+and+relationship+to+other+spirits+is+lifeless+and+dangerous.+Dependence+on+head+qualities+is+mechanical+and+empty,+just+as+we+have+discovered+that+babies+do+not+thrive,+even+with+technically+expert+nursing+care,+without+mother+love.

  The+Law+of+the+Heart,+in+my+belief,+then,+means+that+I+can+achieve+greatest+physical+and+mental+health,+and+have+the+most+constructive+relations+with+life+and+people,+if+my+matured+emotional+self+dominates+my+motives+and+actions.+When,+after+due+consultation+with+my+head,+the+true+heart+speaks,+it+is+the+finest+and+most+mellowed+judgment+that+I,+human+creature,+am+capable+of.+Man+is+indivisible,+I+believe;+he+is+a+whole;+mind,+spirit,+body—but+with+only+one+real,+fully+representative+voice—the+voice+of+the+heart.

  There+is,+in+my+belief,+very+suggestive+symbolism+in+the+means+by+which+the+Law+of+the+Heart+operates.+We+know+that+man+needs+to+give+others+weaker,+less+fortunate,+a+transfusion+of+his+blood+as+proof+of+fellowship.+We+know+that+hearts+and+arteries+which+are+hard+and+unresponsive+can+bring+the+retribution+of+sudden+death.+We+know+that+hearts+which+beat+in+unison+with+the+problems,+pains,+miseries+and+needs+of+others+know+celestial+music+which+can+never+be+known+to+those+who+do+not.+We+know+that+hearts+capable+of+quickened+pulse+at+the+sight+of+beauty+and+nobility,+courage+and+sacrifice,+love+and+tenderness,+a+child+or+a+sunset,+achieve+intensities+of+living—a+song+in+their+hearts—unknown+to+others.+We+know+that+those+who+choke+off+the+heart’s+native+impulses+will+likely+bring+on+a+coronary+thrombosis+of+obstructed+emotion+which+can+cripple.

  The+first+Law+of+the+Heart,+I+feel+sure,+is+to+pulsate,+to+love.+To+fail+to+pulsate+and+love+is+swift+and+certain+spiritual+death.+There+are+far,+far+too+many+of+us+who+seem+obsessed+with+self,+unable+or+unwilling+to+love.+The+second+Law+of+the+Heart,+I+believe,+is+to+give,+and+forgive,+to+sacrifice.+The+heart+is+the+great+supplier+and+giver+to+every+remote+atom+in+the+body.+The+heart+muscle+is+the+strongest+in+the+whole+body.

  These+things+I+know+and+believe,+and+they+provide+me+with+the+foundation+of+what+I+call+my+humanistic+philosophy+of+life.+It+works+for+me.+I+feel+close+to+the+earth+with+it.+Yet+face+uplifted.+The+heart+is+closer+to+everlasting+reality,+although+I+am+fully+aware+that+I+must+not+let+raw+emotion+masquerade+as+a+heart+quality,+and+that+the+immature+heart+can+make+serious+errors.+The+educated,+matured+heart+is,+to+my+belief,+not+only+the+noblest+thing+in+man+but+also+the+great+hope+of+the+world.+