书城外语英文爱藏:打开生命的窗
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第23章 过有意义的人生 (7)

What is the value of intellect, imagination, education, knowledge, wisdom, experience, competence and talent if you adopt a negative attitude every day?

To expand on what the writer in the church leaflet said, attitude can make or break a person. Either you are in charge of or you lose charge of your attitude.

四月里,我在悉尼出席一个研讨会时,收到别人给我的一份演讲稿。其中的内容讲的是感悟“态度”。

让我在此借用这位匿名作者的话:

“经历得越多,我就越能意识到态度对生活的影响。相比事实而言,态度对我更为重要。比起经验、教育、金钱、环境,以及他人的看法和言行,态度更为重要。外貌、智力或技能,与态度相比也显得微不足道。态度使一个企业、一种信仰、一个家庭存在或消失。

“值得注意的是,每天我们都可以选择以何种态度去迎接这一天。对于他人的处事方式和必然发生的事,我们都无法改变。我们唯一能做的,就是在我们自己的弦——我们的态度上做文章。

“因为我坚信,那些必然发生而又无法更改的事,只是人生的10%,其他90%则取决于我们如何看待。对于自己的态度,我们一样可以掌控。”

也就是说,不管遇到什么事,最重要的是看我们如何去面对它。

生活中的有些事件,你是无法控制或影响的,如地震、阴谋破坏、恐怖爆炸、遭遇雷击、突发的交通事故,等等。而自己对这些事件的想法和感受,你是可以控制的,即使你是事故的不幸受害者。

对于自己的灾祸,身体上和经济上的损失,你可以选择悲哀不已,也可以选择庆幸自己仍然活着,而且身体和大脑的多数功能都还在。积极的态度变化会激励你考虑那些潜在的希望,反之,持续的消极态度会让你痛苦和退缩。

假如你失去了一条腿、一只胳膊或一只眼睛,你可能会受到他人的嘲笑或歧视。你无法阻止那些麻木不仁的人这样做。如果你因他们对你的所作所为而悲哀烦恼,这样做能使你更聪明快乐、更坚决顽强吗?

为什么要消极地回应别人的侮辱、讽刺、 无礼和奚落呢?轻蔑地回击他们,对你来说是不值得的。如果你这样做了,只能表明你内心的软弱。不被这些行为烦扰才是正确的态度。

不必以牙还牙,他们的行为根本不会对你造成任何影响。把你内心的坚强表现出来,展示出他们所没有的尊严吧!

痛苦来自于你对这些行为的解释和回应,而并非麻木不仁者贬低你的言行。

通常,我们会对别人的言行举止有过激且消极的反应。这就是见己所欲见,小题大做。

就算人们确实太过分,你也可以积极地看待它,或对他们的行为不予理睬,这是真正的自制。

失去身体的一部分并不是生命的终结。也许是你熟悉的职业的终结,但也是你新事业的开始,也许不尽然。如果著名的史蒂芬?霍金可以通过电脑说话,如果一个打高尔夫的人仍可以用金属手臂打球,那么失去双臂或双腿的教练也就可以找到其他指导的方法。

当你失去希望,当你绝望,总是抱怨他人,甚至不想去尝试和坚持时,你就为自己选择了一种毫无意义的生活。

如果你以消极的态度对待每天的生活,那么智力、想象、教育、知识、智慧、经验、能力和才华,又有什么价值呢?

我引申一下作者在教堂传单上的话:态度可以决定一个人的成败。要么你学会掌控自己的态度,要么甘心受其摆布。

态度决定一切。面对生活,一种正确的态度就像梯子一样,让你更上一层楼。它也像阳光一样,时时给身边的人送去温暖。

1. The remarkable thing is that we have a_________ every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot_________ the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can_________ is to play on the one string we have, and that is our_________.

2. Losing a part of the body is not the_________ of life. It might be the end of a career that you were trained in and the beginning of a new career but_________, it might not._________ the famous Stephen Hawking can speak through a computer gadget, if a golfer can still play with a metal arm, then a trainer who loses both legs or arms can_________ find some other ways to teach.

1. 经历得越多,我就越能意识到态度对生活的影响。

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. 也就是说,不管遇到什么事,最重要的是看我们如何去面对它。

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

3. 态度可以决定一个人的成败。要么你学会掌控自己的态度,要么甘心受其摆布。

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

1. I was attending a seminar in Sydney in April and picked up a lecture note.

pick up:捡起;获得;收拾;学到

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

2. Even if people in reality are downright inhuman, you can choose to ignore their behaviour or not view it negatively at all.

even if:即使,纵然;甚至;尽管

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

隐形的课堂

Patience to Learn

佚名 / Anonymous

A young man presented himself to the local expert on gems and said he wanted to become a gemologist. The expert brushed him off because he feared that the youth would not have the patience to learn. The young man pleaded for a chance. Finally the expert consented and told the youth, “Be here tomorrow.”

The next morning the expert put a jade stone in the boy’s hand and told him to hold it. The expert then went about his work, cutting, weighing, and setting gems. The boy sat quietly and waited.

The following morning the expert again placed the jade stone in the youth’s hand and told him to hold it. On the third, fourth, and fifth day the expert repeated the exercise and the instructions.

On the sixth day the youth held the jade stone, but could no longer stand the silence. “Master,” he asked, “when am I going to learn something?”

“You’ll learn.” The expert replied and went about his business.

Several more days went by and the youth’s frustration mounted. One morning as the expert approached and beckoned for him to hold out his hand, he was about to blurt out that he could go on no longer. But as the master placed the stone in the youth’s hand, the young man exclaimed without looking at his hand, “This is not the same jade stone!”

“You have begun to learn.” said the master.

一个年轻人跑到当地的珠宝专家面前,说自己想成为一名宝石专家。专家毫不犹豫地想把年轻人打发走,因为他担心年轻人没有学习的耐性。年轻人苦苦哀求珠宝专家给他一个机会,最后专家终于同意了,并告诉年轻人:“明天来吧。”

次日上午,专家把一块玉石放在年轻人的手里,让他握住。然后,专家便开始忙碌起来,切割,称重,镶嵌玉石。年轻人一声不吭地坐在那里等待着。

接下来的一天上午,专家还是把玉石放在年轻人的手里,让他握住。第三天、第四天、第五天,专家仍然让年轻人做相同的事情。

第六天,年轻人握着玉石,忍不住打破了沉默。“师傅,”他问,“我什么时候学点儿东西呀?”

“你会学的。”专家说完后,又去忙自己的工作了。

又过了几天,年轻人变得沮丧不已。一天上午,正当专家走过来招呼他把手伸出来时,他差点儿脱口而出,说自己不能再这么做了。然而,就在师傅把石头放到年轻人的手中的时候,年轻人连看都没看就叫道:“这不是一块玉石!”

“你已经开始学了。”师傅说。

很多人,很多事,让我们在不知不觉中学到了很多,只是有时我们不知道。千万不要因为没有学到想学的东西,就忽视所学的价值。

1. The expert brushed him off_________ he feared that the youth would not have the patience to learn. The young man pleaded for a_________. Finally the expert consented and told the youth, “Be here_________.”

2. The following morning the expert_________ placed the jade stone in the youth’s_________ and told him to hold it. On the third, fourth, and fifth day the expert_________ the exercise and the instructions.

3. But as the master_________ the stone in the youth’s hand, the young man exclaimed_________ looking at his hand, “This is not the same jade stone!”

1. 年轻人苦苦哀求珠宝专家给他一个机会。