英文励志短文
第一篇:Youth 青春
Youth
Youth is not a time of life; it is a state of mind; it is not a matter
of rosy cheeks,
red lips and supple knees; it is a matter of the will, a quality of
the imagination, a
vigor of the emotions; it is the freshness of the deep springs of
life.
Youth means a temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of
the
appetite for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a
man of 60 more
than a boy of 20. Nobody grows old merely by a number of years. We
grow old
by deserting our ideals.
Years may wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the
soul. Worry,
fear, self-distrust bows the heart and turns the spirit back to dust.
Whether 60 or 16, there is in every human being's heart the lure of
wonders, the
unfailing appetite for what's next and the joy of the game of living.
In the center
of your heart and my heart, there is a wireless station; so long as it
receives
messages of beauty, hope, courage and power from man and from the
infinite, so
long as you are young.
When your aerials are down, and your spirit is covered with snows of
cynicism
and the ice of pessimism, then you've grown old, even at 20; but as
long as your
aerials are up, to catch waves of optimism, there's hope you may die
young at 80.
?第二篇: Three Days to See(Excerpts)假如给我三天光明(节选)
Three Days to See
All of us have read thrilling stories in which the hero had only a
limited and
specified time to live. Sometimes it was as long as a year, sometimes
as short as
24 hours. But always we were interested in discovering just how the
doomed hero
chose to spend his last days or his last hours. I speak, of course, of
free men who
have a choice, not condemned criminals whose sphere of activities is
strictly
delimited.
Such stories set us thinking, wondering what we should do under
similar
circumstances. What events, what experiences, what associations should
we
crowd into those last hours as mortal beings, what regrets?
Sometimes I have thought it would be an excellent rule to live each
day as if we
should die tomorrow. Such an attitude would emphasize sharply the
values of life.
We should live each day with gentleness, vigor and a keenness of
appreciation
which are often lost when time stretches before us in the constant
panorama of
more days and months and years to come. There are those, of course,
who would
adopt the Epicurean motto of "Eat, drink, and be merry". But most
people
would be chastened by the certainty of impending death.
In stories the doomed hero is usually saved at the last minute by some
stroke of
fortune, but almost always his sense of values is changed. He becomes
more
appreciative of the meaning of life and its permanent spiritual
values. It has
often been noted that those who live, or have lived, in the shadow of
death bring
a mellow sweetness to everything they do.
Most of us, however, take life for granted. We know that one day we
must die,
but usually we picture that day as far in the future. When we are in
buoyant
health, death is all but unimaginable. We seldom think of it. The days
stretch out
in an endless vista. So we go about our petty tasks, hardly aware of
our listless
attitude toward life.
The same lethargy, I am afraid, characterizes the use of all our
faculties and
senses. Only the deaf appreciate hearing, only the blind realize the
manifold
blessings that lie in sight. Particularly does this observation apply
to those who
have lost sight and hearing in adult life. But those who have never
suffered
impairment of sight or hearing seldom make the fullest use of these
blessed
faculties. Their eyes and ears take in all sights and sounds hazily,
without
concentration and with little appreciation. It is the same old story
of not being
grateful for what we have until we lose it, of not being conscious of
health until
we are ill.
I have often thought it would be a blessing if each human being were
stricken
blind and deaf for a few days at some time during his early adult
life. Darkness
would make him more appreciative of sight; silence would teach him the
joys of
sound.
?第三篇:Companionship of Books 以
书
关于书的成语关于读书的排比句社区图书漂流公约怎么写关于读书的小报汉书pdf
为伴(节选)
Companionship of Books
A man may usually be known by the books he reads as well as by the
company he
keeps; for there is a companionship of books as well as of men; and
one should
always live in the best company, whether it be of books or of men.
A good book may be among the best of friends. It is the same today
that it always
was, and it will never change. It is the most patient and cheerful of
companions.
It does not turn its back upon us in times of adversity or distress.
It always
receives us with the same kindness; amusing and instructing us in
youth, and
comforting and consoling us in age.
Men often discover their affinity to each other by the mutual love
they have for a
book just as two persons sometimes discover a friend by the admiration
which
both entertain for a third. There is an old proverb, 'Love me, love my
dog." But
there is more wisdom in this:" Love me, love my book." The book is a
truer and
higher bond of union. Men can think, feel, and sympathize with each
other
through their favorite author. They live in him together, and he in
them.
A good book is often the best urn of a life enshrining the best that
life could think
out; for the world of a man's life is, for the most part, but the
world of his
thoughts. Thus the best books are treasuries of good words, the golden
thoughts,
which, remembered and cherished, become our constant companions and comforters.
Books possess an essence of immortality. They are by far the most
lasting
products of human effort. Temples and statues decay, but books
survive. Time is
of no account with great thoughts, which are as fresh today as when
they first
passed through their author's minds, ages ago. What was then said and
thought
still speaks to us as vividly as ever from the printed page. The only
effect of time
have been to sift out the bad products; for nothing in literature can
long survive
e but what is really good.
Books introduce us into the best society; they bring us into the
presence of the
greatest minds that have ever lived. We hear what they said and did;
we see the
as if they were really alive; we sympathize with them, enjoy with
them, grieve
with them; their experience becomes ours, and we feel as if we were in
a measure
actors with them in the scenes which they describe.
The great and good do not die, even in this world. Embalmed in books,
their
spirits walk abroad. The book is a living voice. It is an intellect to
which on still
listens.
?第四篇:If I Rest,I Rust 如果我休息,我就会生锈
If I Rest, I Rust
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.
Those who would attain the heights reached and kept by great men must
keep
their faculties polished by constant use, so that they may unlock the
doors of
knowledge, the gate that guard the entrances to the professions, to
science, art,
literature, agriculture---every department of human endeavor.
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.
?第五篇:Ambition 抱负
Ambition
It is not difficult to imagine a world short of ambition. It would
probably be a
kinder world: with out demands, without abrasions, without
disappointments.
People would have time for reflection. Such work as they did would not
be for
themselves but for the collectivity. Competition would never enter in.
conflict
would be eliminated, tension become a thing of the past. The stress of
creation
would be at an end. Art would no longer be troubling, but purely
celebratory in
its functions. Longevity would be increased, for fewer people would
die of heart
attack or stroke caused by tumultuous endeavor. Anxiety would be
extinct. Time
would stretch on and on, with ambition long departed from the human
heart.
Ah, how unrelieved boring life would be!
There 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.
?第六篇:What I have Lived for 我为何而生
What I Have Lived For
Three passions, simple but overwhelmingly strong, have governed my
life: the
longing for love, the search for knowledge, and unbearable pity for
the suffering
of mankind. These passions, like great winds, have blown me hither and
thither,
in a wayward course, over a deep ocean of anguish, reaching to the
very verge of
despair.
I have sought love, first, because it brings ecstasy---ecstasy so
great that I would
often have sacrificed all the rest of my life for a few hours for this
joy. I have
sought it, next, because it relieves loneliness---that terrible
loneliness in which
one shivering consciousness looks over the rim of the world into the
cold
unfathomable lifeless abyss. I have sought it, finally, because in the
union of love
I have seen, in a mystic miniature, the prefiguring vision of the
heaven that saints
and poets have imagined. This is what I sought, and though it might
seem too
good for human life, this is what---at last---I have found.
With equal passion I have sought knowledge. I have wished to
understand the
hearts of men. I have wished to know why the stars shine. And I have
tried to
apprehend the Pythagorean power by which number holds sway above the
flux.
A little of this, but not much, I have achieved.
Love and knowledge, so far as they were possible, led upward toward
the
heavens. But always it brought me back to earth. Echoes of cries of
pain
reverberate in my heart. Children in famine, victims tortured by
oppressors,
helpless old people a hated burden to their sons, and the whole world
of
loneliness, poverty, and pain make a mockery of what human life should
be. I
long to alleviate the evil, but I cannot, and I too suffer.
This has been my life. I have found it worth living, and would gladly
live it again
if the chance were offered me.
?第七篇:When Love Beckons You 爱的召唤
When Love Beckons You
When love beckons to you, follow him, though his ways are hard and
steep. And
when his wings enfold you, yield to him, though the sword hidden among
his
pinions may wound you. And when he speaks to you, believe in him,
though his
voice may shatter your dreams as the north wind lays waste the garden.
For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for
your
growth so is he for your pruning. Even as he ascends to your height
and caresses
your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun, so shall he descend to
our roots
and shake them in their clinging to the earth.
But if, in your fear, you would seek only love's peace and love's
pleasure, then it
is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of
love's
threshing-floor, into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but
not all of
your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears. Love gives naught
but it self
and takes naught but from itself. Love possesses not, nor would it be
possessed,
for love is sufficient unto love.
Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself. But if you love and
must have desires,
let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the
night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of
loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a payer for the beloved in your heart and a
song of praise
upon your lips.
?第八篇:The Road to Success 成功之道
The Road to Success
It is well that young men should begin at the beginning and occupy the
most
subordinate positions. Many of the leading businessmen of Pittsburgh
had a
serious responsibility thrust upon them at the very threshold of their
career.
They were introduced to the broom, and spent the first hours of their
business
lives sweeping out the office. I notice we have janitors and
janitresses now in
offices, and our young men unfortunately miss that salutary branch of
business
education. But if by chance the professional sweeper is absent any
morning, the
boy who has the genius of the future partner in him will not hesitate
to try his
hand at the broom. It does not hurt the newest comer to sweep out the
office if
necessary. I was one of those sweepers myself.
Assuming that you have all obtained employment and are fairly started,
my
advice to you is "aim high". I would not give a fig for the young man
who does
not already see himself the partner or the head of an important firm.
Do not rest
content for a moment in your thoughts as head clerk, or foreman, or
general
manager in any concern, no matter how extensive. Say to yourself, "My
place is
at the top." Be king in your dreams.
And here is the prime condition of success, the great secret:
concentrate your
energy, thought, and capital exclusively upon the business in which
you are
engaged. Having begun in one line, resolve to fight it out on that
line, to lead in it,
adopt every improvement, have the best machinery, and know the most
about it.
The concerns which fail are those which have scattered their capital,
which
means that they have scattered their brains also. They have
investments in this,
or that, or the other, here there, and everywhere. "Don't put all your
eggs in one
basket." is all wrong. I tell you to "put all your eggs in one basket,
and then
watch that basket." Look round you and take notice, men who do that
not often
fail. It is easy to watch and carry the one basket. It is trying to
carry too many
baskets that breaks most eggs in this country. He who carries three
baskets must
put one on his head, which is apt to tumble and trip him up. One fault
of the
American businessman is lack of concentration.
To summarize what I have said: aim for the highest; never enter a bar
room; do
not touch liquor, or if at all only at meals; never speculate; never
indorse beyond
your surplus cash fund; make the firm's interest yours; break orders
always to
save owners; concentrate; put all your eggs in one basket, and watch
that basket;
expenditure always within revenue; lastly, be not impatient, for as
Emerson says,
"no one can cheat you out of ultimate success but yourselves."
?第九篇:On Meeting the Celebrated 论见名人
On Meeting the Celebrated
I have always wondered at the passion many people have to meet the
celebrated.
The prestige you acquire by being able to tell your friends that you
know famous
men proves only that you are yourself of small account. The celebrated
develop a
technique to deal with the persons they come across. They show the
world a
mask, often an impressive on, but take care to conceal their real
selves. They play
the part that is expected from them, and with practice learn to play
it very well,
but you are stupid if you think that this public performance of theirs corresponds with the man within.
I have been attached, deeply attached, to a few people; but I have
been interested
in men in general not for their own sakes, but for the sake of my
work. I have not,
as Kant enjoined, regarded each man as an end in himself, but as
material that
might be useful to me as a writer. I have been more concerned with the
obscure
than with the famous. They are more often themselves. They have had no
need to
create a figure to protect themselves from the world or to impress it.
Their
idiosyncrasies have had more chance to develop in the limited circle
of their
activity, and since they have never been in the public eye it has
never occurred to
them that they have anything to conceal. They display their oddities
because it
has never struck them that they are odd. And after all it is with the
common run
of men that we writers have to deal; kings, dictators, commercial
magnates are
from our point of view very unsatisfactory. To write about them is a
venture that
has often tempted writers, but the failure that has attended their
efforts shows
that such beings are too exceptional to form a proper ground for a
work of art.
They cannot be made real. The ordinary is the writer's richer field.
Its
unexpectedness, its singularity, its infinite variety afford unending
material. The
great man is too often all of a piece; it is the little man that is a
bundle of
contradictory elements. He is inexhaustible. You never come to the end
of the
surprises he has in store for you. For my part I would much sooner
spend a
month on a desert island with a veterinary surgeon than with a prime
minister.
?第十篇:The 50-Percent Theory of Life 生活理论半对半
The 50-Percent Theory of Life
I believe in the 50-percent theory. Half the time things are better
than normal;
the other half, they re 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.
One spring I planted corn too early in a bottomland so flood-prone
that
neighbors laughed. I felt chagrined at the wasted effort. Summer
turned
brutal---the worst heat wave and drought in my lifetime. The air-
conditioned
died; the well went dry; the marriage ended; the job lost; the money
gone. I was
living lyrics from a country tune---music I loathed. Only a surging
Kansas City
Royals team buoyed my spirits.
Looking back on that horrible summer, I soon understood that all
succeeding
good things merely offset the bad. Worse than normal wouldn't last
long. I am
owed and savor the halcyon times. The reinvigorate me for the next
nasty
surprise and offer assurance that can thrive. The 50-percent theory
even helps
me see hope beyond my Royals' recent slump, a field of struggling
rookies sown
so that some year soon we can reap an October harvest.
For that on blistering summer, the ground moisture was just right,
planting early
allowed pollination before heat withered the tops, and the lack of
rain spared the
standing corn from floods. That winter my crib overflowed with corn--
-fat,
healthy three-to-a-stalk ears filled with kernels from heel to tip---
while my
neighbors' fields yielded only brown, empty husks.
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.
?第十一篇:What is Your Recovery Rate? 你的恢复速率是多少,
What is Your Recovery Rate?
What is your recovery rate? How long does it take you to recover from
actions
and behaviors that upset you? Minutes? Hours? Days? Weeks? The longer
it
takes you to recover, the more influence that incident has on your
actions, and
the less able you are to perform to your personal best. In a nutshell,
the longer it
takes you to recover, the weaker you are and the poorer your
performance.
You are well aware that you need to exercise to keep the body fit and,
no doubt,
accept that a reasonable measure of health is the speed in which your
heart and
respiratory system recovers after exercise. Likewise the faster you
let go of an
issue that upsets you, the faster you return to an equilibrium, the
healthier you
will be. The best example of this behavior is found with professional
sportspeople.
They know that the faster they can forget an incident or missd
opportunity and
get on with the game, the better their performance. In fact, most
measure the
time it takes them to overcome and forget an incident in a game and
most reckon
a recovery rate of 30 seconds is too long!
Imagine yourself to be an actor in a play on the stage. Your aim is to
play your
part to the best of your ability. You have been given a script and at
the end of
each sentence is a ful stop. Each time you get to the end of the
sentence you start
a new one and although the next sentence is related to the last it is
not affected by
it. Your job is to deliver each sentence to the best of your ability.
Don't live your life in the past! Learn to live in the present, to
overcome the past.
Stop the past from influencing your daily life. Don't allow thoughts
of the past to
reduce your personal best. Stop the past from interfering with your
life. Learn to
recover quickly.
Remember: Rome wasn't built in a day. Reflect on your recovery rate
each day.
Every day before you go to bed, look at your progress. Don't lie in
bed saying to
you, "I did that wrong." "I should have done better there." No. look
at your day
and note when you made an effort to place a full stop after an
incident. This is a
success. You are taking control of your life. Remember this is a step
by step
process. This is not a make-over. You are undertaking real change
here. Your aim:
reduce the time spent in recovery.
The way forward?
Live in the present. Not in the precedent.
?第十二篇:Clear Your Mental Space 清理心灵的空间
Clear Your Mental Space
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 wiling 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
fell 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.
Try it. Next time you're in the middle of a negative emotion, give
yourself the
space to feel the emotion and see what happens. Keep a piece of paper
with you
that says the following:
Stop. Immerse for one minute. Do I want to keep this negativity?
Breath deep,
exhale, release. Move on!
This will remind you of the steps to the process. Remember; take the
time you
need to really immerse yourself in the emotion. Then, when you feel
you've felt it
enough, release it---really let go of it. You will be surprised at how
quickly you
can move on from a negative situation and get to what you really want
to do!
?第十三篇:Be Happy 快乐
Be Happy!
“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 mere 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.
?第十四篇:The Goodness of life 生命的美好
The Goodness of Life
Though there is much to be concerned about, there is far, far more for
which to
be thankful. Though life's goodness can at times be overshadowed, it
is never
outweighed.
For every single act that is senselessly destructive, there are
thousands more
small, quiet acts of love, kindness and compassion. For every person
who seeks to
hurt, there are many, many more who devote their lives to helping and
to
healing.
There is goodness to life that cannot be denied.
In the most magnificent vistas and in the smallest details, look
closely, for that
goodness always comes shining through.
There si no limit to the goodness of life. It grows more abundant with
each new
encounter. The more you experience and appreciate the goodness of
life, the more
there is to be lived.
Even when the cold winds blow and the world seems to be cov ered in
foggy
shadows, the goodness of life lives on. Open your eyes, open your
heart, and you
will see that goodness is everywhere.
Though the goodness of life seems at times to suffer setbacks, it
always endures.
For in the darkest moment it becomes vividly clear that life is a
priceless treasure.
And so the goodness of life is made even stronger by the very things
that would
oppose it.
Time and time again when you feared it was gone forever you found that
the
goodness of life was really only a moment away. Around the next
corner, inside
every moment, the goodness of life is there to surprise and delight
you.
Take a moment to let the goodness of life touch your spirit and calm
your
thoughts. Then, share your good fortune with another. For the goodness
of life
grows more and more magnificent each time it is given away.
Though the problems constantly scream for attention and the conflicts
appear to
rage ever stronger, the goodness of life grows stronger still,
quietly, peacefully,
with more purpose and meaning than ever before.
?第十五篇:Facing the Enemies Within 直面内在的敌人
Facing the Enemies Within
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! "Ho-hum, let it slide. I'll just drift along."
Here's one
problem with drifting: you can't drift your way to the to 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 nad 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
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.
Do battle with the enemy. Do battle with your fears. Build your
courage to fight
what's holding ou 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.
?第十六篇:Abundance is a Life Style 富足的生活方式
Abundance is a Life Style
Abundance is a life style, a way of living your life. It isn't
something you buy now
and then or pull down from the cupboard, dust off and use once or
twice, and
then return to the cupboard.
Abundance is a philosophy; it appears in your physiology, your value
system,
and carries its own set of beliefs. You walk with it, sleep with it,
bath with it, feel
with it, and need to maintain and take care of it as well.
Abundance doesn't always require money. Many people live with all that
money
can buy yet live empty inside. Abundance begins inside with some main self-ingredients, like love, care, kindness and gentleness,
thoughtfulness and
compassion. Abundance is a state of being. It radiates outward. It
shines like the
sun among the many moons in the world.
Being from the brightness of abundance doesn't allow the darkness to
appear or
be in the path unless a choice to allow it to. The true state of
abundance doesn't
have room for lies or games normally played. The space is too full of
abundance.
This may be a challenge because we still need to shine for other to
see.
Abundance is seeing people for their gifts and not what they lack or
could be.
Seeing all things for their gifts and not what they lack.
Start by knowing what your abundances are, fill that space with you,
and be fully
present from that state of being. Your profession of choice is telling
you of
knowing and possibilities. That is their gift. Consultants and
customer service
professionals have the ministrative assistants and virtual assistants
have an
abundance of coordination and time management. Abundance is all around
you,
and all within. See what it is; love yourself for what it is, not what
you're missing,
or what that can be better, but for what it is at this present
moment.
Be in a state of abundance of what you already have. I guarantee they
are there;
it always is buried but there. Breathe them in as if they are the air
you breathe
because they are yours. Let go of anything that isn't abundant for the
time being.
Name the shoe boxes in your closet with your gifts of abundance; pull
from them
every morning if needed. Know they are there.
Learning to trust in your own abundance is required. When you begin to
be
within your own space of abundance, whatever you need will appear
whenever
you need it. That's just the way the higher powers set this universe
up to work.
Trust the universal energy. The knowing of it all will humble you to
its power yet
let the brightness of you shine everywhere it needs to. Just by being
from a state
of abundance, it is being you.
?第十七篇:Human Life a Poem 人生如诗
Human Life a Poem
I think that, from a biological standpoint, human life almost reads
like a poem. It
has its own rhythm and beat, its internal cycles of growth and decay.
It begins
with innocent childhood, followed by awkward adolescence trying
awkwardly to
adapt itself to mature society, with its young passions and follies,
its ideals and
ambitions; then it reaches a manhood of intense activities, profiting
from
experience and learning more about society and human nature; at middle
age,
there is a slight easing of tension, a mellowing of character like the
ripening of
fruit or the mellowing of good wine, and the gradual acquiring of a
more tolerant,
more cynical and at the same time a kindlier view of life; then In the
sunset of
our life, the endocrine glands decrease their activity, and if we have
a true
philosophy of old age and have ordered our life pattern according to
it, it is for
us the age of peace and security and leisure and contentment; finally,
life flickers
out and one goes into eternal sleep, never to wake up again.
One should be able to sense the beauty of this rhythm of life, to
appreciate, as we
do in grand symphonies, its main theme, its strains of conflict and
the final
resolution. The movements of these cycles are very much the same in a
normal
life, but the music must be provided by the individual himself. In
some souls, the
discordant note becomes harsher and harsher and finally overwhelms or submerges the main melody. Sometimes the discordant note gains so much
power
that the music can no longer go on, and the individual shoots himself
with a
pistol or jump into a river. But that is because his original
leitmotif has been
hopelessly over-showed through the lack of a good self-education.
Otherwise the
normal human life runs to its normal end in kind of dignified movement
and
procession. There are sometimes in many of us too many staccatos or
impetuosos,
and because the tempo is wrong, the music is not pleasing to the ear;
we might
have more of the grand rhythm and majestic tempo o the Ganges, flowing
slowly
and eternally into the sea.
No one can say that life with childhood, manhood and old age is not a
beautiful
arrangement; the day has its morning, noon and sunset, and the year
has its
seasons, and it is good that it is so. There is no good or bad in
life, except what is
good according to its own season. And if we take this biological view
of life and
try to live according to the seasons, no one but a conceited fool or
an impossible
idealist can deny that human life can be lived like a poem.
Shakespeare has
expressed this idea more graphically in his passage about the seven
stages of life,
and a good many Chinese writers have said about the same thing. It is
curious
that Shakespeare was never very religious, or very much concerned with
religion.
I think this was his greatness; he took human life largely as it was,
and intruded
himself as little upon the general scheme of things as he did upon the
characters
of his plays. Shakespeare was like Nature itself, and that is the
greatest
compliment we can pay to a writer or thinker. He merely lived,
observed life and
went away.
?第十八篇:Solitude 独处
Solitude
I find it wholesome to be alone the greater part of the time. To be in
company,
even with the best, is soon wearisome and dissipating. I love to be
alone. I never
found the companion that was so companionable as solitude. We are for
the most
part more lonely when we go abroad among men than when we stay in our chambers. A man thinking or working is always alone, let him be where
he will.
Solitude is not measured by the miles of space that intervene between
a man and
his fellows. The really diligent student in one of the crowded hives
of Cambridge
College is as solitary as a dervish in the desert. The farmer can work
alone in the
field or the woods all day, hoeing or chopping, and not feel lonesome,
because he
is employed; but when he comes home at night he cannot sit down in a
room
alone, at the mercy of his thoughts, but must be where he can :see the
folks,:"
and recreate, and, as he thinks, remunerate himself for his day's
solitude; and
hence he wonders how the student can sit alone in the house all night
and most of
the day without ennui and :the blues:; but he does not realize that
the student,
though in the house, is still at work in his field, and chopping in
his woods, as the
farmer in his, and in turn seeks the same recreation and society that
the latter
does, though it may be a more condensed form of it.
Society is commonly too cheap. We meet at very short intervals, not
having had
time to acquire any new value for each other. We meet at meals three
times a day,
and give each other a new taste of that old musty cheese that we are.
We have
had to agree on a certain set of rules, called etiquette and
politeness, to make this
frequent meeting tolerable and that we need not come to open war. We
meet at
the post-office, and at the sociable, and about the fireside every
night; we live
thick and are in each other's way, and stumble over one another, and I
think that
we thus lose some respect for one another. Certainly less frequency
would suffice
for all important and hearty communications. Consider the girls in a factory---never alone, hardly in their dreams. It would be better if
there were but
one inhabitant to a square mile, as where I live. The value of a man
is not in his
skin, that we should touch him.
I have a great deal of company in my house; especially in the morning,
when
nobody calls. Let me suggest a few comparisons, that some one may
convey an
idea of my situation. I am no more lonely than the loon in the pond
that laughs so
loud, or than Walden Pond itself. What company has that lonely lake, I
pray?
And yet it has not the blue devils, but the blue angels in it, in the
azure tint of its
waters. The sun is alone, except in thick weather, when there
sometimes appear
to be two, but one is a mock sun. god is alone---but the devil, he is
far from being
alone; he sees a great deal of company; he is legion. I am no more
lonely than a
single mullein or dandelion in a pasture, or a bean leaf, or sorrel,
or a horse-fly,
or a bumblebee. I am no more lonely than the Millbrook, or a
weathercock, or
the north star, or the south wind, or an April shower, or a January
thaw, or the
first spider in a new house.
?第十九篇:Giving Life Meaning 给生命以意义
Giving Life Meaning
Have you thought about what you want people to say about you after
you're
gone? Can you hear the voice saying, "He was a great man." Or "She
really will
be missed." What else do they say?
One of the strangest phenomena of life is to engage in a work that
will last long
after death. Isn't that a lot like investing all your money so that
future
generations can bare interest on it? Perhaps, yet if you look deep in
your own
heart, you'll find something drives you to make this kind of contribution---something drives every human being to find a purpose
that lives
on after death.
Do you hope to memorialize your name? Have a name that is whispered
with
reverent awe? Do you hope to have your face carved upon 50 ft of
granite rock?
Is the answer really that simple? Is the purpose of lifetime
contribution an
ego-driven desire for a mortal being to have an immortal name or is it
something
more?
A child alive today will die tomorrow. A baby that had the potential
to be the
next Einstein will die from complication is at birth. The
circumstances of life are
not set in stone. We are not all meant to live life through to old
age. We've grown
to perceive life3 as a full cycle with a certain number of years in
between. If all of
those years aren't lived out, it's a tragedy. A tragedy because a
human's potential
was never realized. A tragedy because a spark was snuffed out before
it ever
became a flame.
By virtue of inhabiting a body we accept these risks. We expose our
mortal flesh
to the laws of the physical environment around us. The trade off isn't
so bad
when you think about it. The problem comes when we construct mortal
fantasies
of what life should be like. When life doesn't conform to our fantasy
we grow
upset, frustrated, or depressed.
We are alive; let us live. We have the ability to experience; let us
experience. We
have the ability to learn; let us learn. The meaning of life can be
grasped in a
moment. A moment so brief it often evades our perception.
What meaning stands behind the dramatic unfolding of life? What single
truth
can we grasp and hang onto for dear life when all other truths around
us seem to
fade with time?
These moments are strung together in a series we call events. These
events are
strung together in a series we call life. When we seize the moment and
bend it
according to our will, a will driven by the spirit deep inside us,
then we have
discovered the meaning of life, a meaning for us that shall go on long
after we
depart this Earth.
?第二十篇:Relish the Moment 品位现在
Relish the Moment
Tucked away in our subconsciousness is an idyllic vision. We see
ourselves on a
long trip that spans the moment. 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 ad 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.
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. Instead, 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.
?第二十一篇:The Love of Beauty 爱美
The Love of Beauty
The love of beauty is an essential part of all healthy human nature.
It is a moral
quality. The absence of it is not an assured ground of condemnation,
but the
presence of it is an invariable sign of goodness of heart. In
proportion to the
degree in which it is felt will probably be the degree in which
nobleness and
beauty of character will be attained.
Natural beauty is an all-pervading presence. The universe is its
temple. It unfolds
into the numberless flowers of spring. It waves in the branches of
trees and the
green blades of grass. It haunts the depths of the earth and the sea.
It gleams
from the hues of the shell and the precious stone. And not only these
minute
objects but the oceans, the mountains, the clouds, the stars, the
rising and the
setting sun---all overflow with beauty. This beauty is so precious,
and so
congenial to our tenderest and noblest feelings, that it is painful to
think of the
multitude of people living in the midst of it and yet remaining almost
blind to it.
All persons should seek to become acquainted with the beauty in
nature. There is
not a worm we tread upon, nor a leaf that dances merrily as it falls
before the
autumn winds, but calls for our study and admiration. The power to
appreciated
beauty not merely increases our sources of happiness---it enlarges our
moral
nature, too. Beauty calms our restlessness and dispels our cares. Go
into the
fields or the woods, spend a summer day by the sea or the mountains,
and all
your little perplexities and anxieties will vanish. Listen to sweet
music, and your
foolish fears and petty jealousies will pass away. The beauty of the
world helps us
to seek and find the beauty of goodness.
?第二十二篇:The Happy Door 快乐之门
The Happy door
Happiness is like a pebble dropped into a pool to set in motion an
ever-widening
circle of ripples. As Stevenson has said, being happy is a duty.
There is no exact definition of the word happiness. Happy people are
happy for
all sorts of reasons. The key is not wealth or physical well-being,
since we find
beggars, invalids and so-called failures, who are extremely happy.
Being happy is a sort of unexpected dividend. But staying happy is an accomplishment, a triumph of soul and character. It is not selfish to
strive for it.
It is, indeed, a duty to ourselves and others.
Being unhappy is like an infectious disease. It causes people to
shrink away from
the sufferer. He soon finds himself alone, miserable and embittered.
There is,
however, a cure so simple as to seem, at first glance, ridiculous; if
you don't feel
happy, pretend to be!
It works. Before long you will find that instead of repelling people,
you attract
them. You discover how deeply rewarding it is to be the center of
wider and
wider circles of good will.
Then the make-believe becomes a reality. You possess the secret of
peace of mind,
and can forget yourself in being of service to others.
Being happy, once it is realized as a duty and established as a habit,
opens doors
into unimaginable gardens thronged with grateful friends.
?第二十三篇:Born to Win 生而为赢
Born to Win
Each human being is born as something new, something that never
existed before.
Each is born with the capacity to win at life. Each person has a
unique way of
seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and thinking. Each has his or her
own unique
potentials---capabilities and limitations. Each can be a significant,
thinking,
aware, and creative being---a productive person, a winner.
The word "winner" and "loser" have many meanings. When we refer to a
person
as a winner, we do not mean one who makes someone else lose. To us, a
winner is
one who responds authentically by being credible, trustworthy,
responsive, and
genuine, both as an individual and as a member of a society.
Winners do not dedicated their lives to a concept of what they imagine
they
should be; rather, they are themselves and as such do not use their
energy
putting on a performance, maintaining pretence and manipulating
others. They
are aware that there is a difference between being loving and acting
loving,
between being stupid and acting stupid, between being knowledgeable
and acting
knowledgeable. Winners do not need to hide behind a mask.
Winners are not afraid to do their own thinking and to use their own
knowledge.
They can separate facts from opinions and don't pretend to have all
the answers.
They listen to others, evaluate what they say, but come to their own
conclusions.
Although winners can admire and respect other people, they are not
totally
defined, demolished, bound, or awed by them.
Winners do not play "helpless", nor do they play the blaming game.
Instead, they
assume responsibility for their own lives. They don't give others a
false authority
over them. Winners are their own bosses and know it.
A winner's timing is right. Winners respond appropriately to the
situation. Their
responses are related to the message sent and preserve the
significance, worth,
well-being, and dignity of the people involved. Winners know that for
everything
there is a season and for every activity a time.
Although winners can freely enjoy themselves, they can also postpone
enjoyment,
can discipline themselves in the present to enhance their enjoyment in
the future.
Winners are not afraid to go after what he wants, but they do so in
proper ways.
Winners do not get their security by controlling others. They do not
set
themselves up to lose.
A winner cares about the world and its peoples. A winner is not
isolated from the
general problems of society, but is concerned, compassionate, and
committed to
improving the quality of life. Even in the face of national and
international
adversity, a winner's self-image is not one of a powerless individual.
A winner
works to make the world a better place.
?第二十四篇:Work and Pleasure 工作和娱乐
Work and Pleasure
To be really happy and really safe, one ought to have at least two or
three
hobbies, and they must all be real. It is no use starting late in life
to say: "I will
take an interest in this or that." Such an attempt only aggravates the
strain of
mental effort. A man may acquire great knowledge of topics unconnected
with
his daily work, and yet hardly get any benefit or relief. It is no use
doing what
you like; you have got to like what you do. Broadly speaking, human
being may
be divided into three classes: those who are toiled to death, those
who are
worried to death, and those who are bored to death. It is no use
offering the
manual laborer, tired out with a hard week's sweat and effort, the
chance of
playing a game of football or baseball on Saturday afternoon. It is no
use inviting
the politician or the professional or business man, who has been
working or
worrying about serious things for six days, to work or worry about
trifling things
at the weekend.
It may also be said that rational, industrious, useful human beings
are divided
into two classes: first, those whose work is work and whose pleasure
is pleasure;
and secondly, those whose work and pleasure are one. Of these the
former are
the majority. They have their compensations. The long hours in the
office or the
factory bring with them as their reward, not only the means of
sustenance, but a
keen appetite for pleasure even in its simplest and most modest forms.
But
Fortune's favored children belong to the second class. Their life is a
natural
harmony. For them the working hours are never long enough. Each day is
a
holiday, and ordinary holidays when they come are grudged as enforced interruptions in an absorbing vacation. Yet to both classes the need
of an
alternative outlook, of a change of atmosphere, of a diversion of
effort, is
essential. Indeed, it may well be that those whose work is their
pleasure are those
who most need the means of banishing it at intervals from their minds.
?第二十五篇:Mirror, Mirror--What do I see镜子,镜子,告诉我
Mirror, Mirror---What do I See?
A loving person lives in a loving world. A hostile person lives in a
hostile world.
Everyone you meet is your mirror.
Mirrors have a very particular function. They reflect the image in
front of them.
Just as a physical mirror serves as the vehicle to reflection, so do
all of the people
in our lives.
When we see something beautiful such as a flower garden, that garden
serves as
a reflection. In order to see the beauty in front of us, we must be
able to see the
beauty inside of ourselves. When we love someone, it's a reflection of
loving
ourselves. When we love someone, it's a reflection of loving
ourselves. We have
often heard things like "I love how I am when I'm with that person."
That
simply translates into "I'm able to love me when I love that other
person."
Oftentimes, when we meet someone new, we feel as though we "click". Sometimes it's as if we've known each other for a long time. That
feeling can
come from sharing similarities.
Just as the "mirror" or other person can be a positive reflection, it
is more likely
that we'll notice it when it has a negative connotation. For example,
it's easy to
remember times when we have met someone we're not particularly crazy
about.
We may have some criticism in our mind about the person. This is
especially true
when we get to know someone with whom we would rather spend less time. Frequently, when we dislike qualities in other people, ironically,
it's usually the
mirror that's speaking to us.
I began questioning myself further each time I encountered someone
that I
didn't particularly like. Each time, I asked myself, "What is it about
that person
that I don't like?" and then "Is there something similar in me?" in
every instance,
I could see a piece of that quality in me, and sometimes I had to
really get very
introspective. So what did that mean?
It means that just as I can get annoyed or disturbed when I notice
that aspect in
someone else, I better reexamine my qualities and consider making some
changes.
Even if I'm not willing to make a drastic change, at least I consider
how I might
modify some of the things that I'm doing.
At times we meet someone new and feel distant, disconnected, or
disgusted.
Although we don't want to believe it, and it's not easy or desirable
to look further,
it can be a great learning lesson to figure out what part of the
person is being
reflected in you. It's simply just another way to create more self-
awareness.
?第二十六篇:On Motes and Beams 微尘与栋梁
On Motes and Beams
It is curious that our own offenses should seem so much less heinous
than the
offenses of others. I suppose the reason is that we know all the
circumstances that
have occasioned them and so manage to excuse in ourselves what we
cannot
excuse in others. We turn our attention away from our own defects, and
when we
are forced by untoward events to consider them, find it easy to
condone them.
For all I know we are right to do this; they are part of us and we
must accept the
good and bad in ourselves together.
But when we come to judge others, it is not by ourselves as we really
are that we
judge them, but by an image that we have formed of ourselves fro which
we have
left out everything that offends our vanity or would discredit us in
the eyes of the
world. To take a trivial instance: how scornful we are when we catch
someone
out telling a lie; but who can say that he has never told not one, but
a hundred?
There is not much to choose between men. They are all a hotchpotch of
greatness
and littleness, of virtue and vice, of nobility and baseness. Some
have more
strength of character, or more opportunity, and so in one direction or
another
give their instincts freer play, but potentially they are the same.
For my part, I do
not think I am any better or any worse than most people, but I know
that if I set
down every action in my life and every thought that has crossed my
mind, the
world would consider me a monster of depravity. The knowledge that
these
reveries are common to all men should inspire one with tolerance to
oneself as
well as to others. It is well also if they enable us to look upon our
fellows, even the
most eminent and respectable, with humor, and if they lead us to take
ourselves
not too seriously.
?第二十七篇:An October Sunrise 十月的日出
An October Sunrise
I was up the next morning be fore the October sunrise, and away
through the
wild and the woodland. The rising of the sun was noble in the cold and
warmth
of it peeping down the spread of light, he raised his shoulder heavily
over the
edge of grey mountain and wavering length of upland. Beneath his gaze
the
dew-fogs dipped, and crept to crept to the hollow places; then stole
away in line
and column, holding skirts, and clinging subtly at the sheltering
corners where
rock hung over grassland, while the brave lines of the hills came
forth, one
beyond other gliding.
The woods arose in folds, like drapery of awakened mountains, stately
with a
depth of awe, and memory of the tempests. Autumn's mellow hand was
upon
them, as they owned already, touched with gold and red and olive, and
their joy
towards the sun was less to a bridegroom than a father.
Yet before the floating impress of the woods could clear it self,
suddenly the
gladsome light leaped over hill and valley, casting amber, blue, and
purple, and a
tint of rich red rose; according to the scene they lit on, and the
curtain flung
around; yet all alike dispelling fear and the cloven hoof of darkness,
all on the
wings of hope advancing, and proclaiming, "God is here!" then life and
joy
sprang reassured from every crouching hollow; every flower, and bud
and bird
had a fluttering sense of them; and all the flashing of God's gaze
merged into soft
beneficence.
So, perhaps, shall break upon us that eternal morning, when crag and
chasm
shall be no more, neither hill and valley, nor great unvintaged ocean;
but all
things shall arise, and shine in the light of the Father's
countenance, because
itself is risen.
?第二十八篇:To Be or Not to Be 生存还是毁灭
To be or not to be
Outside the Bible, these six words are the most famous in all the
literature of the
world. They were spoken by Hamlet when he was thinking aloud, and they
are
the most famous words in Shakespeare because Hamlet was speaking not
only
for himself but also for every thinking man and woman. To be or not to
be, to live
or not to live, to live richly and abundantly and eagerly, or to live
dully and
meanly and scarcely. A philosopher once wanted to know whether he was
alive or
not, which is a good question for everyone to put to himself
occasionally. He
answered it by saying: "I think, therefore am."
But the best definition of existence ever saw did another philosopher
who said:
"To be is to be in relations." If this true, then the more relations a
living thing
has, the more it is alive. To live abundantly means simply to increase
the range
and intensity of our relations. Unfortunately we are so constituted
that we get to
love our routine. But apart from our regular occupation how much are
we alive?
If you are interest-ed only in your regular occupation, you are alive
only to that
extent. So far as other things are concerned--poetry and prose, music,
pictures,
sports, unselfish friendships, politics, international affairs--you
are dead.
Contrariwise, it is true that every time you acquire a new interest--
even more, a
new accomplishment--you increase your power of life. No one who is
deeply
interested in a large variety of subjects can remain unhappy; the real
pessimist is
the person who has lost interest.
Bacon said that a man dies as often as he loses a friend. But we gain
new life by
contacts, new friends. What is supremely true of living objects is
only less true of
ideas, which are also alive. Where your thoughts are, there will your
live be also.
If your thoughts are confined only to your business, only to your
physical welfare,
only to the narrow circle of the town in which you live, then you live
in a narrow
cir-conscribed life. But if you are interested in what is going on in
China, then
you are living in China~ if you're interested in the characters of a
good novel,
then you are living with those highly interesting people, if you
listen intently to
fine music, you are away from your immediate surroundings and living
in a
world of passion and imagination.
To be or not to be--to live intensely and richly, merely to exist,
that depends on
ourselves. Let widen and intensify our relations. While we live, let
live!
?第二十九篇:Gettysburg Address 葛底斯堡演说
Gettysburg Address
Fourscore and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth upon this
continent a
new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that
all men are
created equal.
Now, we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation
or any
nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a
great
battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that
field as a final
resting-place for those who here gave their lives that that nation
might live. It is
altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate, we cannot consecrate, we
cannot
hallow this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled
here, have
consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world
will little
note nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what
they did
here. It is for us, the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the
unfinished work
which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is
rather for us
to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us---that from
these
honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they
gave the
last full measure of devotion; that we here highly resolve that these
dead shall
not have died in vain; that this nation, under God, shall have a new
birth of
freedom; and that government of the people, by the people, and for the
people,
shall not perish from the earth.
?第三十篇:First Inaugural Address(Excerpts) 就职演讲(节选)
First Inaugural Address
We observe today not a victory of party, but a celebration of freedom, symbolizing an end, as well as a beginning; signifying renewal, as
well as change.
For I have sworn before you and Almighty God the same solemn oath our forebears prescribed nearly a century and three quarters ago.
in your hands, my fellow citizens, more than in mine, will rest the
final success or
failure of our course. Since this country was founded, each generation
of
Americans has been summoned to give testimony to its national loyalty.
The
graves of young Americans who answered the call to service surround
the globe.
Now the trumpet summons us again, not as a call to bear arms, though
arms we
need; not as a call to battle, though embattled we are; but a call to
bear the
burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, "rejoicing
in hope;
patient in tribulation”, a struggle against the common enemies of
man: tyranny,
poverty, disease, and war itself.
Can we forge against these enemies a grand and global alliance, North
and South,
East and West, that can assure a more fruitful life for all mankind?
Will you join
in that historic effort?
In the long history of the world, only a few generations have been
granted the
role of defending freedom in its hour of maximum danger. I do not
shrink from
this responsibility. I welcome it. I do not believe that any of us
would exchange
places with any other people or any other generation. The energy, the
faith, the
devotion which we bring to this endeavor will light our country and
all who serve
it. And the glow from that fire can truly light the world.
And so, my fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you,
ask
what you can do for your country.
My fellow citizens of the world, ask not what America will do for you,
but what
together we can do for the freedom of man.
Finally, whether you are citizens of America or citizens of the world,
ask of us
here the same high standards of strength and sacrifice which we ask of
you. With
a good conscience our only sure reward, with history the final judge
of our deeds,
let us go forth to lead the land we love, asking His blessing and His
help, but
knowing that here on earth, God's work must truly be our own.