第2章 A Lonely Boat 恰似一叶孤舟(1)

Write Your Own Life 人生问卷

Anonymous 佚名

Suppose someone gave you a pen—a sealed，solid-colored pen.

You couldn’t see how much ink it had.It might run dry after the first few tentative words or last just long enough to create a masterpiece (or several)that would last forever and make a difference in the scheme of things.You don’t know before you begin.

Under the rules of the game，you really never know.You have to take a chance！

Actually，no rule of the game states you must do anything.Instead of picking up and using the pen，you could leave it on a shelf or in a drawer where it will dry up，unused.

But if you do decide to use it，what would you do with it？How would you play the game？

Would you plan and plan before you ever wrote a word？Would your plans be so extensive that you never even got to the writing？Or wouldyou take the pen in hand，plunge right in and just do it，struggling to keep up with the twists and turns of the torrents of words that take you where they take you？

Would you write cautiously and carefully，as if the pen might run dry the next moment，or would you pretend or believe (or pretend to believe)that the pen will write forever and proceed accordingly？

And of what would you write：Of love？Hate？Fun？Misery？Life？Death？Nothing？Everything？

Would you write to please just yourself？Or others？Or yourself by writing for others？

Would your strokes be tremblingly timid or brilliantly bold？Fancy with a flourish or plain？

Would you even write？Once you have the pen，no rule says you have to write.Would you sketch？Scribble？Doodle draw？

Would you stay in or on the lines，or see no lines at all，even if they were there？Or are they？

There’s a lot to think about here，isn’t there？Now，suppose someone gave you a life...

人生的路也是走出来的。当你彷徨失措时，不如就把它设想成一幅画卷，你会发现其实画笔就在手中。去开拓你的人生吧！

参考翻译（高昆）

假如有人给了你一支密封的单色钢笔。你无法了解它还剩下多少墨水。这些墨水也许只够用来试探性的写几个字，也许足够你去完成一部，甚至几部意义深远的传世之作。但在动笔前，这一切不得而知。

这样的游戏规则，让你无法预料结果。只能碰碰运气了！其实，这个游戏并没有规定你一定要用它去做什么。你完全可以把它丢到书架上或抽屉里，不去管它，任由它的墨水自然风干。但是，如果你决定使用它，你会怎么做呢？你的游戏又该怎么玩呢？

你是否会在每写一个字前都反复计划？你是否会因为计划太宏伟以致你从未落笔？或者你只是手握钢笔，一头扎进去，不管不顾的随着思绪信笔由来？

你在写的时候会如履薄冰就像下一笔墨水就会用尽一样，还是你会若无其事的认定墨水永无枯竭之时呢？

你又会写些什么呢：爱？恨？喜？悲？生？死？什么也不写？还是随便写些有的没的。

写这些是为了充实自我？愉悦他人？还是为别人谱写以平衡自我呢？

落笔时，你是战战兢兢，还是铿锵有力？是满心构思？还是毫无头绪？

是否你根本不会去写什么？因为规则没要求你必须去写。那么你会去素描写意？信笔涂鸦？还是随便画画呢？

你会写在条格内还是条格外，还是尽管有条格，可是你根本看不到呢？那些究竟是不是条格呢？

一支笔可以引出好多该考虑的问题，难道不是吗？那么，现在让我们想想，假如把笔换成人生……

Face Adversity With A Smile 笑对逆境

Anonymous 佚名

All of us ought to be able to brace ourselves for the predictable challenges and setbacks that crop up everyday.If we expect that life won’t be perfect，we’ll be able to avoid that impulse to quit.But even if you are strong enough to persist the obstacle course of life and work，sometimes you will encounter an adverse event that will completely knock you on your back.

Whether it’s a financial loss，the loss of respect of your peers or loved ones，or some other traumatic events in your life，these major setbacks leave you doubting yourself and wondering if things can ever change for the better again.

Adversity happens to all of us，and it happens all the time.Some form of major adversity is either going to be there or it’s lying in wait just around the corner.To ignore adversity is to succumb to the ultimate self-delusion.

But you must recognize that history is full of examples of men and women who achieved greatness despite facing hurdles so steep that easily could have crashed their spirit and left them lying in the dust.Abraham Lincoln overcomes a difficult child-hood，depression，the death of two sons，and constant ridicule during the Civil War to become arguably greatest president ever.Helen Keller made an impact on the world despite being deaf，dumb，and blind from an early age.Franklin Roosevelt had polio.

There are endless examples.These were people who not only looked adversity in the face but learned valuable lessons about overcoming difficult circumstances and were able to move ahead.

逆境并不可怕，可怕的是你不敢面对。面对逆境并不困难，困难的是坦然接受……

参考翻译（胡尊艳）

每个人都应打起精神去迎接每天的挫折和挑战。如果我们相信生活不可能是十全十美的，那我们就能避免因一时冲动而放弃追求。但即使你足够坚强，能够克服生活和工作中的困难，有时一些不好的事还是足以将你击垮。

无论是出现了金钱的损失，还是失去朋友、爱人的尊敬，或是遭受生命重创，这些风浪都会使你对自己产生疑虑，甚至怀疑人生的前景是否还会变得光明。

人生迟早要经历逆境。也许有的人正在经历，有的人在等待经历。忽视逆境无疑相当于自欺欺人。

但你不能否认，历史上还是有很多历经重重足以将他们彻底摧毁的磨难但终获成功的人。亚伯拉罕？林肯克服了童年的不幸、情绪的低潮期，也克服了丧失两个儿子的悲痛以及内战中接踵而来的嘲笑，可以说他是有史以来最伟大的总统。尽管海伦？凯勒早年双目失明，双耳失聪，也不能说话，但她还是对世界产生了重大影响。

而富兰克林？罗斯福曾患过小儿麻痹症。这样的例子数不胜数。这些人不仅勇于直面逆境，而且从中汲取到了引领他们勇往直前的宝贵经验。

I Will Become Master Of Myself 掌控自己的情绪

Anonymous 佚名

The tides advance；the tides recede.Winter goes and summer comes.Summer wanes and the cold increases.The sun rises；the sun sets.The moon is full；the moon is black.The birds arrive！the birds depart.Flowers bloom；flowers fade.Seeds are sown；harvests are reaped.All nature is a circle of moods and I am a part of nature and so，like the tides，my moods will rise；my moods will fall.

It is one of nature’s tricks，little understood，that each day I awaken with moods that have changed from yesterday.Yesterday’s joy will become today’s sadness；yet today’s sadness will grow into tomorrow’s joy.Inside me is a wheel，constantly turning from sadness to joy，from exultation to depression，from happiness to melancholy.Like the flowers，today’s full bloom of joy will fade and withers into despondency，yet I will remember that as today’s dead flower carries the seed of tomorrow’s bloom so，too，does today’s sadness carry the seed of tomorrow’s joy.

And how will I master these emotions so that each day will be productive？For unless my mood is right the day will be a failure.Trees and plants depend on the weather to flourish but I make my own weather，yea I transport it with me.

And how will I master my emotions so that every day is a happy day，and a productive one？I will learn this secret of the ages：Weak is he who permits his thoughts to control his actions；strong is he who forces his actions to control his thoughts.Each day，when I awaken，I will follow this plan of battle before I am captured by the forces of sadness，self-pity and failure—If I feel depressed I will sing.If I feel sad I will laugh.

If I feel ill I will double my labor.If I feel fear I will plunge ahead.