励志美文精华:雷雨中的醒悟
编者按:
暴风雨不会永不停息，任何不适也并非难以容忍。只要勇敢地面对困难、失望而不沮丧，成功而不骄傲，那我们的人生之战便取得了一半的胜利。
Discovery in a Thunderstorm
Dr. Nelson Glueck
Many years ago I was on a bicycle trip through some exceedingly picturesque countryside. Suddenly, dark clouds piled up overhead and rain began to fall, but strange to relate, several hundred yards ahead of me the sun shone brilliantly. Pedaling, however, as rapidly as I could, I found it impossible to get into the clear. The clouds with their rain kept advancing faster than I could race forward. I continued this unequal contest for an exhausting half hour, before realizing that I could not win my way to the bright area ahead of me.
Then it dawned upon me that I was wasting my strength in unimportant hurry, while paying no attention whatsoever to the landscape for the sake of which I was making the trip.
The storm could not last forever and the discomfort was not unendurable. Indeed, there was much to look at which might otherwise have escaped me. As I gazed about with sharpened appreciation, I saw colors and lines and contours that would have appeared differently under brilliant light. The rain mists which now crowned the wooded hills and the fresh clearness of the different greens were entrancing. My annoyance at the rain was gone and my eagerness to escape it vanished. It had provided me with a new view and helped me understand that the sources of beauty and satisfaction may be found close at hand within the range of one’s own sensibilities.
It made me think, then and later, about other matters to which this incident was related. It helped me realize that there is no sense in my attempting ever to flee from circumstances and conditions which cannot be avoided but which I might bravely meet and frequently mend and often turn to good account. I know that half the battle is won if I can face trouble with courage, disappointment with spirit, and triumph with humility. It has become ever clearer to me that danger is far from disaster, that defeat may be the forerunner of final victory, and that, in the last analysis, all achievement is perilously fragile unless based on enduring principles of moral conduct.
I have learned that trying to find a carefree world somewhere far off involves me in an endless chase in the course of which the opportunity for happiness and the happiness of attainment are all too I often lost in the chase itself. It has become apparent to me that I cannot wipe out the pains of existence by denying them, blaming them largely or completely on others, or running away from them.
The elements of weakness which mark every person cannot absolve me from the burdens and blessings of responsibility for myself and to others. I can magnify but never lessen my problems by ignoring, evading or exorcising them. I believe that my perplexities and difficulties can be considerably resolved, if not completely overcome, by my own attitudes and actions. I am convinced that there can be no guarantee of my happiness except that I help evoke and enhance it by the work of my hands and the dictates of my heart and the direction of my striving. I believe that deep faith in God is necessary to keep me and hold mankind uncowed and confident under the vagaries and ordeals of mortal experience, and particularly so in this period of revolutionary storm and travail. If my values receive their sanction and strength from relationship to divine law and acceptance of its ethical imperatives, then nothing can really harm me. “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.”
雷雨中的醒悟
内尔松.格卢克博士
多年前，我曾骑着自行车从一片风景如画的郊野中穿过。突然，乌云密布，大雨滂沱，然而令人惊奇的是，在前方几百码的地方却是阳光灿烂。我蹬着车使劲往前冲，却发现怎么也到不了那片阳光普照之地。乌云夹着大雨比我冲得还快。半小时后，精疲力尽的我停止了这场不公平的抗争，意识到自己根本无法到达那片晴朗的天地。
顿时，我豁然开朗，我在毫不重要的事情上疲于奔波，却不曾欣赏途中的景致，忘记了自己旅行的目的。暴风雨不会永不停息，任何不适也并非难以容忍。的确，我差点错过了途中许多美好的景致。我满怀感激地凝望着眼前的景色，此刻所见的色彩、线条和轮廓比起阳光下别有一番风味。树木繁茂的山上，烟雨朦胧；别样的绿树清新明朗，令人神迷。大雨带给我的烦恼顿时消散，想要逃离的欲望也不复存在。相反，它带给我一种全新的视觉景观，让我懂得美与满足就源自于我们身边，只要细心发现便能唾手可得。
这次经历从此也引导着我去思考相关的事物。它让我明白，对于无法避免的环境与条件，企图逃避毫无意义，但我可以勇敢面对它们，并常常对其进行修整与改善。我知道，只要勇敢地面对困难、失望而不沮丧，成功而不骄傲，那我们的人生之战便取得了一半的胜利。我也更清楚地意识到，危险远非灾难，而失败也许就是最终胜利的先行者。因此，归根结底，一切成就如果不经受道德准则的考验，就会脆弱不堪，危机重重。
我已经明白，当自己无休止地追寻，试图在遥远之地寻找一个无忧无虑的世界时，也常常会在追寻中错过获得幸福与成就的机会。显然，拒绝承认生存的痛苦，将它们多数或全部归咎于他人，或者逃避，都无法将它消除。
每个人都有不足之处，但我为自己与他人排忧解难和祈求祝福的责任并不能因此免除。我可以将问题放大，却绝不会为缩小问题而忽视、逃避或求助神灵。我相信，通过自己的态度与行为就可解决我的疑惑与难题，即使无法克服全部。我确信，要想使幸福有所保障，接受心灵的指引，就必须靠自己的双手，朝着目标努力奋斗，去创造并积累幸福。我相信，若想在人世间的变幻莫测与严酷考验中，特别是当今革命风暴的艰难时刻，保持无所畏惧与信心十足，就必须对上帝保持虔诚的信仰。如果我的价值观能从其与神律的联系和伦理要求的承诺中获得支持与力量，那任何事物都无法给我造成真正的伤害。“耶和华是我的牧者，我将一无所求。”
重点单词查看全部解释annoyance[ə’nɔiəns]
想一想再看
n. 烦恼，生气，令人讨厌的人或事情
acceptance[ək’septəns]
想一想再看
n. 接受（礼物、邀请、建议等），同意，认可，承兑
lessen[‘lesn]
想一想再看
v. 减少，变小，减轻
humility[hju:’militi]
想一想再看
n. 谦逊，谦虚，谦卑
联想记忆
X
单词humility联想记忆：
hum土,地+ility状态→地的状态→谦让；低下
opportunity[.ɔpə’tju:niti]
想一想再看
n. 机会，时机
contest[‘kɔntest,kən’test]
想一想再看
n. 竞赛，比赛
vt. 竞赛，争取
联想记忆
X
单词contest联想记忆：
con共同，test（v /n 测试；检验）－共同测试－比赛竞争
magnify[‘mægnifai]
想一想再看
v. 放大，夸大
v. 赞美,颂扬
analysis[ə’næləsis]
想一想再看
n. 分析，解析
联想记忆
X
单词analysis联想记忆：
lysis分开－分析
weakness[‘wi:knis]
想一想再看
n. 软弱
chase[tʃeis]
想一想再看
n. 追求，狩猎，争取
vt. 追捕，狩猎 联想记忆 X 单词chase联想记忆： 读：沉思。雕镂之前要沉思一下，用什么图案。 本文选自《这，我相信》，该书共选取自述性散文七十二篇。原文作者用简洁、朴实的文字讲述自己如何在逆境中领悟到生活的真谛而最后获得成功。原文短小精悍、语言平实，启迪读者心智。译文忠实于原文的内容和风格，可读性强。本书不仅是一本英汉对照的优秀励志读物，而且还是翻译佳作，可供在校大学生、英语自学者和翻译爱好者阅读学习。 本书译自美国畅销书This I Believe。This I Believe起初是一个广播节目，策划于1949年，旨在帮助美国人克服看重物质享受而轻视精神情操的社会倾向。该节目每日播出，每位嘉宾讲叙五分钟，其讲稿为一篇六百字的短文，每周在报纸上刊登。这些嘉宾或是社会名流，或是无名小卒，他们的肤色、职业、种族均不相同，但他们必须有一点共同之处——事业成功，应对生活成功。该节目获得巨大的成功!每天约有三千九百万美国人围在收音机旁聆听罗斯福总统夫人、海伦·凯勒、公司老板、商人或出租车司机讲述他们的信仰。 该广播节目最后成为一种文化现象，共有用六种语言播出、八十五家主要报纸开辟专栏每周刊登此节目的文章。1952年经仔细挑选，选中一百人的一百篇短文汇集出版。书名是This I Believe，畅销三十万册，是当年销售量仅次于《圣经》的畅销书。该书的阿拉伯译本创下了三天内售出三万册的记录。This I Believe至今仍然是美国全国性的媒体节目。它邀请各行各业的美国人撰文讨论指导他们生活的哲学。听众每周可在两个广播节目中听到这些人的自述，还可以在网上阅读他们的短文。 重点单词查看全部解释annoyance[ə’nɔiəns] 想一想再看 n. 烦恼，生气，令人讨厌的人或事情 acceptance[ək’septəns] 想一想再看 n. 接受（礼物、邀请、建议等），同意，认可，承兑 lessen[‘lesn] 想一想再看 v. 减少，变小，减轻 humility[hju:’militi] 想一想再看 n. 谦逊，谦虚，谦卑 联想记忆 X 单词humility联想记忆： hum土,地+ility状态→地的状态→谦让；低下 opportunity[.ɔpə’tju:niti] 想一想再看 n. 机会，时机 contest[‘kɔntest,kən’test] 想一想再看 n. 竞赛，比赛 vt. 竞赛，争取 联想记忆 X 单词contest联想记忆： con共同，test（v /n 测试；检验）－共同测试－比赛竞争 magnify[‘mægnifai] 想一想再看 v. 放大，夸大 v. 赞美,颂扬 analysis[ə’næləsis] 想一想再看 n. 分析，解析 联想记忆 X 单词analysis联想记忆： lysis分开－分析 weakness[‘wi:knis] 想一想再看 n. 软弱 chase[tʃeis] 想一想再看 n. 追求，狩猎，争取 vt. 追捕，狩猎 联想记忆 X 单词chase联想记忆： 读：沉思。雕镂之前要沉思一下，用什么图案。 NSDA“SDcamps”全国英语演讲与辩论大赛（大学组）/SDcamps全国中小学生英语演讲与辩论大会（中小学及幼儿组）/美式辩论赛（以下简称大赛/大会）现诚招全国省市合作伙伴或城市合伙人，共同进行推广NSDA赛事品牌、举办赛事及培训活动、开展素质教育、美式营地项目等多方面合作。 我们希望认同NSDA理念，有赛事组织经验，或有教育资源，特别是有理想有热情的机构或个人一起携手，共同推广NSDA品牌、赛事及素质教育。以机构的形式，或以城市合伙人的方式均可。具体的赛事组织、盈利模式，欢迎电话或微信咨询。 微信：0012133598196
