The late Helen Keller lost her sight and hearing before the age of two due to illness, but she went on to become a world-renowned author, speaker, and social activist. This great woman said true happiness comes through "fidelity to a worthy purpose."
這句話是什么意思?對我來說,這意味著忠于自己的天賦,讓天賦發(fā)展,并和他人分享,然后從中獲得喜悅;也意味著不再追求自我滿足,而是去追尋意義與圓滿。
What does that mean? For me, it means being faithful to your gifts, growing them, sharing them, and taking joy in them. It means moving beyond the pursuit of self-satisfaction to the more mature search for meaning and fulfillment.
當你奉獻出自己,會得到最大的回報。這表示要去改善別人的生活、參與某件無私的事、創(chuàng)造正向的改變。你不必成為德蕾莎修女才能做到這些,就算你是個“殘缺的人”,也可以產生影響力。請看這位在“沒有四肢的人生”網站上留言的年輕女孩怎么說的吧。
The greatest rewards come when you give of yourself. It's about bettering the lives of others, being part of something bigger than yourself, and making a positive difference. You don't have to be Mother Teresa to do that. You can even be a "disabled" guy and make an impact. Just ask the young lady who sent this e-mail to our Life Without Limbs Web site.
親愛的力克:
Dear Nick,
哇,我不知道怎么開場耶,我想還是從自我介紹開始好了。我今年16歲,之所以寫信給你,是因為你的DVD《我和世界不一樣》為我的人生和復原帶來了極大的影響。我說的“復原”,指的是我正從飲食失調,也就是厭食癥當中逐漸康復。去年以來,我多次進出療養(yǎng)中心,狀況很糟。最近我剛從一家位于加州的療養(yǎng)所出院,我就是在那里看了你的DVD。我從未感覺如此被鼓舞、如此積極,你真的讓我很驚訝。
Wow, I don't even know where to begin. I guess I will start off by introducing myself. I am 16 years old. I am writing to you because I watched your DVD "No Arms, No Legs, No Worries," and it made the biggest impact on my life and my recovery. I say recovery because I am recovering from an eating disorder, anorexia. I have been in and out of inpatient treatment centers for the past year now, and it has been the worst chapter of my life so far. I was recently discharged from a residential treatment center located in California. While I was there, I saw your DVD. I have never felt so inspired and motivated in my entire life. You truly amaze me.
你的一切都這么棒、這么正面,從你口中說出的每個字都對我產生了一定的影響。我這輩子從未如此感恩。有好幾次,我覺得自己的人生已走到盡頭,但現(xiàn)在我知道每個人的生命都有個目的,也明白人應該尊重自己本來的樣子。
Everything about you is so wonderful and so positive. Every single word that came out of your mouth made some sort of an impact on me. I have never been so incredibly grateful in my life. I mean there have been times in my life when I thought I had reached the end, but now I see that everyone does have a purpose in life, and that they should respect themselves for who they are.
說實在的,對于你的DVD所帶給我的鼓勵,我怎么謝你都不夠。我期待有一天可以見到你,希望在我死之前可以實現(xiàn)這個夢想。你具備一個人所能擁有的最棒的人格特質——你讓我開心大笑(這對復原中的人是很難得的)。
Wow, seriously—I can't even thank you enough for all the encouragement your DVD gave me. I wish that one day I can meet you; it's something I dream to do before I die. You have the best personality a human being could have—you made me laugh so much (which is very hard to do when in rehab).
因為你,我現(xiàn)在堅強多了,也比較意識到自己是誰,不再那么在意別人怎么想我,也不再老是貶低自己了。你教會我如何把負面事物轉為正面,謝謝你拯救了我的人生,讓我的生命轉了一個彎。我真是太感謝你了——你是我的英雄!
Because of you I am now a lot stronger and more aware of who I am and I no longer obsess about what other people think of me, or put myself down all the time. You taught me how to turn my negatives into positives. Thank you for saving my life and turning it around. I can't thank you enough—you are my hero!