名篇背诵:充实你的生活(艾伯特.内斯比特)

但我认为与其虔诚地思考而不采取行动，不如有一点宗教信仰并付诸实践。

How to Refill an Empty Life

by Albert J Nesbitt

One day about fifteen years ago I suddenly came face to face with myself and realized there was something quite empty about my life. My friends and associates perhaps didn’t see it. By the generally accepted standards, I was “successful,” I was head of a prosperous manufacturing concern and led what is usually referred to as an “active” life, both socially and in business. But it didn’t seem to me to be adding up to anything. I was going around in circles. I worked hard, played hard, and pretty soon I discovered I was hitting the highballs harder than I needed. I wasn’t a candidate for Alcoholics¹ Anonymous², but to be honest with myself I had to admit I was drinking more than was good for me. It may have been out of sheer boredom³.

I began to wonder what to do. It occurred to me that I might have gotten myself too tightly wrapped up in my job, to the sacrifice of the basic but non-materialistic values of life. It struck me abruptly⁴ that I was being quite selfish, that my major interest in people was in what they meant to me, what they represented as business contacts or employees, not what I might mean to them. I remembered that as my mother sent me to Sunday school as a boy, and encouraged me to sing in the church choir⁵, she used to tell me that the value of what she called a good Christian⁶ background was in having something to tie to. I put in a little thought recalling the Golden Rule and some of the other first principles of Christianity. I began to get interested in YMCA work.

It happened that just at this time we were having some bitter fights with the union at our plant. Then one day it occurred to me: What really is their point of view, and why? I began to see a basis for their suspicions, their often chip-on-shoulder point of view, and I determined⁷ to do something about it.

We endeavored to apply—literally apply—Christian principles to our dealing⁸ with employees, to practice, for example, something of the Golden Rule. The men’s response, once they were convinced we were sincere, was remarkable⁹. The effort has paid for its pains, and I don’t mean in dollars. I mean in dividends¹⁰ of human dignity, of a man’s pride in his job and in the company, knowing that he is no longer just a cog but a live personal part of it and that it doesn’t matter whether he belongs to a certain church or whether the pigmentation of his skin is light or dark.

But I can speak with most authority on how this change of attitude affected¹¹ me and my personal outlook on life. Perhaps, again, many of my friends did not notice the difference.

But I noticed it. That feeling of emptiness, into which I was pouring cocktails¹² out of boredom, was filling up instead with a purpose: to live a full life with an awareness¹³ and appreciation¹⁴ of other people. I do not pretend for a second that I have suddenly become a paragon¹⁵. My faults are still legion and I know them.

But it seems to me better to have a little religion and practice it than think piously¹⁶ and do nothing about it. I feel better adjusted, more mature than I ever have in my life before. I have no fear. I say this not boastfully but in all humility¹⁷. The actual application of Christian principles has changed my life.
艾伯特.内斯比特

大约十五年前的一天，面对自己，我突然意识到我的生活十分空虚。我的朋友和同事们或许并不明白。根据公认的标准，我是“成功人士”。我的制造公司生意兴隆，我在社交界和商界都很“活跃”。

但这对我来说并不意味着什么。我一直都在圈子里转来转去。我努力工作，尽情玩乐，不久就发现自己喝酒有些过量。我并不是嗜酒者互诫协会的候选人，但说实话，我不得不承认我喝酒过量。这也可能只是因为我感到十分无聊。
      
我开始考虑该做些什么。我突然意识到我可能太专注于自己的工作，结果却牺牲了最基本但却是非物质的生活价值。我突然意识到我一直都很自私，我对其他人的主要兴趣完全在于他们对我意味着什么，他们作为我生意的关系户或是雇员对我有什么好处，而不是我可能对他们意味着什么。我记得，小时候，母亲送我去主日学校并鼓励我参加教堂唱诗班时，她常对我说，虔诚基督徒的价值在于他的精神有寄托。我试着回想《圣经》中的金箴和基督教义中某些最重要的信条。我开始对基督教青年会的工作产生兴趣了。
      
刚巧就在那个时候，我们和工厂里的工会发生了尖锐的冲突。有一天我突然想到：他们的观点到底是什么，为什么会这样？我开始明白他们产生怀疑和习惯性的敌对态度的根源，因此我决定采取相应的行动。
      
我们努力运用——其实是照搬——基督教的信条来处理我们和雇员之间的问题，比如说，将金箴中的某些忠告付诸实践。一旦雇员们相信了我们的诚意，他们的反应就相当好。这样做虽然痛苦，但却值得。其回报不是金钱，而是人的尊严，是一个人因他的工作和他所在的公司而自豪，他知道自己不再只是一个小齿轮，而是整个公司有血有肉的一分子，无论他属于哪一个教会，或他的肤色是深是浅。
      
但是我敢说这种态度的转变影响了我和我的人生观。同样地，或许我的许多朋友并没有注意到我的变化。
      
但我自己意识到了。那种我试图通过酗酒来排遣的空虚感，现在已经被明确的目标填充了：充实地生活，意识到并尊重他人的存在。我并不是假装自己突然之间变成了一个模范。我很清楚自己仍然有许多缺点。
      
但我认为与其虔诚地思考而不采取行动，不如有一点宗教信仰并付诸实践。我觉得自己比从前调整得更好，变得更成熟了。我无所畏惧。我并不是吹嘘，而是谦卑地这么说。将基督教的信条用于实际改变了我的生活。

附注：

艾伯特·J·内斯比特：是费城的一位实业家。
 

1 Alcoholics   

n.嗜酒者，酒鬼( alcoholic的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Many alcoholics go on drinking sprees that continue for days at a time. 许多酒鬼一次要狂饮好几天。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Do you have a copy of the Alcoholics Anonymous book? 你手上有戒酒匿名会的书吗？ 来自互联网

2 anonymous   

adj.无名的；匿名的；无特色的

参考例句：

• Sending anonymous letters is a cowardly act.寄匿名信是懦夫的行为。
• The author wishes to remain anonymous.作者希望姓名不公开。

3 boredom   

n.厌烦，厌倦，乏味，无聊

参考例句：

• Unemployment can drive you mad with boredom.失业会让你无聊得发疯。
• A walkman can relieve the boredom of running.跑步时带着随身听就不那么乏味了。

4 abruptly   

adv.突然地，出其不意地

参考例句：

• He gestured abruptly for Virginia to get in the car.他粗鲁地示意弗吉尼亚上车。
• I was abruptly notified that a half-hour speech was expected of me.我突然被通知要讲半个小时的话。

5 choir   

n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• The church choir is singing tonight.今晚教堂歌唱队要唱诗。

6 Christian   

adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒

参考例句：

• They always addressed each other by their Christian name.他们总是以教名互相称呼。
• His mother is a sincere Christian.他母亲是个虔诚的基督教徒。

7 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

8 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

9 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

10 dividends   

红利( dividend的名词复数 )； 股息； 被除数； （足球彩票的）彩金

参考例句：

• Nothing pays richer dividends than magnanimity. 没有什么比宽宏大量更能得到厚报。
• Their decision five years ago to computerise the company is now paying dividends. 五年前他们作出的使公司电脑化的决定现在正产生出效益。

11 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

12 cocktails   

n.鸡尾酒( cocktail的名词复数 )；餐前开胃菜；混合物

参考例句：

• Come about 4 o'clock. We'll have cocktails and grill steaks. 请四点钟左右来，我们喝鸡尾酒，吃烤牛排。 来自辞典例句
• Cocktails were a nasty American habit. 喝鸡尾酒是讨厌的美国习惯。 来自辞典例句

13 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

14 appreciation   

n.评价；欣赏；感谢；领会，理解；价格上涨

参考例句：

• I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to you all.我想对你们所有人表达我的感激和谢意。
• I'll be sending them a donation in appreciation of their help.我将送给他们一笔捐款以感谢他们的帮助。

15 paragon   

n.模范，典型

参考例句：

• He was considered to be a paragon of virtue.他被认为是品德尽善尽美的典范。
• Man is the paragon of animals.人是万物之灵。

16 piously   

adv.虔诚地

参考例句：

• Many pilgrims knelt piously at the shrine.许多朝圣者心虔意诚地在神殿跪拜。
• The priests piously consecrated the robbery with a hymn.教士们虔诚地唱了一首赞美诗，把这劫夺行为神圣化了。

17 humility   

n.谦逊，谦恭

参考例句：

• Humility often gains more than pride.谦逊往往比骄傲收益更多。
• His voice was still soft and filled with specious humility.他的声音还是那么温和，甚至有点谦卑。