英语PK台 第688期:换个视角去生活

 1. To complete any task, Use ALL your strength

篇一 《竭尽全力去完成——面对困难，学会求助》

A young boy and his father were walking along a forest path. At some point, they came across a large tree branch on the ground in front of them. The boy asked his father, "If I try, do you think I could move that branch?" His father replied, "I am sure you can, if you use all your strength."

一个小男孩和他的父亲正沿着森林里的一条小径走着。走到一处，他们面前的地上出现了一根粗大的树枝。男孩问父亲：“您觉得我能移动那根树枝吗？”父亲回答说：“如果你尽全力的话，我相信你能。”

The boy tried his best to lift or push the branch, but he was not strong enough and he couldn't move it. He said, with disappointment, "You were wrong, dad. I can't move it." "Try again," replied his father. Again, the boy tried hard to push the branch. He struggled but it did not move.

男孩用最大的力气抬起或推动树枝，可他的力量还不足以让那根粗大的树枝移动。他失望地说，“您错了，爸爸，我无法移动它。”“那就再试一次”父亲回答说。男孩再一次努力地推动那根树枝。他用尽全身的力气，可树枝依然纹丝不动。

"Dad, I cannot do it," said the boy. Finally, his father said, "Son, I advised you to use all your strength. You didn't. You didn't ask for my help."

“爸爸，我做不到”男孩说。最后，父亲说道：“儿子，我让你用尽全力，但你并没有。你没有寻求我的帮助。”

Some reflections on this story...

关于这则故事的思考......

We haven't used all our strength until we have recognized, appreciated and galvanized the strength and support of those who love and surround us, and those who care about our purpose. Our real strength lies not in independence, but in interdependence.

直到我们能够发觉、赞赏、激发那些在我们身边爱我们，在乎我们的人所给予的力量和支持时，我们才真的做到了竭尽全力。我们真正的力量并不在于我们的独立精神，而在于我们彼此依存，相互依靠。

No individual person has all the strengths, all the resources and all the stamina¹ required for the complete blossoming of their vision.

没有任何个人能够拥有完全实现自己全部愿景的所有力量、资源和毅力。

That requires the inspired collaboration² of many like-hearted beings. To ask for help and support when we need it is not a sign of weakness, it is a sign of wisdom.

这需要我们去鼓舞许多志同道合的人与我们一起合作完成。在我们需要时寻求帮助和支持，并非意味着软弱，而恰恰是智慧的表现。

It is a call for the greater strength that lives in our togetherness. When we ask for help and we are refused, it just means we have to ask at another time, or ask in another way, or ask another person. It helps to remember SWSWSWSW. Some will, some won't, so what, someone's waiting!

团结会让我们拥有更强大的力量。当我们寻求别人帮助但被拒绝时，这只不过意味着我们需要在另一个时间，或以另一种方式，或向另一个人再次寻求帮助。记住“四个SW”原则会让我们受益匪浅——有些人会（SW），有些人不会（SW），那又怎样（SW），总有人在等待我们（SW）。

2. Stop being a glass, Become a lake.

篇二 《让自己成为一片湖——带来痛苦的不是事物而是视角》

Once an unhappy young man came to an old master and told he had a very sad life and asked for a solution. The old Master instructed the unhappy young man to put a handful of salt in a glass of water and then to drink it.

一个整天闷闷不乐的年轻人来到一位老师父面前，告诉师父他过着非常悲惨的生活，并寻求师父提供解决办法。师父指示这个年轻人将一把盐放到一杯水里，然后喝下去。

"How does it taste?" The Master asked. "Terrible." spat³ the apprentice⁴. The Master chuckled⁵ and then asked the young man to take another handful of salt and put it in the lake. The two walked in silence to the nearby lake and when the apprentice swirled⁶ his handful of salt into the lake.

“味道如何？”师父问道。“太难喝了。”年轻人边回答，边把水吐在地上。师父轻笑了一声，让年轻人再取一把盐放到湖水里。二人沉默地走到附近的湖边，年轻人将那把盐撒入湖中。

The old man said, "Now drink from the lake." As the water dripped down the young man's chin, the Master asked, "How does it taste?" "Good!" remarked the apprentice. "Do you taste the salt?" asked the Master. "No." said the young man.

师父说：“现在，你从湖里取点儿水喝。”当水从年轻人的下巴滴下时，师父问道：“味道如何？”“好喝！”年轻人回答道。“水里有盐的味道吗？” 师父继续问道。“没有”年轻人答道。

The Master sat beside this troubled young man, took his hands, and said, "The pain of life is pure salt; no more, no less. The amount of pain in life remains⁷ the same, exactly the same. But the amount we taste the 'pain' depends on the container we put it into. So when you are in pain, the only thing you can do is to enlarge your sense of things. Stop being a glass. Become a lake."

师父坐在这个满脸困惑的年轻人身边，握住他的手，说：“生活中的痛苦就像这把盐，不多也不少。它就那么多，始终保持不变。但是，我们能够品尝到多少“痛苦”却取决于我们将它放入什么样的容器。所以，当你陷入痛苦时，你唯一能做的就是扩展你胸怀。不要做一只杯子，要让自己成为一片湖泊。”

1 stamina   

n.体力；精力；耐力

参考例句：

• I lacked the stamina to run the whole length of the race.我没有跑完全程的耐力。
• Giving up smoking had a magical effect on his stamina.戒烟神奇地增强了他的体力。

2 collaboration   

n.合作，协作；勾结

参考例句：

• The two companies are working in close collaboration each other.这两家公司密切合作。
• He was shot for collaboration with the enemy.他因通敌而被枪毙了。

3 spat   

n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声

参考例句：

• Her parents always have spats.她的父母经常有些小的口角。
• There is only a spat between the brother and sister.那只是兄妹间的小吵小闹。

4 apprentice   

n.学徒，徒弟

参考例句：

• My son is an apprentice in a furniture maker's workshop.我的儿子在一家家具厂做学徒。
• The apprentice is not yet out of his time.这徒工还没有出徒。

5 chuckled   

轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• She chuckled at the memory. 想起这件事她就暗自发笑。
• She chuckled softly to herself as she remembered his astonished look. 想起他那惊讶的表情，她就轻轻地暗自发笑。

6 swirled   

v.旋转，打旋( swirl的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The waves swirled and eddied around the rocks. 波浪翻滚着在岩石周围打旋。
• The water swirled down the drain. 水打着旋流进了下水道。

7 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。