名校励志英语演讲 64:拯救世界 拯救儿童

 　　And now with time, rather than bitterness, I feel blessing¹. In the place of anger, I have found absolution. And in the place of revenge I have found reconciliation². And my initial fury has slowly given way to forgiveness.

　　现在我不再感到痛苦，我感觉很幸福。在愤怒中，我发现了宽恕，在报复中，我发现了和解，就连最初的愤怒也慢慢变成了宽恕。

　　Almost a decade ago, I founded a charity called Heal the World. The title was something I felt inside me. Little did I know, as Shmuley later pointed³ out, that those two words form the cornerstone of Old Testament⁴ prophecy. Do I really believe that we can heal this world, that is riddled⁵ with war and genocide, even today? And do I really think that we can heal our children, the same children who as the paper reported this morning, can walk into a high school in San Diegoand shoot down two beatiful students, just at the begining of their lives? A horrifying⁶ reminder⁷ of the guns and hatred⁸ that shot through Columbine almost two years ago. Or children who can beat a defenseless toddler to death, like the tragic⁹ story of Jamie Bulger? Of course I do, or I wouldn't be here tonight.

　　差不多十年前，我成立了一个叫作“拯救世界”的儿童慈善机构，这个机构的名字本身只是我内心的感觉。直到施慕礼告诉我，我才知道这两个词构成了《圣经》旧约预言的基石。我真的能相信我们能拯救这个因战争和种族灭绝屠杀而变得千疮百孔的世界吗？我真的相信我们能够拯救孩子吗？正如今早报纸报导的那样，正是这些孩子走进圣地亚哥的一所高中向两位漂亮的同学开枪，结束了他们年轻的生命。这些孩子能被拯救吗？这让人想起了大约两年前《科伦拜恩》里演的枪支和愤怒的可怕场面。或者说我们能拯救那些像杰米·巴尔格的悲剧故事一样， 把毫无防御能力的蹒跚学步的小孩打死的孩子吗？当然可以。当然可以，否则我今晚就不会站在这里。

　　But it all begins with forgiveness, because to heal the world, we first have to heal ourselves. And to heal the kids, we first have to heal the child within, each and every one of us. As an adult, and as a parent, I realize that I cannot be a whole human being, nor a parent capable of unconditional¹⁰ love, until I put to rest the ghosts of my own childhood.

　　但是这一切都要从宽恕开始，因为要拯救世界我们必须先拯救自己。而要拯救儿童，我们首先要拯救孩子的内心，我们每一个人都有责任这样做。作为一个成年人，作为一名父亲，我知道我并不完美，也不能给予孩子们无条件的爱，直到我把自己对童年的怨恨完全释放出来。

1 blessing   

n.祈神赐福；祷告；祝福，祝愿

参考例句：

• The blessing was said in Hebrew.祷告用了希伯来语。
• A double blessing has descended upon the house.双喜临门。

2 reconciliation   

n.和解，和谐，一致

参考例句：

• He was taken up with the reconciliation of husband and wife.他忙于做夫妻间的调解工作。
• Their handshake appeared to be a gesture of reconciliation.他们的握手似乎是和解的表示。

3 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。

4 testament   

n.遗嘱；证明

参考例句：

• This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
• It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。

5 riddled   

adj.布满的；充斥的；泛滥的v.解谜，出谜题(riddle的过去分词形式)

参考例句：

• The beams are riddled with woodworm. 这些木梁被蛀虫蛀得都是洞。
• The bodies of the hostages were found riddled with bullets. 在人质的尸体上发现了很多弹孔。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 horrifying   

a.令人震惊的，使人毛骨悚然的

参考例句：

• He went to great pains to show how horrifying the war was. 他极力指出战争是多么的恐怖。
• The possibility of war is too horrifying to contemplate. 战争的可能性太可怕了，真不堪细想。

7 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

8 hatred   

n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨

参考例句：

• He looked at me with hatred in his eyes.他以憎恨的眼光望着我。
• The old man was seized with burning hatred for the fascists.老人对法西斯主义者充满了仇恨。

9 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

10 unconditional   

adj.无条件的，无限制的，绝对的

参考例句：

• The victorious army demanded unconditional surrender.胜方要求敌人无条件投降。
• My love for all my children is unconditional.我对自己所有孩子的爱都是无条件的。