感觉周围最近抱怨「大环境」的言论甚嚣尘上,自己也难免受此影响,有些焦虑。焦虑的时候读书总不会错的,这里纪录一些最近看到的段落:
《宇宙》里卡尔萨根在回顾人类发展史的时候说:
「让我们回望过去。数不清的年月前,潮起潮落的滩涂里,生命逐渐成形。他挣扎着变成一个又一个不同的形状,攫取了一种又一种不同的力量,终于自信地爬上陆地。经过一代又一代的变化,他控制了天空,也潜入了黑暗的深渊;我们看着他在愤怒和饥饿中重塑自身,看着他越来越像我们。他不断伸展,不断优化,向着难以置信的目标一刻不停地前进。然后,他变成了我们,生命的韵律至今在我们的大脑和动脉中搏动……」
美国最高法院首席大法官约翰·罗伯茨(John Roberts),参加儿子的初中毕业典礼时的演讲:
From time to time in the years to come, I hope you will be treated unfairly, so that you will come to know the value of justice.
我希望在未来岁月中,你能时不时地遭遇不公,唯有如此,你才能懂得公正的价值。
I hope that you will suffer betrayal because that will teach you the importance of loyalty.
我希望你尝到背叛的滋味,这样你才能领悟到忠诚之重要。
Sorry to say, butI hope you will be lonely from time to time so that you don’t take friends for granted.
抱歉,我还希望你们时常感到孤独,唯有如此,你才不会视朋友为理所当然。
I wish you bad luck, again, from time to time so that you will be conscious of the role of chance in life and understand that your success is not completely deserved and that the failure of others is not completely deserved either.
我祝你们偶尔运气不佳,这样你才会意识到机遇在人 生中扮演的⻆色,从而明白你的成功并非天经地义, 而他人的失败也不是命中注定。
And when you lose, as you will from time to time, I hope every now and then, your opponent will gloat over your failure. It is a way for you to understand the importance of sportsmanship.
当你偶尔失败时,我愿你的对手时不时地会幸灾乐 祸。这样你才能懂得互相尊重的竞技精神的重要。
I hope you’ll be ignored so you know the importance of listening to others.
我希望你被人无视,唯有如此,你才懂得倾听他人有多重要。
And I hope you will have just enough pain to learn compassion.
我祝你感受足够的痛楚来学会同情。
Unless you are perfect, it does not mean don’t make any changes.
除非你完美无瑕,那么这句话绝不意味着不去改变自己。
“The unexamined life is not worth living.”
未经自省的人生没有意义。