If I Had The Chance
選自《The Old And The Rose》
It seems we are all so busy these days. There are so many details, so many calls to make and so many things to look after that we barely have time for sincere and genuine interest in others.
We are inundated by warnings from great thinkers in our society encouraging us to 'stop and smell the roses'. But I'm afraid it has taken me decades to really appreciate the wisdom of these words.
If I ever have the opportunity to speak to a young person today, I do my best to convey this message. But unfortunately, young people are too busy to heed good advice. Much like I was so many years ago. Youth indeed is so often wasted on the young.
If I had the chance, I would tell young people to stop what they are doing and look around. I would tell them to try as hard as they could to fully understand what is right in their line of sight, what is in the range of their hearing at the moment, what is in their immediate reach and grasp.
I would like so much to tell people, especially young people, that if you are thoughtless and indifferent to others on your road in life, then you are missing life itself. Do not be intrusive or tactless, for heaven’s sake, but take a moment and ask someone, how did you come here or how did you get into this business?
No matter what that person tells you, their answer will make you richer. You can grow emotionally, you can excel as a person and you can be wealthy by every measure if you just appreciate the gifts that people and life all around you are ready to give right at this moment just by their simple presence.
We should appreciate that great symphonies were written from only seven simple notes that God gave the entire universe. We should know that great works of art are measured by the emotions they evoke, not just how they look next to the plant stand.
We should never forget that heartache cannot be cured but can be eased by someone willing to give genuine sympathy. The true greatness of joy can only be known when it is shared with others.
如果有機(jī)會(huì)
選自《老人與玫瑰》
如今我們大家似乎都太忙了。我們自己就有那么多的小事要煩心，那么多的電話要打，那么多的事情要料理，幾乎沒(méi)有時(shí)間再對(duì)他人產(chǎn)生真摯的關(guān)心。
我們經(jīng)常得到社會(huì)上大思想家們的告誡，他們敦促我們“停下來(lái)去聞聞玫瑰花的香味”。但是，我恐怕是花了幾十年的時(shí)間才真正認(rèn)識(shí)到這句話中所包含的智慧。
現(xiàn)在，我一有機(jī)會(huì)和年輕人說(shuō)話就會(huì)盡力傳達(dá)這個(gè)意思。然而，遺憾的是，年輕人都太忙了，無(wú)暇留意良言相勸，這頗似多年以前的我。的確，青春往往就是在年輕人身上被白白浪費(fèi)掉的。
如果有機(jī)會(huì)，我會(huì)告訴年輕人放下手中的活兒，往四周看看。我會(huì)告訴他們盡可能努力地去弄明白，他們視線所及看到的究竟是什么，那一刻在他們聽(tīng)覺(jué)范圍內(nèi)傳入耳朵的又是什么，他們眼下夠得著抓得住的是什么。
我非常想告訴人們，特別是年輕人，如果你在人生路上對(duì)他人毫不關(guān)心、冷漠相待，那么你就在與生活本身擦肩而過(guò)?？丛诶咸斓姆萆?，不要去干涉別人的私事或說(shuō)不得體的話，但你可以花上片刻工夫問(wèn)問(wèn)某個(gè)人，他是怎么來(lái)到這里的或者他是怎么干上這一行的？
無(wú)論那個(gè)人告訴你什么，他們的回答將會(huì)使你更加富有。只要你能重視你周?chē)娜藗兒蜕畲藭r(shí)此刻僅憑他們的在場(chǎng)所要給予你的禮物，你就會(huì)在情感上得到成長(zhǎng)，你就會(huì)成為一個(gè)優(yōu)秀的人，你就會(huì)各方面都很富有。
我們應(yīng)該明白，偉大的交響樂(lè)是用上帝給予全世界的七個(gè)簡(jiǎn)單的音符譜寫(xiě)成的。我們應(yīng)該懂得，偉大的藝術(shù)品是由它們自身所喚起的情感來(lái)衡量的，而不只是由他們?cè)趫@藝架旁的外觀所決定。
我們千萬(wàn)不要忘記，心痛無(wú)法治愈，但會(huì)因?yàn)槟硞€(gè)人自愿給予真心的同情而得以減輕。當(dāng)歡樂(lè)與他人同享時(shí)，我們才能體會(huì)到快樂(lè)真的有多大。
