Inspiration from a Drainpipe
By Mrs. John G. Lee
I think the most profound influence in my life was my father. He was an inventor and a scientist with a most inquisitive mind. He loved and was greatly stimulated by the beauty and the design he found in nature. He believed in people and was himself a completely honest person. His sense of humor was keen though kindly and his energy was inexhaustible. Once he was asked how he got the idea for the Maxim Silencer. He answered, "By watching the way water behaved when it went down a drain." This simple statement opened up for me a whole realm of ideas which led to a firm belief that human intelligence need recognize no bounds; that through the use of our intelligence we will move progressively closer to an understanding of man and of the universe around us; that this knowledge will bring a closer harmony between man and his surroundings; and that this way lies the chance to make the world a better place to live in.
Then I remember sitting with him on the deck of his boat one night in early September. We were anchored in a secluded cove. The breeze was light and very salty. We could hear across a little strip of land the pounding of the surf. The stars were brilliant and every now and then a shooting star would streak across the sky. He was deeply interested in astronomy and he led my mind into unforgettable population as we explored the grandeur of that night. I think from this I came to understand that there must be law and order in our universe. There is design. Man can observe, he can learn to understand, he can apply. The secret is to apply in the interests of the common good; not for one or for a few; not to destroy but to build for all peoples.
My mother and father each had an acute social conscience. They believed that because good fortune had endowed them with better than average opportunity, they had a duty to perform in their communities. From this no doubt came my own conviction that I must give more than I receive and that a satisfactory life must be measured by its usefulness to others.
I remember the excitement engendered by the conversation in our home. All kinds of ideas were explored; all sorts of prejudices were challenged; penetrating minds were brought to bear on every problem of the day. I learned that each one of us has a right to his own beliefs, that prejudice perverts truth and that violence in the long run gains us nothing. From this understanding I moved into the belief that people everywhere must learn how to work together for the common purpose of the betterment of mankind.
I believe one of the greatest ideas of all times, one that is a compelling moral force, is the concept of the dignity and worth of the human individual. From this idea there develops a sense of devotion to the common good.
I believe that if we pull these rather simple but fundamental things together and tie them up with honesty and truth, there are no visible limits to the heights to which mankind can rise .
排水管的啟示
約翰.G.李夫人
我想在我一生中,父親對我的影響最大。他是一位發(fā)明家和科學(xué)家,對任何事物都充滿好奇。他熱愛他在自然中發(fā)現(xiàn)的美和圖案,并從中獲得極大的啟示。他相信人,自己也是個十分誠實的人。他的幽默盡管有時讓人感到尖刻,但卻是善意的;他的精力十分旺盛。一次,有人問他怎么想到馬克西姆消音器這個點子。他回答說,“是觀察水在排水管中流動的方式得到的啟發(fā)。”這句簡單的話開啟了我的心智,使我堅信人類的智慧無窮無盡;運用我們的智慧,我們將逐步深入了解人類和我們周圍的宇宙;這種知識將使人類和他們生活的環(huán)境更加和諧地相處;只有這樣,我們才有機會使人類生活的世界更美好。
我還記得九月初的一天晚上,我和父親坐在他的小船甲板上。船停靠在一個幽僻的小灣里。陣陣微風(fēng)吹過,帶著咸味。一小條狹長陸地那邊傳來浪花拍岸的聲音。星星明亮,不時會有一顆流星劃過夜空。父親對天文學(xué)深感興趣,當(dāng)我們探討那天晚上壯麗的夜色時,他引導(dǎo)著我思索,那種思索令我永遠不能忘懷。我想正是從那時起我開始懂得在我們的宇宙里必須有法律和秩序。一切都安排好了。人類能夠觀察,能夠?qū)W會理解事物并運用所學(xué)的知識,奧秘就在于運用知識是為了所有的人的利益,而不是為了某一個人或幾個人,不是為了毀滅而是為了所有人而建設(shè)。
我的父母都有強烈的社會責(zé)任感。他們認為他們有責(zé)任在自己的群體中履行自己的職責(zé),因為好運給了他們比一般人更多的機會。我自己的信仰也正是來自于此,我應(yīng)該更多地給予而不是領(lǐng)受,令人滿意的人生必須通過你是否對他人有用來衡量。
我還記得在我家里的談話所帶來的興奮和激動。各種觀點都得到探討;各種偏見都受到質(zhì)疑;深邃的思想幾乎觸及當(dāng)代所有的問題。我明白我們每一個人都有權(quán)利擁有自己的信仰,偏見會歪曲真理,從長遠的觀點看來,暴力會使我們一無所獲。正是基于這樣的認識,我開始相信世界各地的人們必須學(xué)會如何團結(jié)起來,為了人類更美好的明天這一共同目標(biāo)而奮斗。
我相信所有時代最偉大的觀念之一,即最令人信服的道德力量就是個人的尊嚴(yán)和價值。為了共同利益而奉獻的精神就來自于這種觀念。
我相信如果我們把這些看似簡單但卻十分重要的觀念集中起來,用誠實和真理把它們連在一起,人類將會登上一個又一個高峰。