名校勵(lì)志英語演講 第44期:我人生中的三個(gè)故事
My third story is about death.
我的第三個(gè)故事與死亡有關(guān)。
When I was 17, I read a quote that went somethinglike: "If you live each day as if it was your last,someday you'll most certainly be right." It made animpression on me, and since then, for the past 33years, I've looked in the mirror every morning andasked myself: "If today were the last day of my life,would I want to do what I am about to do today?" Andwhenever the answer has been "No" for too manydays in a row, I know I need to change something
17歲那年，我讀到過這樣一段話：“如果把每一天都當(dāng)作是生命中的最后一天，總有一天你會(huì)如愿以償。”我記住了這句話，從那時(shí)起，33年過去了，我每天早晨都對著鏡子問自己：“假如今天是生命中的最后一天，我還會(huì)去做今天要做的事情嗎?”如果一連許多天我的回答都是“不”，我知道自己應(yīng)該有所改變了。
Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help memake the big choices in life. Because almost everything —all external expectations, all pride, all fearof embarrassment or failure —these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what istruly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap ofthinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow yourheart.
讓我能夠做出人生重大選擇的最主要辦法是，記住生命隨時(shí)都有可能結(jié)束。因?yàn)閹缀跛械臇|西——所有外在的需求、所有尊嚴(yán)、所有對困窘和失敗的恐懼——在死亡來臨時(shí)都將不復(fù)存在，只剩下真正重要的東西。記住自己隨時(shí)都會(huì)死去，這是我所知道的防止患得患失的最好方法。你已經(jīng)一無所有了，還有什么理由不聽從自己的心聲呢。
About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearlyshowed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told methis was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longerthan three to six months.
大約一年前，我被診斷患了癌癥。那天早上七點(diǎn)半，我做了一次掃描檢查，結(jié)果清楚顯示我的胰腺上張了一個(gè)瘤子，可那時(shí)我連胰腺是什么都不知道呢!醫(yī)生告訴我，幾乎可以確診這是一種無法治愈的惡性腫瘤，我最多還能活3到6個(gè)月。
My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for "prepareto die." It means to try and tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years totell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be aseasy as possible for your family. I means to say your goodbyes。
醫(yī)生建議我回去把一切都安排好，其實(shí)這是在暗示“準(zhǔn)備后事”。也就是說，把今后十年要跟孩子們說的事情在這幾個(gè)月內(nèi)囑咐完;也就是說，把一切都安排妥當(dāng)，盡可能不給家人留麻煩;也就是說，去跟大家訣別。
我的第三個(gè)故事與死亡有關(guān)。
When I was 17, I read a quote that went somethinglike: "If you live each day as if it was your last,someday you'll most certainly be right." It made animpression on me, and since then, for the past 33years, I've looked in the mirror every morning andasked myself: "If today were the last day of my life,would I want to do what I am about to do today?" Andwhenever the answer has been "No" for too manydays in a row, I know I need to change something
17歲那年，我讀到過這樣一段話：“如果把每一天都當(dāng)作是生命中的最后一天，總有一天你會(huì)如愿以償。”我記住了這句話，從那時(shí)起，33年過去了，我每天早晨都對著鏡子問自己：“假如今天是生命中的最后一天，我還會(huì)去做今天要做的事情嗎?”如果一連許多天我的回答都是“不”，我知道自己應(yīng)該有所改變了。
Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help memake the big choices in life. Because almost everything —all external expectations, all pride, all fearof embarrassment or failure —these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what istruly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap ofthinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow yourheart.
讓我能夠做出人生重大選擇的最主要辦法是，記住生命隨時(shí)都有可能結(jié)束。因?yàn)閹缀跛械臇|西——所有外在的需求、所有尊嚴(yán)、所有對困窘和失敗的恐懼——在死亡來臨時(shí)都將不復(fù)存在，只剩下真正重要的東西。記住自己隨時(shí)都會(huì)死去，這是我所知道的防止患得患失的最好方法。你已經(jīng)一無所有了，還有什么理由不聽從自己的心聲呢。
About a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer. I had a scan at 7:30 in the morning, and it clearlyshowed a tumor on my pancreas. I didn't even know what a pancreas was. The doctors told methis was almost certainly a type of cancer that is incurable, and that I should expect to live no longerthan three to six months.
大約一年前，我被診斷患了癌癥。那天早上七點(diǎn)半，我做了一次掃描檢查，結(jié)果清楚顯示我的胰腺上張了一個(gè)瘤子，可那時(shí)我連胰腺是什么都不知道呢!醫(yī)生告訴我，幾乎可以確診這是一種無法治愈的惡性腫瘤，我最多還能活3到6個(gè)月。
My doctor advised me to go home and get my affairs in order, which is doctor's code for "prepareto die." It means to try and tell your kids everything you thought you'd have the next 10 years totell them in just a few months. It means to make sure everything is buttoned up so that it will be aseasy as possible for your family. I means to say your goodbyes。
醫(yī)生建議我回去把一切都安排好，其實(shí)這是在暗示“準(zhǔn)備后事”。也就是說，把今后十年要跟孩子們說的事情在這幾個(gè)月內(nèi)囑咐完;也就是說，把一切都安排妥當(dāng)，盡可能不給家人留麻煩;也就是說，去跟大家訣別。
