人生不設(shè)限·小時候我就已經(jīng)是個可能主義者

撒種的比喻是《圣經(jīng)》里最為人所知的故事之一，說的是有個農(nóng)夫到處去撒種，有些種子撒落在路旁，被鳥吃掉了;有些種子落在石頭上，永無扎根的機會;有些則落在荊棘里，被擠住了，長不起來;只有落在好土里的種子順利成長、結(jié)實百倍，并且長出比原來所播撒的更多的種子[10]。

One of the most familiar stories from the Bible is the Parable of the Sower. A farmer sows seeds all over the place. Some fall on the road, where birds eat them. Some fall on rock, so they never take root. Others fall into thorny weeds that choke off their growth. Only the seeds thrown on good soil are able to grow and produce a crop and create many more seeds than were originally sown.

我們的一生不只要接收種子，還要將之栽種在內(nèi)心的“好土”里。被困難擊倒時，我們可以依靠擁有更美好人生的夢想。這些夢想就是即將到來的事物的種子，而我們的信心就是這些種子發(fā)芽的沃土。

We not only receive seeds in our lifetime, we also hold them in the "good soil" of our hearts. When challenges get us down, we can look to our dreams of a better life. These dreams act as seeds for the realities that will come. Our faith is the rich soil that brings those seeds to life.

愛我的人常常鼓勵我。他們將種子播在我的心田里，向我保證我擁有讓他人受惠的福分。我有時相信，有時不信，但他們從未放棄我。那些愛我的人知道，他們的種子有時撒在石頭地上，有時則撒在荊棘里，然而他們相信，撒出去的種子總有些會生根。

Those who loved me always encouraged me. They planted seeds in my heart. They assured me that I had blessings that could benefit others. Some days I believed them. Some days I didn't. But they never gave up on me. They knew that at times they were planting on pavement, or in the weeds. Yet they trusted that their seeds would take root.

每天早上我要出門上學(xué)時，家人都在播撒種子：“祝你有美好的一天，力克!盡你所能，其他的上帝會幫忙。”

My family planted seeds every morning as I went off to school: "Have a good day, Nicholas! Do your best and God will do the rest!"

我有時會想：“是了，上帝的幽默感可真爛，因為今天我肯定會被欺負。”

There were days when I'd think, Yeah, yeah, God has a mean sense of humor because I know I'll be teased today on the playground.

果然，當我推著輪椅一進入學(xué)校，就會有某個笨蛋跟我說我的輪椅爆胎了，或是他們要把我拿去當圖書館的門擋之類的。哼，很好笑。

Sure enough, as soon as I rolled onto the school grounds in my wheelchair, some jerk would be telling me I had a flat tire or that they wanted to use me as a doorstop in the library. Very funny.

在那些讓人泄氣的日子里，父母支持我的話就像落入了劣土之中，得不到什么滋養(yǎng)，因為我對自己與生俱來的狀況實在太不滿了。

On those days of discouragement, the supportive words from my parents fell on hard ground. There was nothing to nurture them. I was too bitter at the circumstances I'd been born into.

但是在我的“浴缸事件”之后的幾個月、幾年間，他們的鼓勵愈來愈常落到富饒之土上，部分原因是我以堅毅、外向的個性贏得了同學(xué)的心。當然，我還是會有情緒低落的時候，不過愈來愈少了。

But in the months and years following my bad trip to the bathtub, more and more of their encouragement fell on fertile ground. Part of it was that I won over my classmates with my determination and outgoing personality. I still had my down days, but I had fewer of them.

偉大的勵志作家諾曼·文生·皮爾(Norman Vincem Peale)說過：“要成為‘可能主義者’，無論你的人生看起來多黑暗，請拉高你的視野，看看有什么可能性。你總是會看到可能性，因為它們一直都在。”

The great inspirational author Norman Vincent Peale once said, "Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark your life seems to be, raise your sights and see the possibilities. Always see them, for they are always there."

你應(yīng)該要永遠是個“可能主義者”。如果不相信生命的可能性，你會在哪里?我們?nèi)魏我粋€人又會在何處?對未來的期望提供了動能，讓我們得以在無法避免的艱困時光、沮喪與絕望中繼續(xù)前進。

You may never be a Presbyterian or a Rotarian, but you should always be a card-carrying Possibilitarian. Without trust in the possibilities for your life, where would you be? Where would any of us be? Our hopes for the future give us momentum. They keep us moving forward through the inevitable hard times, the discouragement, and the despair.

早年的我已經(jīng)流露出可能主義者的傾向。大約六七歲時，我創(chuàng)作了第一本圖文書，書名是《沒有翅膀的獨角獸》。我這個概念沒有什么高深的奧義，但我必須說，來自我自身經(jīng)驗的這個小寓言還是提供了一個跟信心有關(guān)的很不錯的訊息。(別擔心，故事很短，因為寫作時我才6歲啊。)

My Possibilitarian tendencies showed up early in life. I was six or seven when I wrote and illustrated my first book. The title was The Unicorn That Had No Wings. It's no deep mystery where I came up with that concept, but I have to say that my little parable drawn from my own life still offers a nice message about faith. (Don't worry. It's short. I was only six when I wrote it.)

從前有只獨角獸媽媽有個小孩。

Once there was a mother unicorn who was having a baby.

小獨角獸慢慢長大了，它沒有翅膀。

When the unicorn grew, it didn't have any wings.

獨角獸媽媽說：“它的翅膀怎么了?”

The mother unicorn said, "What happened to her wings?"

當獨角獸去散步時，看見獨角獸們在天空飛翔。然后，有個小男孩跑過來問獨角獸：“你的翅膀怎么了?”

When the unicorn went for a walk, she could see unicorns flying in the sky. Then a little boy came to the unicorn and said: "What happened to your wings?"

獨角獸回答：“我生來就沒有翅膀，小男孩。”

The unicorn answered: "I didn't grow any wings, little boy."

于是小男孩說：“我會試著幫你做一對塑膠翅膀。”

Then the little boy said: "I'll try and make you someplastic wings."

他花了一個小時為獨角獸做翅膀。

It took him an hour to make the plastic wings for the unicorn.

完成之后，小男孩問獨角獸他可不可以爬上它的背。獨角獸說：“好，可以。”

When the boy was finished, he asked the unicorn if hecould go on the unicorn's back, and the unicorn said to the boy: "Yes you can."

于是他們跑了一陣子，然后獨角獸開始飛了。獨角獸大叫：“有用耶，行得通耶。”

So they went for a run, then the unicorn started to fly, and the unicorn shouted: "It worked. It worked."

當獨角獸停下來后，男孩從它的背上走下來，然后獨角獸又回到空中。男孩對獨角獸說：“恭喜啊，獨角獸!”

When the unicorn stopped flying, the boy got off the unicorn's back. Then the unicorn went back in the sky.The little boy said to the unicorn. "Congratulations, unicorn!"

小男孩回家了，并且把獨角獸的事告訴媽媽和兄弟姊妹。

The little boy went back home. He told his mum and his two sisters and his brother what had happened to the unicorn.

從此，獨角獸過著幸?？鞓返纳?。

The unicorn lived happily ever after.

謝謝收看。

The End

我們都希望從此過著幸?？鞓返纳?，即使你相信自己可以對付困難時刻、品味美好時光，沮喪還是會出現(xiàn)。但是幸?？鞓返慕Y(jié)局應(yīng)該永遠是你的目標，那為什么不去努力爭取呢?

We all wish to live happily ever after. Even if you believe you can handle the hard times and savor the good times, disappointments will occur. But the happy ending should always be your goal. Why not shoot for it?