英語美文:人格的力量 A Straight Wall Is Hard to Build

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　　A Straight Wall Is Hard to Build

　　人格的力量

　　by Lou R. Crandall

　　盧.R.克蘭德爾

　　As I try to outline my thoughts, the subject becomes more and more difficult. I have many basic beliefs but as I try to pick and choose it seems to me that they all can be summarized in the word "character." Obviously, what you believe is a fundamental thing. There can be no fanfare, no embellishments. It must be honest.

　　我努力清理思路時，主題變得越來越難講述。我有諸多信仰，但試圖挑選時，似乎都可用“人格”一詞概括。顯然，一個人的信仰是根本，無需炫耀，無需修飾，是什么就是什么。

　　An architect once told me that the most difficult structure to design was a simple monumental shaft. The proportions must perfect to be pleasing. The hardest thing to build is a plain straight wall. The dimensions must be absolute.

　　一位建筑師告訴我，最難設(shè)計的建筑是一尊簡單的紀(jì)念柱，比例必須完美無缺，賞心悅目；最難砌的是一堵簡樸筆直的墻，尺寸必須一絲不差。

　　In either case there is no ornamentation to hide irregularities, no moldings to cover hidden defects and no supports to strengthen concealed weaknesses.

　　在這兩種情況下，都無法用修飾掩蓋不平整，以造型遮蓋暗藏的缺陷，以支撐物來加固不牢的根基。

　　I am using this example to illustrate human character, which to me is the most important single power in the world today. The young people of toady are in reality foundations of structures yet to be built.

　　我以此例來說明人格，在我看來它是當(dāng)今世界上最重要的唯一的力量。今天的年輕人實際上是世界待建結(jié)構(gòu)的根基。

　　It is obvious that the design of these human structures is the combined efforts of many human architects. Boys and girls are influenced first by their parents, then by their friends and finally by business associates. During this period of construction, the human character is revised and changed until at maturity a fairly well-fixed form of character is found.

　　顯而易見，設(shè)計這些人格結(jié)構(gòu)需要眾多人類建筑師的共同努力。孩子們的成長，先后要受到父母、朋友和事業(yè)伙伴的影響。在這一成長過程中，人格一直在改變，直到在成熟期定型。

　　There are few human straight walls and fewer human monumental shafts. Such men and women are personalities of great beauty and are so rare that history records their being and holds them up as examples for the future.

　　人類中堪稱墻一般筆直挺立的人少有，像紀(jì)念柱一樣矗立的人更少，這樣的人是美的化身，世所罕見，歷史記錄他們的存在，奉之為后世的楷模。

　　The Biblical characters are for me the closest examples of human perfection. They were unselfish, steadfast in their faith and unstinting in their help to others.

　　《圣經(jīng)》中的人物在我心中是最接近完人的范例，他們無私，信仰堅定，幫助他人，不遺余力。

　　Today in this world of turmoil and trouble we could use more of such people, but they do not just happen along. I believe that they are the result of concentrated effort on the part of parents and associates, and the more we build with character the better the world will become.

　　在今天這個混亂不安的世界，我們可以多用這樣的人，但他們并非從天而降。我相信他們是父母、同伴傾力鍛造的結(jié)果。我們越重視人格的建構(gòu)，世界會越美好。

　　This may sound like a dreamer's hope and a theoretical goal which can never be reached. I do not think so.

　　這聽起來像癡人說夢，是永遠(yuǎn)無法實現(xiàn)的理論目標(biāo)，我卻不這么想。

　　The world as a whole has progressed tremendously material-wise, and we are a fortunate nation in that we are leading the procession. It is, I believe, natural that nations not so fortunate should look upon us with envy. We would do the same if the positions were reserved, so we should not judge too harshly the efforts of others to equal our standard of living. In either case, the fortunate or the unfortunate character in the inpidual and collectively in a nation stands out.

　　全世界在物質(zhì)生產(chǎn)上已取得巨大進(jìn)步，美利堅榮幸地成為引導(dǎo)這一進(jìn)程的國家。我相信，沒有這樣好運氣的國家可能會嫉妒我們，如果換個位置，我們也會如此，因此對于別人奮力向我們的生活標(biāo)準(zhǔn)看齊，我們不應(yīng)該草率地評判。無論是哪種情況，個人或民族的幸運或不幸的品格都會凸顯出來。

　　I agree that it is easier to build character under ideal conditions but cannot forget that character is also required to give as well as receive.

　　我贊同在理想條件下更容易塑造人格的說法，但我認(rèn)為不能忘記人格的塑造不僅需要外界條件的熏陶，也需要自身的努力。

　　It should be to the benefit of humanity if all inpiduals - and this includes myself - did a renovation or remodeling job on our own character. It may merely be a case of removing rough edges or tossing away molding to expose irregularities, in some cases to remove a prop and stand on one's own feet.

　　如果所有人——也包括我自己——都更新或重鑄自己的人格，這應(yīng)該是有益于人類的。這也許僅僅是抹去粗糙的邊緣或丟棄固有的模式，從而顯露出不平整，有時則需要拿走支撐物，完全靠自己站立。

　　In any event if some of us set example, others will follow and the result should be good. This I believe.

　　不論何種情況，只要我們有人樹立榜樣，其他人就會效仿，結(jié)果就應(yīng)該是好的。對此我深信不疑。