Caring for the old is usually 關(guān)愛(ài)老人在于平時(shí)

Each and every year, during Chongyang Festival, citizens of China celebrate the elders in their families and communities. It’s a special tradition which is rooted in the deep value that Chinese culture places on honouring their elders.

每年在重陽(yáng)節(jié)，中國(guó)人民會(huì)在家里或者社區(qū)和他們的老人一起慶祝，這是一種扎根在中國(guó)傳統(tǒng)敬老文化價(jià)值觀的特殊傳統(tǒng)。

Sadly, many of our aging population are seniors without sons, daughters or grandchildren to visit. While they may have great friends, they no doubt miss the tender and loving relationships unique to families. To fill this void, many volunteers turned up on October 28 at nursing homes around the country in order to spend time with the residents. In some cases, they performed humble gestures of kindness, such as combing their hair or washing their feet.

但是令人沮喪的是，許多上了年紀(jì)的人們都是沒(méi)有兒子、女兒甚至是孫子來(lái)探望的。也許他們有很好的朋友們，但是毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)他們都是缺少血緣和愛(ài)的特殊家庭。為了填補(bǔ)這一空白，全國(guó)各地的志愿者在10月28日出現(xiàn)在敬老院與這些老人相伴。在這些情況下，他們表現(xiàn)地十分謙卑與善良，比如幫他們梳頭、洗腳。

While the kind acts were appreciated, one embarrassing story out of Anhui province raised a valuable question. Reportedly, one old gentleman had his feet washed seven times during the day by different volunteers. Is this genuinely caring for the elderly? Many of the residents at the home said that those gestures do not make them feel cared for at all. Their family members or community volunteers may drop by for a few hours of token time, but soon they disappear back into their busy lives.

雖然這種行為值得贊賞，但是發(fā)生在安徽的一個(gè)令人尷尬的故事提出了一個(gè)有價(jià)值的問(wèn)題。據(jù)報(bào)道，一位老人在一天內(nèi)七次被不同的志愿者洗腳。這就是所謂的照顧老人嗎?許多在家的居民說(shuō)這些行為并沒(méi)有讓他們感到受到照顧。他們的家人和社區(qū)志愿者也許會(huì)出現(xiàn)在象征性的幾小時(shí)中，但是不久之后他們便消失在忙碌的生活中。

There is nothing we can give that is more valuable or appreciated than our time. While you may feel like there is barely enough time to care for your many responsibilities, might it be possible to spare just a moment as you walk home from school to sit with a senior who lives in your community? Just five minutes is not going to prevent you from getting your homework done, but it may totally change a day of loneliness into a day of joy for one old man or woman. Do you live far from your grandparents? Why not pick up the phone and let them know you’re thinking of them? Or maybe you could remind them of the “good old days” and mail them a short letter. Imagine their surprise and joy!

也許我們不能抽出比我們自己更多的有價(jià)值或值得贊賞的時(shí)間，然而當(dāng)你感覺(jué)到你沒(méi)有足夠的時(shí)間去貢獻(xiàn)許多責(zé)任時(shí)，也許你從家走到學(xué)校你可以抽出一點(diǎn)時(shí)間和住在你們小區(qū)的老人一起坐一會(huì)，僅僅五分鐘不會(huì)妨礙你完成作業(yè)，但是也許會(huì)讓一位老人從一天的孤獨(dú)變成一天的快樂(lè)。你和你的祖父母住的很遠(yuǎn)嗎?為何不拿起電話，讓他們知道你的想法呢?或者你可以幫他們回憶起過(guò)去的“好日子”，寄給他們一封簡(jiǎn)短的信，想象一下他們的驚訝和喜悅!

We live in a complicated and busy world, but kindness and caring is still a very simple thing.

我們生活在一個(gè)復(fù)雜而又忙碌的世界，但是善良和愛(ài)心卻仍然是一件很簡(jiǎn)單的事。