美文欣賞:行勝於言(Louder than Anything You Can Say)
I teach economics at UNLV three times per week. Last Monday, at the beginning of class, I
cheerfully asked my students how their weekend had been. One young man said that his weekend
had not been so good. He had his wisdom teeth removed. The young man then proceeded to ask
me why I always seemed to be so cheerful.
我在內華達大學拉斯維加斯分校教經濟學，每週上三次課。上週一，在剛開始上課的時候，我興致勃勃地
問學生們週末過得怎麼樣。一個男生說，他的週末不太愉快，因爲他的智齒被拔掉了，結果讓他痛了一整
天。然後，他又問我爲何我總能保持那麼快樂的心情。
His question reminded me of something I'd read somewhere before: "Every morning when you get
up, you have a choice about how you want to approach life that day," I said. "I choose to be
cheerful."
他的問題使我想起了一句不知出處的話：“每天早上，當你起牀的時候，你可以選擇如何面對一天的生活
”，我說：“我選擇快樂。”
"Let me give you an example," I continued, addressing all sixty students in the class. "In
addition to teaching here at UNLV, I also teach out at the community college in Henderson,
17 miles down the freeway from where I live. One day a few weeks ago I drove those 17 miles
to Henderson. I exited the freeway and turned onto College Drive. I only had to drive
another quarter mile down the road to the college. But just then my car died. I tried to
start it again, but the engine wouldn't turn over. So I put my flashers on, grabbed my
books, and marched down the road to the college.
“我給你們舉個例子吧，”我對着全班六十個學生繼續說道，“除了在這兒上課，我還在一所社區大學任
教，那兒離我家17英里。幾周前的一天，我駕車前往那所學校，駛離高速公路後，我轉入了校園區。在只
差400多米就到學校的時候，我的汽車拋錨了。我努力重新發動引擎，但就是不行。我只好把指示燈打亮
，然後抓起課本直奔學校。”
"As soon as I got there I called AAA and arranged for a tow truck to meet me at my car after
class. The secretary in the Provost's office asked me what has happened. 'This is my lucky
day,' I replied, smiling.
我一到學校就馬上打電話給汽車協會，讓他們在我下課後開輛拖車過來。院長辦公室的祕書問我發生了什
麼事。“今天我真走運。”我笑着答道。
"'Your car breaks down and today is your lucky day?' She was puzzled. 'What do you mean?'
“你的車壞了，你還說今天走運？”她一臉的困惑。“你什麼意思啊？”
"'I live 17 miles from here.' I replied. 'My car could have broken down anywhere along the
freeway. It didn't. Instead, it broke down in the perfect place: off the freeway, within
walking distance of here. I'm still able to teach my class, and I've been able to arrange
for the tow truck to meet me after class. If my car was meant to break down today, it
couldn't have been arranged in a more convenient fashion.'
我回答到：“我住在離這兒17英里的地方。其實我的車有可能在高速公路上的什麼地方就壞掉了的，但慶
幸的是，沒有。相反，汽車是在離開了高速公路後才拋錨，而且距離學校很近。我還趕得及上課，還能夠
安排拖車在課後來處理。如果我的汽車是註定了要在今天拋錨的，那在這個位置拋錨已經是非常幸運了。
”
The secretary's eyes opened wide, and then she smiled. I smiled back and headed for class."
So ended my story.
“那個祕書聽得目瞪口呆地，然後她笑了。我也衝她笑了一下，便上課去了。”這就是我的故事。
I scanned the sixty faces in my economics class at UNLV. Despite the early hour, no one
seemed to be asleep. Somehow, my story had touched them. Or maybe it wasn't the story at
all. In fact, it had all started with a student's observation that I was cheerful.
我掃視了一下全班六十張臉。雖然是在大清早，但沒有一個學生在打盹兒。不知道爲什麼，他們好像被我
的故事觸動了。也許觸動他們的並不是故事本身。其實，從一開始有學生髮現我興致高昂的時候，他們便
已經被我的快樂感染了。
Deepak Chopra has quoted an Indian wise man as saying, "Who you are speaks louder to me than
anything you can say." I suppose it must be so.
著名的印度作家喬布拉，曾經引述過一位印度智者的名言：“你爲人行事的本身，比你的語言更具說服力
。”我認爲這的確是真理。
