The Magic Pebbles 神奇的鹅卵石

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"Why do we have to learn all of this dumb stuff?"

“为什么我们非要学这些没用的东西呢？”

Of all the complaints and questions I have heard from my students during my years in the classroom, this was the one most frequently uttered. 

这是在我多年教书生涯中听得最多的学生们的抱怨与质疑。

I would answer it by recounting the following legend.

然后我就会给他们讲下面这个故事。

One night a group of nomads were going to sleep when suddenly they were surrounded by a great light.

有一天晚上，一群游牧民正要睡去的时候，忽然北一全要颜色光芒所包围。

They knew they were in the presence of God.

他们知道神就要出现了。

A voice spoke finally, "Gather as many pebbles as you can. Put them in your saddle bags. Travel a day's journey and tomorrow night will find you glad and it will find you sad."

神终于说话了：“尽量多捡一些鹅卵石，放在你们的马褡子里。再走一天，到明天晚上，你们将同时体会到快乐和沮丧。”

The nomads were disappointed and angry-the task made no sense to them at all.

神消失后，牧民们有失望又愤怒，议论纷纷。神让他们去做的事竟如此无聊。

However, the memory of the brilliance of their visitor caused each one to pick up a few pebbles.

但是不管怎样，方才神现身的灵光令人敬畏，他们仍旧各自捡了一些鹅卵石。

They traveled a day's journey. 

他们又走了一天。

At night they searched their saddle bags and discovered every pebble had become a diamond.

当夜幕降临，他们查看自己的马褡子，发现每一颗鹅卵石都变成了钻石。

They were glad they had diamonds. They were sad they had not gathered more.

得到钻石他们很高兴，同时也懊悔没有捡更多的鹅卵石。

It was an experience I had with a student, Alan.

我和一个名叫艾伦的学生就有过这样的经历。

When Alan was in the eighth grade, he majored in "trouble". 

那时，艾伦正读8年级，他调皮捣蛋。

He had studied how to be a bully and was getting his master's in "thievery".

不仅常常欺凌弱小，更是个偷窃高手。

Every day I had my students memorize a quotation from a great thinker.

我每天让学生记一条名人名言。

No one complained about this daily routine more than Alan- right up to the day he was expelled and I lost touch with him.

在我所有的学生中，没有谁比艾伦更爱抱怨这每日的例行作业了——直到他被勒令退学。此后，我再也没有得到他的消息。

Then one day, he called. 

但是有一天，他来电话了。

He told me that after being sent to juvenile hall, he had because so disgusted with himself that he had cue his wrists.

他说，他被送进青年看守所后，对自己感到十分厌恶，曾经割腕自杀。

He said,"As I lay there with my life running out of my body, I suddenly remembered that dumb quote you made me write 20 times one day.

他说：“当我躺在那儿，感觉着生命正逐渐离我远去，我忽然想到有一天你曾经叫我写了20遍的那句无聊格言：

'There is no failure except in no longer trying.'

‘没有所谓失败，除非你不再尝试。’

Then it suddenly made sense to me.

那一刻，我突然明白了他的含义。

As long as I was alive, I wasn't a failure, but if I allowed myself to die.

只要我活着，就不能算失败；但是如果我让自己死了，那么我就真的永远失败地死去了。

I called for help and started a new life.

于是我竭尽残存的力气求救，并且开始了新生活。”

When he had heard the quotation, it was a pebble.

在艾伦当初听到这句格言的时候，他还只是一颗鹅卵石。

When he needed guidance in a moment of crisis, it became a diamond.

但是当他面临危机，需要指引的那一刻，他就变成了钻石。

So, gather all the pebbles you can, and you can count on a future filled with diamonds.

所以，尽量多地收集些鹅卵石，那么有朝一日你就会拥有一个钻石般的未来。