Life Is to Be Whole

Life Is to Be Whole

生命在于完整。

Once a circle missed a wedge.

从前有一只圆圈缺了一块楔子。

The circle wanted to be whole, so it went around looking for its missing piece.

圆圈想保持完整，便四处寻找失去的那块楔子。

But because it was incomplete and therefore could roll only very slowly,

由于它不完整，所以只能滚动很慢，

it admired the flowers along the way.

一路上，它对花儿露出羡慕之色。

It chatted with worms.

它与蠕虫谈天侃地。

It enjoyed the sunshine.

它还欣赏到了阳光之美。

It found lots of different pieces, but none of them fit.

圆圈找到了许许多多不同的配件，但是没有一件能完美地与它相配。

So it left them all by the side of the road and kept on searching.

所以，它将它们统统弃置路旁，继续寻觅。

Then one day the circle found a piece that fit perfectly.

终于有一天，它找到了一个完美的配件。

It was so happy.

圆圈是那样地高兴。

Now it could be whole, with nothing missing.

现在它可以说是完美无缺了。

It incorporated the missing piece into itself and began to roll.

它装好配件，然后滚动起来。

Now that it was a perfect circle, it could roll very fast,

既然它已成了一个完整的圆圈，所以滚动得非常快，

too fast to notice the flowers or to talk to the worms.

快得以至于无暇观赏花儿，也无暇与蠕虫倾诉心声。

When it realized how different the world seemed when it rolled so quickly,it stopped,

圆圈快奔急骋，发现眼中的世界变得如此不同，于是，它不禁停了下来，

left its found piece by the side of the road and rolled slowly away.

将找到的那个配件留在路旁，又开始了慢慢地滚动。

The lesson of the story, I suggested,

我觉得这个故事告诉我们，从某种奇妙意义上讲，

was that in some strange sense we are more whole when we are missing something.

当我们失去了一些东西时反而感到更加完整。

The man who has everything is in some ways a poor man.

一个拥有一切的人其实在某些方面是个穷人。

He will never know what it feels like to yearn, to hope,

他永远也体会不到什么是渴望、

to nourish his soul with the dream of something better.

期待以及对美好梦想的感悟。

He will never know the experience of having someone who loves him give him something he has always wanted or never had.

他也永远不会有这样一种体验：一个爱他的人送给他某种他梦寐以求的或者从未拥有过的东西意味什么。

There is a wholeness about the person who has come to terms with his limitations,

人生的完整性在于一个人知道如何面对他的缺陷，

who has been brave enough to let go of his unrealistic dreams and not feel like a failure for doing so.

如何勇敢地摒弃那些不现实的幻想而又不以此为缺憾。

There is a wholeness about the man or woman who has learned that he or she is strong enough to go through a tragedy and survive,

人生的完整性还在于一个男人或女人懂得这样一个道理：他（她）发现自己能勇敢面对人生悲剧而继续生存，

who can lose someone and still feel like a complete person.

能够在失去亲人后依然表现出一个完整的人的风范。

Life is not a trap set for us by God so that he can condemn us for failing.

人生不是上帝为谴责我们的缺陷而给我们布下的陷阱。

Life is not a spelling bee, where no matter how many words you've gotten right, you're disqualified if you make one mistake.

人生也不是一场拼字游戏比赛，不管你拼出多少单词，一旦出现了一个错误，你便前功尽弃。

Life is more like a baseball season,

人生更像是一个棒球赛季。

where even the best team loses one-third of its games and even the worst team has its days of brilliance.

即使最好的球队比赛也会输掉1／3，而最差的球队也有春风得意的日子。

Our goal is to win more games than we lose.

我们的目标就是多赢球，少输球。

When we accept that imperfection is part of being human,

我们接受了不完整性是人类本性的一部分，

and when we can continue rolling through life and appreciate it,

我们不断地进行人生滚动并能意识到其价值，

we will have achieved a wholeness that others can only aspire to.

我们就会完成完整人生的过程，而对于别人来讲，这只能是一个梦想。

That, I believe, is what God asks of us

我相信这就是上帝对我们的要求：

not 'Be perfect', not “Don't even make a mistake”, but “Be whole”.

不求'完美'，也不求'永不犯错误'，而是求得人生的'完整'.

If we are brave enough to love, strong enough to forgive,

如果我们勇敢得能够去爱，坚强得能够去宽容，

generous enough to rejoice in another's happiness,

大度得能够去分享他人的幸福，

and wise enough to know there is enough love to go around for us all,

明智得能够理解身边充满爱，

then we can achieve a fulfillment that no other living creature will ever know.

那么我们就能取得别的生物所不能取得的成就。