Oxford University , March 6th 2001 by Michael Jackson
中文翻譯:Sophie Lin
(中譯來源:http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/sophie-wonderland)
Thank you, thank you dear friends, from the bottom of my heart, for such a loving and spirited welcome, and thank you, Mr President, for your kind invitation to me which I am so honoured to accept. I also want to express a special thanks to you Shmuley, who for 11 years served as Rabbi here at Oxford . You and I have been working so hard to form Heal the Kids, as well as writing our book about childlike qualities, and in all of our efforts you have been such a supportive and loving friend. And I would also like to thank Toba Friedman, our director of operations at Heal the Kids, who is returning tonight to the alma mater where she served as a Marshall scholar, as well as Marilyn Piels, another central member of our Heal the Kids team.
謝謝你們,親愛的朋友們,我打從心底深處謝謝你們,這樣熱情活潑地歡迎我。也 謝謝總統先生,因您親切的邀請,我才有此榮幸應邀前來。我也想對你,許木利,致以特別的感謝,許木利已在牛津擔任猶太教拉比(祭司)達11年的時間。你和我努力地致力於組織「治癒小孩」(Heal the Kids)基金會,也寫了本書談論孩童般的品質,在我們所有的努力下,你是位這麼支持著我,而且富於愛心的朋友。我也想感謝Toba Friedman,我們「治癒小孩」基金會的營運主管,她今晚回到這個她以馬歇爾獎學金(Marshall Scholarship)註1就讀的母校註2。另外還有Marilyn Piels,另一位「治癒小孩」團隊中的重要成員。
註1:馬歇爾獎學金(Marshall scholarship)是美國非常有名的獎學金,給美國的大學生前往英國就讀,每年約40名學生,大部分就讀牛津、劍橋、倫敦政經學院等名校。獎學金以喬治・馬歇爾命名,成立於1953年Marshall Aid Commemoration Act通過時,這是二次大戰後的歐陸復原計畫中,送給美國的禮物。(這段話摘錄自維基百科)
註2:Toba Friedman於1992年畢業於紐約布魯克林學院,是該校首位馬歇爾獎學金得主,在牛津大學就讀2年。
(版主將Marshall Scholarship的官網找遍,都找不到Toba Friedman獲得馬歇爾獎學金的訊息,只有1997年以後的資料查得到得獎人,最後在這個網頁上找到證據:http://www.nydailynews.com/archives/ny_local/ 1995/05/28 / 1995-05-28 _an_achiever_takes_one_more_a.html)
<題外話> 在網路上流傳的原中譯,這裡的描述是錯誤的,沒有所謂「馬歇爾學者」這樣的名詞,而且這位Toba Friedman是返回她自己的母校牛津大學,而不是「她將於今晚返回她的母校,並曾以馬歇爾學者工作過」。
I am humbled to be lecturing in a place that has previously been filled by such notable figures as Mother Theresa, Albert Einstein, Ronald Reagan, Robert Kennedy and Malcolm X. I've even heard that Kermit the Frog has made an appearance here, and I've always felt a kinship with Kermit's message that it's not easy being green. I'm sure he didn't find it any easier being up here than I do!
在此演講讓我感到謙卑渺小,在這個前此如:泰瑞莎修女、愛因斯坦、雷根總統、羅伯特甘迺迪(甘迺迪總統的弟弟)與Malcolm X註3 (美國黑人領袖)這些顯要名人曾造訪之地。我聽說柯密特青蛙註4也曾出現在這裡,我與柯密特所傳達的訊息深有同感-「身為綠,大不易」註5,我很確信他站上這裡絕對比我更不容易!
註3:美國黑人領袖。於密西根州成長。親眼看到他的房子被三K黨(白人優先主義)人燒掉。之後遭逢父親被殺,母親住進精神病院的雙重打擊。經過少年感化院、盜竊罪入獄,並因此信奉伊斯蘭教,從事黑人伊斯蘭教徒運動。出獄後,到芝加哥伊斯蘭教徒總部,進見教長Elijah Muhammad,改姓為X。1964年宣布成立自己的宗教組織。到麥加朝聖之後,修改其有關黑人分離主義的觀點,宣布他不再是一個種族主義者,而承認世界一家的信念。同年10月重申皈依正統的伊斯蘭教。在哈林區一次舞廳集會上,他被槍殺。(http://tw.knowledge.yahoo.com/question/question?qid=1305091711485)
註4:芝麻街的玩偶,也曾到牛津演講,他的名字也留在好萊塢星光大道。想看照片在部落格相簿裡,或點以下的超連結(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kermit_the_Frog)
註5:原文是:It's not easy being green,是這隻青蛙所唱的歌。一開始牠唱著:「綠色會跟這麼多尋常的東西混雜在一起」,並不能認同自己,但在歌的最後,牠想起了綠色的正面意涵,而接受並擁抱自己的綠。(取自:維基百科)
As I looked around Oxford today, I couldn't help but be aware of the majesty and grandeur of this great institution, not to mention the brilliance of the great and gifted minds that have roamed these streets for centuries. The walls of Oxford have not only housed the greatest philosophical and scientific geniuses - they have also ushered forth some of the most cherished creators of children's literature, from J.R.R. Tolkien to CS Lewis. Today I was allowed to hobble into the dining hall in Christ Church to see Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland immortalised in the stained glass windows. And even one of my own fellow Americans, the beloved Dr Seuss graced these halls and then went on to leave his mark on the imaginations of millions of children throughout the world.
當我今天環視著牛津,我不由自主地感受到這個偉大機構的威勢與莊嚴,更不用提那些幾世紀以來,漫步在街道上的偉大天才頭腦們的卓越光華;牛津的牆不僅將最偉大的哲學與科學天才圍在其中,它也引領出一些兒童文學中,最慈善愛心的創作者,從J. R. R. Tolkien註6到CS Lewis註7。今天我被允許跛行著步入基督教堂的用餐室中註8,看Lewis Carroll的「愛麗絲夢遊仙境」永恆不朽地留在彩繪玻璃窗上。而一位我的美國同伴,親愛的Dr. Seuss註9,也曾光臨這些廳室,然後把他幻想而出的作品留存給世界上幾百萬的孩子們。
註6:「魔戒」的作者。
註7:「納尼亞傳奇」的作者。
註8:MJ在行前於莊園摔傷,故當時因腳傷而跛行。
註9:Theodor Seuss Geisel,曾就讀牛津大學,寫過60幾本兒童書,最有名的是「戴帽子的貓」。
I suppose I should start by listing my qualifications to speak before you this evening. Friends, I do not claim to have the academic expertise of other speakers who have addressed this hall, just as they could lay little claim at being adept at the moonwalk - and you know, Einstein in particular was really TERRIBLE at that.
我想我該從一一條列為何我今晚有資格在各位面前演講開始。朋友們,我並不能聲稱自己像那些曾在這廳中演講的講者般具有學術專業,正如他們無法聲稱在「月球漫步」上具有熟練專業-如你們所知的,愛因斯坦在這方面尤其恐怖得驚人。
But I do have a claim to having experienced more places and cultures than most people will ever see. Human knowledge consists not only of libraries of parchment and ink - it is also comprised of the volumes of knowledge that are written on the human heart, chiselled on the human soul, and engraved on the human psyche. And friends, I have encountered so much in this relatively short life of mine that I still cannot believe I am only 42. I often tell Shmuley that in soul years I'm sure that I'm at least 80 - and tonight I even walk like I'm 80! So please harken to my message, because what I have to tell you tonight can bring healing to humanity and healing to our planet.
但我真的可以聲稱,我比大多數人遊歷過更多的地方與文化。人類知識不僅包含在圖書館中的文稿與墨水之中,那些書寫在人們的心中、鑿刻於靈魂之內、鐫印在精神上的,也包含了為量巨大的知識。而朋友們,在我相對短暫的生命中,我已經歷過許多事,那令我依然無法相信我只有42歲。我常告訴許木利,以我的靈魂年齡計算,我很確定我至少有80歲了-而今晚我甚至連走路都像80歲!所以,請聆聽我的訊息,因為今晚我所告訴你們的,能夠為人類帶來療癒、為我們的星球帶來療癒。
Through the grace of God, I have been fortunate to have achieved many of my artistic and professional aspirations realised early in my lifetime. But these, friends are accomplishments, and accomplishments alone are not synonymous with who I am. Indeed, the cheery five-year-old who belted out Rockin' Robin and Ben to adoring crowds was not indicative of the boy behind the smile.
透過上帝的恩典,我極為幸運能在生命的早期,就達到諸多藝術與專業上抱負的實現。但這些成就,朋友也在其中,單單成就並不能與「我是誰」畫上等號。事實上,那個在五歲時就得活潑快樂地為愛慕的群眾高唱Rocking Robin和Ben的男孩,並不代表他就是那位笑容背後的男孩。
Tonight, I come before you less as an icon of pop (whatever that means anyway), and more as an icon of a generation, a generation that no longer knows what it means to be children.
今晚,我不以流行歌手的形象來到你們面前(不管它意指為何),而更是以一個世代的形象而來,一個早已不懂「孩子」意謂為何的世代。
All of us are products of our childhood. But I am the product of a lack of a childhood, an absence of that precious and wondrous age when we frolic playfully without a care in the world, basking in the adoration of parents and relatives, where our biggest concern is studying for that big spelling test come Monday morning.
我們全都是我們童年的產物。但我是個缺乏童年的產物,那珍貴而神奇的時刻缺席了,那個當我們嬉鬧玩耍,完全無需理會世界,愜意沐浴在父母親人鍾愛中的時期,那當中我們最大的煩惱,就是要為週一早晨的拼字考試而讀書。
Those of you who are familiar with the Jackson Five know that I began performing at the tender age of five and that ever since then, I haven't stopped dancing or singing. But while performing and making music undoubtedly remain as some of my greatest joys, when I was young I wanted more than anything else to be a typical little boy. I wanted to build tree houses, have water balloon fights, and play hide and seek with my friends. But fate had it otherwise and all I could do was envy the laughter and playtime that seemed to be going on all around me.
你們當中對Jackson 5熟悉的人,都知道我在五歲的幼年就開始表演,而自那時起,我就不曾停止跳舞唱歌。但雖然表演與音樂創作無疑地仍是我最大的樂趣,當我年輕時,我最想要的,就是做一個典型的小男孩。我想要蓋樹屋,打水球仗,和朋友玩躲貓貓。但命運另有安排,我所能做的,就是對那些在我周圍的笑聲與玩樂,投以羨慕的眼光。
There was no respite from my professional life. But on Sundays I would go Pioneering, the term used for the missionary work that Jehovah's Witnesses do. And it was then that I was able to see the magic of other people's childhood.
我的職業生涯沒有喘口氣的時候。星期天時,我會去做「拓荒先驅」(Pioneering),這是耶和華見證人註10對傳教工作的用辭。在那時,我才能看見其他人童年的神奇力量。
註10:這是MJ參加的教會。
Since I was already a celebrity, I would have to don a disguise of fat suit, wig, beard and glasses and we would spend the day in the suburbs of Southern California , going door-to-door or making the rounds of shopping malls, distributing our Watchtower magazine. I loved to set foot in all those regular suburban houses and catch sight of the shag rugs and La-Z-Boy armchairs with kids playing Monopoly and grandmas baby-sitting and all those wonderful, ordinary and starry scenes of everyday life. Many, I know, would argue that these things seem like no big deal. But to me they were mesmerising.
既然我已成為名人,我必須要披上厚重的衣服、假髮、鬍鬚、眼鏡來偽裝,在南加州的郊區耗上一天,挨家挨戶或是繞著圈圈在購物城裡,分發我們的瞭望台(Watchtower)雜誌註11。我喜歡走進這些普通的郊區房屋,眼光停留在絨毛地毯、La-Z-Boy休閒椅註12,小孩在玩著大富翁,祖母在照看著,所有這些日常生活中美妙的、尋常的、光芒閃耀的景象。我知道,很多人會反駁說,這些事物看起來根本沒什麼,但對我來說,它們卻像是催眠魔術。
註11:這是耶和華見證人發行的雜誌。
註12:La-Z-Boy是美國最大的休閒椅品牌。
I used to think that I was unique in feeling that I was without a childhood. I believed that indeed there were only a handful with whom I could share those feelings. When I recently met with Shirley Temple Black, the great child star of the 1930s and 40s, we said nothing to each other at first, we simply cried together, for she could share a pain with me that only others like my close friends Elizabeth Taylor and McCauley Culkin know.
我常想著,我是唯一一個感覺自己沒有童年的人。我相信真正能與我分享這種感覺的人屈指可數。我最近遇到雪莉‧登波,那位1930、40年代的偉大童星,我們剛碰面時並沒有說話,只是一起哭了,因為她能跟我分享痛苦,那只有少數我的密友如伊莉莎白‧泰勒與麥考利‧克金才懂。
I do not tell you this to gain your sympathy but to impress upon you my first important point : It is not just Hollywood child stars that have suffered from a non-existent childhood. Today, it's a universal calamity, a global catastrophe. Childhood has become the great casualty of modern-day living. All around us we are producing scores of kids who have not had the joy, who have not been accorded the right, who have not been allowed the freedom, or knowing what it's like to be a kid.
我對你們談這些,並不在於獲取同情,只是想讓大家對我的第一個重點加深印象。並非只有好萊塢的童星要忍受沒有童年的痛苦,今天,它是全世界的災難,一場全球性的悲劇。童年已經成為現代生活中的巨大受害者。在我們四周,我們製造傷痕給小孩,他們不曾擁有喜悅,他們無法與正面事物調和一致,他們從未被允許自由,或者知道當個小孩該是怎樣的。
Today children are constantly encouraged to grow up faster, as if this period known as childhood is a burdensome stage, to be endured and ushered through, as swiftly as possible. And on that subject, I am certainly one of the world's greatest experts.
現在,孩子們總是一直被催促著快點長大,就好像這段被稱之為「童年」的時期是一個負擔一樣,要忍受著一路通過,愈迅速愈好。在這件事情上,我當然是世界上最偉大的專家之一。
Ours is a generation that has witnessed the abrogation of the parent-child covenant. Psychologists are publishing libraries of books detailing the destructive effects of denying one's children the unconditional love that is so necessary to the healthy development of their minds and character. And because of all the neglect, too many of our kids have, essentially, to raise themselves. They are growing more distant from their parents, grandparents and other family members, as all around us the indestructible bond that once glued together the generations, unravels.
我們是那親眼目睹親子盟約毀棄的世代。心理學家出版了滿坑滿谷的書籍,詳述拒絕給予孩子對心智及性格健全發展必需的無條件的愛,所造成的毀滅性影響。而因為這所有的疏忽,太多的小孩在實質上必須自己養育自己。他們與雙親、祖父母及其他家庭成員過於疏遠,那世代間曾緊密連結、不容破壞的聯繫,就這樣拆散了。
This violation has bred a new generation, Generation O let us call it, that has now picked up the torch from Generation X. The O stands for a generation that has everything on the outside - wealth, success, fancy clothing and fancy cars, but an aching emptiness on the inside. That cavity in our chests, that barrenness at our core, that void in our centre is the place where the heart once beat and which love once occupied.
這樣的違背自然孕育了一個新世代,姑且讓我們稱之為O世代,那個從X世代手中接起火把的世代。O世代象徵著一個具備所有外在事物的世代-財富、成就、新潮的衣服、超炫的汽車,但內在卻是令人傷痛的空虛。在我們胸膛中的空洞,在我們核心的荒蕪,在我們中心的虛空裡,是一個心曾經跳動,而愛曾經佔據的地方。
And it's not just the kids who are suffering. It's the parents as well. For the more we cultivate little-adults in kids'-bodies, the more removed we ourselves become from our own child-like qualities, and there is so much about being a child that is worth retaining in adult life.
而不僅僅孩子在受苦,父母也是。當我們愈是把小孩培育成小大人,我們就愈跟自己孩童般的品質遠離。而做為小孩是如此的意義重大,很值得將它保留在大人的生活之中。
Love, ladies and gentlemen, LOVE is the human family's most precious legacy, its richest bequest, its golden inheritance. And it is a treasure that is handed down from one generation to another. Previous ages may not have had the wealth we enjoy. Their houses may have lacked electricity, and they squeezed their many kids into small homes without central heating. But those homes had no darkness, nor were they cold. They were lit bright with the glow of love and they were warmed snugly by the very heat of the human heart. Parents, undistracted by the lust for luxury and status, accorded their children primacy in their lives.
愛,女士先生們,「愛」是人類家庭中最珍貴的遺產,最富有的繼承,如黃金般的傳承。它是世代相傳的寶藏。過去的時代也許不曾有過我們所享受的富裕,他們的屋子缺乏電力,許多孩子擠在一個小房子裡,沒有中央空調的暖氣。但這些家庭沒有黑暗,也沒有寒冷。他們被愛的亮光照得明亮閃耀,而人們心中的無比熱情則帶給他們安適的溫暖。父母親並沒有為了追求奢華與地位的欲念而分散注意力,在他們生活中永遠把孩子放在第一位。
As you all know, our two countries broke from each other over what Thomas Jefferson referred to as "certain inalienable rights". And while we Americans and British might dispute the justice of his claims, what has never been in dispute is that children have certain inalienable rights, and the gradual erosion of those rights has led to scores of children worldwide being denied the joys and security of childhood.
如你所知的,我們兩個國家因傑佛遜總統所說的「某種無可退讓的權利」而分離,當美英兩國為各自的聲明何者正當而發生爭議時,從來毫無爭議的是,孩子們該有「無可退讓的權利」,而這些權利被逐步侵蝕,則給全球小孩帶來了傷痕,童年不再有喜樂與安全。
I would therefore like to propose tonight that we install in every home a Children's Universal Bill of Rights, the tenets of which are:
因此,今晚我想提出在每個家庭中都該設置的「兒童權利全球方案」,它的宗旨包括:
1. The right to be loved without having to earn it
被愛是無需賺取的權利
2. The right to be protected, without having to deserve it
被保護是非關值得與否的權利
3. The right to feel valuable, even if you came into the world with nothing
感受到自我價值的權利,即使一無所有來到世上
4. The right to be listened to without having to be interesting
被傾聽的權利,不論內容是否有趣
5. The right to be read a bedtime story, without having to compete with the evening news
聽床邊故事的權利,不需跟晚間新聞互相競爭
6. The right to an education without having to dodge bullets at schools
受教育的權利,在校園中不需閃躲子彈
7. The right to be thought of as adorable - (even if you have a face that only a mother could love).
被認為可愛的權利-(即使你長了一張只有媽媽會愛的臉)
Friends, the foundation of all human knowledge, the beginning of human consciousness, must be that each and every one of us is an object of love. Before you know if you have red hair or brown, before you know if you are black or white, before you know of what religion you are a part, you have to know that you are loved.
朋友們,所有人類知識的基礎、人類覺知的起源,就是─我們每一個人都是愛的形體。早在你知道你的頭髮是紅或褐,你是黑或白,你參與的是什麼宗教之前,你就已經知道自己是被愛的。
About twelve years ago, when I was just about to start my Bad tour, a little boy came with his parents to visit me at home in California . He was dying of cancer and he told me how much he loved my music and me. His parents told me that he wasn't going to live, that any day he could just go, and I said to him: "Look, I am going to be coming to your town in Kansas to open my tour in three months. I want you to come to the show. I am going to give you this jacket that I wore in one of my videos." His eyes lit up and he said: "You are gonna GIVE it to me?" I said "Yeah, but you have to promise that you will wear it to the show." I was trying to make him hold on. I said: "When you come to the show I want to see you in this jacket and in this glove" and I gave him one of my rhinestone gloves - and I never usually give the rhinestone gloves away. And he was just in heaven.
大約十二年前,當我正要開始我的BAD巡演,一個小男孩和父母一同前來拜訪我在加州的家。他因癌症而瀕臨死亡,他告訴我,他有多愛我和我的音樂。他的父母告訴我,他的生命難以延續,任何一天他都可能走掉,我告訴他:「看啊!三個月後,我要到你們堪薩斯州的鎮上開始我的巡迴演唱,我希望你來看我的表演,我要給你這件我在MV中穿過的夾克。」他的雙眼發亮,他說:「你要把它送給我?」我說:「是的,但是你要答應我,你會穿著它來看表演。」我嘗試著讓他堅持下去,我說:「當你來看表演的時候,我要你穿上夾克和這個手套。」我給了他一個我的鑲鑽手套──我很少把鑲鑽手套送人的。他開心得就像在天堂一樣。
But maybe he was too close to heaven, because when I came to his town, he had already died, and they had buried him in the glove and jacket. He was just 10 years old. God knows, I know, that he tried his best to hold on. But at least when he died, he knew that he was loved, not only by his parents, but even by me, a near stranger, I also loved him. And with all of that love he knew that he didn't come into this world alone, and he certainly didn't leave it alone.
但或許他離天堂太近了,因為當我到他鎮上的時候,他已經死去了,與手套和夾克葬在一起。他只有十歲大。上帝知道,我知道,他盡了最大的努力堅持著。但至少當他走的時候,他知道他是被愛的,不只是他的父母,那近乎是陌生人的我,也同樣愛著他。帶著這所有的愛,他知道他不是孤單地走入這世界的,而他當然永遠不會遺棄它。
If you enter this world knowing you are loved and you leave this world knowing the same, then everything that happens in between can be dealt with. A professor may degrade you, but you will not feel degraded, a boss may crush you, but you will not be crushed, a corporate gladiator might vanquish you, but you will still triumph. How could any of them truly prevail in pulling you down? For you know that you are an object worthy of love. The rest is just packaging.
如果你走入這個世界,知道你是被愛的,而當你離開時,也帶著同樣的了解,那麼在這之間所發生的任何事都能夠被解決。一位教授也許會貶低你,但你不會覺得被貶低;一個老闆可能壓榨你,但你不會覺得被壓榨;派系鬥爭或許把你擊垮,但你依然勝利。他們怎麼可能真正盛氣凌人地將你拉下來呢?你既然知道你是個值得被愛的形體,其他的都只是包裝而已。
But if you don't have that memory of being loved, you are condemned to search the world for something to fill you up. But no matter how much money you make or how famous you become, you will still fell empty. What you are really searching for is unconditional love, unqualified acceptance. And that was the one thing that was denied to you at birth.
但如果你沒有過被愛的記憶,你會被迫使在這個世界尋找某些事物來填補。然而不論你賺多少錢,或者變得多麼有名,你始終感到空虛。你真正尋找的是無條件的愛,無需資格證明的全然接受。那是當你出生時,就被斷絕的一件事。
Friends, let me paint a picture for you. Here is a typical day in America - six youths under the age of 20 will commit suicide, 12 children under the age of 20 will die from firearms - remember this is a DAY, not a year - 399 kids will be arrested for drug abuse, 1,352 babies will be born to teen mothers. This is happening in one of the richest, most developed countries in the history of the world.
朋友們,讓我為你描繪一幅景象。這是美國典型的一天──六個20歲以下的青少年自殺,12個20歲以下的小孩死於槍枝──記得,這是「一天」,而不是一年──399個孩子因濫用藥物而被捕,1,352個嬰兒被青少年媽媽生下。這些都發生在這個歷史上屬於世界最富裕、最發達的國家之一。
Yes, in my country there is an epidemic of violence that parallels no other industrialised nation. These are the ways young people in America express their hurt and their anger. But don't think that there is not the same pain and anguish among their counterparts in the United Kingdom . Studies in this country show that every single hour, three teenagers in the UK inflict harm upon themselves, often by cutting or burning their bodies or taking an overdose. This is how they have chosen to cope with the pain of neglect and emotional agony.
是的,在我的國家中,暴力有如瘟疫般蔓延,沒有其他工業化國家能相提並論。這就是美國的年輕人表達傷痛和憤怒的方法。但別認為在英國的同輩就沒有相同的悲痛與苦惱。英國的研究指出,每一個小時,有3個英國青少年對自己自虐,通常是刀割或火燒自己的身體,或者是過度嗑藥。這是他們為了對抗因忽視及情緒極度苦惱的傷痛而做的選擇。
In Britain , as many as 20% of families will only sit down and have dinner together once a year. Once a year! And what about the time-honoured tradition of reading your kid a bedtime story? Research from the 1980s showed that children who are read to, had far greater literacy and significantly outperformed their peers at school. And yet, less than 33% of British children ages two to eight have a regular bedtime story read to them. You may not think much of that until you take into account that 75% of their parents DID have that bedtime story when they were that age.
在英國,有20%的家庭一年只坐在一起吃一次晚餐。一年一次!而為小孩讀床邊故事的悠久傳統呢?1980年後的研究發現,聽床邊故事的小孩,有著遠為優異的讀寫能力,表現顯著超過學校的同儕!但是,少於33%的2~8歲英國小孩經常有床邊故事可聽。你可能不會想太多,直到你想到他們父母在跟他們同齡時,75%有床邊故事可聽!
Clearly, we do not have to ask ourselves where all of this pain, anger and violent behaviour comes from. It is self-evident that children are thundering against the neglect, quaking against the indifference and crying out just to be noticed. The various child protection agencies in the US say that millions of children are victims of maltreatment in the form of neglect, in the average year. Yes, neglect. In rich homes, privileged homes, wired to the hilt with every electronic gadget. Homes where parents come home, but they're not really home, because their heads are still at the office. And their kids? Well, their kids just make do with whatever emotional crumbs they get. And you don't get much from endless TV, computer games and videos.
很明顯地,我們不需自問所有這些痛苦、憤怒、暴力行為從何而來。不證自明地,它是孩子們因為被忽視而發出的怒吼,因漠不關心而極力地撼動,因只想被注意而大聲地哭喊。美國各種兒童保護機構都說,平均每年都有數以百萬計的孩子是因為被忽視地粗略對待下的受害者。是的,在有錢、有特權的家庭,「忽視」就跟每一個精密的電子玩意兒綁在一起。父母回到家裡,但並不真的在家,因為他們的頭腦還依然在辦公室。而孩子們呢?他們收集到的情緒碎屑是什麼,他們就做什麼。而他們從永無止盡的電視、電腦遊戲和影片中,沒辦法得到些什麼。
These hard, cold numbers which for me, wrench the soul and shake the spirit, should indicate to you why I have devoted so much of my time and resources into making our new Heal the Kids initiative a colossal success.
對我而言,這些令人難受的、冷酷的數字,就像在折磨著靈魂、搖撼著精神,向你指出,為何我會耗費這麼多時間與資源致力讓「治癒小孩」的倡議成為巨大的成功。
Our goal is simple - to recreate the parent/child bond, renew its promise and light the way forward for all the beautiful children who are destined one day to walk this earth.
我們的目標很簡單-創造親子聯繫,將親子承諾重新改寫,並且為未來將在地球上行走的所有美麗孩童們點燃光亮的前途。
But since this is my first public lecture, and you have so warmly welcomed me into your hearts, I feel that I want to tell you more. We each have our own story, and in that sense statistics can become personal.
但既然這是我第一次的公開演講,而你們又打從心裡給我如此熱烈的歡迎,我覺得想告訴你們更多。我們每個人都有自己的故事,以這樣的意義,統計數據就變得個人化了。
They say that parenting is like dancing. You take one step, your child takes another. I have discovered that getting parents to re-dedicate themselves to their children is only half the story. The other half is preparing the children to re-accept their parents.
人們說,為人父母就如同跳舞。你跳一個舞步,而你的小孩跳另一步。我發現,讓父母對小孩重新奉獻,只是故事的一半而已。另一半則是讓小孩重新接受他們的父母。
When I was very young I remember that we had this crazy mutt of a dog named "Black Girl," a mix of wolf and retriever. Not only wasn't she much of a guard dog, she was such a scared and nervous thing that it is a wonder she did not pass out every time a truck rumbled by, or a thunderstorm swept through Indiana . My sister Janet and I gave that dog so much love, but we never really won back the sense of trust that had been stolen from her by her previous owner. We knew he used to beat her. We didn't know with what. But whatever it was, it was enough to suck the spirit right out of that dog.
當我很小的時候,我記得我們養過一隻叫「黑妞」的混種狗,她是狼與獵犬的混種。她完全無法當一隻看門狗,她很容易害怕,而且神經質。很奇妙的是,每次有卡車轟隆經過,或者大雷雨掃過印第安那州,她都會昏過去。珍妮和我非常愛那隻狗,但我們從未真正贏回她被之前主人奪走的信任感。我們知道,他經常打她,不知為何打她。但無論如何,那已糟到足以將這隻狗的靈魂吸乾了。
A lot of kids today are hurt puppies who have weaned themselves off the need for love. They couldn't care less about their parents. Left to their own devices, they cherish their independence. They have moved on and have left their parents behind.
今天有許多孩子就像受傷的寵物,讓自己對愛的需要斷絕。他們對父母的關心少得可憐。他們嚮往獨立,為所欲為,就這樣走了,將父母抛在腦後。
Then there are the far worse cases of children who harbour animosity and resentment toward their parents, so that any overture that their parents might undertake would be thrown forcefully back in their face.
而有些孩子的情況還更糟糕,他們對父母心懷敵意及憤恨,任何父母主動提出的建議,都可能被頂撞而狠狠地擲回他們臉上。
Tonight, I don't want any of us to make this mistake. That's why I'm calling upon all the world's children - beginning with all of us here tonight - to forgive our parents, if we felt neglected. Forgive them and teach them how to love again.
今晚,我不希望我們當中的任何人犯這樣的錯。那正是我為何呼籲所有世上的孩子們-今晚就從我們自己開始-原諒我們的父母,如果我們覺得被忽視,原諒他們,並教導他們如何重新去愛。
You probably weren't surprised to hear that I did not have an idyllic childhood. The strain and tension that exists in my relationship with my own father is well documented. My father is a tough man and he pushed my brothers and me hard, from the earliest age, to be the best performers we could be.
你或許並不訝異聽到,我從未有過一個田園詩歌般的童年。我與父親間緊張而繃緊的關係早被廣為報導。我的父親是位強硬的人,從我們很小的年紀開始,他對於兄弟們和我便督促甚嚴,要我們成為最好的表演者。
He had great difficulty showing affection. He never really told me he loved me. And he never really complimented me either. If I did a great show, he would tell me it was a good show. And if I did an OK show, he told me it was a lousy show. He seemed intent, above all else, on making us a commercial success. And at that he was more than adept. My father was a managerial genius and my brothers and I owe our professional success, in no small measure, to the forceful way that he pushed us. He trained me as a showman and under his guidance I couldn't miss a step.
他在表達情感上有著極大的困難。他從不曾真正告訴我,他愛我。他也從來不曾真正地讚美我。倘若我完成了一個很棒的演出,他只會對我說,那是個好表演。但如果我的演出還可以,他會說那糟透了。他對於打造我們為商業成功藝人的熱衷,似乎凌駕於其他事物之上。因此,他不僅僅是個內行人,我的父親是個經理天才,而兄弟們與我的專業成就,有很大一部分來自於他逼迫我們的強硬方式。他將我訓練為一個藝人,而在他的指導之下,我不能夠踏錯任何一步。
But what I really wanted was a Dad. I wanted a father who showed me love. And my father never did that. He never said I love you while looking me straight in the eye, he never played a game with me. He never gave me a piggyback ride, he never threw a pillow at me, or a water balloon.
但我真正需要的,是一個爸爸。我想要一個會對我表現關愛的父親。但我的父親從不曾這樣做。他從來沒說過:「我愛你」,當他眼睛直視著我時。他從來沒陪我玩過遊戲,從來不曾把我扛在肩上走,也不曾對我扔過任何一個枕頭,或一個水球。
But I remember once when I was about four years old, there was a little carnival and he picked me up and put me on a pony. It was a tiny gesture, probably something he forgot five minutes later. But because of that moment I have this special place in my heart for him. Because that's how kids are, the little things mean so much to them and for me, that one moment meant everything. I only experienced it that one time, but it made me feel really good, about him and the world.
但我記得有一次,當我大概四歲的時候,在一次小小的嘉年華會,他把我抱起來,將我放在小馬上。那是個很微小的動作,或許是他五分鐘後就會忘記的事,但因為當時的那一刻,他在我心中有了一個很特別的位置。孩子們就是這樣,一些很小的事情,對他們來說卻是意義重大,對我而言,那一刻就代表了所有。我僅僅經歷過一次那樣的經驗,但那真的令我對他、以及這世界,有著極為不同的感受。
But now I am a father myself, and one day I was thinking about my own children, Prince and Paris and how I wanted them to think of me when they grow up. To be sure, I would like them to remember how I always wanted them with me wherever I went, how I always tried to put them before everything else. But there are also challenges in their lives. Because my kids are stalked by paparazzi, they can't always go to a park or a movie with me.
現在,我自己也是個父親。某天,我想著我的孩子-王子和芭莉絲,我希望他們長大後如何看待我?確定的是,我希望他們記得,不論我去到哪裡,我都好想他們跟我在一起,而我永遠把他們放在所有事物之前,包括我的專輯和演唱會。不過,在他們的生活中仍有著挑戰。我的孩子們老是被狗仔隊跟蹤,他們沒辦法每次都跟我去公園或看電影。
So what if they grow older and resent me, and how my choices impacted their youth? Why weren't we given an average childhood like all the other kids, they might ask? And at that moment I pray that my children will give me the benefit of the doubt. That they will say to themselves: "Our daddy did the best he could, given the unique circumstances that he faced. He may not have been perfect, but he was a warm and decent man, who tried to give us all the love in the world."
所以,當他們長大一點,會不會對我憤慨地指責,我的選擇如何影響著他們的青春年少?為什麼我們就不能有個正常的童年,就像其他小孩一樣?他們會這樣問嗎?在那時,我祈願我的小孩從疑問中給予我的是正面的獲益。他們會說,「在他面對的獨特環境下,我們的爸爸已經盡他所能做到最好了。或許他仍不夠完美,但他是個溫暖而親切寬容的人,總想要給我們全世界的愛。」
I hope that they will always focus on the positive things, on the sacrifices I willingly made for them, and not criticise the things they had to give up, or the errors I've made, and will certainly continue to make, in raising them. For we have all been someone's child, and we know that despite the very best of plans and efforts, mistakes will always occur. That's just being human.
我希望他們永遠專注在正面的事物上,在我願意為他們做的犧牲奉獻上,而不是批評那些環境因素迫使他們做的犧牲,或者我在養育他們的過程中曾犯下的、之後一定還會有的錯誤。我們都為人子女,知道即便再美好的計畫、再多的努力,錯誤仍然不免發生。人類就是如此。
And when I think about this, of how I hope that my children will not judge me unkindly, and will forgive my shortcomings, I am forced to think of my own father and despite my earlier denials, I am forced to admit that he must have loved me. He did love me, and I know that.
而當我想到這個,關於我有多希望孩子們不要嚴苛地批判我,而會原諒我的缺失時,我不由自主地想到自己的父親,儘管我以前對他拒絕否定,我仍然必須承認,他一定是愛我的。他真的愛我,我知道的。
There were little things that showed it. When I was a kid I had a real sweet tooth - we all did. My favourite food was glazed doughnuts and my father knew that. So every few weeks I would come downstairs in the morning and there on the kitchen counter was a bag of glazed doughnuts - no note, no explanation - just the doughnuts. It was like Santa Claus.
有一些小事可以證明。我小時候很愛吃甜食-我們全都是。我最愛的食物是泛著糖光的甜甜圈,我父親也知道。所以每幾個禮拜,我早晨下樓時,在廚房的角落裡就會發現一袋甜甜圈-沒有字條、沒有說明-就只是甜甜圈。就像是聖誕老人一樣。
Sometimes I would think about staying up late at night, so I could see him leave them there, but just like with Santa Claus, I didn't want to ruin the magic for fear that he would never do it again. My father had to leave them secretly at night, so as no one might catch him with his guard down. He was scared of human emotion, he didn't understand it or know how to deal with it. But he did know doughnuts.
有時,我會想在夜裡待晚一點,然後我就會看到他把東西留在那裡,但就像聖誕老人一樣,我不想破壞了魔法,只怕他下次再也不這樣做了。我父親必須在夜裡偷偷地把東西留在那裡,才不會有人把他的守衛擊倒而抓到他。他對於人類的感情覺得恐懼,他無法明白,也不懂得如何處理。但他可懂得甜甜圈!
And when I allow the floodgates to open up, there are other memories that come rushing back, memories of other tiny gestures, however imperfect, that showed that he did what he could. So tonight, rather than focusing on what my father didn't do, I want to focus on all the things he did do and on his own personal challenges. I want to stop judging him.
而當我讓防洪閘門打開,其他記憶隨之湧來,關於一些微小動作的記憶,無論多麼的不完美,仍表現出,他已經盡力做所有他能做的了。所以今晚,與其把焦點放在我父親沒有做的事情上,我更想把注意力放在所有他做的事,那可是他的個人挑戰。我不再想批判他了。
I have started reflecting on the fact that my father grew up in the South, in a very poor family. He came of age during the Depression and his own father, who struggled to feed his children, showed little affection towards his family and raised my father and his siblings with an iron fist. Who could have imagined what it was like to grow up a poor black man in the South, robbed of dignity, bereft of hope, struggling to become a man in a world that saw my father as subordinate. I was the first black artist to be played on MTV and I remember how big a deal it was even then. And that was in the 80s!
我開始思考,我父親生長於南方一個非常貧窮的家庭。他生於經濟大蕭條時代(1930年代),而他的父親,為了養育孩子而掙扎求生,對家庭成員表現的關愛非常少,他養育著我父親及兄弟姐妹,拳頭似鋼鐵般緊握著。誰能想像在南方一個貧窮黑人家庭長大,尊嚴被奪走,希望喪失,在一個視我父親如次等人的世界中掙扎奮鬥會是怎樣?
My father moved to Indiana and had a large family of his own, working long hours in the steel mills, work that kills the lungs and humbles the spirit, all to support his family.
我父親搬到印第安那州,自己有了一個大家庭,在鋼鐵廠長時間地工作,傷害肺部又貶低心靈,一切只為了養家。
Is it any wonder that he found it difficult to expose his feelings? Is it any mystery that he hardened his heart, that he raised the emotional ramparts? And most of all, is it any wonder why he pushed his sons so hard to succeed as performers, so that they could be saved from what he knew to be a life of indignity and poverty?
當他感到難以表露自己的感覺時,有什麼好奇怪的嗎?當他築起感情堡壘,讓自己的心強硬起來,有什麼難以理解的嗎?而最重要的,當他全力敦促兒子們成為成功的表演者,好讓他們不需過一個毫無尊嚴而貧窮的生活時,有什麼好懷疑的嗎?
I have begun to see that even my father's harshness was a kind of love, an imperfect love, to be sure, but love nonetheless. He pushed me because he loved me. Because he wanted no man ever to look down at his offspring.
我開始發現,即便我父親的嚴苛,也是一種愛,一種不完美的愛,但很確定的是,那依然是愛。他逼迫我,只因他愛我。因為他不想要任何人看輕他的後代。
And now with time, rather than bitterness, I feel blessing. In the place of anger, I have found absolution. And in the place of revenge I have found reconciliation. And my initial fury has slowly given way to forgiveness.
而現在隨著時間經過,苦澀不再,我反而感到祝福。在憤怒之處,我找到了赦免。在報復之處,我找到了和解。而我原本的狂怒則慢慢地讓給原諒一條路。
Almost a decade ago, I founded a charity called Heal the World. The title was something I felt inside me. Little did I know, as Shmuley later pointed out, that those two words form the cornerstone of Old Testament prophecy. Do I really believe that we can heal this world, that is riddled with war and genocide, even today? And do I really think that we can heal our children, the same children who can enter their schools with guns and hatred and shoot down their classmates, like they did at Columbine? Or children who can beat a defenceless toddler to death, like the tragic story of Jamie Bulger? Of course I do, or I wouldn't be here tonight.
將近十年前,我成立了一個名為「治癒世界」的基金會。這名稱是我內在的感覺。但我幾近一無所知,直到許木利後來指出,這幾個字構成了舊約預言中的基石。我真的相信我們能夠治癒這個世界,即便今日,那已經充斥著戰爭及種族屠殺的世界?我真的認為我們能夠治癒孩童,那些像科倫拜高中註13一樣,帶著槍枝和仇恨進入學校,將同學開槍擊倒的孩子們?或是那些把毫無抵禦之力的幼童毆打致死的孩子們,如同Jamie Bulger註14的悲劇故事?我當然相信,否則我今晚不會在這裡。
註13:科倫拜校園事件是1999年4月20日於美國科羅拉多州傑佛遜郡科倫拜高中(Columbine High School)發生的校園槍擊事件。兩名青少年學生—艾瑞克·哈里斯(Eric Harris)和迪倫·克萊伯德(Dylan Klebold)配備槍械和爆炸物進入校園,槍殺了12名學生和1名教師,造成其他24人受傷,兩人隨即自殺身亡。這起事件被視為美國歷史上最血腥校園槍擊事件之一。(參見:維基百科)
註14:Jamie是兩歲大的幼兒,在他母親逛街時,被兩個十歲左右的男孩Jon Venebles 與Robert Thompson拐走。他們將他帶到鐵路旁,無視於Jamie嚎啕哭喊著媽媽,開始虐待他。其中一個拿著塑造塗料的漆倒在Jamie的臉上,他們踢他、以磚塊、石頭、鐵條打他,把電池放進他的嘴巴裡。在離開他之前,他們將Jamie放在鐵軌上,以碎石堆把他的頭朝下壓住,希望將它假裝成一起火車碾過男童的意外事件。兩天後,男童的屍體被發現,驗屍報告指出,在火車經過之前,男童已經遭虐致死。(翻譯改寫自:http://jamie-bulger.gonetoosoon.org/,網站有小男童的照片,更令人萬分心痛。他的生命只從1990年3月持續至1993年2月。)
But it all begins with forgiveness, because to heal the world, we first have to heal ourselves. And to heal the kids, we first have to heal the child within, each and every one of us. As an adult, and as a parent, I realise that I cannot be a whole human being, nor a parent capable of unconditional love, until I put to rest the ghosts of my own childhood.
但這一切都要從寬恕開始,因為要治癒世界,我們必須要先治癒自己。而為了治癒孩子,我們首先要治癒我們內在的孩子,我們每一個人、任何一個人。做為一個成年人,做為父母,我了解到,我無法成為一個完整的人,或者一個有能力給予無條件的愛的父母,直到我讓自己童年的幽魂安息。
And that's what I'm asking all of us to do tonight. Live up to the fifth of the Ten Commandments. Honour your parents by not judging them. Give them the benefit of the doubt.
而那正是我今晚請求大家去做的。依循十誡中的第五誡生活-尊敬你的父母,不要批判他們。給予他們正面利益的思想。
That is why I want to forgive my father and to stop judging him. I want to forgive my father, because I want a father, and this is the only one that I've got. I want the weight of my past lifted from my shoulders and I want to be free to step into a new relationship with my father, for the rest of my life, unhindered by the goblins of the past.
那是為何我想要寬恕我父親,不再批判他的原因。我想要原諒我父親,因為我想要一個父親,這是我唯一的父親。我希望我過去的重擔能從肩上卸下,我想要自由,與我父親步入一個新的關係,在我往後的人生中,不再被過去的幽靈縈繞著。
In a world filled with hate, we must still dare to hope. In a world filled with anger, we must still dare to comfort. In a world filled with despair, we must still dare to dream. And in a world filled with distrust, we must still dare to believe.
在一個充滿恨意的世界中,我們仍要勇於希望。在一個充滿憤怒的世界中,我們仍要勇於安撫。在一個充滿失望的世界中,我們仍要勇於夢想。在一個充滿不信任的世界中,我們仍要勇於相信。
To all of you tonight who feel let down by your parents, I ask you to let down your disappointment. To all of you tonight who feel cheated by your fathers or mothers, I ask you not to cheat yourself further. And to all of you who wish to push your parents away, I ask you to extend you hand to them instead. I am asking you, I am asking myself, to give our parents the gift of unconditional love, so that they too may learn how to love from us, their children. So that love will finally be restored to a desolate and lonely world.
今晚,你們當中所有對父母失望的人,我請求你們放下失望。對所有感覺被父親或母親欺騙的人,我請求你們不再欺騙自己。對所有想將父母推開的人,我請求你們,以對他們伸手而出取而代之。我正在請求你們,我正在請求我自己,給予父母「無條件的愛」的禮物,這樣或許他們也才能從我們-他們的小孩這裡,學到如何去愛。如此,愛最終會回歸這荒蕪而孤寂的世界。
Shmuley once mentioned to me an ancient Biblical prophecy which says that a new world and a new time would come, when "the hearts of the parents would be restored through the hearts of their children". My friends, we are that world, we are those children.
許木利曾對我指出,古老的聖經預言說,一個新世界與新時代將會來臨,當「父母的心透過孩子們的心而回歸」之時。朋友們,我們就是那世界,我們就是那孩子。
Mahatma Gandhi said: "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." Tonight, be strong. Beyond being strong, rise to the greatest challenge of all - to restore that broken covenant. We must all overcome whatever crippling effects our childhoods may have had on our lives and in the words of Jesse Jackson, forgive each other, redeem each other and move on.
聖雄甘地說「弱者從不寬恕,寬恕是強者的特質。」今晚,讓我們成為強者。在強者之外,迎向最大的挑戰-恢復已被毁棄的盟約。我們全都必須克服童年對生活造成的嚴重後果,如同Jesse Jackson註15所說,彼此寬恕,彼此救贖,然後向前走。
註15:Jesse Jackson 繼承馬丁路德金思想上的衣缽,帶領黑人爭取權益。曾經促成芝加哥市第一位黑人市長的產生,還在1984年和1988年兩次獲得民主黨總統候選人提名。他的名字近乎是現代美國民權運動的同義詞,聲名雖不及 金恩 博士,但卻是現今美國黑人民權運動重要人物。(來源:http://tw.knowledge.yahoo.com/question/question?qid=1508120506919)
This call for forgiveness may not result in Oprah moments the world over, with thousands of children making up with their parents, but it will at least be a start, and we'll all be so much happier as a result.
這對寬恕的呼籲可能不會像歐普拉秀(Oprah moment)註16一般遍布世界,使數以千計的孩子們與父母的關係馬上修復,但至少這是個開端,我們會更高興它能有個結果。
註16:這裡指的應是知名的脫口秀節目歐普拉秀(Oprah’s Show)中的Aha! Moment。(版主對這節目細節實在不甚了解,若有錯誤還請指正!)
And so ladies and gentlemen, I conclude my remarks tonight with faith, joy and excitement.
所以女士先生們,我想以信心、喜悅與興奮來做為今晚的結語。
From this day forward, may a new song be heard.
從這一天開始,讓新的歌曲能被聽聞。
Let that new song be the sound of children laughing.
讓新的歌曲,是孩子們歡笑的聲音。
Let that new song be the sound of children playing.
讓新的歌曲,是孩子們嬉戲的聲音。
Let that new song be the sound of children singing.
讓新的歌曲,是孩子們歌唱的聲音。
And let that new song be the sound of parents listening.
讓新的歌曲,是父母傾聽的聲音。
Together, let us create a symphony of hearts, marvelling at the miracle of our children and basking in the beauty of love.
讓我們一起創造一首心的交響樂曲,為孩子們的奇蹟而驚喜,在愛的美中愜意沐浴。
Let us heal the world and blight its pain.
讓我們治癒世界,讓痛苦消逝。
And may we all make beautiful music together.
讓我們一起創造美麗的樂音。
God bless you, and I love you.
上帝保佑你們,我愛你們!
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