Have A Little Faith—Continued (The Start of the Book) 繼續中英對照解說一本書的最前端

The recording messages of an interpretation of this part of the book were completed on Oct. 14, 2021. It has taken me quite a few weeks before I can sit down to produce some reflections towards this part of the story though, due to my current work load. 

即便書籍內容解釋在2021 10/14便已完成，但由於目前工作量的緣故，竟然耗費了幾週時間才能將其他細節統整完畢，與大眾分享……

 

Some scenarios have taken place lately and I figure it would be the best if I keep a record here. Meanwhile, it should be the proper time for me to present another continuous part of Have a Little Faith.

一些在教學場景的落差中所發生的橋段，值得我在此註記，同時，我也該繼續描述Have a Little Faith這本書。

                                                                     PART A

 

                                                                     PART B

If you have ever taught by me, please stay serene yourself while making the others tranquil, too. You will always have my best wishes. If such are not enough, please know that "God helps those who help themselves."

如果您曾經被Hope所教，那麼，期許您找到內心的詳和寧靜，並請將此種氣息透過各種良善之法，傳輸他人~~~您總是擁有Hope最深沉的祝福。不過如果這樣仍然不夠，那麼我們都該記取的是「天助自助者」乃不變之真理。

 

 

Have A Little Faith—Continued 繼續中英對照解說一本書

 

I  Dream Destroyer   壹  粉碎他人理想的人

 

A foreign friend said to me, “Hope, don’t listen to those people who demolish your unique ways of thinking.”

一名國際友人告訴我：「妳別聽那些會粉碎妳獨特思維方式的人的話。」

 

Wondering what exactly he wanted to say, I did not reply right away.

揣想他到底想說些什麼的我，並沒有馬上回應。

 

“I have seen too many people who are from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, your skin color. We are alike, all human beings, but we are not the same.” He said.

他接著說道：「我見過很多兩岸三地和妳同文同種的人，雖然我們都是人類，不過我們也因文化背景而有相當程度的不同。」

 

“How’s that?” I asked.

我問他想表達的我們大家不同之處，在於何處。

 

He sipped a bit of his coffee, which I could hear from my digital device used to discuss matters of importance with him. Then he said, “People from there are used to snatching people’s dreams away. They want the others to be their subordinates instead of their companions. You be careful. Don’t let people shake your confidence.”

因為在線上針對重要事項商議，我聽得見他啜飲咖啡的聲音；口中的咖啡嚥下之後他說「來自於那裡的有很多人會竊取別人的理想、抱負，他們希望使別人成為他們的跟班者，而不是將人當作可與他們平起平坐的夥伴，所以我要妳小心，不需要讓別人將妳的信念奪走。」

 

“I have never thought about it.” I remarked.

「哇~~~我還沒這麼想過呢！」我如此回應著。

 

“Whatever negative tones of words you hear are for the purposes of such. Let people know about what you have done. Feel your own power. Alright?” He told me.

他則是如此跟我說的：「不論妳聽到或者感受到的事，是否一如我所講的這樣，妳要記得妳走過的路是值得與人分享的，並且，妳應該從中繼續獲取源源不絕的能量，知道嗎？」

 

“You sound like talking to your daughter.” I remarked.

我謝謝他的關心，告訴他「你好像在和你的女兒講話啊。」

 

He laughed. “Are you not one of my daughters?”

「難道妳不就是我女兒裡面的其中一位嗎?」他這麼說。

 

 

II  That Path We Belong   貳 那條屬於自己的路

Many people like to ask me, “Why do you do this? Why do you do that?”

很多人喜歡問我：「妳為什麼會作這些啊?」

 

In general, the whole thing is like this: No matter how hard I’ve tried to be away from it, the profession of teaching people gets into my destiny. Even in my humanitarian projects, education is something vital.  

根本上而言，整件事情有點如下的因果關係—不論我如何將自己抽離開教育場景及其現場，教育這件事在我於先進地區、落後地區工作時，一樣與我所處理的所有事務如影隨形。

 

In the educational settings during my most recent work, I was teaching groups after groups of teachers who have taught students for decades; in my current post, a part of my work is to teach students ranging from 3 to 18 years old, age groups taught by those teachers I just finished teaching.

離目前最近一次的教學現場，我的授課對象是一批批長期任職公校的教師，而我現在所處理之工作中的一環，則與那些教師們的教學對象有所重疊—三至十八歲的學生。

 

I am used to this gap, especially when I think of my students from everywhere, all walks of life and different professions. As incredible as it can sound like, I gradually realize my life as the way it is would be my destiny, a destiny I embrace, a destiny of knowing those who are much older and wiser may not be fluent in English, one language I teach, also the most dominant language globally so everybody who has not learned it well may want to keep learning it, while those who are much younger and less experienced in life may be extremely proficient using English in their academic pursuits or daily matters, but no more, nothing too philosophical, too profound, or they get lost in not only the application of this foreign language but also in uncovering more secrets, more meanings along their journey of life.

對於我的學生在年齡層上有著相當落差之事早習以為常的我，看慣了那些來於不同社會經濟背景、不同年齡層、世上不同居住地區的學生們，奇妙的是在這樣的過程當中，我是如此熱情擁抱著這樣的經驗值和似乎多多少少有些命定的路途，了然於有些學生的英語力可能已經非常流利，不過，他們的心智未開，無法與他們談論太多生命歷程之事，但也看過許許多多學生們已然擁有豐富的人生閱歷，英語能力卻不足以支援他們以英語將這些經驗值與英語使用者，大方分享。

 

 

III  Different Settings   參  不同的場景

 

III-i  參之一

Recently, two kids were having a little trouble which I helped to resolve.

“I do not want this.” One told me.

近日兩名孩童陷入了一個不大不小的意件衝突之中，所以我介入協調。

其中一名說：「我不想要這個。」

 

“What do you mean?” I asked. 我不是很懂，所以請問他所表達的事情是什麼意思。

 

He said, “This is not mine. I would like to give it back to him.”

「這不是我的東西，我要把它還給他」這位學生說。

 

Immediately the other one pointed out “He gave me something I did not like last time as a gift. I want him to have this one from me now, as a present, a return of favor.”

另一位學生馬上指出：

「他上次硬塞了一個東西給我作為禮品，我也不想收啊，現在我只是跟他回禮而已。」

 

I began laughing. The two of them also laughed. I looked at that “gift,” a well-packed colorful arrangement of all kinds of erasers, shaped as cups, ice cream, cupcakes etc. I said to them that my students in Africa would surely like this very much, for they have never seen something like such before. 我實在忍峻不住便笑了出聲，他們兩人也不覺莞爾。

仔細端詳了一下那個「禮物」，原來是個包裝精美、有著許多像是小杯子、冰淇淋、小蛋糕形狀之類的橡皮擦的物事。看了一看之後，我跟他們說：

「我在非洲的學生們沒有看過這樣的東西，他們一定會感到很新奇。」

 

Paused, I suggested, “Why don’t you just do PAPER-SISSORS-STONE and the winner gets to have the gift?”

接著我說：「不然你們猜拳好了，贏的人就把這個禮物拿走?」

 

One of them pointed out, “Why not the loser gets to have the gift?”

「為什麼不是輸的人拿走?」他們其中一人如此問我。

 

My reply was “You guys are old enough to end such a dispute yourself; nevertheless, I have to be involved due to your disagreement. As a result, you need to respect my order now.”

我則回應到「你們兩人都已經夠成熟了，根本不該發生這種事情還要老師出面協調，那麼，既然老師必須出面協調，你們是否就該尊重我的處理方式呢?」

 

This time, they nodded in agreement—finally there was something they both agreed at the moment!

他倆想想後都點了點頭。

在那個時間點上，要找到一個他們兩人都願意配合的折衷方式，還真不是那麼容易!

 

The student wishing to return that gift back won; therefore, he took the present he did not really like back to his seat. Later, he came to me and told me he would like to donate that gift to my students in Africa. I explained he could write his name there, noting himself as the donor. He refused and wanted to remain anonymous.

想把禮品物歸原主的學生贏了，他只好將這個他不是太過心儀的禮物拿回了他的座位，下課時，他將禮物遞給了我，表示他想與非洲的學生們分享，我請他在禮物上面寫上名字，但他說他要匿名贈予。

 

 

III-ii  參之二

Yes, Africa… I miss it there, very much, actually.

是的，非洲確實是我所心心念念之處。

 

I miss all the students I have the privilege to teach.

身為一位教師，自然，我是對於所有我所教過的學生，都有著惦記之情的。

 

By mentioning my students in Africa, tough, is a way to let me go into a different perspective to look at teenagers who grow up in the middle class settings where most of their desires related to materialism can be fulfilled, contrast to those who are in Africa who only have a pair of shoes, two sets of clothes—one uniform and another what they wear in their free time. Strangely, those African students of mine seldom complain about how far they need to trek in order to reach school—in fact, most of them need to walk for more than 1.5 to 2 hours per journey, whereas my students who are the middle class in rich nations do not have ambitions in life. Despite of the fact they are usually sent to the schools by school buses or their parents, these students from the middle class look tired when they learn new knowledge. These same groups of students from the middle class living in different geographical locations would state,

“We do not really have dreams.”

不過提及我在非洲的學生們，卻讓我有著一個相當不同的視角，能夠觀察他們和先進、富庶之地學生們的差異。也許生長在先進國家或者地區的學生們，得以輕而易舉享有種種優沃的生活條件，對比於他們，非洲學生實在貧困到不行，畢竟他們往往只有一雙可以穿到學校的鞋、一套制服及一套便服得以交換穿著，再沒有其他。

不過相對於在先進國家的學生們大大小小事情都可以抱怨抱怨，我卻很少聽到落後地區國家的學生們對於他們處境有什麼怨天尤人之處，即便他們要花一、兩個小時一趟走路到學校。但在先進地區國家的學生們，就算已經有校車或家長接送，也能夠在物質條件上得到大量滿足，卻還是不約而同顯現出一臉疲態。他們甚至會告訴我：

「我們沒有對生命的理想或者目標……」

 

“What if our ambition is just to breathe in and out, feeling no specific desires?”

「如果我們的想望就只是每天活著、但沒有特別想達成的事呢?」

 

These differences make me wonder who the poorer ones are, if we count the emptiness of an inner world as being disadvantaged, too.

如果我們把內心的匱乏也視為窮困的一環，那麼，這些差異使我思考著到底誰比較「貧困」。

 

 

III-iii  參之三

The other day, another kid who is much younger than the above-mentioned was howling in his classroom. This caused his own teachers some troubles.

有一天，一個年齡比上述學生們小了很多的孩子在課堂上號啕大哭了起來，這明顯令他班上的老師們感到頭疼。

 

I happened to enter the classroom. Sitting across from that little child who is about 3 years old, I looked at him straight in the eye and began to smile. I also used my body language to tell him that he is a good kiddo. Quickly the noise made by him dwindled. Afterwards, he shyly laughed when he kept looking at me, too.

當時我正進到教室裡面，在我坐了下來之後，與這位三歲左右的小小孩四目相望，我以我的肢體語言告訴他「你很棒哦!」

很快地，他的哭聲停止，並且有些害噪、面帶微笑地偷偷望著我。

 

At that moment, which is yet another proof, that no language is necessary at all from time to time when we need to communicate with each other. Many languages exist in this world although they are not really linguistic—in fact, such languages are more psychological, inward, and touching.

在那樣的情況下，我們再次看到一個關於「交流是否單靠語言」的實証。

事實上，這個世界裡面的溝通方式非常之多，並非所有溝通都必須靠著語言打轉；因為不需要藉力於言語的溝通，仰賴的是比較內在、心理、與感動層次的溝通。

 

Later on, I looked at myself, at my world, and sensed the tranquil realization knowing that I am here to assist all those from different places to see the beauty of various forms of communications. For that, I am very thankful.  

在那之後，我審視著自己和屬於我的視野中的世界，並且由衷因著自己的存有原來是協助著不同人群進行跨國、跨領域的平和交流，而感到極為寧靜的滿足和幸福。

 

 

Conclusion: Traveling Between Heaven and Hell Daily

結論：每天穿梭來去於天堂和地獄之中

 

When we say or do something really beneficial to the others, we stand inside that heaven we create by ourselves. During most of the time, however, when most of the people spend with the others, they do not know that they can choose to be in that Heaven. Instead, they leave their souls inside the Hell, moving like if they are spiritless while saying things which are either hurtful or useless to the others.

當我們為了別人而作出、說出有益於他人的事情與話語時，我們便處在自己所創作出的天堂之中，不過我們絕大多數人都並未如此選擇，相反地，我們往往因為自己所說的話、作的事，而使自己和他人身處人間煉獄。

 

When I see the author of Have a Little Faith talk about the two men of God, their different remarks in life when they want(ed) to be close to their respective heaven, I could feel that they were traveling between Heaven and Hell, like all of us do, perhaps daily.

當讀著、詮釋著Have a Little Faith這本書的作者，如何引介我們看到兩位神職人員，從不同的角度觀照著他們自己的天堂時，我也可以感受到這他們似乎也像我們所有的人一樣，每天穿梭來去於天堂和地獄之中。

 

Gradually they have found that wisdom to stay tranquil in their lives while preaching to the others, and I hope I can find certain ways to make things more hopeful for my students so there is no need for them to frequently travel back and forth between Heaven and Hell.

他們逐漸在講道的過程中找到他們的天堂。

對我這樣的一位教育者而言，我所想尋找的，是那些可以讓我的學生們免於常常來回穿梭於天堂和地獄之中的法門。