OVERQUALIFIED 大材小用

(校稿後加上顏色的部份為修改之處)

「妳再說一次為什麼要作這份工作好嗎? 我們無法理解以妳的才學，根本大材小用……」一些人最近跟我說。

“Can you tell us again why you have chosen this job? We just cannot comprehend that such an overqualified person like you would be here…” Some people told me lately.

 

另一位前兩天對我提及：「妳都不會憤怒嗎? 這些工作為什麼要妳來作? 妳還沒來之前他們怎麼辦?」

One or two days ago, another said, “Are you not angry at all? Why do you have to do these works? Were you not here, what would they have done?

 

我一直不是非常清楚人們如何彼此定義對方，也許由於我太投入自己的職志，所以對這方面不大敏銳? 然而，很多人對我在工作上的選擇總是對我表達「在他們的眼裡完全不相稱」。

Often, I may be too devoted into tasks on my hands, I leading to my confusion regarding such practical matters as how people define themselves and each other.

 

在落後地區國家分享知識協助人們脫貧，關心我的人認為那是無給職而覺得「大材小用」了我；

In the remote regions of the world where I have assisted those moving away from dire poverty, a lot of people concerning about my welfare believe I am overqualified since I am never paid.

 

在大學兼課，關心我的人認為大學竟然不聘我為正式教職員而覺得「大材小用」了我；

Teaching certain classes in the college weekly instead of being a full-time employee, I was regarded by some concerned individuals as being overqualified.

 

在知名補教單位教書時，一位「名師」問我「妳怎麼屈就自己到這裡教書?」

 

在初等教育單位服務，關心我的人認為我的能力不只於那樣而感到「大材小用」了我；

When I taught in the elementary schools, some felt my ability was beyond what I needed to teach there. 

 

退下空服人員職位之後，關心我的人認為薪水那麼高怎麼放棄了而使我「大材小用」；但當我是一名空服人員時，甚至在初初應試的當下，航空公司裡面的高階主管們就認為當空姊對我而言是「大材小用」。

After I quit my work as a flight attendant, those who concern about me regarded that other professions might not offer salaries as high as that of a flight attendant, resulting my position of being over-qualified. However, when I was hired to work as a flight attendant, the supervisors inside the airline were convinced I was over-qualified. 

 

如果我不是有一些思考力的話，應該會被這些話語給淹沒之後，躺在加勒比海某處的沙灘上靜靜不動，一天也不想什麼事，接著，成為那個被富翁看到閒閒沒事作，而對他訓誡如何如何可以獲取財富的著名的故事裡面，那位在聽了富翁說道「有錢以後你就可以像我這樣悠閒度假啊」之後，被描寫成遊手好閒卻發話的窮人：

「那你以為我現在在幹嘛? 你繞了一大圈才享受人生，我時時刻刻都在享受啊」那樣的人。

If I have not held the independent thinking ability to keep challenging myself, I should have been buried by these different comments while putting myself somewhere Caribbean, around the beach, like in that quite well-known story where a rich person feels shocked when he sees a poor guy lying on his boat doing nothing.

“Why do you not work hard?” He asks that man in a sneering tone. “You should be industrious. Then, you will make money, a lot of money when you work hard. After that, you can travel and relax, similar to what I am doing now.”

The poor guy says, “I have already enjoyed my life for such a long time. Why do I have to go through all those steps you took in order to do so?”

 

不知道是否因為我從來沒有想過「大材小用」這幾個字，所以享受了我在各地工作場景中的氛圍、從中學習，而常常覺得我在度假?

I wonder whether it is due to the fact I have never viewed myself as overqualified; as a result, I have enjoyed all the projects I have had the pleasure handling. In return, I often feel I am on vacation although I am literally working.

 

不知道是否因為我從來沒有想過「大材小用」這幾個字，所以能夠在曾經經歷的雷同工作與教學場景之下推陳出新，感動更多人讓他們足以有自我趨策力而達到「有效學習」?

Besides, I wonder whether it is because I have not looked at myself as overqualified, I can revolutionize my own former teaching styles or working ethnics towards more positive directions which motivate people to change their own curves of life for good.

 

為了「是否到了該取得博士學位的時間」這件事，不少長輩、友人們和我有一些討論，其中一位說：「妳要讀博士的話，也就是感動那些教授和期刊文章審核者罷了」，言下之意是已經有能力感動別人的話，何需限定自己在某個方向呢?

About whether I should earn a PHD degree, quite a few elderly family members, friends and so on have certain opinions. One of them voiced that “When you go through the process of a PHD, you are merely making those who teach you plus those who edit your research paper for periodical journals to be inspired.” What she means is when a person is inspirational, it does not matter whether the person obtains a PHD or not.

別人受到我的感動或者啟發了嗎? 這是個我不大能夠置喙的議題，不過，我卻很享受這種自己左腦右腦左右開攻，點燃他人大腦革命的過程；也許因為如此而成為別人口中「不需要靠咖啡因或長假來提神卻可以保持正面戰力、甚至長時間在下班時間作許多和工作有關的事乃至於義務服務、卻不需要支薪」的人?

Are the others inspired by me? It should not be my position to comment on this. Nonetheless, I tremendously welcome this kind of process which requires the activities of both my right and left brains. Perhaps it is due to all these, I can maintain (my sense) of achievements, according to the others around me “for the betterment of others’ more grand future prospects without relying on things such as caffeine or long holidays despite of the fact I work long hours both for my paid or voluntary projects without applying overtime salary.”

 

我不知道這和我在這些年來的深度服務工作導致我認為和發現，薪水可以捐作公益也不可能沒飯吃、沒地方住有關，不過，我很喜歡自己一個人在朋友沒有邀約或者處理公務完成後，細細思考許多事：也許由於如此，我特別喜歡「寧靜致遠」這幾個字，因為我時時刻刻都認為自己所經歷的每一種故事、每一個橋段，都只是讓我在執行深度的、具有影響和號召力的、改變人們思維及行動的服務工作時，有更為優質的方向感。

 

這是否和當很多人總在一週週間倒數計時還要多少功夫週末才能到來、才能放鬆、才能狂歡，我卻覺得每天自己都在狂歡般面對工作上種種不為人知的艱辛與挑戰有關?

 

如果在前前一個工作我可以感動一些在台灣外島的各年級學生們，如果在前一個工作我可以感動一些台灣某個市區裡面公立學校的教師，如果在這一個工作我可以感動一些在台灣以外的各年級學生們，那麼這些說不完的感動，讓總是希望濟弱扶貧的我充滿鬥志，實在在所難免：

 

May I say that I cannot wait to share with more people who are in need of my know-how so that their lives will be a lot better day after day? Such notion rids me of all the confusions people ordinarily feel in their daily lives. I know I am refreshed each and every moment, and I know that when I look at people, I feel when they are with such clarity and potential which while spending time serving themselves and the others, they, too, will find such beauty in life.

或許我該說自己無法克制地希望能夠與那些國際上的偏鄉地區人民再度坐下來，談談我們的知識總和可以如何使更多人脫離極度貧困的狀態。

這樣的信念似乎使我遠離了所有在日常生活中讓人們感到困擾的事情。

我知道自己基於如此的信念，分分秒秒處在一種覺醒、猶如醍壺灌頂的狀態，我也知道當我望向所有的人們(包括我的學生)，我非常清楚於當他們在照顧他們自己和他們身邊的人們之時，如果他們的覺醒也如此深沉，那麼，他們就會發現生命中嶄新的希望與美好所在。

 

Last night, a Saturday evening and I was working outside the ordinary work hours once more, as I sat there, I could not stop my tears from falling down when I, with laughter, too, graded my current students’ assignments—I know that I will always miss all my students as well as all the people I have encountered, those whom I have encountered when people say that I am overqualified. If I am that overqualified, I pray that I will utilize every brain cell, every muscle of mine to uplift more people’s living standards while preserving the wildlife living inside pristine forests.

昨夜，一個星期六的夜晚，我又再次於下班時間工作著、看著現在的我的學生們的作業與回應時，我的淚水自然而然隨著我的笑容到來—我的深受感動之處，是知道自己將永遠懷念所有我所遇過的人們、我的學生們、我的老師們、我的長輩與朋友們，尤其那些對我表達關切之意，說我「大材小用」的人們。而我衷心祈願如果我的真的在如此之多的場合被人認為「大材小用」，那麼，我就期許自己的每個腦系胞及每一分體力都能夠傾注於使更多人遠離悲慘生活的命運、以及使更多原始林地連同當地野生動植物得以獲得保育的命運。

 

For all those who have expressed their respect and love to me, I need you to know that it is all of you who have made me a very, very delightful person, educator, and a “helper” for those living under poverty level.

對所有那與我訴說了他們的關愛的人們，我希望您們知道，是由於您們的全體加總，使我變成了一個愉悅滿足的個體、教育工作者、和助人之人。

 

To answer that question, I rarely get upset or even angry nowadays since I feel so richly fortunate that I cannot ask for more.

回應那個關於動怒與否的問題—現今的我很少感到不愉快、生氣，這是由於我對自己的富足了然於心，既是如此，夫復何求?

 

For all those who are waiting for my lessons via recording messages or videos, before I can pick up everything again, let me use written words to keep sharing with the wonderful you all these wonderful messages.

對於那些期盼我在課程上的講解之音檔或者影片的人們，在我能夠再次有效地動工之前，就請讓我以文字與各位分享這許許多多生命裡美妙而精采的剪影吧!!!

 

Happy Holidays—beginning from Thanksgiving all the way through Christmas, New Year and even the Chinese New Year!

同時也以Happy Holidays二字祝福各位佳節快樂—從感恩節開始直到聖誕節、新年、以及華人的農曆新年!!!