旅程 The Journey
這個世界有些事情我非常不能了解，屬於一種充滿神秘感的奇幻之處。
There are things in this world I cannot
really understand, things that are mysteriously magical.
奇幻的是，我們無法有穿透時空的雙眼或者性靈，感知會發生的事情，可是這些事情，會以一種幾乎無法想像的方式發展。事前，我並不知道當我在訴說著服務的價值的時候，就在同一個日子裡面，一位前輩再度長途跋涉前往溝通關於服務事項的種種，而這當中的種種，其實和我個人有著極大的牽動力量。
Not a real fortune teller or a person
predicting the future, I could not expect what would have happened. However,
when I was explaining the value of serving the others at one part of the island,
on the same day, a much-respected senior putting the issues of helping the
others at the center of his philosophy of life was handling such at another
part of our homeland. Prior to his traveling of the place for a long distance
and his communication with the locals, I was not aware of his journey taken.
對於這些服務工作的細節，因為有著過多的人、事、物的環繞，不宜在此種散文裡面分享，但是，我可以把焦點多少放在與自己相關的事務之上。
About the details of such service projects,
as there are so many people involved, I cannot focus on the details of such;
nevertheless, there are issues concerning more about me that I can put into
words here.
In my work, my colleague from overseas told me that “When you’re not inside the classroom for a while, the students were out of control, and I was on the brink of crying.”
在我與外籍人士合作教學時，這位白種人老師告訴我：
「妳沒有在教室裡面的時候，學生們脫序到我快哭出來了。」
I told the students about this. One person’s
comment was “How can a teacher react to such a small thing so emotionally?”
They are grade two. I was stunned by such a comment, feeling his feelings of
not feeling anything about a person’s emotions.
當我和這些小學二年級的學生們溝通這件事的時候，一位學生說：
「老師也太沒用了，為了這一點小事，有什麼好哭的?」
我為這樣對於別人處事作人而無感的學生，感到些許震驚。
I so much so wanted to tell them that “Do
you know she has come from overseas? What is her feeling of teaching you? Do
you understand why she comes over here?”
我很想對學生們說教，告訴他們：
「你們知道她遠渡重洋而來嗎?
你們有沒有想過人家對你們的學習態度有什麼感覺?
你們知道人家為什麼而來這裡教學嗎?」
I did not say those things to “teach” those
students a lesson. Instead, I have applied other skills to make the students quieter
to respect this very teacher in the class sessions.
我沒有使用上面的說教法來教育這些學生們，而是使用了其他的教學手法甚至干預措施，來讓學生們有更好的學習模式，至少不要在上課時間打擾到這位教師的情緒。
Hence, it is my observation that for every argument taking place in the world, anywhere in the world, in fact, it can be a result of disrespectful behaviors.
所以，從我自已的角度觀察，之所以這個世界上有那麼多的和平或者紛爭，也許多半來自於人們和群體彼此之間的尊重與否。
“I just traveled with my friends overseas
and I have discovered that spending time with people so closely for a journey
is very tiresome. You can see they are not to be tolerated, for there are some things
that are just unbearable. I feel frustrated.” An adult student told me.
我的一位成年學生告訴我：「近日，我與朋友遠赴國外旅行，長時間相處下來我其實快被逼瘋了，因為在旅途中我們要緊密相處……」
I start to think about those trips taken
overseas with the others due to yet some others’ requests or assistances and
invitations and so on. During all those experiences, I wonder whether I have
driven anyone crazy or vice versa.
我想著自己歷來被請求、要求、尋求協助而有必須與不同年齡層、不同膚色人士同行至世界各地的經驗，想著那些從遠方而來對我的邀約，那些在過去累積下來的工作及種種人脈，對我的所有呼喚的歷程……
是否有人曾把我逼瘋呢?
是否我曾把人逼瘋呢?
這種思考過程是一種澄清，去回溯過去的歷程而仰望未來，探索在這些充滿了服務的元素中，到底哪些地方是重點，而如果人生以服務為目的的話，也同樣可以被視為一段旅途的話，在這樣的生命過程裡面，到底和追求著享樂或者刺激的生命，有什麼不同呢?
This kind of reflection is a kind of clarification.
In my belief, trips taken for the purpose of serving the others can be compared
and contrasted with those for pleasures. It is the same as living a life, in
which some stress on the importance of having fun whereas the others seek
pleasures in helping out.
「我覺得慈眉善目的人往往因為深度服務而牽動他們給其他人類的吸引力。」我告訴這位學生。
I said to this student “Those who are kindhearted are very charming in
the others’ eyes.”
He asked, looking a bit confused perhaps as
a result of my application of English, a foreign language to him, or of my not
well-developed logics in the explanation, “What do you mean?”
他滿臉困惑，不知道是否因為我們的討論在英語中進行，或者因為我的傳遞力量不到位，所以我繼續說明：
「有些人士讓人們想到他們，會充滿力量，因為這樣的人物講究平和地待人接物，我們姑且不談同文同種的，單單像是一些外籍人士如史懷哲、德蕾莎修女、聖雄甘地、馬丁路德、曼德拉、戈巴契夫、辛德勒等等這樣的人物，他們所做的事情讓人們感受到平靜的力量，所以人們會被他們牽動、被吸引……」
I carried on. “Some people are very
powerful in our mind when we think about them. These people are powerful because
of their peace-making tendencies. If we focus on those not from our ethnic
group, people like Dr. Schweitzer, Mother Teresa, Father of India Gandhi, Martin
Luther King and so on can show that light in humanity when they remembered by
the others.
學生會意點點頭。He nodded.
「在我們所畢業的同一所國內大學中，有時會有團隊到印度的死亡之家去服務，這個由德蕾莎修女在當時創立的天主教分支，一開始非常受到排擠……但隨著他們在服務範疇的擴增和知名度，吸引了很多同樣與她一樣，來自歐美的事業有成人士到死亡之家去服務。」
“The university where you and I both
graduated from can be with groups of people visiting the Home of Dying
established by Mother Teresa. That Home of Dying used to be such a controversial
topic inside the Catholic church. Accompanied by the reputation of its service
put for those who are otherwise dying on the streets in India, many westerners with
the same skin color like that of Mother Teresa have begun to travel to the
place to provide their personal assistance. Among them, some are doing well
professionally speaking.”
學生很認真聆聽著。
My student listened to my words very attentively.
「老師之前在讀到他們的文獻時，由於自己的服務工作才剛剛起步，有些地方我不是很了解……比方，一位白種人到了當場，看到死亡之家裡面每個人都靜默工作著，其中一位和他膚色一樣的人士，正在幫一名剛剛從街上搬回到死亡之家的當地流浪漢，剪他的腳趾甲，這位白種人當場痛哭流涕無法克制……等他的情緒比較回緩的時候，修女指示他可以如何協助大家，來讓這些在加爾各答街上因垂死而被接回死亡之家的人們，得到更有尊嚴的最後一程。」
“When I read the literature about Home of Dying,
there were things I could not understand because I barely started my own
journey to assist the others in the international community. Like, there’s a
story recording a white man who just arrived saw that one volunteer going over
there to the Home of Dying to help out was helping a man carried back to the
Home to manicure this homeless man’s nails. This white man was so shocked that
he wept for such a long time. When he calmed himself down, the nuns there
instructed him what he would have to do so that altogether, they could have helped
those who would otherwise perished alongside the roads due to their diseases,
aging process, or sicknesses.”
學生很認真思考著我所說的內容，不發一語。接著他說：「老師，妳之所以常常讓人感覺年輕，或者，妳自己覺得自己很年輕，我個人認為有一個很大的部份，是妳一直不斷接受挑戰、不害怕轉變、願意助人。」
He was silent for a long time. Then he explained
the following words to me. “Teacher Hope, the reasons you make people feel you
are young or you yourself identify yourself of being youthful are the results
of your constant challenges to your worldviews, actions, and ways of helping the
others.”
在那之後，我想到自己的同事告訴我：
「這學期快撐完了，好期待放暑假……」
對我這樣的人來說，卻怎麼無論如何，沒有寒暑假可言?
After my student’s words, I thought about the
words my colleague told me “Fortunately this semester will come to an end soon.
I truly expect we can move onto the summer vacation as quickly as possible.”
I wonder how come I never feel I have any
winter and summer vacation…
在與那位學生談完話之後，當我在大都會的街頭上面漫步，在夜景的燈火通明之中，想到在世間不同地點的我，曾經看過的風景與人物。
After chatting with that student, when I was
walking on the streets in the metropolitan area of my homeland, I thought about
all those scenes and characters whom I have been exposed to, with much
pleasure.
沒有人問過長頸鹿為什麼瀕臨絕種，他們只是棲地被人類一個城池一個城池般占據。
No one every asked why giraffes are on the
brink of extinction. By and by, though, their habitats are occupied by the
human beings.
我的小學生們在教室裡面，因為同班同學的言語行為特殊，而排擠這樣的學生，所以，也沒有人問過為什麼學生們會在小小年紀，學會傲慢與偏見，當然，也不會有人詢問過，那些必須跟正常學生一起上課的特殊生，何以變成今天的模樣。
Usually, my pupils would show their pride
and prejudice when they are treating their peers who can be mentally and
physically challenged. No one ever knows why, nor do we know the real reasons
for those who have become mentally and physically challenged today.
但我肯定自己在生長的過程中，一定也經過那些傲慢與偏見的歷程，一定也必須消磨那些稜角，所以在這些過往的歷程中，有這些讓我每每到了一個時期，就必須陷入長考：
「到底下一站必須前往何處，可以發揮最大效益?」
「目前的效益已經到達最大嗎?」
「自己的大頭症病況有無開始產生? 如果開始產生，有沒有愈演愈烈?」
What I am certain of is that during my
period of growing up into adulthood, becoming more mature, there are many
issues from inside me that I need to handle. These make me fall into deep
thoughts once in a while:
“Which step should I take to make my value
the biggest?
Am I already at my utmost capabilities?
Do I have any problems viewing my own capabilities?
Have I exaggerated such?”
我的國際友人告知：「我認識了一位學界人士，很期望透過她，讓妳這麼有才華、能夠在我們這裡發展的人，找到一塊值得發展的沃土。」
My foreign friend told me that “I’ve met a
person from the academic world. Through her, perhaps we can find a way for you
to develop yourself here.”
我想著歷來所見所聞中，那如空中繁星點點的人物們，到底在這個世界上的各個大洲中，是否找到他們安身立命的方式? 思想的過程中，我會回望自己，一個被我的外籍友人們描述成是「極度穩定，因為妳的中心點始終沒有改變」的情況之下，當我已經深深覺察「吾心安處是吾鄉」的道理，而感到不論人在何處，一樣平靜喜悅，不論從事什麼工作，一樣因為服務歷程的毫無中斷的累積而喜悅平靜，我就會知道自己不可能被逼瘋，也不會使別人因我而走調至負面情狀。
I remember all those individuals whom I
have met alongside my journeys, different ones taking at different places, and
all those who have travelled back and forth, searching for ways of making themselves
satisfied. Then, I would remember how my foreign friends would describe me as possessing
that steadfastness in me which allows me to explore my own and the outside
world peacefully and merrily. I understand that I cannot be driven crazy by anyone,
neither would I drive anyone crazy based on the things I do.
因為服務的路程是一條自然而然，毋須做作的道途。That is from the reality that to serve the others is a path which
cannot allow any falsehood.
我無法使得全部的學生、我所遇過的工作同仁，都知道傲慢與偏見的殺傷力，但是西方有句俗諺講究的是「設立典範」就會「典型在宿昔」，這也就是為何在知道前輩風塵僕僕與相關人士對談之時，我會在獨處時感動莫名。
I cannot make all my students and those
whom I have met understand how detrimental pride and prejudice can be; however,
Philosopher, physician, and humanitarian Albert
Schweitzer said, “Example is not the main thing in influencing others; it is
the only thing.”
That is how and why I would be moved, after
knowing that this senior went to handle issues in relation to the service work by
traveling back and forth for not a short distance.
那是因為服務的本身價值，就是一種無可取代的光芒，即始在黑夜漫漫，也會成為心燈一盞，照亮就算會被滅種的長頸鹿，讓他們知道這個世界上，也有人類如此在乎他們，如此希望保全他們的存續。
The value of serving the others is an irreplaceable
kind of light which illuminates the dark night. This form of light can be in
existence for even the giraffes who may recognize that though they are at the
brink of extinction, some certain human beings are still in the wish to do
something beneficial for them.
許多人說馬匹可以有治癒人心、病痛的功效，我想，也許這樣的人們並沒有如我的際遇一般，在非洲的深山中，與像野生長頸鹿一般如同神獸似的其實懂得隱藏本身身影的動物，正面相遇。
Many people have expressed that horses are
with therapeutic effects. Perhaps, I reckon, that these people have not met the
much elusive wild giraffes in the remote regions of this world.
在那樣的時刻中，感受到天地之間自己的渺小與無限的可能，不僅產生真正的敬畏，也產生雄心壯志，在一夫當關萬夫莫敵的際遇當中，做所有可能的事以扭轉所有本來的不可能。
When I meet them, face to face, I would feel the minute and strenuous
parts of mine. Not only would I be in awe of this life, a gift, but also I would
be convinced that I can do anything and everything to change the impossible,
making them possible.
因此，在此生如同一個領受著造化所帶來的大禮一般的際遇中，很榮幸有機會和一些了知「典型在宿昔」真諦的前輩、平輩、晚輩，於此生學習而知見賢思齊，知悉何謂貫古爍今，而繼往開來，勉力而行。
Thus, in this life, I am very much honored
to know some people who are willing to set examples and make changes in others’
lives in a permanently positive way, regardless of what species these so-called "others" would be.
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