行勝于言

I teach economics at UNLV three times per week. Last Monday， at the beginning of class， I cheerfully asked my students how their weekend had been. One young man said that his weekend had not been so good. He had his wisdom teeth removed. The young man then proceeded to ask me why I always seemed to be so cheerful.

His question reminded me of something Id read somewhere before： “Every morning when you get up， you have a choice about how you want to approach life that day，” I said. “I choose to be cheerful.”

“Let me give you an example，” I continued， addressing all sixty students in the class. “In addition to teaching here at UNLV， I also teach out at the community college in Henderson， 17 miles down the freeway from where I live. One day a few weeks ago I drove those 17 miles to Henderson. I exited the freeway and turned onto College Drive. I only had to drive another quarter mile down the road to the college. But just then my car died. I tried to start it again， but the engine wouldnt turn over. So I put my flashers on， grabbed my books， and marched down the road to the college.

As soon as I got there I called AAA and arranged for a tow truck to meet me at my car after class. The secretary in the Provosts office asked me what has happened. ‘This is my lucky day， I replied， smiling.

Your car breaks down and today is your lucky day？ She was puzzled. ‘What do you mean？

“I live 17 miles from here.” I replied. My car could have broken down anywhere along the freeway. It didnt. Instead， it broke down in the perfect place： off the freeway， within walking distance of here. Im still able to teach my class， and Ive been able to arrange for the tow truck to meet me after class. If my car was meant to break down today， it couldnt have been arranged in a more convenient fashion.

The secretarys eyes opened wide， and then she smiled. I smiled back and headed for class. So ended my story.

I scanned the sixty faces in my economics class at UNLV.Despite the early hour， no one seemed to be asleep. Somehow， my story had touched them. Or maybe it wasnt the story at all. In fact， it had all started with a students observation that I was cheerful.

Deepak Chopra has quoted an Indian wise man as saying， “Who you are speaks louder to me than anything you can say.” I suppose it must be so.

我在內華達大學拉斯維加斯分校教經濟學，每周上三次課。上周一，在剛開始上課的時候，我興致勃勃地問學生們周末過得怎么樣。一個男生說，他的周末不太愉快，因為他的智齒被拔掉了，結果讓他痛了一整天。然后，他又問我為何我總能保持那么快樂的心情。

他的問題使我想起了一句不知出處的話：“每天早上，當你起床的時候，你可以選擇如何面對一天的生活”，我說：“我選擇快樂。”

“我給你們舉個例子吧，”我對著全班六十個學生繼續說道，“除了在這兒上課，我還在一所社區大學任教，那兒離我家17英里。幾周前的一天，我駕車前往那所學校，駛離高速公路后，我轉入了校園區。在只差400多米就到學校的時候，我的汽車拋錨了。我努力重新發動引擎，但就是不行。我只好把指示燈打亮，然后抓起課本直奔學校。”

我一到學校就馬上打電話給汽車協會，讓他們在我下課后開輛拖車過來。院長辦公室的秘書問我發生了什么事。“今天我真走運。”我笑著答道。

“你的車壞了，你還說今天走運？”她一臉的困惑。“你什么意思啊？”

我回答到：“我住在離這兒17英里的地方。其實我的車有可能在高速公路上的什么地方就壞掉了的，但慶幸的是，沒有。相反，汽車是在離開了高速公路后才拋錨，而且距離學校很近。我還趕得及上課，還能夠安排拖車在課后來處理。如果我的汽車是注定了要在今天拋錨的，那在這個位置拋錨已經是非常幸運了。”

“那個秘書聽得目瞪口呆地，然后她笑了。……