A Sioux Indian story ...

這是蘇語系印第安人部落中流傳的一個古老的故事……

My grandfather took me to the fish pond on the farm when I was about seven, and he told me to throw a stone into the water. He told me to watch the circles created by the stone. Then he asked me to think of myself as that stone.

在我七歲那年，我的祖父來到田邊的一個池塘。他讓我丟一顆石子到水中，并囑咐我仔細觀察石子所激起的水波紋。然后他叫我把自己想象成那顆石子。

"You may create lots of splashes in your life, but the waves that come from those splashes will disturb the peace of all your fellow creatures," he said.

他說：“在生命的水面上，你也許能激起許多波紋，而你所激起的波紋也會打破別人的平靜，”

"Remember that you are responsible for what you put in your circle and that circle will also touch many other circles."

“要謹記，對你所激起的波紋中所包含的東西負責，因為這些東西會接觸、影響到別人的波紋。”

"You will need to live in a way that allows the good that comes from your circle to send the peace of that goodness to others. The splash that comes from anger or jealousy will send those feelings to other circles. You are responsible for both."

“你應當努力使自己波紋中的平和寧靜傳播給他人。當然，如果你的波紋中攜帶有憤怒、嫉妒，別人也會受到你的影響，因此，你要對它們負責。”

That was the first time I realized that each person creates the inner peace or discord that flows out into the world. We cannot create world peace if we are riddled with inner conflict, hatred, doubt, or anger.

這是我第一次了解到，每個人心中的平和抑或不和，都會傳播給整個世界。如果我們自己內心都被沖突、仇恨、疑慮或者憤怒所糾纏，自然就不能給世界帶來平和寧靜。

We radiate the feelings and thoughts that we hold inside, whether we speak them or not. Whatever is splashing around inside of us is spilling out into the world, creating beauty or discord with all other circles of life.

無論我們是否說出心中的感覺和思緒，我們都在向外界傳播它們。無論我們內心激起的是何種波紋，它們都會被傳向他人，與別人的生命波紋共同激起美麗，抑或是不和諧。