A letter to my son
一封給我兒子的信
Dear Seth,
親愛的塞斯,
You're only three years old, and at this point in your life you can't read, much less understand what I'm going to try to tell you in this letter.
你現在僅僅3歲,此刻你還不識字,更不用說讓你去理解我接下來想在這封信里對你所說的話了。
But I've been thinking a lot about the life that you have ahead of you, about my life so far as I reflect on what I've learned, and about my role as a dad in trying to prepare you for the trials that you will face in the coming years。
但是我已經苦思冥想了好久,關于你即將面臨的人生以及我的生活,我反思我所學會的;思考一個父親的職責,力圖讓你為未來歲月中即將面臨的困難做好充分準備。
You won't be able to understand this letter today, but someday, when you're ready, I hope you will find some wisdom and value in what I share with you。
你今天并不能理解這封信的含義,但是某一天,當時機成熟,我希望你能在我與你分享的內容當中找尋到些許的智慧和價值。
You are young, and life has yet to take its toll on you, to throw disappointments and heartaches and loneliness and struggles and pain into your path. You have not been worn down yet by long hours of thankless work, by the slings and arrows of everyday life。
你還很年輕,生命還尚未開始摧殘你,沒有在你的人生道路上布置失望,傷心,孤獨,掙扎和苦痛。你還沒有被漫長的乏味工作,被日常生活的打擊搞得筋疲力盡。
For this, be thankful. You are at a wonderful stage of life. You have many wonderful stages of life still to come, but they are not without their costs and perils。
因此,謝天謝地吧。你正處在人生一個美妙的階段。還有很多美妙的階段會來到你面前,但是都不是唾手可得的,你都得付出代價,經歷風險。
I hope to help you along your path by sharing some of the best of what I've learned. As with any advice, take it with a grain of salt. What works for me might not work for you。
我希望通過分享一些我所學到的最好的道理能幫助你走好人生路。至于任何建議,且把它當作佐料,因為適合我的并不一定適用于你。
Life Can Be Cruel
生活會很殘酷
There will be people in your life who won't be very nice. They'll tease you because you're different, or for no good reason. They might try to bully you or hurt you。
你的生活中一定會有并不友好的人。他們恥笑你因為你不同,而在沒有更好的理由。他們可能會欺負你或者傷害你。
There's not much you can do about these people except to learn to deal with them, and learn to choose friends who are kind to you, who actually care about you, who make you feel good about yourself.
對這種人你除了學會和其接觸無計可施,同時你也要學會擇友,選擇那些對你友善的,那些真正關心你的,那些令你對自己感到很好的人做朋友。