life； i believe； asks a continuous series of adjustments to reality。 the mor e readily a person is able to make these adjustments； the more meaningful his ow n private world becomes。 the adjustment is never easy。 i was bewildered and afra id。 but i was lucky。 my parents and my teachers saw something in me — a potenti al to live； you might call it — which i didn't see； and they made me want to fi ght it out with blindness。
the hardest lesson i had to learn was to believe in myself。 that was basic。 if i hadn't been able to do that； i would have collapsed and become a chair rock er on the front porch for the rest of my life。 when i say belief in myself i am not talking about simply the kind of selfconfidence that helps me down an unfa miliar staircase alone。 that is part of it。 but i mean something bigger than tha t： an assurance that i am； despite imperfections； a real； positive person； that somewhere in the sweeping； intricate pattern of people there is a special place where i can make myself fit。
it took me years to discover and strengthen this assurance。 it had to start with the most elementary things。 once a man gave me an indoor baseball。 i though t he was mocking me and i was hurt。 “i can't use this。〃 i said。 “take it with you；〃 he urged me； “and roll it around。〃 the words stuck in my head。 “roll it around！〃 by rolling the ball i could hear where it went。 this gave me an idea ho w to achieve a goal i had thought impossible： playing baseball。 at philadelphia' s overbrook school for the blind i invented a sucomessful variation of baseball。 we called it ground ball。
all my life i have set ahead of me a series of goals and then tried to reach them； one at a time。 i had to learn my limitations。 it was no good to try for s omething i knew at the start was wildly out of reach because that only invited t he bitterness of failure。 i would fail sometimes anyway but on the average i mad e progress。
健全的人生
佚名
从前，有个圆圈丢失了一块楔子。它想保持完整，所以它到处寻找那块楔子。但因为它 是不完整的，所以它只能慢慢地往前滚。在路上，它对花儿表示羡慕；它与虫子谈天说地； 它还欣赏到阳光之美。圆圈找到了许多不同的楔子，但没有一件适合它。所以，它将它们全 都扔在路边，继续寻觅。终于有一天，它找到了一个完美的楔子。圆圈是如此高兴，因为现 在它可以说是完美无缺了。它装好配件，并开始滚动起来。它已成为一个完美的圆圈，所以 它滚动得非常快，以至于没有时间观赏花儿，也无暇与虫子交谈。当圆圈意识到因为它滚得 如此之快，以至于失去了原有的世界时，它停了下来，将找到的配件扔在路边，又开始慢慢 地往前滚动。
我想，这个故事告诉人们，从某种奇怪的意义上来说，当我们失去了一些东西时，反而 会更加完整。一个拥有一切的人在某些方面其实是个穷人，因为他永远也体会不到什么是渴 望、期待及如何用美好梦想滋养自己的灵魂。他也永远不可能有这样的体验——一个爱他的 人送给他某种他梦寐以求的或者从未拥有过的东西意味着什么。
人生的完整『性』在于知道如何面对缺陷，如何勇敢地摒弃不现实的幻想而又不以此为憾。 人生的完整『性』还在于学会勇敢地面对人生悲剧而继续活下去，能够在失去某人后依然能表现 出完整的个人风范。
人生并不是上帝为了谴责我们的缺陷而给我们设下的陷阱。人生也不是一场拼字游戏的 比赛——不管你拼出了多少单词，一旦出现失误，你便前功尽弃。人生更像是一个棒球赛季 ，即使最好的球队也可能丢掉三分之一的比赛，而最差的球队也有辉煌的胜利。我们的目标 就是多赢球，少输球。当我们接受“不完整『性』”是人类本『性』的一部分时，当我们不断地进行 人生滚动并能欣赏其价值时，我们就会获得其他人仅能渴望的完整人生。我相信这就是上帝 对我们的要求：不求“完美”，也不求“永不犯错”，而是追求人生的“完整”。
如果我们有足够的勇敢地去爱，有足够的坚强去宽容，有足够的大度地去为别人的快乐 而高兴，有足够的睿智去理解充满于我们身边的爱，那么我们就能取得别的生物所不能取得 的满足感。
the wholeness of life
anonymous
once a circle missed a wedge。 the circle wanted to be whole； so it went arou nd looking for its missing piece。 but because it was incomplete and therefore co uld roll only very slowly； it admired the flowers along the way。 it chatted with worms。 it enjoyed the sunshine。 it found lots of different pieces； but none of them fit。 so it left them all by the side of the road and kept on searching。 the n one day the circle found a piece that fit perfectly。 it was so happy。 now it c ould be whole； with nothing missing。 it incorporated the missing piece into itse lf and began to roll。 now that it was a perfect circle； it could roll very fast； too fast to notice flowers or talk to the worms。 when it realized how different the world seemed when it rolled so quickly； it stopped； left its found piece by the side of the road and rolled slowly away。
the lesson of the story； i suggested； was that in some strange sense we are more whole when we are missing something。 the man who has everything is in some ways a poor man。 he will never know what it feels like to yearn； to hope； to nou rish his soul with the dream of something better。 he will never know the experie nce of having someone who loves him give him something he has always wanted or n ever had。
there is a wholeness about the person who has come to terms with his limitat ions； who has been brave enough to let go of his unrealistic dreams and not feel like a failure for doing so。 there is a wholeness about the man or woman who ha s learned that he or she is strong enough to go through a tragedy and survive； s he can lose someone and still feel like a complete person。
life is not a trap set for us by cod so that he can condemn us for failing。 life is not a spelling bee； where no matter how many words you've gotten right； you're disqualified if you make one mistake。 life is more like a baseball season ； where even the best team loses one third of its games and even the worst team has its days of brilliance。 our goal is to win more games than we lose。 when we acomept that imperfection is part of being human； and when we can continue rollin g through life and appreciate it； we will have achieved a wholeness that others can only aspire to。 that； i believe； is what god asks of us—not “be perfect〃； not “don't even make a mistake〃； but “be whole〃。
if we are brave enough to love； strong enough to forgive； generous enough to rejoice in another's happiness； and wise enough to know there is enough love to go around for us all； then we can achieve a fulfillment that no other living cr eature will ever know。
面 貌
弗朗西斯。帕金森。凯丝
这篇文章是女作家凯丝为了在新书广告上刊登相片而引发的一段感想。文中先由林肯的 名言谈起容貌对人的影响，进而反观自己脸上烙印的“时间轨迹”，终而肯定人生的经历远 比刻意妆点修饰的外表重要。
“忠于自身。”
——莎士比亚
我很喜欢一个故事。那是有关林肯内阁推荐职务的。他的一位顾问极力向他推荐一位候 选人，但是林肯拒绝接受这个建议。因此，林肯被要求给出原因来。
“我不喜欢那人的面貌长相。”林肯简明扼要地回答到。
“可是那个可怜的人不应对他的长相负责。” 推荐人坚持道。
“每个人一旦过了40岁就应该对自己的长相负责。” 林肯答复完就转到其他事情的讨 论上了。
最近在出版商的游说之下，我拍了一些照片。他提醒我，我已经很久没给他新照片了， 我不能总使用一样的姿势呀。我不喜欢拍相的过程，当我看到最近一次痛苦经历的结果后， 就不喜欢这些照片了。我把新照片和25年前的一张照片比较之后，想到我要以现在
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