A Priceless Lesson In Humility
关于谦卑的宝贵一课
by Felipe Morales
Network engineer Felipe Morales was born in Tegucigalpa, Honduras in 1974, and immigrated with his family to Tampa, Fla., in 1990. He now lives with his wife and children in Rowlett, Texas, where he enjoys playing and coaching soccer.
网络工程师Felipe Morales1974年生于洪都拉斯的Tegucigalpa，并于1990年和他的家庭移民到佛罗里达的Tampa市。现在他和他的妻子孩子一起生活在德克萨斯的Rowlett，享受着踢足球和教足球的乐趣。
“Living in my American middle-class lifestyle, it is too easy to forget my past, to forget who I am, where I have been and lose sight of where I want to be going.”
“美国中产阶级的生活方式让我轻易地忘掉我的过去，忘掉我是谁，我来自哪里，而忽略我想去哪。”
All Things Considered, December 15, 2008
A few years ago, I took a sightseeing trip to Washington, D.C. I saw many of our nation's treasures, and I also saw a lot of our fellow citizens on the street — unfortunate ones, like panhandlers and homeless folks.
几年前，我去华盛顿特区观光旅游，看到了国家的很多财富，也看到了街上的许多同胞——一些不幸的人们，如乞丐、无家可归者。
Standing outside the Ronald Reagan Center, I heard a voice say, "Can you help me?" When I turned around, I saw an elderly blind woman with her hand extended. In a natural reflex, I reached in to my pocket, pulled out all of my loose change and placed it on her hand without even looking at her. I was annoyed at being bothered by a beggar.
在罗纳德.里根中心外面站着时，我听到一个声音说，“能帮帮我吗？”回头一看，是一个瞎老太婆正伸着她的手。条件反射般地，我伸入我的口袋，掏出所有的零钱放在她手里，根本没看她一眼。被一个乞丐打扰让我不耐烦。
But the blind woman smiled and said, "I don't want your money. I just need help finding the post office."
但瞎女人笑了，她说，“我不要你的钱。我只需要些帮助来找到邮局。”
In an instant, I realized what I had done. I acted with prejudice — I judged another person simply for what I assumed she had to be.
我立刻意识到我干了什么。我有偏见——我以己之心来断人。
I hated what I saw in myself. This incident re-awakened my core belief. It reaffirmed that I believe in humility, even though I'd lost it for a moment.
我恨我看到的自我。这件事情重新唤醒我的核心信念。它再次确认了我相信谦卑，即使我曾经片刻丢失这个信念。
The thing I had forgotten about myself is that I am an immigrant. I left Honduras and arrived in the U.S. at the age of 15. I started my new life with two suitcases, my brother and sister, and a strong, no-nonsense mother. Through the years, I have been a dishwasher, roofer, cashier, mechanic and pizza delivery driver among many other humble jobs, and eventually I became a network engineer.
我忘记的事情是我是一名移民。15岁时我离开洪都拉斯来到美国，带着两个行李箱和我的兄弟姐妹，还有我的强壮实际的母亲一起开始了新的生活。这些年，我刷过盘子，盖过屋顶，当过机械师，披萨外送司机，还从事过很多卑微的工作，最终成为一个网络工程师。
In my own life, I have experienced many open acts of prejudice. I remember a time, at age 17 — I was a busboy, and I heard a father tell his little boy that if he did not do well in school, he would end up like me. I have also witnessed the same treatment of family and friends, so I know what it's like, and I should have known better.
我自己的生活中，就经历过很多次明显的带偏见的行为。我记得有一次，17岁的时候，我是一个餐馆工，我听到一个父亲对他儿子说如果他在学校里不好好学习的话，他就会像我一样。我也见到过我的家庭和朋友也碰到过类似的事情，因此我知道这是什么滋味，并且我还应该知道得更深。
But now, living in my American middle-class lifestyle, it is too easy to forget my past, to forget who I am and where I have been, and to lose sight of where I want to be going. That blind woman on the streets of Washington, D.C., cured me of my self-induced blindness. She reminded me of my belief in humility and to always keep my eyes and heart open.
但现在，美国中产阶级的生活方式让我轻易地忘掉我的过去，忘掉我是谁，我来自哪里，而忽略了我想去哪。在华盛顿特区街上的盲妇治好了我自我导致的瞎眼病。她使我回想起我对谦卑的信念并常让我的眼睛和我的心敞开着。
By the way, I helped that lady to the post office. And in writing this essay, I hope to thank her for the priceless lesson.
顺便说说，我帮助那位女士去了邮局。希望以本文来感谢她教我的这宝贵的一课。
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