華洲溫哥華-鄉下生活

Leaving a Positive Legacy

by Steve Arterburn 

  

( 相片出處: 维基百科--諾貝爾獎創辦人 )

In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness, and soundness of speech. Titus 2:7

你自己凡事要顯出善行的榜樣；在教訓上要正直、端莊

提多書2:7

Did you know the Nobel Peace Prize is named after Alfred Nobel, the Swedish industrialist who invented dynamite? It’s an interesting story. When Alfred’s brother Ludvig died, a newspaper mistook Ludvig for Alfred. As a result, the newspaper printed Alfred’s obituary, with a headline that read, “The Merchant of Death Is Dead.” The obituary then proceeded to describe Alfred as a man who made his fortune helping people kill one another.

你知不知道諾貝爾和平獎是以愛爾菲諾貝爾來命名的﹐這個發明炸彈的瑞典工業家麼 ? 這是一個有趣的故事。話說﹐當愛爾菲的弟弟 Ludvig 過逝時﹐一家報社誤將Ludvig 當作愛爾菲。想當然爾的結果﹐這家報紙的訃聞頭條寫著: “死亡商人﹐死了。”這訃聞繼續描述著愛爾菲是一個靠著助長人們互相廝殺來發財的人。

Alfred Nobel was cut to the heart. His legacy, as the obituary described it, was simply tragic. So he set himself to the task of changing it while he was still able. When Alfred really died eight years later, he left $9 million to fund awards for people whose work benefited humanity—thus, the birth of what we know as Nobel Peace Prizes.

愛爾菲被此話深深地傷痛及心。他的精神遺產正如訃聞所描述的﹐只是不幸的悲劇。所以他立志要在他還能夠的時候來改變此事。當愛爾菲真正過逝八年後﹐他留下九百萬的基金為要獎勵有益於人類人道貢獻的人。因此﹐我們所知的諾貝爾和平獎就此誕生了。

Alfred Nobel was given a rare gift: the opportunity to read his own obituary, and make changes before it was too late. Image yourself in his shoes. If your life ended today, how would those around you assess your contribution to your fellow man?

愛爾菲諾貝爾承受了稀有珍貴的禮物: 拜讀自己的訃聞的機會﹐而且做了改變以免太遲。假想你在他的情景。如果你的生命結束於今天﹐你週圍的人是如何評定你對你同胞的貢獻呢 ?

Unlike Alfred Nobel, none of us will probably ever read our own obituaries. However, all of us have the opportunity to live examined lives, and to make changes where changes are due.

不像愛爾菲諾貝爾﹐我們沒有任何一個人有這個可能讀到自己的訃聞。然而﹐我們所有人都能過反思的人生﹐和做必要的改變。

“What you leave behind is not what is engraved in stone monuments, but what is woven into the lives of others.” - Pericles (495-429 B.C.)

“你身後所留下的並非刻在石碑上的﹐而是交織入他人生命裡面的。” 伯里克利  
( 參 http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E4%BC%AF%E9%87%8C%E5%85%8B%E5%88%A9 )