精美散文:抬起頭來 希望就在眼前

If you put a buzzard in a pen six to eight feet square and entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of ten to twelve feet. Without space to run, as is its habit, it will not even attempt to fly, but remain a prisoner for life in a small jail with no top.

如果把一只禿鷲放在一個6～8平方英尺的無頂圍欄里，這只大鳥盡管會飛，也絕對會成為這欄中之囚。原因是禿鷲從地面起飛前總要先助跑10～12英尺的距離。這是它的習慣，如果沒有了足夠的助跑空間，它甚至不會嘗試去飛，只會終身困囿于一個無頂的小囚籠中。

The ordinary bat that flies around at night, who is a remarkable nimble creature in the air, cannot take off from a level place. If it is placed on the floor or flat ground, all it can do is to shuffle about helplessly and, no doubt, painfully, until it reaches some slight elevation from which it can throw itself into the air. Then, at once, it takes off like a flash.

晚上飛來飛去的普通的蝙蝠，本是一種在空中極其敏捷的動物，但卻無法在平地上起飛。如果被放在地板或平坦的地面上，它就只會無助地挪動，毫無疑問這樣很痛苦。除非它到了稍高的位置，有了落差，才可以立刻閃電般地起飛。

A bumblebee if dropped into an open tumbler will be there until it dies, unless it is taken out. It never sees the means of escape at the top, but persists in trying to find some way out through the sides near the bottom. It will seek a way where none exists, until it completely destroys itself.

一只大黃蜂如果掉進了一個敞口平底玻璃杯里，除非有人把它拿出來，否則它就會一直呆在里邊直到死去。它永遠不知道可以從杯口逃出，只堅持試圖從杯底的四壁尋找出路。它會在根本不存在出口的地方尋找出路，直到徹底毀了自己。

In many ways, there are lots of people like the buzzard, the bat and the bumblebee. They are struggling about with all their problems and frustrations, not realizing that the answer is right there above them.

其實在很多方面，很多人也像禿鷲、蝙蝠和大黃蜂一樣，使盡渾身解數試圖解決問題、克服挫折，卻沒有意識到解決之道就在正上方。