如何捐贈錢財英語美文閱讀
How to Give Your Money Away By Dr. Samuel Best
如何捐贈錢財 塞繆爾.M.貝斯特博士
Many years ago I met a man whose unique psychology helped me to shed a life of struggle and uneasiness for great happiness, for peace of mind, and for a measure of success I otherwise would not have attained.
His name was George Robert White, a man who was orphaned and impoverished at a tender age. Yet, a man whose God-given beliefs made him both a material and a spiritual millionaire at thirty.
多年以前我結識的一位朋友用他獨特的心理幫助我擺脫了充滿鬥爭和不安的生活。沒有他的幫助,我的生活不可能這樣幸福,心態不可能這樣平和,也不可能取得一定程度的成功。
他名叫喬治·羅伯特·懷特,幼年時父母雙亡,貧困不堪,然而,因信奉上帝,三十歲時便成為物質上和精神上的百萬富翁。
My path to success, and to what I had considered its natural result- happiness-was the ordinary road over which most American businessmen travel, namely, endless hours of hard work, social contacts, wise investments, headaches and heartaches.
To be sure, in a materialistic sense, I had traveled a long way from my father’s farm in Nova Scotia. I had become an executive in a multi-million dollar drug firm. But where was the resulting happiness that my material gain was supposed to have afforded me?
我的成功之路,也是大多數美國商人的致富之路,它由無休止的辛勤工作、社交活動、明智的投資、頭痛和心痛一起鋪設而成。我曾認為成功理所當然會給我帶來幸福。
當然,從物質的意義講,從我在父親的新斯科舍農場做工至今,經過多年的辛勞,我已成為一個有百萬美元資產的製藥公司的總裁,但豐厚的物質財富應該帶給我的幸福又在何方?
In my private moments of mental inventory, I discovered that I had no more peace of mind, nor was I less afraid of the problems of life and death, than many years before, when I planned my road to happiness and success by the flickering lamp in my father's tiny farmhouse. The reason was, I had neglected spiritual values in my anxiety for material gain.
It took the kindly advice of George Robert White, to open the pathway for me to happiness and freedom of mind. The important lesson Mr. White taught me is this: If we are to be happy, if we are to be successful in every aspect of the word, if we are to live truly full lives, we must share ourselves, as well as our material gain, with our fellow men.
但我一人獨處整理思緒時,我發現自己的心態不如多年以前在我父親那幢小小的農舍,坐在搖曳的油燈旁規劃我的幸福成功之路時那樣平和,我仍然同當年一樣害怕想到生與死的問題。原因是:在我急於追求物質財富時,我忽略了精神財富的價值。
我聽從了喬治·羅伯特·懷特的忠告,為自己思想的愉悅和自由另闢蹊徑。懷特先生對我的教導是:若要幸福,贏得真正意義上的成功,生活得充實,就必須與我們的同胞分享我們的一切,包括物質財富。
As a young man, Mr. White took over the leadership of a small soap-manufacturing plant in Boston, and throughout his career he gave away to charity a large part of his net profits.
Yet, despite his unusual business practices, Mr. White built that tiny concern into the world-famous Cuticura Corporation, and became the multi-million-dollar manufacturer of Cuticura Soap, Ointment and Shampoo.
懷特先生接過波士頓那家小肥皂廠的領導職位時,還很年輕。從那時起直至他事業的終結,他將工廠的大部分純利捐獻給了慈善事業。
儘管他的經商之路不尋常,他卻致力使一家小小的工廠發展成世界著名的庫提庫亞公司,一個資產達百萬美元,生產庫提庫亞肥皂、軟膏和香波的廠家。
I shall never forget Mr. White's words: "Personal success, business success, built upon materialism alone, are empty shells concealing disappointment, saddened lives," which he epitomized by saying: "Cast your bread upon the waters and it will come back in abundance."
Since Mr. White's death, I have endeavored, as his successor, to adhere to his code of ethics. Two dollars out of every three dollars profit earned by our corporation is shared with others in helping to make our nation a better place in which to live.
我永遠不會忘記懷特先生的箴言:“只以物質主義為目的的個人成功和商業成功,都是空殼,裡面藏著失望和令人憂心忡忡的生活。”他將其濃縮為:“行善不圖回報,就有豐厚的回報。”
懷特先生去世後,作為他的繼任,我盡力恪守他的道德信條,我們將公司利潤的三分之二捐贈給社會,以改善美國人的生活。
We, in our corporation, believe that it is not sufficient only to manufacture as fine a product as is possible-millions of dollars over the years are being shared by our corporation for the advancement of medicine and science, for chemical research, for art and for beauty.
In my personal life I have adopted Mr. White's beliefs, and, in doing so, I have become much better equipped to serve humanity.
在我們公司,我們的信念是:盡力生產優質產品是不夠的——多年以來,我們公司將數百萬美元投入研發藥物和科學,研究化學,提高生活的藝術氛圍和人們的審美能力。
懷特先生的信念也成為我私生活的信條,以它為行動準則,我為人類的奉獻更多。
My reward, my blessings, have come to me in the form of personal satisfaction and peace of mind that had been substantially foreign to me.
Yes, I believe that spirituality is the needed seasoning to America's materialism. But it must be that kind of spirituality that takes the form of help and service toward our fellow men.
做奉獻讓自己心滿意足,心態平和,雖然它們本不是我的天性。這就是我得到的回報,我的福祉。
的確,我相信,美國的物質主義非常需要精神力量的調劑。這種精神力量必須表現在幫助同胞、為同胞服務上。