向前一步:第105期 真实地表达自己的想法与情绪(1)

 Chapter 6 Seek and Speak Your Truth 第6章 真实地表达自己的想法与情绪

My friend Betsy Cohen was pregnant with her second child when her toddler, Sam, became curious about where the baby was in her body. 我的朋友贝齐·科恩怀第二个孩子的时候，正在蹒跚学步的大儿子萨姆开始对她肚子里的宝宝感到好奇。

"Mommy," he asked, "are the baby's arms in your arms?" “妈妈，”他问，“宝宝的手在你的手里吗？”

"No, the baby is in my tummy," she replied. “不是，宝宝在妈妈肚子里。”

"Are the baby's legs in your legs?"  “宝宝的脚在你的脚里吗？”

"No, the whole baby is in my tummy." “不是，整个宝宝都在妈妈肚子里。”

"Really, the whole baby is in your tummy? Are you sure?" “真的吗？整个宝宝都在你肚子里？你肯定？”

"Yes, the whole baby is in my tummy." “是的，整个宝宝都在我的肚子里。”

"Then, Mommy, what's growing in your butt¹?" “那……妈妈，你的屁股怎么变大了？”

This kind of honesty is common from children and virtually unheard of from adults. 这样直白的语言通常只有小孩子才能说出来。

As kids grow up, we teach them to be polite, watch what they say, not hurt others' feelings. 随着孩子逐渐长大，我们教会他们有礼貌，注意言行，多考虑别人的感受。

This is not a bad thing. 这不是坏事。

As a former pregnant "whale," I'm glad that most people keep some observations to themselves. 曾因怀孕变成“巨鲸”的我很高兴看到大多数人都能保留自己的判断，

But as we learn to speak appropriately, we lose something in authenticity³. 但在我们学习如何得体地说话的同时，似乎也遗失了内心的真诚。

Authentic² communication is not always easy, but it is the basis for successful relationships at home and real effectiveness at work. 做到真诚地交流并不容易，但它是家庭和睦、工作高效的基础。

Yet people constantly back away from honesty to protect themselves and others. 然而，人们有时为了保护自己或别人，通常不会坦率直言。

This reticence⁴ causes and perpetuates⁵ all kinds of problems: 这种过于谨慎、患得患失的态度会不断引发各种各样的弊端，

uncomfortable issues that never get addressed, resentment⁶ that builds, unfit managers who get promoted rather than fired, and on and on. 比如问题得不到解决，日积月累的埋怨，不公平的晋升等。

1 butt   

n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶

参考例句：

• The water butt catches the overflow from this pipe.大水桶盛接管子里流出的东西。
• He was the butt of their jokes.他是他们的笑柄。

2 authentic   

a.真的，真正的；可靠的，可信的，有根据的

参考例句：

• This is an authentic news report. We can depend on it. 这是篇可靠的新闻报道, 我们相信它。
• Autumn is also the authentic season of renewal. 秋天才是真正的除旧布新的季节。

3 authenticity   

n.真实性

参考例句：

• There has been some debate over the authenticity of his will. 对于他的遗嘱的真实性一直有争论。
• The museum is seeking an expert opinion on the authenticity of the painting. 博物馆在请专家鉴定那幅画的真伪。

4 reticence   

n.沉默，含蓄

参考例句：

• He breaks out of his normal reticence and tells me the whole story.他打破了平时一贯沈默寡言的习惯，把事情原原本本都告诉了我。
• He always displays a certain reticence in discussing personal matters.他在谈论个人问题时总显得有些保留。

5 perpetuates   

n.使永存，使人记住不忘( perpetuate的名词复数 )；使永久化，使持久化，使持续

参考例句：

• Giving these events a lot of media coverage merely perpetuates the problem. 媒体大量地报道这些事件只会使问题持续下去。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Lack of water perpetuates poverty, increases the risk of political instability, and affects global prosperity. 水资源短缺导致贫穷，使政局不稳，且影响全球的繁荣。 来自互联网

6 resentment   

n.怨愤，忿恨

参考例句：

• All her feelings of resentment just came pouring out.她一股脑儿倾吐出所有的怨恨。
• She cherished a deep resentment under the rose towards her employer.她暗中对她的雇主怀恨在心。