智慧人生篇章 第55期:让慈善与爱汇成海

 　　The spirit of the late Sir Jimmy Savile was alive and well in the Savile Hall in Leeds two days ago when personal items were sold to benefit his favourite charities. In a 12-hour sale over 350 items raised ?330,000 for charity. Rolex and Rolls-Royce, shades and shirts all went under the hammer to help out the needy¹. Even from beyond the grave, it seems, Jim was still fixing it in what one journalist described as his "final act of charity".But it wasn't just the cash which raised the headlines. It was something about the man himself, which stoked the interest and created the sales pitch as most of the articles sold above their evaluation². Savile's charitable lifestyle exemplified the idea that whatever we actually own in life, our deeds may speak louder and longer. As Jesse Jackson the civil rights cleric once said, "Death is an inescapable reality but good deeds live forever."The Old Testament³ account of the first family feud⁴ carries the same idea. When God showed his preference for Abel's sacrifice, his brother Cain became envious⁵ and killed him. But in the New Testament book of Hebrews, the writer has a fascinating take on the whole event. "By faith," he says, "Abel still speaks, even though he is dead."What we believe, and do about it, lingers after we're gone. There is after all, something enduring about acts of kindness which Savile captured in his lifetime. He threw himself across our television screens spilling humour, eccentricity⁶ and goodwill⁷ over viewers and participants alike. His career had its ups and downs and he certainly wasn't everyone's favourite character. But even so, the man ran more than 200 marathons and raised over ?40 million for charity. All our expressions of human kindness creates small reservoirs in which other people may also flourish. And the wealth we derive⁸ from their happiness is a reminder⁹ that in the words of Jesus, our lives should never really be measured by the abundance of things we possess. Anyone who took away a memorabilia on Monday should remember that a life worth living is lived for others. It's loving your neighbour as yourself. And even if you don't become famous, perhaps you can still be famously kind.

　　两天前利兹市萨维尔宫一场慈善个人物品拍卖会上， 去世的吉米萨维尔爵士的慈善精神得到发扬光大。12个小时之内350多件物品进行了慈善拍卖，募得善款330,000英镑。 从劳力士到劳斯莱斯，各种物品都在慈善拍卖中用来帮助那些需要的人。吉米即使在坟墓中还在践行着被记者成为‘最后的慈善行动’的义举。让他登上头条的并不仅仅是募得的善款，而是因为萨维尔爵士本人，是他倡导并创建了慈善推销的活动，使得大多数物品都拍得了超过本本身价值的价格。萨维尔的慈善生活方式诠释并发扬了他的理念，即无论我们在生活中拥有什么， 我们的所作所为才能真正反映我们的人生。正如人权教士杰西·杰克逊所说，“死亡难以避免但是善举会永生。”旧约中的第一家庭也有类似的理念。当上帝对亚伯表现出偏爱时，他的兄弟该隐出于妒忌杀死了他。但是在犹太新约，作者做了一个绝妙的发挥，他说“因为信仰，亚伯仍然活着即使他已经死了。”我们的信念，以及为信念所做的努力，即使在我们死后，也依然存在。不管怎样， 萨维尔生前所作的仁慈的行为是不朽的。他通过电视屏幕把幽默，怪癖和善意传播给观众和参与者。他的职业生涯起起落落，他的怪癖也并不是能够被每个人接受，但即便如此，他跑了200次马拉松，募得了超过4千万美元的善款。我们所有人类的善意，像很多小水库那样汇聚起来，让其他的人能得以发展。我们从他们的幸福中得到财富，同时也得到提醒，如耶稣所说， 我们的生命不是由我们所占有的那些东西来衡量的。那些在周一带走了纪念品的每一个人都应该记住，为别人而活的生命才值得活着。爱你的邻居就像你爱自己一样。即使你不能出名，你也许仍然可以做到出名的善良。

1 needy   

adj.贫穷的，贫困的，生活艰苦的

参考例句：

• Although he was poor,he was quite generous to his needy friends.他虽穷，但对贫苦的朋友很慷慨。
• They awarded scholarships to needy students.他们给贫苦学生颁发奖学金。

2 evaluation   

n.估价，评价；赋值

参考例句：

• I attempted an honest evaluation of my own life.我试图如实地评价我自己的一生。
• The new scheme is still under evaluation.新方案还在评估阶段。

3 testament   

n.遗嘱；证明

参考例句：

• This is his last will and testament.这是他的遗愿和遗嘱。
• It is a testament to the power of political mythology.这说明，编造政治神话可以产生多大的威力。

4 feud   

n.长期不和；世仇；v.长期争斗；世代结仇

参考例句：

• How did he start his feud with his neighbor?他是怎样和邻居开始争吵起来的？
• The two tribes were long at feud with each other.这两个部族长期不和。

5 envious   

adj.嫉妒的，羡慕的

参考例句：

• I don't think I'm envious of your success.我想我并不嫉妒你的成功。
• She is envious of Jane's good looks and covetous of her car.她既忌妒简的美貌又垂涎她的汽车。

6 eccentricity   

n.古怪，反常，怪癖

参考例句：

• I can't understand the eccentricity of Henry's behavior.我不理解亨利的古怪举止。
• His eccentricity had become legendary long before he died.在他去世之前他的古怪脾气就早已闻名遐尔了。

7 goodwill   

n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉

参考例句：

• His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。
• We paid ￡10,000 for the shop,and ￡2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店，两千英镑买下了它的信誉。

8 derive   

v.取得；导出；引申；来自；源自；出自

参考例句：

• We derive our sustenance from the land.我们从土地获取食物。
• We shall derive much benefit from reading good novels.我们将从优秀小说中获得很大好处。

9 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。