Four Seasons of a Tree
树木的四季
Don"t judge a life by one difficult season.
There was a man who had four sons. He wanted his sons to learn to not judge things too quickly. So he sent them each on a quest， in turn， to go and look at a pear tree that was a great distance away.
The first son went in the winter， the second in the spring， the third in summer， and the youngest son in the fall.
When they had all gone and come back， he called them together to describe what they had seen.
The first son said that the tree was ugly， bent， and twisted. The second son said no - it was covered with green buds and full of promise.
The third son disagreed， he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful， it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.
The last son disagreed with all of them； he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit， full of life and fulfillment.
The man then explained to his sons that they were all right， because they had each seen but one season in the tree"s life.
He told them that you cannot judge a tree， or a person， by only one season， and that the essence of who they are - and the pleasure， joy， and love that come from that life - can only be measured at the end， when all the seasons are up.
If you give up when it"s winter， you will miss the promise of your spring， the beauty of your summer， fulfillment of your fall. Don"t let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.
不要只在某人某段艰难的岁月里去判断他的一生。
从前，一个父亲有4个儿子。他希望儿子们能学会凡事勿匆下结论，于是轮番派遣他们到很远的地方去寻一棵梨树。
大儿子是冬天去的，二儿子春天启程，老三去时已是炎热的夏季，老么于金秋时节踏上了征程。
待他们全都寻树归来以后，父亲把他们叫到一起，听他们各自描述自己的所见。
大儿子数落说大树枝弯干斜，很难看。二儿子连忙否认，说树上发满嫩绿的新芽，生机盎然。
老三不同意了，树上明明开满鲜花，吐露芬芳，漂亮极了。
他们的说法实在让老么哑然，枝头上坠满的难道不是累累果实，在彰显生机与收获吗？
父亲解释说，儿子们的说法都没错，因为他们看到的是大树一年四个季节里的不同情景。
他告诉儿子们说，不能以一季来判断树，更不能以一时来判断人，因为人之本质——源自他们喜、乐、爱的根本——只有在其生之了结时，才可盖棺论定。
倘若你在冬季就已放弃，那无疑会错过春季的生机、夏季的美丽和秋季的收益。勿为一季的痛苦而破坏了所有的欢乐。
Nothing to sell and nothing to buy
不卖也不买
It has been said that everyone lives by selling something. In the light of this statement， teachers live by selling knowledge， philosophers by selling wisdom and priests by selling spiritual comfort. Though it may be possible to measure the value of material good in terms of money， it is extremely difficult to estimate the true value of the services which people perform for us. There are times when we would willingly give everything we possess to save our lives， yet we might grudge paying a surgeon a high fee for offering us precisely this service. The conditions of society are such that skills have to be paid for in the same way that goods are paid for at a shop. Everyone has something to sell.
Tramps seem to be the only exception to this general rule. Beggars almost sell themselves as human being to arouse the pity of passers-by. But real tramps are not beggars. They have nothing to sell and require nothing from others. In seeking independence， they do not sacrifice their human dignity. A tramp may ask you for money， but he will never ask you to feel sorry for him. He has deliberately chosen to lead the life he leads and is fully aware of the consequences. He may never be sure where the next meal is coming from， but his is free from the thousands of anxieties which afflict other people. His few material possessions make it possible for him to move from place to place with ease. By having to sleep in the open， he gets far closer to the world of nature than most of us ever do. He may hunt， beg， or stead occasionally to keep himself alive； he may even， in times of real need， do a little work； but he will never sacrifice his freedom. We often speak of my even， in times of real need， do a little work； but he will never sacrifice his freedom. We often speak of tramps with contempt and put them in the same class as beggars， but how many of us can honestly say that we have not felt a little envious of their simple way of life and their freedom from care？
据说每个人都靠出售某种东西来维持生活。根据这种说法，教师靠卖知识为生，哲学家靠卖智慧为生，牧师靠卖精神安慰为生。虽然物质产品的价值可以用金钱来衡量，但要估算别人为我们所提供的服务的价值却是极其困难的。有时，我们为了挽救生命，愿意付出我们所占有的一切。但就在外科大夫给我们提供了这种服务后，我们却可能为所支付的昂贵的费用而抱怨。社会上的情况就是如此，技术是必须付钱去买的，就像在商店里要花钱买商品一样。人人都有东西可以出售。
在这条普遍的规律前面，好像只有流浪汉是个例外，乞丐出售的几乎是他本人，以引起过路人的怜悯。但真正的流浪汉并不是乞丐。他们既不出售任何东西，也不需要从别人那儿得到任何东西，在追求独立自由的同时，他们并不牺牲为人的尊严。游浪汉可能会向你讨钱，但他从来不要你可怜他。他是故意在选择过那种生活的，并完全清楚以这种方式生活的后果。他可能从不知道下顿饭有无着落，但他不像有人那样被千万桩愁事所折磨。他几乎没有什么财产，这使他能够轻松自如地在各地奔波。由于被迫在露天睡觉，他比我们中许多人都离大自然近得多。为了生存，他可能会去打猎、乞讨，偶尔偷上一两回；确实需要的时候，他甚至可能干一点儿活，但他决不会牺牲自由。说起流浪汉，我们常常带有轻蔑并把他们与乞丐归为一类。但是，我们中有多少人能够坦率地说我们对流浪汉的简朴生活与无忧无虑的境况不感到有些羡慕呢？
Never Give Up Hope
永不放弃希望
Life doesn"t always give us the joys we want. We don"t always get our hopes and dreams， and we don"t always get our own way. But don"t give up hope， because you can make a difference one situation and one person at a time.
Look for the beauty around you--in nature， in others， in yourself--and believe in the love of friends， family， and humankind. You can find love in a smile or a helping hand， in a thoughtful gesture or a kind word. It is all around， if you just look for it.
Give love， for in giving it you will find the power in life along with the joy， happiness， patience and understanding. Believe in the goodness of others and remember that anger and depression can be countered by love and hope. Even when you feel as though there isn"t a lot you can do to change unhappiness or problems， you can always do a little--and a little at a time eventually makes a big difference.
Hope is always available to us. When we feel defeated， we need only take a deep breath and say， "Yes，" and hope will reappear.
生活并非总是如你所愿。希望有时会落空，梦想有时会破灭，我们不能一切随心所愿。但别放弃希望，因为事物并非一成不变；不同时间，不同场合，你会呈现不同的面貌。
处处留心你身边的美丽：自然中的美，他人的美，你自己的美。请相信，美来自朋友、家庭乃至全人类的融融爱意。一个微笑，一双援助之手，一个关心的举止，一句友善的话语，无不传达着爱。如果你有心去寻找，爱无所不在。
奉献爱心吧，从中你会发现生活的力量，感受生活带来的幸福快乐，学会忍耐和理解。相信人性本善。记住，爱心和希望能化解一切愤怒和沮丧。哪怕生活中挥之不去的不快和困难将你重重包围，让你力不从心，但你仍可以尽力而为。累积点滴努力，最终你将扭转乾坤。
希望一直就在我们身边。当我们遇到挫折时，请深呼一口气并对自己说：我可以做到！希望就会重现。
