第9章 什么是重要的

What Will Matter

佚名 / Anonymous

Ready or not， some day it will all come to an end. There will be no more sunrises， no days， no hours or minutes. All the things you collected， whether treasured or forgotten， will pass to someone else.

Your wealth， fame and temporal power will shrivel to irrelevance. It will not matter what you owned or what you were owed.

Your grudges， resentments， frustrations， and jealousies will finally disappear. So， too， your hopes， ambitions， plans， and to-do lists will all expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.

It won’t matter where you came from， or on what side of the tracks you lived. It won’t matter whether you were beautiful or brilliant. Your gender， skin color， ethnicity will be irrelevant.

So what will matter？ How will the value of your days be measured？

What will matter is not what you bought， but what you built； not what you got， but what you gave.

What will matter is not your success， but your significance.

What will matter is not what you learned， but what you taught.

What will matter is every act of integrity， compassion， courage and sacrifice that enriched， empowered or encouraged others to emulate your example.

What will matter is not your competence， but your character.

What will matter is not how many people you knew， but how many will feel a lasting loss when you’re gone.

What will matter is not your memories， but the memories of those who loved you.

What will matter is how long you will be remembered， by whom and for what.

Living a life that matters doesn’t happen by accident.

It's not a matter of circumstance but of choice.

Choose to live a life that matters.

不管你是否做好了心理准备，终有一天，一切都会结束。那时，将不再有日出、天、小时和分钟的概念。你曾拥有的一切，无论是值得珍惜的还是应该遗忘的，都将转予他人。

你的财富、声望和世俗的权力都将与你脱离关系。你所拥有的和所亏欠的都将与你不相干。

你的恶意、愤恨、挫败感和嫉妒都会消失殆尽。当然，你的希望、抱负、计划和要做的事也会无法实现。曾对你至关重要的得与失，也慢慢地淡漠了。

到时，你来自何方和如何生活都不重要。同样，曾经非常光鲜亮丽的你也毫无意义。你的性别、肤色和种族也都会与你无关。

那么，究竟什么才是真正该珍惜的呢？又该以什么标准去衡量人生的价值呢？

你要珍惜的，不是你买了什么，也不是你创造了什么，更不是你获得了什么，而是你给予了什么。

你要珍惜的，不是你曾经获得的成功，而是你的价值。

你要珍惜的，不是你曾学会了什么，而是你曾留下了什么。

真正值得珍惜的，应该是你是否曾用自身的正直、同情心、勇气，以及奉献精神去感染和鼓舞过他人，使自己成为一个好榜样。

你要珍惜的，不是你的能力，而是你的为人。

你要珍惜的，不是你曾与多少人相识，而是当你离开时，那些会因你的离去而久久陷于悲伤中的人。

你要珍惜的，不是你的全部记忆，而是对你爱的人的情怀。

你要珍惜的，不是你离去后，会在人们的心中留下多久的回忆，而是哪些人会因哪些事而将你铭记于心。

这些值得珍惜的事情在人的一生中并非偶然。

外界环境并不重要，要谨慎地作出最后的选择。

重中之重是选择一个适合自己的生活方式。

记忆填空

1. Your grudges， resentments， frustrations， and jealousies will disappear. So， ， your hopes， ambitions， plans， and to-do will all expire. The wins and losses that once seemed so will fade away.

2. What will is every act of integrity， compassion， and sacrifice that enriched， empowered or encouraged to emulate your example.

3. will matter is not your ， but the memories of those loved you.

佳句翻译

1. 不管你是否做好了心理准备，终有一天，一切都会结束。

2. 那么，究竟什么才是真正该珍惜的呢？又该以什么标准去衡量人生的价值呢？

3. 外界环境并不重要，要谨慎地作出最后的选择。

短语应用

1. Ready or not， some day it will all come to an end.

come to an end：结束

2. The wins and losses that once seemed so important will fade away.

fade away：褪色；慢慢褪去