写给青少年的信

今天读到这个小文，我试着翻译了一下。我要把它打印出来给我的teenage 孩子们看。

Northland College principal JohnTapene has offered the following words from a judge who regularly deals withyouth.  "Always we hear the cry fromteenagers, 'what can we do, where can we go?"

荷兰大学校长John Tapene 从经常和青少年打交道的法官那里听来这些话：“我们常常听到青少年的哭声“我们该怎么办啊？我们的未来在哪里？”。

"My answer is this: Go home, mowthe lawn, wash the windows, learn to cook, build a raft, get a job, visit thesick, study your lessons and after you've finished, read a book.  Your town does not owe you recreationalfacilities and your parents do not owe you fun.

我的答案是：回家，除草，洗窗户，学会做饭，做一个充气艇，找个工作，拜访病人，读书，学校的课本读完了，阅读其他书籍。你居住的市府不欠你娱乐中心，你的父母不欠你开心。

"The world does not owe you aliving, you owe the world something.  Youowe it your time, energy and talent so that no one will be at war, in sicknessand lonely again.  in other words growup, stop being a cry baby, get out of your dream world and develop a backbonenot a wishbone.  start behaving like a responsibleperson.  you are important and you areneeded.  it's too late to sit around andwait for somebody to do something someday. someday is now and that somebody is you".

这个世界不欠你，而是你或多或少地欠这个世界。你拥有你的时间，精力和才能，发挥出来，这样别人就可以不用再去打仗，生病或者孤独。换句话来说，长大吧。不要再做哭泣的小婴孩，从你的梦幻世界走出来，完善你的脊梁骨而不是做梦骨。开始活得象一个负责任的人。你是重要的，别人需要你。永远不要坐在那里等待有个人将来为你做写什么。将来是现在。那个人是你自己。