Barack Obama and his family celebrated Father's Day by attending Sunday services at the Apostolic Church of God on Chicago's South Side, where Obama gave a speech highly critical of absent black fathers. He urged them to remember thEir filial responsibilities and be more engaged in raising thEIr children. Obama reminded the congregation of his own experience growing up without a father, saying that if he could be anything in life, he would be a good father to his daughters.
巴拉克奧巴馬一家在芝加哥南部的"使徒"教堂慶賀了父親節,奧巴馬在此發表的報告強烈批駁了瀆職的黑人父親。奧巴馬請求他們記住對子女的責任,吶喊他們更多地付起培育子女的責任。奧巴馬回想起他在沒有父親的情況下成長的閱歷,他說:他終生中要表演許多角色,但他必定要做女兒的好父親。
Read Obama's speech below.
奧巴馬的演講內容如下:
Good morning. It's good to be home on this Father's Day with my girls, and it's an honor to spend some time with all of you today in the house of our Lord.
早上好。在家里陪伴我的女兒是一件樂事,在教堂與各位共度也是我的幸運。
At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus closes by saying, "Whoever hears these words of mine, and does them, shall be likened to a wise man who built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house, and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock." [Matthew 7: 24-25]
在《登山寶訓》的結尾,耶穌最后說:"無論誰聽了我的話,并付諸實際,都應當會成為一位能在堅石上建造房屋的智者。大雨過后,洪水泛濫,暴風怒號,擊打屋舍,但屋宇不倒,是因為其樹立在堅石之上。"(馬太福音,第七章24-25)
Here at Apostolic, you are blessed to worship in a house that has been founded on the rock of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. But it is also built on another rock, another foundation - and that rock is Bishop Arthur Brazier. In forty-eight years, he has built this congregation from just a few hundred to more than 20,000 strong - a congregation that, because of his leadership, has braved the fierce winds and heavy rains of violence and poverty; joblessness and hopelessness. Because of his work and his ministry, there are more graduates and fewer gang members in the neighborhoods surrounding this church. There are more homes and fewer homeless. There is more community and less chaos because Bishop Brazier continued the march for justice that he began by Dr. King's side all those years ago. He is the reason this house has stood tall for half a century. And on this Father's Day, it must make him proud to know that the man now charged with keeping its foundation strong is his son and your new pastor, Reverend Byron Brazier.
在這里,你們被寄予希望到教堂中做星期,這是由耶穌基督,我們的主,我們的先知所建立的,另一個基礎--堅石是主教 亞瑟 布拉澤爾。在從前的四十八年間,他將聚會人數從幾百發展到了兩萬多,在他的引導下,我們英勇的面對暴力和窮困,失業和掃興的狂風暴雨。在他的努力下,環繞著教堂的社區里,有越來越多的畢業生,越來越少的幫派成員。越來越多的人安了家,無家可歸者則越來越少。有越來越多的社區,越來越少的凌亂,因為亞瑟布拉澤爾繼續著他多年前就開始了的馬丁路德金式的對正義的尋求。他是這座教堂歷經半個世紀仍然矗立的獨一理由。在這個父親節,得悉今天繼續堅持這個堅實的基礎的人是他的兒子和新的牧師,拜倫布拉澤爾,一定會使他覺得自豪。
Of all the rocks upon which we build our lives, we are reminded today that family is the most important. And we are called to recognize and honor how critical every father is to that foundation. They are teachers and coaches. They are mentors and role models. They are examples of success and the men who constantly push us toward it.
今天,在我們建破我們的生活的所有基本之上,我們應該記得家庭是最重要的。在此基礎上,我們應該否認父親的主要并尊重他們。他們是老師,是教練。他們是導師,是行動的榜樣。他們是成功的典范,是一直將我們推向成功的人。
But if we are honest with ourselves, we'll admit that what too many fathers also are is missing - missing from too many lives and too many homes. They have abandoned their responsibilities, acting like boys instead of men. And the foundations of our families are weaker because of it.
倘如我們對自己老實,我們就不得不承認:太多的父親從太多的生活,太多的家庭中消散。他們像男孩一樣地廢棄了他們的責任,而沒有表現得像男人。因此,我們家庭的基礎變得軟弱。
You and I know how true this is in the African-American community. We know that more than half of all black children live in single-parent households, a number that has doubled - doubled - since we were children. We know the statistics - that children who grow up without a father are five times more likely to live in poverty and commit crime; nine times more likely to drop out of schools and twenty times more likely to end up in prison. They are more likely to have behavioral problems, or run away from home, or become teenage parents themselves. And the foundations of our community are weaker because of it.
我們都曉得這在黑人社區中是如許的常見。我們都知道半數以上的黑人孩子生活在單親家庭中,這個數字被乘以二,再乘以二,人生格言,自從我們仍是孩子時。我們知道這些統計數字:在不父親的情況下成長的孩子生活在貧苦跟犯法中的概率五倍于在有父親的情況下成長的孩子;輟學的概率九倍于在有父親的情形下成長的孩子;在監獄中終其畢生的概率是在有父親的情況下成長的孩子的二十倍。他們也更容易有行為問題,更輕易離家出奔,更容易成為青少年父母。而因而,我們社區的基礎也變得單薄。
How many times in the last year has this city lost a child at the hands of another child? How many times have our hearts stopped in the middle of the night with the sound of a gunshot or a siren? How many teenagers have we seen hanging around on street corners when they should be sitting in a classroom? How many are sitting in prison when they should be working, or at least looking for a job? How many in this generation are we willing to lose to poverty or violence or addiction? How many?
在過去的一年里,在這座城市中,多少孩子逝世于單挑斗毆?多少人在午夜睡夢中,跟著一聲槍響或一聲警笛結束了心跳?我們曾看到多少孩子在街角晃蕩,當他們本應坐在教室里的時候?多少人應在工作或至少找工作時,卻被軟禁在監獄里?這一代人有多少是我們違心在貧困、暴力和毒品中失去的?有多少?
Yes, we need more cops on the street. Yes, we need fewer guns in the hands of people who shouldn't have them. Yes, we need more money for our schools, and more outstanding teachers in the classroom, and more afterschool programs for our children. Yes, we need more jobs and more job training and more opportunity in our communities.
是的,我們需要更多的巡警在街頭。是的,我們需要那些不應該占有槍支的人手中領有更少的槍支。是的,我們需要更多的資金投入到學校,更多的出色的老師在教室中授課,以及更多的課后運動給我們的孩子們。是的,我們需要更多的工作,更多的工作領導,更多的機會在我們的社區里。
But we also need families to raise our children. We need fathers to realize that responsibility does not end at conception. We need them to realize that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child - it's the courage to raise one.
但我們同樣須要家庭去撫育我們的孩子。咱們需要父親們意識到義務不是停止于受精。我們需要他們認識到:你之所以是個男人,不由于你有生養才能,而是你有撫養以個孩子的勇氣。
We need to help all the mothers out there who are raising these kids by themselves; the mothers who drop them off at school, go to work, pick up them up in the afternoon, work another shift, get dinner, make lunches, pay the bills, fix the house, and all the other things it takes both parents to do. So many of these women are doing a heroic job, but they need support. They need another parent. Their children need another parent. That's what keeps their foundation strong. It's what keeps the foundation of our country strong.
我們要贊助那些憑一己之力撫養孩子的母親;母親們將孩子送到學校,而后去工作,下戰書又將孩子從學校接回,開端另一份工作,做晚餐,做中餐,付學費,修理屋子,而這所有都應由父母兩人獨特承擔。多少母親在單獨承當如斯紛紛龐雜的工作,但她們需要支撐。她們需要另一對父母。她們的子女需要另一對父母。這使她們的基礎變得強盛,這使全部國度的基礎變得壯大。
I know what it means to have an absent father, although my circumstances weren't as tough as they are for many young people today. Even though my father left us when I was two years old, and I only knew him from the letters he wrote and the stories that my family told, I was luckier than most. I grew up in Hawaii, and had two wonderful grandparents from Kansas who poured everything they had into helping my mother raise my sister and me - who worked with her to teach us about love and respect and the obligations we have to one another. I screwed up more often than I should've, but I got plenty of second chances. And even though we didn't have a lot of money, scholarships gave me the opportunity to go to some of the best schools in the country. A lot of kids don't get these chances today. There is no margin for error in their lives. So my own story is different in that way.
我知道這闡明我曾有父愛的缺失,雖然我情況比起今天很多年輕人要好很多。即便我的父親在我兩歲時分開了我們,我也僅僅從他的書信和家人的講述中懂得他,但我比大多數人榮幸很多。我在夏威夷長大,從堪薩斯來的祖父母傾其所有幫助母親撫養我的姐姐和我。他們和母親一道教育我們愛,尊敬和對別人的責任。我比實踐上更多地出錯,但為我總有第二次機會。雖然我們不怎么有錢,但獎學金給了我機會到全美一些最好的學校學習。今天,很多孩子卻不能得到那樣的機會。經濟條件不容許他們在人生中有任何差錯。所以,我自己的故事倒是有些不同。
Still, I know the toll that being a single parent took on my mother - how she struggled at times to the pay bills; to give us the things that other kids had; to play all the roles that both parents are supposed to play. And I know the toll it took on me. So I resolved many years ago that it was my obligation to break the cycle - that if I could be anything in life, I would be a good father to my girls; that if I could give them anything, I would give them that rock - that foundation - on which to build their lives. And that would be the greatest gift I could offer.
然而,我確實知道做一名像我母親一樣的獨身母親所需付出的代價--她怎樣努力去為我們支付學費;給我們和其他孩子一樣的貨色;扮演父親和母親的角色。我也知道我所付出的代價。所以,我多年前就下定信心,把攻破這輪回作為我的責任--在我所能做的所有事中,我會做我女兒的好父親;在所有我能給予她們的東西中,我會給她們一個堅實的基礎,使她們可以在此之上建立自己的生活。而這也將是我所能給予她們的最好的禮物。
I say this knowing that I have been an imperfect father - knowing that I have made mistakes and will continue to make more; wishing that I could be home for my girls and my wife more than I am right now. I say this knowing all of these things because even as we are imperfect, even as we face difficult circumstances, there are still certain lessons we must strive to live and learn as fathers - whether we are black or white; rich or poor; from the South Side or the wealthiest suburb.
我雖這樣說,但我當然知道我不是一個完美的父親;我當然知道我犯了良多過錯,也會繼續犯更多毛病;我也希望我能花比現在更多的時光在家里陪同我的女兒和妻子。我這樣說,因為我知道這一切都因為我們的不完善,因為我們所面對的窘境,作為父親,仍舊有許多需要去盡力學習,努力營生--無論我們是黑人或白人;富有或貧窮;來自南方或富人聚居的城郊。
The first is setting an example of excellence for our children - because if we want to set high expectations for them, we've got to set high expectations for ourselves. It's great if you have a job; it's even better if you have a college degree. It's a wonderful thing if you are married and living in a home with your children, but don't just sit in the house and watch "SportsCenter" all weekend long. That's why so many children are growing up in front of the television. As fathers and parents, we've got to spend more time with them, and help them with their homework, and replace the video game or the remote control with a book once in awhile. That's how we build that foundation.
首先我們就得為孩子們樹立優秀的模范--因為,如果我們對孩子們有較高的奢望,我們就先得對我們自己有較高的希望。如果你有一份工作那是很好的,如果你有大學學位那更好。如果你已經結婚了,并在家里和孩子同住,而且不僅僅是整個周末坐著成天地看"體育核心"那是再好不外的。那就是為什么如此多的孩子在電視機前長大。作為父母,我們需要花時間和孩子們在一起,給予他們作業上的輔導,在一段時間里,讓書本代替電視游戲和遙控器。這就是我們建立基礎的方式。
We know that education is everything to our children's future. We know that they will no longer just compete for good jobs with children from Indiana, but children from India and China and all over the world. We know the work and the studying and the level of education that requires.
我們都知道:教導決議孩子的未來。我們知道他們將不僅的印地安那的孩子為好的職位競爭,他們將和印度、中國乃至全世界的孩子競爭。我們也知道寰球化競爭對工作、學習和文明水平的要求。
You know, sometimes I'll go to an eighth-grade graduation and there's all that pomp and circumstance and gowns and flowers. And I think to myself, it's just eighth grade. To really compete, they need to graduate high school, and then they need to graduate college, and they probably need a graduate degree too. An eighth-grade education doesn't cut it today. Let's give them a handshake and tell them to get their butts back in the library!
有一次我去一個八年級畢業儀式,盡是夸獎、狀態、禮服、鮮花。我想,這只是八年級。去真正地競爭,他們需要讀完高中,讀完大學,他們興許還需要大學學歷。一個八年級畢業典禮真算不上什么。就讓我們和孩子握握手,然后告訴他們回到藏書樓!
It's up to us - as fathers and parents - to instill this ethic of excellence in our children. It's up to us to say to our daughters, don't ever let images on TV tell you what you are worth, because I expect you to dream without limit and reach for those goals. It's up to us to tell our sons, those songs on the radio may glorify violence, but in my house we live glory to achievement, self respect, and hard work. It's up to us to set these high expectations. And that means meeting those expectations ourselves. That means setting examples of excellence in our own lives.
作為父母--我們應該灌注孩子們這種優良的操行。我們應該去告知孩子他的價值,而是由電視上的圖片來實現,因為我生機你們有無窮的幻想,然后實現那些目的。我們應該告訴孩子們那些電臺上的歌是丑化了暴力,但在家里,我們生活在成績的聲譽、自尊和奮斗中。我刻錄該寄予孩子一些高的盼望。同時我們也被寄托冀望,也即是在我們自己的生活中建立目標。
The second thing we need to do as fathers is pass along the value of empathy to our children. Not sympathy, but empathy - the ability to stand in somebody else's shoes; to look at the world through their eyes. Sometimes it's so easy to get caught up in "us," that we forget about our obligations to one another. There's a culture in our society that says remembering these obligations is somehow soft - that we can't show weakness, and so therefore we can't show kindness.
第二,我們需要像父親一樣地關心孩子。不是同情,而是關懷--學會換位思考;通過他們的眼睛察看這個世界的能力。有時,做"我們自己"是很容易的,因為我們疏忽了我們對別人的責任。在我們的社會中,有一種觀點說:牢記這些任務是不怎么容易的,我們不能表示出脆弱,因此,我們也不能表現出善良。
But our young boys and girls see that. They see when you are ignoring or mistreating your wife. They see when you are inconsiderate at home; or when you are distant; or when you are thinking only of yourself. And so it's no surprise when we see that behavior in our schools or on our streets. That's why we pass on the values of empathy and kindness to our children by living them. We need to show our kids that you're not strong by putting other people down - you're strong by lifting them up. That's our responsibility as fathers.
And by the way - it's a responsibility that also extends to Washington. Because if fathers are doing their part; if they're taking our responsibilities seriously to be there for their children, and set high expectations for them, and instill in them a sense of excellence and empathy, then our government should meet them halfway.
不僅如此,到華盛頓去也是一種責任,因為,如果父親們對孩子們履行著他們的責任,對孩子們給予期望,灌輸孩子們優秀的品行、關心,我們的政府就應該在其中幫助他們。
We should be making it easier for fathers who make responsible choices and harder for those who avoid them. We should get rid of the financial penalties we impose on married couples right now, and start making sure that every dime of child support goes directly to helping children instead of some bureaucrat. We should reward fathers who pay that child support with job training and job opportunities and a larger Earned Income Tax Credit that can help them pay the bills. We should expand programs where registered nurses visit expectant and new mothers and help them learn how to care for themselves before the baby is born and what to do after - programs that have helped increase father involvement, women's employment, and children's readiness for school. We should help these new families care for their children by expanding maternity and paternity leave, and we should guarantee every worker more paid sick leave so they can stay home to take care of their child without losing their income.
我們應該使那些負責的父親的生活共容易,使那些不負責任的父親的生活更加難題。我們應該罷黜對當初已婚夫婦的納稅,我們要確保對孩子們每一分錢的撫養費都能使他們直接收益,而不落入貪官貪吏的口袋。我們應該減免那些為孩子支付工作練習,尋找工作機會的父親們的所得稅,以此輔助他們支付生活所需。我們應該擴展讓注冊護士照看妊婦并教學他們自護、護理嬰兒的名目--該項目增進了父親們對家庭的投入,母親們的外出自謀職業以及孩子們的入學率。我們應該為這些新的家庭供給照顧孩子的前提,延伸產假和陪產假,并且我們應該支付請假的員工更多的工資,以便他們可能呆在家照料孩子而不用擔憂工資的喪失。
We should take all of these steps to build a strong foundation for our children. But we should also know that even if we do; even if we meet our obligations as fathers and parents; even if Washington does its part too, we will still face difficult challenges in our lives. There will still be days of struggle and heartache. The rains will still come and the winds will still blow.
我們要實現這這些步驟,從而為我們的孩子建立一個堅實的基礎。但我們也知道,盡管我們這樣做,盡管我們實行了我們作為父母的責任,只管華盛頓也做好了自己該做的,我們在生活中仍要面對很多艱巨的挑釁。依然會有奮斗的日子,肉痛的時刻。雨會繼承下,風會持續吹。
And that is why the final lesson we must learn as fathers is also the greatest gift we can pass on to our children - and that is the gift of hope.
這就是為什么,我們作為父親所必需學的最后一課,我們能傳給我們的孩子的最可貴的禮物--是希望。
I'm not talking about an idle hope that's little more than blind optimism or willful ignorance of the problems we face. I'm talking about hope as that spirit inside us that insists, despite all evidence to the contrary, that something better is waiting for us if we're willing to work for it and fight for it. If we are willing to believe.
我不是指刻舟求劍的愿望,那不僅是盲目樂觀,或是不明白自己所面對的艱苦。我所說的盼望是我們始終保持的信心,無論如何,為之斗爭總強于坐待機遇。假如我們樂意信任。
I was answering questions at a town hall meeting in Wisconsin the other day and a young man raised his hand, and I figured he'd ask about college tuition or energy or maybe the war in Iraq. But instead he looked at me very seriously and he asked, "What does life mean to you?"
我在威斯康辛州的一個市政廳答復發問時,一位年輕人舉起了手,我本認為他會問我對于大學膏火、能源或伊戰的問題。出乎我的預料,他看著我,當真地問道:"生活對你象征著什么?"
Now, I have to admit that I wasn't quite prepared for that one. I think I stammered for a little bit, but then I stopped and gave it some thought, and I said this:
現在,我不得不承認,我當時對哪個問題每什么籌備。我想我當時有點口吃,然后我停下了,思考片刻,我說:
When I was a young man, I thought life was all about me - how do I make my way in the world, and how do I become successful and how do I get the things that I want.
當我年青時,我以為生涯就是為了我本人--我怎樣找到自己的方向,怎么變得勝利,怎樣得到我想要的。
But now, my life revolves around my two little girls. And what I think about is what kind of world I'm leaving them. Are they living in a country where there's a huge gap between a few who are wealthy and a whole bunch of people who are struggling every day? Are they living in a country that is still divided by race? A country where, because they're girls, they don't have as much opportunity as boys do? Are they living in a country where we are hated around the world because we don't cooperate effectively with other nations? Are they living a world that is in grave danger because of what we've done to its climate?
但現在,我的生活繚繞著我的兩個小女兒。而我所想的是我該給她們一個怎樣的世界。她們是否生活在一個存在富人和窮人之間宏大鴻溝的國家?她們還是否生活在由膚色將人辨別的國家?在這個國家,是否因為她們是女孩,所以得不到和男孩等同的機會?她們是否生活在一個怒視全世界的國家,因為我們不會和其余國家友愛配合?她們是否生活在一個極度危險的世界,由于我們對環境的損壞?
And what I've realized is that life doesn't count for much unless you're willing to do your small part to leave our children - all of our children - a better world. Even if it's difficult. Even if the work seems great. Even if we don't get very far in our lifetime.
我認識到了,性命不以多少來盤算,除非你樂意盡自己所能為孩子們留下一個更美好的世界。雖然這很困難。固然這項工程顯得偉大。雖然在有生之年我們無奈做得太多。
That is our ultimate responsibility as fathers and parents. We try. We hope. We do what we can to build our house upon the sturdiest rock. And when the winds come, and the rains fall, and they beat upon that house, we keep faith that our Father will be there to guide us, and watch over us, and protect us, and lead His children through the darkest of storms into light of a better day. That is my prayer for all of us on this Father's Day, and that is my hope for this country in the years ahead. May God Bless you and your children. Thank you.
這是我們作為父親,作為父母終極、最大的責任。我們努力,我們希望:我們盡自己所能將房屋建立在堅石上,風雨交加,擊打這房屋,但我們要堅持信念,因為我們的父親將會在那兒領導我們,照看我們,維護我們,他會領著他的孩子們穿過這最黑暗的狂風雨,進入新的一天更美妙的陽光中。這是我為所有人在父親節的禱告,也是我對祖國將來多少年的期冀。上帝保佑你和你的孩子。謝謝。
本文來自:逍遙右腦記憶 /lizhi/244515.html
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