天地經緯
福建醫科大學畢業，80年代旅美留學，獲藥理學PhD學位，從事新藥研發28載。
我的ABC兒子：《損失五千美元換來人生最寶貴的頓悟》
【按：我的大兒子Scion出生於明尼蘇達州。2012年大學畢業後順利進入職場，在製藥公司從事數據統計工作。2015年被波士頓的本特利大學錄取為在職研究生。就學期間他一度遭遇課程挫折，但他靠著親情的激勵和自己的頓悟，及時走出低穀，奮發努力，終於在2019年夏天獲得碩士學位。在家庭舉辦的畢業慶祝會上，他麵對親友們作了一篇感人至深的演講。我們聽了之後，都為美國出生的這一代孩子能有感恩之心與勵誌圖強的文化傳承而倍感欣慰。謹把兒子致辭的原文譯成中文，附上與各位一並分享。謝謝大家！】
（在碩士畢業家庭慶祝會上的演講）
The Best $5000 I Ever Lost
損失五千美元換來人生最寶貴的頓悟
By Scion Li，May 18, 2019
Hello Friends/Family,
Welcome to my parent's home, or as my siblings and I like to call it, Doeskin Estates.
Thank you all for coming today to celebrate such an important day in my life. I decided to have this graduation party, not just because of the food and excuse to take jagerbombs, but because I wanted to share with you a very personal story and speech that I spent the last 4 years writing - in my head, and finally on paper. It's a speech that encapsulates my experience over the last four years at Bentley, and a lesson learned from probably the most difficult thing I've ever done. And I call this speech, “The Best $5000 I Ever Lost.”
各位友人，各位親人，大家好！
歡迎來到我的父母之家，也就是我們兄弟姐妹昵稱的這座“鹿嶺山莊”。
謝謝諸位今天的光臨，一同來慶祝我生命中如此重要的一天。我決定舉辦這個畢業慶祝會，不僅僅是為了享受美味佳肴並趁機暢飲雞尾酒，更是想與大家分享我過去四年裏所經曆過的特別的人生故事。這故事在我的頭腦中醞釀良久，現在終於付諸文字。這是一篇講述我過去四年裏在本特利大學（Bentley University）的跌宕起伏，以及從我麵臨的最艱難事情中所學到的功課。我把這段經曆總結為“損失五千美元換來人生最寶貴的頓悟”，做為今天的演講。
On May 1, 2015 (4 years ago), I received my acceptance letter to the Bentley University Master in Business Analytics Program. I was on my way to become a sought-after profession, a data scientist. I was beyond thrilled and honored that they accepted me, and couldn’t wait to start classes and be once-again immersed in the classroom environment. In the same month, I was also starting my brand new job at Shire Pharmaceuticals as a Business Analyst. It was a big month for me, and my life was about to change. I was turning over a brand new chapter in my life, juggling a new full time job, while pursuing my masters in the evening. I was motivated, determined, and felt like nothing could get in my way. I was ready to take on the world.
四年前的2015年5月1日，我收到了本特利大學商業分析碩士研究生的錄取通知書。其時的我正在潛心追求成為一名數據科學家的熱門工作。我頓時欣喜若狂，深感榮幸被本特利研究生院錄取了。我迫不及待地期盼上課而再次沉浸在課堂的那種氣氛中。也就在那個月，我開始在Shire 製藥公司就職，擔任數據分析師這個全新的工作。這個月對我來說真是一個無限風光的裏程碑，從此我的生活即將發生改變。它翻開了我生命中的一個嶄新篇章，我將在晚上學習碩士課程，白天從事新的全職工作。那時我渾身充滿活力，躊躇滿誌，覺得自己所向披靡 ——我已經準備好迎接這個世界。
That August, I took my first step on the Bentley University campus as a first-time student. I looked around at the sea of students walking from all directions to class. I breathed in the beautiful Bentley air, and made my way to the classroom of the first course of my graduate career. I took one deep breath, opened the door, and walked in to see the oddly familiar rows of desks, chalkboards, and faces and voices of my future fellow students and professors. This was happening. They say a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. I'll never forget that first step.
那年八月，迎來了我入讀本特利大學研究生的第一天。在校園裏我四處張望著從四麵八方匯集而來的學生們。我呼吸著本特利大學的新鮮空氣，走向我碩士班第一學期的課堂。我深吸了一口氣，推開教室的門走進去，一眼就看到了那些熟悉的書桌、黑板，以及同學們和教授的音容笑貌。新學期開始了！人們都說千裏之行始於足下第一步。我永遠不會忘記入學本特利的第一天。
The first semester went really great. I was gung ho and fired up. I made a lot of new friends, participated in class, and even looked forward to class on some days. During the days I was grinding at work and at night I was either in class, doing homework or studying. On weekends, I was either studying or going to shows with my friends. I struck a perfect work-school-life balance and everything was like a well-oiled machine. Life was good.
第一個學期感覺真的很棒，我高興極了。在那裏我結識了很多新朋友，按時上課，有些日子甚至期待著下一堂課的來臨。白天我照常工作，晚上我要麽在課堂上，要麽在家做作業或複習。周末我和朋友們一起學習或去看演出。我達到了完美的工作 - 學習 - 生活平衡狀態，一切都像一台運轉良好的機器，日子過得愜意美好。
However, this was short lived as the reality of being a working part-time student kicked in. By the time I was about 2 years into my program, that drive and motivation deteriorated significantly and I headed down a downward path. My mind started to wander in class, I felt tired constantly, I would be regularly up until 3:00am cramming a homework assignment that I should have completed the weekend before, and I was showing up to work late. I was passing in half completed homework assignments and doing the bare minimum, all while going through a difficult break up with my ex. Every day just seemed longer than the day before, and everything just started to feel meaningless. It was tough, and I would regularly ask myself, what is the point of all this? Why did I decide to go back to school and torture myself like this? Will I actually finish my masters? I was miserable, and the idea of quitting my Masters turned from a tiny thought into possible reality. It seemed to me, the solution to all my problems and I started to let go.
然而，那樣的美好日子沒有持續很久，因為作為一名在職研究生的現實挑戰很快就開始了。當我讀研將近二年之時，自己的動力和上進心出現顯著倒退，我開始走下坡路。我在課堂上會胡思亂想，並經常感到疲倦。我會經常一直熬夜到淩晨3點才趕完作業，而那作業本該在前個周末就得完成，之後我上班還常常遲到。我交給教授僅完成一半的家庭作業，而且隻做了最低限度的部分，所學的東西一到考試就都支離破碎。每天看起來都比前一天更漫長，所有一切開始變得毫無意義。境況變得如此艱難，我經常拷問自己：這一切有什麽意義？為什麽我決定回到學校來如此折磨自己呢？我真的有能力完成我的碩士學位嗎？我心裏很痛苦，放棄碩士學位的打算從一個微小的念頭轉變為可能的抉擇。在我看來，要解決所有的問題，就隻能放棄。
So, I started going out a lot more. I spent weekends traveling to see friend when I should have stayed in and studied, I spent lots of money on going, drinks. I was spiraling out of control, being self destructive, and in the Fall Semester of 2017, I failed my first graduate class, Time Series Analysis with Professor Pangchech. Bentley is a pretty expensive school, and each class costs $5,000 in tuition and fees. That's a lot of money. If you fail a course, you not only get an F on your transcript, but the company will not reimburse you for the amount. I stood there thinking to myself; All the time spent on class and coursework that semester, wasted. All $5000 of my hard-earned money, disappeared with absolutely nothing to show for it. So there I was, staring at my F, and a $5,000 hole in my bank account, miserable. I hit rock bottom, and I knew it. So, I decided to take the next semester off to take a much needed pause, and a step back to reevaluate my life decisions.
接著我開始越來越多地外出。周末本來應該在家學習，我卻去遊玩看朋友，還花了許多錢去喝酒。我開始失控，放任自我毀壞前途。在2017年的秋季，我第一次出現所修課程不及格，就是Pangchech教授所教的“時間序列分析”那門課。本特利大學是一所非常昂貴的學校，每門課的學費都在5000美元左右。那是好多錢啊！如果沒有通過課程，不僅會在成績單上得個“F”，而且公司不給報銷學費。我站在那裏獨自陷入沉思：這個學期花在課堂和作業上的所有時間都白白浪費了！我好不容易賺來的那5000美元都付之東流了。我在那裏眼盯著成績單上的F，以及我的銀行賬戶中的5000美元虧損，頓感悲慘戚戚。我知道當時我的情緒跌落到了穀底。因此，我決定下一個學期休學。我非常需要暫停一段，然後退一步重新評估我的人生決定。
It was during this time that I did some of the most difficult soul searching I had ever done in my life. I was asking myself tough and honest questions. Should I quit grad school? Do I even want this anymore? Do I even have what it takes to see this through? These classes are no joke. What about all the time and money I already spent? Will I regret this in the future? How would I tell my boss, friends, and parents?
正是在那段時間裏，我進行了生命中最嚴肅的靈魂拷問。我拷問自己一係列艱難而誠實的問題。我該退學嗎？我還想要這個碩士學位嗎？我是否還能通過什麽人或事來給我指點迷津？然而這些課程並非兒戲，我在上麵都已經花了那麽多的時間和金錢，現在如何是好？將來我會後悔嗎？我又將如何告訴我的公司老板、朋友和我的父母親？
I dug deep for anything, a small glimpse of inspiration or a sign of whether to continue, and then, it hit me. It was during this time when I was reminded of my purpose, put into perspective, I was reminded of the most important people in my life and what inspired me to do my masters in the first place; and that reason, is my mom and my dad.
我繼續探索自己的靈魂深處，看看能否瞥見一絲的靈感來決定取舍。果然，有一天頓悟臨到了我。就在那時，我驟然被自己的人生目標喚醒了！我也窺見到了自身的遠景。我想到了自己人生中最重要的人物，他們在一開始就鼓勵我去追求碩士學位。那起初的引領就是來自我媽媽和爸爸。
My dad has one of the most incredible and inspiring stories I have ever heard in my life and this story has molded me into the person I am today. My dad grew up in a very poor family in a poor village in Fujian Province of China called DaYang. He had very little growing up, and when I say little I mean little. As a child, my dad owned two outfits, one pair of hole-filled shoes, and two pencils for the whole school year which he would sharpen by hand with a small knife and continue using over and over again until there was no more pencil left. Those were all the possessions he owned in the whole world. He was skinny, constantly hungry, and when they did laundry, sometimes he would have to wait in bed until his mom finished cleaning and drying his two outfits. He dropped out of middle school to help his family in the farms until one day he decided that he was going to strive and to have a better life for himself, his future wife, and his future family - us.
我爸爸的人生故事，是我有生以來聽過的最令人難以置信又非常鼓舞人心的真實故事。他的故事讓我成為今天的我。我爸爸是在中國福建省一個名叫大洋的貧困山區裏的一個非常貧窮的家庭中長大。在他成長的過程中擁有的東西很少，我說的“很少”，真的就是少得可憐。在我父親的孩童時代，他身邊僅有兩套衣服，一雙破洞的鞋子，整個學年隻用兩支鉛筆，他必須用一把小刀輕手削筆，然後一遍又一遍地繼續使用，直到筆心用盡為止。這些東西就是他兒時在世上能擁有的一切。那時他很瘦，而且經常挨餓。當他媽媽為他洗衣服時，有時他必須躲在床上等待，直到他的媽媽洗好並烘幹他的換洗衣服。為了幫助他家裏種田，他不得不從初中輟學回村務農。直到有一天他立誌努力改變命運，為使自己和未來的家人們過上更好的生活，那就是現在的我們一家啊。
My dad was very smart and very hard working, he was the top of his class every year. My mother was as well, and both my parents eventually got accepted to college in 1977, at that time only the very top students had the privilege to attend in China. When my parents met, my mom saw something in my dad and knew that was going to be something special. Now, my dad is a very smart man and hardworking, but as many geniuses are, he can also be lazy. For that I am so thankful that he met my mom. They say that behind every great man is an even greater woman. And that's who my mom was. She was the superwoman pushing my dad to do something no one in their families have ever done before; dream big, pursue a PhD, and start a family in America.
我父親十分聰明，工作非常努力。在學校裏，每年他在學業上都是名列前茅。我的媽媽也是如此。我的爸爸媽媽終於有幸在1977年考上大學，當時在中國隻有最優秀的學生才能被大學錄取。當我的父母在省城上大學而相逢時，媽媽從我爸身上看到了某種品格，並認為那將是與眾有別的特質。彼時我的父親是個非常聰明並且勤奮學習的人，但就像許多天資聰慧的人一樣，有時他也可能表現懈怠。為此我非常慶幸他得到了我那勤勞的媽媽。人們都說每個成功男人的背後都有一個更堅強的女人，這就是我媽媽的寫照。她是位女強人，不斷推動我父親去做他們兩邊家族以前從未做過的事：敢於追逐宏大夢想，追求博士學位，並讓自己全家在美國安身立命。
After years of painstaking hard work and sacrifice, my dad was finally accepted to the PhD of Pharmacology program at the University of Minnesota in 1985. With only a few dollars to his name, the clothes on his back, and a plane ticket from Fuzhou to America, my father came to Minnesota to pursue the American Dream. My mother soon followed him to America and he ultimately finished his PhD and applied for his first real job. He did not get his first job until the age of 35, 6 years older that I am now. He started his life so much later than any of us have. He worked hard, understood deeply the value of money, and with the help of my mother raised a family of four, paid for piano lessons and Chinese school, paid for tutors, college tuition, food on the table, soccer practices, my first skateboard, my clothes, everything for us that my parents never had growing up. Ultimately he bought his dream home which we are all standing in today. Even then, my parents still donate to church, donate to charities, and send money back to their families in China, and so much more. How many people do you know who has achieved not only something so extraordinary, but the unimaginable?
經過數年艱苦的努力奮鬥，我的父親終於在1985年被明尼蘇達大學研究院錄取，攻讀藥理學博士學位。他手揣著寥寥無幾的美元和行囊裏的幾件衣物以及飛往美國的單程機票，從福州來到明尼蘇達大學追求他的美國夢。我母親第二年也幸運地來到美國。五年後父親獲得了博士學位，申請工作。他在美國獲得第一份正式工作之時已經35歲，比我現在年齡還長6歲。他的職業生涯比我們所有人都晚了許多。父親努力地工作，他深諳金錢的價值而善用之，在我母親的幫助下養育了全家的四個兒女，支付了我們鋼琴課和中文學校的費用、課外輔導費、所有大學學費、吃穿用度、足球訓練費用，買給我的第一個滑板以及我的許多新衣服……而我父母在自己成長過程中從未享受這一切。最後他們毅然買下了此時我們歡聚的這座夢想家園。不僅如此，多年間我父母親還捐錢給教會以及其它慈善機構，並常常匯錢給中國那些親人們的家庭。試問，你所認識的人當中有多少人不僅自己取得了傑出的成就，而其人生經曆也如此超乎想象呢？
The point I'm trying to make is that my parents sacrificed so much for my family, so that we could have the life they never had. They understand what poor is, they understand what true hardship is. They understand what sacrifice looks like and what it brings. They understand things that I will never understand because of the opportunities I have because of them.
我想說的是，我的父母為了家人犧牲了很多，由此我們可以擁有他們小時候從未有過的幸福生活。他們明白貧窮意味著什麽，他們也明白真正的困境是怎麽樣。他們知道付出是什麽收獲也是什麽的哲理。他們明白的很多事情，我卻可能永遠無法理解，正是因為他們已經為下一代人創造了良好條件和機會。
So during that semester off, when I was sitting there, feeling sorry for myself, thinking about the possibility of quitting my masters, I thought to myself, how can I even think about quitting when I don't even deserve this luxury of having a choice to quit, when everything I have was a gift from all the hard work of my parents? I live in America, I have a college degree, I have a good job, I have a loving family, I have the opportunity to go to graduate school, everything I have, I have because of them. This hardship I’m going through is sand compared to beaches of sacrifices my parents went through. Not to be dramatic, but the truth is that, that night I cried for the first time in a very long time.
就是在休學的那個學期，有一天我靜坐在家裏，為自己感到難過，一遍遍想著放棄攻讀碩士學位的可能性。但我又想，其實我甚至不配有這種“選擇放棄”之奢侈；我怎麽能隨意放棄呢？因為我擁有的一切都來自我父母辛勤工作的饋贈。我居住在美國，擁有大學學位，有一份好工作，我有一個充滿愛的家庭，我有機會上研究生院。我所擁有的一切，都是因為父母。我今日遇到的這些難處，與父母曾經的坎坷經曆相比，猶如一把沙與眾沙灘之比啊！我無意編造情節，的的確確在那天夜晚我頭一次哭了，在那之前我好久好久都沒有哭過。
“That's it!” I said to myself. “I'm going to finish what I started and make my parents proud.”
And that's exactly what I did. For the next two years, I roughed it through. I signed up for courses again. I re-enrolled in Time Series Analysis. Went to every class, worked my ass off. Got an A. Prioritized my coursework, studied hard, completed my assignments, stayed up late if needed to make sure I understood the material and the homework problems, emailed the professor with questions, passed on partying to study (although not all the time). One by one, I was crossing off the courses completed from my MSBA curriculum down to the final last one. And here we are today.
“決不能放棄”！我對自己說著， “我必須善始善終，讓我的父母為我感到自豪。”
我的確這樣做了。在接下來的兩年裏，我專心致誌刻苦攻讀。我再次注冊進入碩士課程。我重修了“時間序列分析”這門課。我認真上好每一堂課，並及時完成作業。期末終於得到了“A”的成績。我將碩士課程提到日常最優先順序，努力學習，完成所有作業。一旦需要進一步深入理解課本和作業的相關問題，我就熬夜攻關，或通過電子郵件向教授請教，或通過參加派對進行學習（雖然不都是如此）。我一個接一個地完成了Business Analytics碩士學位要求完成的所有課程，直到今天我有機會站在你們麵前。
As I stand here, having walked across the Bentley graduation stage, and here in my parents’home surrounded by my friends and family and beautiful Jillybeans, it feels so surreal. I have been waiting for this day, this exact moment for four years, and I can say that I am the happiest I have ever been in my life.
今天下午我已經參加了本特利大學研究生的畢業典禮。此時我站在我父母之家的大廳裏，被我的朋友們和家人以及漂亮的女友Jill圍繞著，感覺到如此地實實在在。在這四年期間，我一直等待這一天的來臨，期待這樣的時刻。我可以說今天是我生命中最快樂的一天！
This is not a story to say that I am anything special, or yay I'm happy now, because I'm really not anything special and do have a lot to be thankful for. This is a story to finally tell my mom and dad, thank you, for everything you have done for Kellen, Louisa, Mark, and I. I speak from the four of us when I say that you are amazing parents and we're so proud to be part of this family.
今天這個故事不是想說我有什麽特別之處，或標榜我現在多麽的滿足。我真的沒有什麽特別之處，但我確實有很多東西值得感恩。我的故事終於讓我可以告訴我的媽媽和爸爸：謝謝你們多年來為冰冰、瑞莎、馬可和我所做的一切。當我稱讚你們是很棒的父母時，其實是為我們四個兄弟姐妹代言。我們是如此的自豪能成為這個家中的一員。
I still often open up my Bank of America app and think about what it would be like if I had that extra $5000 in my bank account. That's my mortgage payment for many months, 4 cruises to the Bahamas, bijou/the grand tickets for a year, lots and lots of jagerbombs.
我經常查看我的美國銀行賬戶，想著如果我的銀行帳戶中額外多出來5000美元究竟會派上哪些用場。這5000美元夠我付好幾個月的房貸，或四次巴哈馬遊輪旅行，或高爾夫球場一年的門票，或痛飲很多很多的雞尾酒。
But I'm glad I lost that $5000 because it will always remind me of the price you sometimes pay in life to learn an invaluable lesson. It's a reminder of the necessary sacrifices that come with success. It's a reminder that failure is temporary. It's the reminder that sometimes things get tough, but if you stick through it, with the right motivation, it is all worth it in the end. There's a quote my mother taught me when I was little, it's “No Pain, No Gain”. Nothing extraordinary is ever easily attained, and if it's not hurting, you're not trying hard enough. It's a reminder that sometimes you don’t appreciate good until you experience the bad. It's a reminder of my parents sacrifices. And although my situation will never compare to the hardships that my parents went through for my family, I am glad I got to have just a small taste. It is the best $5000 I ever lost, a small price to pay for a lesson I will carry with me for the rest of my life and share with my children and my grandchildren.
然而，今天為了我曾經失去的那5000美元，我卻是懷著喜悅的心情。因為它總是提醒我人生有時候需要付出一定代價來學習寶貴的教訓。它提醒我們成功之路必須有犧牲；它提醒我們，挫折和失敗可能隻是暫時的；它提醒人們有時會遭遇逆境，但如果你能堅持下去，有正確的動力，那麽最終這一切努力都是值得的。當我小的時候，媽媽曾經教我的一句話，就是“沒有耕耘就沒有收獲”。世上沒有任何非凡的功業你可以輕而易舉地得到。如果沒有觸及痛處，也許你就不會那麽用功；它提醒人們，有的時候經曆過挫折打擊之後你才會珍惜曾經的擁有；它再次讓我想到父母曾經為兒女做出的所有犧牲。雖然我自己的難處永遠無法與我父母一生所經曆的艱辛相提並論，但令我高興的是我隻不過經曆了人生一段小小的波折。我曾經損失的那5000美元是非常值得的，它是為我人生的功課付上的一筆微小代價，我將它視作一生的精神財富，並將與未來的子孫們分享。
There are a few more people I want to thank for getting me to this day.
To Jill, my amazing girlfriend who would stay up with my until 2am when I was doing homework and ask me what seemed like every 5 minutes if I wanted snacks, and be there with dinner prepared for me when I got home from class at 10:30 at night. She would munch on Cheetos, loudly on the couch behind me watching anime on Netflix while I was attending class remotely, reminding me she was there waiting for me when I was done. Thank you for being my rock, for keeping me sane, pushing me to the finish line, and always ready to celebrate with me whenever I was done. As I said earlier, behind every man is a great woman. You are my super woman and I am the luckiest man in the world to call you mine.
此時我還要感謝更多的人，他們讓我能走到今天。
感謝我特棒的女友吉爾。每當我做作業時，她一直陪我熬夜直到淩晨2點，她會每隔5分鍾就會問我一次是否想吃點零食；當我晚上10:30上完課回家時她總是為我準備好了晚餐。當我在家上遠程課時，她會在我身後的沙發上啃幹糧，看著Netflix上的動漫。這些都提醒我，她一直在那裏耐心地等我直到我當天的功課完成。感謝你成為我的磐石，讓我始終保持理智，幫我邁向終點線，並隨時準備和我一起歡慶勝利。正如我先前所說，每個成功男人背後都有一個偉大的女性。你是我的超女，我是世上最幸運的人，能與你同舟共濟。
To Louisa, Jason, Kellen, Jesse, and my rock star brother Mark in China,
To each of my amazing friends, James, Bora, Hannah, Ben, Shirley, Berny, Sevag, thank you all for taking the token to be here and for all your support, for making the last 4 years so fun, and for being there to take shots with me and celebrate this joyous occasion. That's right, all this time everyone thought I was partying, I was taking classes as well. Achievements never feel real without your true friends and family to celebrate with.
謝謝手足之情的瑞莎和傑森，冰冰和傑西，以及身在中國的我那音樂明星弟弟馬可。
衷心感謝我的每一位鐵杆好友：陳晨，Bora，Hannah，Ben，Shirley，Berny，Sevag，感謝你們今天的友愛光臨和昔日一路的寶貴支持，讓我過去的四年時光充滿樂趣；你們往日在各地與我共賞美景，今天一道來慶祝我的歡樂時刻。 是呀！此時你們都看到我在舉行派對，其實這也是我人生學習過程中的另一堂課。 倘若沒有你們這些真誠的朋友和家人來一道舉杯喝彩，任何成就又怎能算得了真呢？
And of course…
To Mom and dad, you two are truly incredible parents who not only spoiled us with your love, but by the example you set for the four of us and showing us first-hand, that if you work hard, you can do anything you set your mind to. Thank you for getting me through my Master's Degree. This Master's was for you.
理所當然地，我要感謝媽媽和爸爸；你們二位真是世上難覓的父母！你們不僅以所有的愛寵慣著我們，而且為我們四個兄弟姐妹樹立了榜樣，並親自向我們證明了一個道理：隻要你努力工作，就可以達到你用心設定的任何目標。感謝你們一路引領我取得碩士學位！我的這個學位，誠然為你們而得。
謝謝皮卡的評論和美言。
您發的許多文章都很棒！繼續身體鍛煉，永葆健康喜樂！