“大鲨鱼”奥尼尔：给他人一个仰视你的理由

给他人一个仰视你的理由

(By Shaquille O'Neal)

沙奎尔·奥尼尔

When I was in junior high school, what my friends thought of me was real important to me. During those years, I grew much taller than most of my peers. Being so tall made me feel uncomfortable. In order to keep the focus off me and my unusual height, I went along with the crowd who would play practical jokes on other kids at school. Being one of the class clowns gave me a way to make sure that the jokes were directed at others and not at me.

初中时代，我真的特别在意朋友们对我的看法。那些年里，我比大多数同龄人都高出许多。这么高的个头让我觉得不自在，于是，为了转移别人对我和我那异乎寻常的身高的注意力，我便与那帮总喜欢在学校恶搞其他同学的人为伍。成为班里的活宝之一，能让我有办法来确定那些玩笑都是冲着别人去的，而不是冲我来的。

I would pull all kinds of pranks that were hurtful, and sometimes even harmful, to others. Once before gym class, my friends and I put Icy Hot in the gym shorts of one of the kids on the basketball team. Not only was he terribly embarrassed, but he also had to go to the school nurse's office. I thought it was going to be funny, but it all ended up that no one thought it was - least of all my father.

我总会开各种各样伤人的玩笑，有时那些玩笑甚至会对别人造成伤害。有一次在上体育课前，朋友们和我把IcyHot止痛贴放进篮球队一位同学的运动短裤里。他不仅尴尬万分，还不得不去校医务室就诊。我本以为这件事儿会挺搞笑的，但是最后谁都不那么想——尤其是我的父亲。

My parents didn't always think that my behavior was funny. They reminded me about the golden rule : to treat others as I would like to be treated. Many times, I was disciplined for the hurtful way that I was treating others. What I was doing was hurting other kids, and in turn hurting my reputation as someone to be looked up to. My friends were looking up to me because I was tall, but what did they see?

父母并不总认为我的所作所为很搞笑。他们会用那条金科玉律来提醒我：己所不欲，勿施于人。有很多次，我都因为对待别人的方式太伤人而挨了罚。我的所作所为伤害了其他同学，也反过来损害了自己被人仰视的声望。朋友们因为我个子高而仰视我，可他们看到的是什么呢？

My parents wanted me to be a leader who was a good example to others - to be a decent human being. They taught me to set my own goals, and to do the best at everything that I set out to do. During the lectures I got from my father, he told me over and over again to be the leader that I was meant to be - to be a big man in my heart and actions, as well as in my body. I had to question myself whether or not it was important to be the kind of leader and person my father believed I was inside. I knew in my heart that he was right. So I tried my best to follow my father's advice.

我的父母希望我成为一名领导者，成为别人的榜样，成为一个言行得体的人。他们教导我要设定自己的目标，并把要做的每件事都做到最好。在父亲的多次训诫中，他一再叮嘱我要成为自己理应成为的领导者那样——成为一个内心强大、行为得体同时身强体壮的大人物。我不得不反问，你的‘充足’理由吧。”